It was a heck of a 7 days, and while I’m happy to be home now, I had a really happy time. I think that’s the right word – happy. I was just happy. Every. Single. Day.

Here is a little overview from my creativeLIVE class. I started with some basics of how to dress a model with ace bandages, creepy cloth (freaky fabric), and bed sheets. Shooting all on a dark background for drama, to make the baby powder stand out, and to more easily add a new location into the background, I photographed many different setups using these simple props.

I went out to pick beach grass (could be anything that has structure) in order to put the grass/flowers into some Styrofoam that I purchased the night before. This created a field effect that anyone can use in any form they wish – shooting children, seniors, portraits, etc…all with the convenience of being inside your home or studio. Also wonderful for those who are not around a lot of nature.

The first image in this post was shot during the “baby powder” portion of my creativeLIVE class. I decided to take the simple image of a girl wearing a blue bed sheet further to create a night sky, moon, and strong red flowing dress.

We ended with some cobweb and paint to show how painting someone’s body (any color) can add interesting texture and transform them into a character. I didn’t have enough time to finesse that image (when your producer is holding a “5 minutes!!” sign, one tends to listen). So I’ll give that another go at home and share how I would love for it to turn out. In the meantime, I hope some of these techniques prove fun and useful…and have an inspired weekend!

 What is your favorite $10 or less item to use creatively?

This retreat that I’m hosting in the UK is a unique creative experience. Focused on art photography, yet designed to allow all attendees to find, cultivate, and pursue their own creative voice, this retreat is 3+ days of hands on learning, sharing, giving, and adventure.

The UK retreat is the longest I’ve hosted, running from the evening of August 7th to the morning of August 11th. From shooting at ruins to photographing on a lake, in boats, in a forest, on rolling hills, and even inside our giant studio space, we will have the opportunity to shoot in many different inspiring situations.

The premise is simple: We all live under one roof for the days of the retreat. The price ($2,450) includes your lodging, all meals, and helps to cover model fees and location rental. Once you arrive at the house, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. That’s what we’ve been planning behind the scenes, and our hope is that you show up, relax, get creative and have fun.

We will discuss many different topics like…

Inspiration & Fear
Business & Goal Setting
Editing & Image Compositing
Creative Shooting & Set Design

We will focus on creating a small series while we are together. One afternoon is dedicated to practice shooting. The next day we edit and talk business. And the final full day is dedicated to 1-1 meetings as well as shooting at all of our inspiring locations. With 5-7 models available each person can grab their model of choice and run with it. The retreat is capped at 12 participants for an intimate gathering.

We’ll be eating healthy meals, staying at an amazing “green” facility that caters to retreats in a small town in Norfolk, UK, and enjoying activities outside of photography like a bonfire, t-shirt making, and movie-watching.

The great thing about a retreat is that while I’ve got our days jam-packed with activities, we can adjust as we go and work on the fly…so if you’re feeling inspired, you can run out and shoot with our resident model (the amazing Jen Brook, who will be living with us for your shooting pleasure…any whim or fancy, she’s your girl!).

I hope that you can join me on this retreat!

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These two U.S. workshops are the last traditional workshops I will be doing for some time: Bordentown, NJ & Phoenix, AZ.

This 2-day, 16 hour workshop goes through the ins and outs of finding your personal style, voice and story while applying creative techniques for shooting and editing. From inspiration exercises to five hours of shooting in a beautiful (and potentially haunted) location, to a full editing session and business lecture, we’ll go over how to be inspired to shoot creative scenes, edit those scenes, and potentially sell them as well.

Cost: $975 per person. Breakfast and lunch is included for the first day and lunch for the second day.

This class will…

– Provide exercises for inspiration and style building
– Show many different creative shooting techniques
– Focus on storytelling as a way to identify style and sell your work
– Provide a full editing tutorial
– Give an in-depth look at image compositing
– Give a  business foundation for selling art work

Please check the website to download an information packet with full schedule or to sign up!

1-Day Business Workshop in Phoenix, AZ on June 28, 2014

This 8 hour workshop takes the mystery out of business. From the art of selling photography to marketing, branding, social media, pricing, and style building, we will go over how to take your business up a notch by becoming more self-aware and constructively critical of your brand.

When I started photography seriously at the beginning of 2009 I thought I had picked up a fun hobby. One year later, no one was more surprised than I was to find I was quitting my job to pursue photography full time. One year after that, as I predicted, I had the beginnings of a business but no cash flow whatsoever. Things had to change, and I started to take a serious look at who I was as a photographer and how that translated into business. My business has been growing each year, and now that I feel secure that my business can support my lifestyle, I want to pass on what I’ve learned to you.

Cost: $475 per person. Breakfast and lunch is included in price. Prepared notes will be given to each attendee to take home regarding best business practices.

This class will…

– Present exercises for finding your style and branding that style
– Analyze marketing strategies
– Conduct an overhaul on social media to see what really works
– Take the mystery out of pricing
– Offer 1-1 meetings for building your business
– Clearly outline goals and deadlines for the success of your business
– Discuss best business strategies for saving time and increasing productivity

Please check the website to download an information packet with full schedule or to sign up!