It can be interesting the turns life takes. One day you’re practising and learning a skill, and the next you’re hosting a workshop on the topic…
Photography has been a hobby of mine for the longest time. Ever since I picked up a camera when I was about 14 years-old, I’ve been slinging a camera around with me. In 2014 when I started blogging, I decided to get my first DSLR to take better pictures to share the wonderful places I was travelling to. By 2016, it was no longer just a hobby, but an art form I was growing incredibly passionate about. I put off improving my skills because I was working on my novel. And as soon as I was done with writing the novel, and had more time at my disposal, I immediately began taking photography more seriously. I did a number of test shoots, studied from a book guide written especially for my camera type and model, watched a ton of YouTube videos on editing, practised, practised, practised! While still building my portfolio in 2018, I started offering photography services and continued to do so into 2019 as I grew even better and had a number of clients under my belt.
At the start of 2019 I decided that I wanted to pass on all that I had learned to other budding photographers. So this summer, I organised two workshops.
How I Structured The Workshop:
Morning Session: 10am – 12.00pm
- Camera settings for various scenarios and lighting situations
- Photography techniques and depth of field
- Composing an image and when to break the rules
- Developing a concept and creating a mood board
- Collaborating with other creatives
- Cold emailing designers for a collaboration
- Building a portfolio
- Social media marketing
- Developing your photography style
- Deciding your photography rates
Lunch: 12.00 – 1.15pm
Outdoor Photoshoot Session: 1.30 – 3.00pm
- Directing and posing
Afternoon Session: 3.15 – 6pm
- Contracts and release forms
- Copyrights and responsibilities
- Editing with Adobe Lightroom
- Important Adobe Lightroom shortcuts and workflow
- Creating your own presets
The pictures you see here are from the outdoor photoshoot session of the workshops. I didn’t just want it to be about learning camera settings or how to edit, but also included a live demonstration and business tips for a successful photography career. Both workshops were a success and I was happy to have helped the attendees on their journey to working as professionals.
Here are the reviews from both students:
Shanice:
“The Comprehensive Photography Workshop with Elizabeth was definitely worth the money and time! I went to the workshop with very little knowledge and confidence in taking portraits and left with more confidence in myself and potential skillset! Elizabeth was very relatable and answered every question that I asked. The time went by so quickly because the entire workshop was engaging, informative, and fun! I would recommend anyone who is wanting to start in photography to attend this workshop!”
Funmi:
“This was a very good workshop that goes beyond just taking pictures. When your ready to make the next step to get an income from photography, there isn’t really anywhere that tells you how to deal with the background business/admin stuff which this course definitely provides. It also has allowed me to think about what I need to do to make the step to become a working photographer.”
I’m yet to decide if I’ll run more classes in the coming year, but if you’d like me to, leave a comment below and if I get enough interest, I just might, as I’ve even learned so much more about the business of photography since the summer!
I photographed and edited all the images in this post.
