At the beginning of this week, I hosted my first ever two-day workshop with 16 photographers from all of the country. It was also the first time I taught wedding-related education, the first time I sold out a workshop in 3 days and the first time I taught 20+ of content in a 48 hour time span. I’ve been thinking through this blog post for the last couple of days…and I know that I am still lacking the right words to explain exactly how thankful I am, or how wonderful the entire experience was.

I guess I should start here: let’s time travel back 3 years. Picture me, sitting at a desk in a public high school classroom, sneaking emails on my iPhone during class. Picture me staying up all night searching Youtube and blog posts for the answers to my questions. Picture me sitting in my very first workshop that I invested in, having never even ATTENDED a wedding as a guest, and introducing myself with a shaky voice as I explained that I didn’t know what shooting in RAW was. I started in the very same place as each and every one of you…and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to share and teach what I did to get to where I am now (and share my gratefulness for a God who is good and faithful and true to His promises).

I’ve spent the last two days recovering from a sore throat, lost voice and tired feet…but my heart has never, ever been this full. Overflowing is a better word, actually. I am so proud of  each and every one of the 16 photographers who invested in themselves and their dreams by attending this workshop, and so grateful for the fact that they chose to invest in me. This is the part where I start to get tongue tied…because no words can adequately explain. My heart for education has been a huge part of who I am since day one of my business…and I couldn’t be more thankful for the attendees who give me the opportunity to pour into them.

In two days we covered a whole lot of content (more than I could ever cover in a blog post!), but I’ll give you a sneak peek:  how to photograph each individual part of a wedding day (from camera settings to lighting situations to posing to pro tips), collaborating with vendors, marketing strategically, mastering social media, building senior rep teams, photographing high school seniors, blogging, branding, website design, studio ownership, client experience, time management, organization, workflows, editing…the list could go on, but I’ll stop there! On top of that, we photographed two INCREDIBLE styled shoots put on by some of the most amazing vendors (more of those to come soon!) and shared a whole lot of delicious food (I’m pretty sure I gained 5 pounds, but I think I’m okay with it).

Thank you so much to all of the creative team who made this workshop happen (and loved on my attendees so well!):

Twila & Co. | Chalkfull of Love | Rachel Tenny | Honeybook | Olivia Macaron | 28 Paper Clips | VICI | FotoStrap | Monkees of Fredericksburg | Showit | Agree | PASS 

To give you a full peek into the workshop experience, here are some of my favorite behind-the-scenes shots, starting with the meet and greet:

Day One: Wedding day! We broke down every part of a wedding day and my entire client experience, and photographed the dreamiest styled shoot I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Day Two: Senior Portrait day! We talked all about vendor collaboration, senior experience, senior spokesmodel teams, blogging, social media, studios and more! Plus, we photographed head shots and ANOTHER fully styled shoot!

 

I just ADORE these girls and miss them all so much already!!! Just look at them – they’re as beautiful as they are talented!

Want to see more from the workshop experience? Check out the hashtag #hopetaylorworkshop on Instagram!

Interested in learning more about the next workshop? Head HERE to the workshop website. 

I’ll be sharing BOTH styled shoots next week (and I’ll be on pins and needles until then!) but here’s just a little sneak peek:

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