Back in May I was able to attend a Rachel Vanoven newborn workshop! I've followed her for awhile because I just love her work, her personality and the fact that she's a family girl. She's a mom like me, we are the same age and she just seems down to earth and REAL; which can be hard to find in this business! So when the opportunity to attend one of her workshops came up, I jumped at it; even though I was going to Indy all the way from Alaska! It was definitely an investment, but I was ready to take this step for my business! Thankfully I was able to meet up with a fellow RVP follower at the workshop who I had been talking to online for a while. (And thanks to her, I have these awesome pictures of me in action at the workshop, thank yoooouuuu, Marina!!!)
Let's see; the night before the workshop, all the girls met up with Rachel for dinner. It was pretty relaxed and a fun time getting to know a little bit about everyone. The perfect way to get those pre-workshop jitters out; this way you know who you will be spending the next day with and not have those awkward hello's at the actual workshop. Rachel was definitely the girl I thought she'd be; sweet, funny, authentic and just a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person. You've only met her 10 minutes ago and you feel like you've known her a lifetime.
The next day was workshop day; my friend and I were stoked and ready for some serious learning! Pretty sure it took awhile for both of us to fall asleep the night before! ;) We showed up and got to chat a little before the first model arrived. Rachel showed us around the studio and went over what she does to prepare for the session. Without going into too much detail; there were 3 models total for the day; 2 in the morning and 1 after lunch. With each model we worked on angles and she showed us how she poses the baby and how to perfect the shot. Rachel was super patient with us if one of us (or all of us) were having a hard time getting the angle right. Throughout the whole day she was telling us tips and tricks and little tidbits that she has learned over the years. Of course, many of these had me thinking, "Really?! Why didn't I think of that?!" Ha, but I guess that's why we photographers who want to better our business take a workshop like this! Is it going to make you a stellar-amazeballs-top of-the-notch-photographer in one day? No. Will you learn something new and walk away with the confidence you had always been wanting? YES! I can't tell you how awesome this workshop was. It was such a fun experience from beginning to end! Rachel was such a pleasure to meet, shes funny and just easy to be around. She truly wants to help you better your skills and see you succeed! Of course all the other photographers in the group were amazing too; we now have friendships and connections thanks to the workshop!
After the models had left; we went over her editing process and had an open time for questions. It was nice to just relax and ask about whatever was on our mind. Afterwords we all went out to dinner for tacos and margaritas. We shared some good laughs about the day and got pictures with each other before we all went our separate ways. It was like the day you never wanted to end; doing something I love while learning new things and hanging out with some pretty cool ladies, doesn't get much better then that!
It was such a fun experience, one I'll never forget! I learned a ton, made some good friends, and walked away with the confidence in newborn photography that I had been trying to find for 3 years. If you are contemplating going to a workshop and are ready to take your business to another level, then DO IT!! You won't regret it!
Here are some photos of me in action, provided by my friend, Marina. And a couple photos that I took from the workshop! All newborn posing and styling done by Rachel.
~Susan
Susan
Wetlesen Photography specializes in newborn,
birth, family and lifestyle photography
in Southwest Oklahoma and surrounding areas including but not limited
to Lawton, Wichita Falls and Altus.
