Anyone who reads our blog knows, while we are good at blogging our weddings, we rarely post anything else. You can blame that on me, since Sarah is in charge of blogging the weddings and I, well, am obviously not a great blogger! I wanted to share a bit about my personal journey as the newborn part of our business. When we started out we photographed everything and everyone, everywhere! We learned a ton those first few years: about cameras, photography, running a business, and ourselves. When we started getting comfortable with kids, families and weddings a few years into our official business, I found out I was expecting (again). Naturally, I wanted newborn pictures of my 3rd baby and, with a little research, a whole new world opened up. I discovered studio style newborn photos, of peacefully sleeping angelic newborns instead of the pictures I had of my first two: red from crying, cross eyed in photos, laying in awkwardly posed angles.
This was before pinterest was a thing (imagine all of us who wedding planned back then!) and Facebook wasn't super popular. Somehow I still found Rachel and she changed my life. Rachel's business started a few years before our own. Her personal story of her young adulthood resounded strongly with my own and where I was coming from. I found her because she had poured herself into newborn photography and self learned a ton of tricks and tips that she wanted to share with others like herself. I bought her very first original posing guide and she became something like a star to me. Little did I know that a few years later with a lot of practice and a business well on its way, I would have the chance to spend some time with her and learn from the best of the best.
Which brings me through the next few years and into the present. The newborn workshop I attended was the week of my 28th birthday and was undoubtedly one of the most exciting things I have been able to do! After following her and learning from her online for so long, she became the most famous person I would want to meet. I would have chosen to have a meeting with her over any famous people I could think of. I learned so much from this amazing lady and she stays involved and in touch with everyone she has taught. She has really made us all apart of something bigger than just another workshop, talk, or class.
I was thrilled when she released her newest workshop. This one is based on outdoor family photography and posing. It's full of videos where you can watch how she interacts with clients, poses them and edits her sessions afterwards. It has all the basics, making it perfect for any photographer, whether they are just starting out or advanced and wanting to up their game a bit. We all start somewhere and Rachel just gets that, and is genuine in her helpfulness. I have been asked how I got started and what has made my business grow. If I could give one piece of advice to anyone who shares the love of photography, is looking to make it into something a little more, it would be to ASK QUESTIONS. Remember, we all started somewhere. Also, find a good person to mentor. There are so many terrible workshops out there with people looking to just make money off of you. Spend your money wisely. I highly recommend this amazing teacher and all her workshops, computer or in person!
Here is a link to Rachel's E-Workshop: http://www.rachelvanoven.com/shop/family-eworkshop/ trust me on this one, its an investment that is worth every penny and more!
Annnnd, since our blog is based on photos, here is some from my workshop with Rachel, along with some recent favorites!
I met some of the best girls at the workshop and made some new friends. We were also the first workshop where a bunch of vendors got together and donated some of their props with a special thanks to Rachel's sister Karis for setting it all up. We were pretty much like a bunch of two year olds on Christmas when we got to open our bags :D