I am SOOOOO excited to share my experience at the Own It Workshop with you guys, a photography workshop in Colorado this past July. This wasn’t just any typical photography conference because it was run by one of my favorite photographers on the planet – Wyn Wiley! Wyn & I have been virtual friends for over five years; I came across his work in 2012 and saw that he focused on high school senior portraits (and did a heck of a job), so I was encouraged that I could do this too! Wyn mentored me when I first started my business, and kept inspiring me through his incredibly beautiful and editorial senior portraits throughout the years. When I heard he was starting a workshop, I knew I had to be there! I’m so glad I attended the Own It Workshop. I learned a ton of great new tips and tricks for my business, but more importantly I connected with so many people like me. It felt like I had coworkers for once, who could completely relate with me on what being a full-time photographer who works for yourself is really like.

For this photography workshop in Colorado, we all stayed at a rustic, cozy AirBnB in Breckenridge (about 15 students, and 5 leaders/team members), where we would learn all day, and then go out and shoot in the afternoons. We covered so many different topics – posing, directing, pricing, editing, marketing – and then broke into small groups to talk through these topics even more specifically. This workshop was so different than other classes and workshops I’ve attended because the leaders cared SO INCREDIBLY MUCH about each of our individual businesses succeeding. They poured hours and hours into caring for us and teaching us exactly what we specifically needed to hear. I’m so thankful for Wyn, Abbey, and Ellie!

Below are some of my favorite moments from the weekend. Not pictured – late night game sessions and Wyn’s dance moves :) But scroll down as I walk you through my Own It Workshop experience. There are even some pictures of myself for once! Benefits of being surrounded by photographers :) Yay for being photographed by some of the best in the biz!

We spent an afternoon with three different families, watching our leaders work with clients and take their pictures. This was so great for me to watch because I just remember thinking – oh good! Everyone’s shoots are as hectic and crazy as mine! Haha :) We had the sweetest families to work with, who let us practice new techniques and didn’t mind having 15 cameras in their face.

Below is my new friend Hannah with the crazy cool hair. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of her! I just loved her look, and also really enjoyed getting to know her. She is a VERY talented wedding photographer.

This is my friend Vic below. After talking for about five minutes on the first day, I told her I feel like we would be really good friends, and she agreed :) Instant friendship with this girl! And then she grabbed a couple of pictures of me with my camera!

On the second afternoon, Wyn told us we’d be taking pictures of each other, so we should wear our favorite outfit. Little did we know, we’d be hiking for miles to get to this beautiful location! Now I can cross off my bucket list – hike in a dress and heeled boots! Haha :) The hike was completely worth it!

Our wonderful leaders!

Then my photographer BFF Caroline Howard (Caroline Ro Photography) took some pictures of me! This was so fun. I feel so comfortable around her, so I feel like she took some pictures that really captured ME! Caroline and I worked for the same studio when I lived in Charleston after college, so a MAJOR bonus to going to this workshop was spending time with her!

Lastly, I thought it’d be cool to share some of my new friends work that they captured of me, so you can see how one scene/person can be seen so differently by a group of people. Thank you for these pictures, my new friends! Below is work by Wyn Wiley, Abbey Moore, Hannah Simpson (Hannah Says Hello Photography), and Lynette Giesbrecht (respectively). Thank you friends for really capturing my personality in these pictures! I felt so comfortable and so MYSELF with each of you.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read everything and take a look at my fun Own It Workshop experience, a photography workshop in Colorado. It was so revitalizing for me to be around people who completely understand how hard and wonderful it is to own your own photography business. We just GET each other! It did my heart some serious good, and gave me confidence that I’m in a great place with my business. I think we should all be pushing ourselves to learn and grow in our industries, and this workshop was my way of doing that. No regrets about investing in this workshop! :) Lastly, here’s a picture of our Own It Workshop family. Love each one of them.