Workshop in review

So I promised you more about the Courtney Fries workshop, so here it is! First, a disclaimer. I've never been to a workshop before. I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know how the photo shoots were going to go, if it was going to class room time where we were formally instructed or round table discussion, or if I was going to be so far behind everyone else that I would just be lost the entire day! Luckily, I went with my friend, Wendy.... and I distinctly remember saying, as we were just about to pull in the drive way, "Are you nervous?" The butterflies in my stomach were going crazy! "Yes," she admitted, and I immediately felt better. We pulled into the Music Ranch, where our children's shoot was to be held, and joined the others standing around... and was immediately relieved when I realized that we were joining in with a group of fellow photographers who were all feeling the same way! Every last bit of nervousness was gone -- as we all introduced ourselves, it was like we instantly were friends, bonding over the same struggles and joys of photography.

In short, for me the workshop was incredible. I learned so much from Courtney in such a short time. I became more familiar with my camera, shot a whole photo shoot in manual mode (!), and made some great friends.  Just watching others shoot -- what angles, what approaches were they taking -- was as helpful as actually shooting myself. And Courtney was great. She was candid and up front with all of our questions. I never felt uneasy asking a question, never felt it was a stupid question or that I would be judged for asking.

So with that all said, here's a huge thanks to Wendy for letting me know about the workshop and encouraging me to go (and letting me spend the night!). And an even bigger thanks to Courtney, for just being so generally amazingly nice, styling some insane shoots, and answering all of my questions!

Quick photo to hold you over, more to come!