For those of you who have been around a bit... wait that sounds like I am saying you are old... For those of you who have follow some of my stuff for the last year will remember that I shot a golf tournament with a couple of guys. One of the guys was Steve Gustafson who then invited me to shoot the Chickamauga Civil War Re-enactment with him. Both of these can be found in past blog posts. Steve and I have become good friends with similar vision and values and I was honored when he asked me to be part of a kid's portrait photography workshop called the "Sense of Wonder Workshop."

Emma's dad and I stole the horse from an Ice Cream shop

Now the unfortunate side of this story is that I had two other speaking engagements right before this event. The ISAP symposium... all about airplanes. Then this little thing called Photoshop World in Atlanta. I literally left the first one and travelled to the second and so I was wiped out as this workshop approached. If you are like me, you tend to get nervous and start to think of ways you might be able to get out of your commitments as time draws near... and that couch looks so much more comfortable than going forth into the unknown.

We have all felt that way at the beginning of something. You are not sure what is going to happen and pretty sure it will not be worth it or you will screw up and life as you know it will end. Besides there is probably a Mythbusters or Dexter marathon going on somewhere this weekend! But then you get a little whisper of hope and God manages to get you off of the couch... you show up and it turns out to be one of the best workshops you have ever been a part of. And that is where we join the story already in progress...

Brooke Logue, Tonya Poitenvint, Steve and myself went out to dinner to get to know one another since only Brooke and Steve had done a workshop together. And as Forrest Gump said... "We got along like peas and carrots." Each one of us brought something special to the table... not the dinner table... I mean the collective group...:D I brought my wit and sarcasm and the others brought their ability to put up with my wit and sarcasm.

We opened up the workshop by talking about being real and seeking out the realness in ourselves and our models. My talk dealt with the idea of "Lives over Likes" and how we need to be more invested in the people around us over chasing after more likes on our photography page. I used my Masks example of how our fake persona that we try to show the world ends up isolating us and leaving us lonely. We emphasized that we are responsible to drawing out the expressions and interactions of our models and that can only really happen if we engage with them. I love using Peter Hurley's line that he is 10% Photographer and 90% Psychologist. So much of what is being taught out there these days is all about the technical, but so much of what holds us back is not technique, but rather fear and insecurities. So at the workshop we address both and saw folks really come alive.

The first evening we went to a great barn location and had a great time and got some wonderful images... but we also had a great time interacting with the kids and making them feel valuable and safe with us, and the expressions and real emotions are palpable in our photos. Basically we were free enough to be goof balls with the kids and they kids responded with smiles and hugs that we will never forget. You know it is a good time when one of the models cries because we have to go home. The mom's said this was the best experience they had with photographers and their kids. That is when you know you are on to something.

Hugging Steve around the waist while he spins the girls... I got dizzy!

We dealt with the technical... I showed them Photoshop and Lightroom workflows and tricks and helped with cameras and lenses and Steve blew all of us out of the water with his talk on Composition, but the real treat was seeing Brooke and Tonya interacting with the students and kids. they had this passion and energy that was contagious and we all grew through this experience. To a person each student came away saying it was the best workshop they had been to, and they weren't just saying that because I had them in a headlock... we have already got several of the students signed up for the next one 30 minutes after we announced it... so that is pretty cool.

I am so glad I didn't let the couch win and I can't wait to be part of the next one in September in Miami. Let me know if you are interested in going... spaces are going quick.

Press...Press... Pull.... (See who gets this reference.:D)

Sense of Wonder workshop
Wardrobe Fleur and Dot
Floral Halos Hippie Headwear
Floral Petite Headbands Couture Phantasies
Concept Brooke Logue Photography

Saturday Morning
Concept, styling and wardrobe Tonya Poitevint Photography
Threads Little Boats (just the coffee shop images)

Saturday Night.
Styling and Wardrobe Koko Blush & Co
Concept Brooke Logue Photography