Three years ago when I found myself settling in Central Florida and planting a photography business my friends kept mentioning to me this little lady named Sarah Sandel who I "just had to meet". The word was, we were just alike and we would more than likely become fast friends. Sarah had an established and growing photography business in the area doing, well, just what I was doing. And in the spirit of camaraderie and creative collaboration as opposed to competitiveness we decided to meet each other. Our friends were right. Sarah and I became fast friends and began creatively challenging one another while encouraging each of our own strengths and talents, and well, solving the worlds problems too at our coffee shop meetings with one another. One thing we were good at was ideas and it wasn't too long before we heard a common theme in our chats. People wanted to know more about their cameras, how to use them, how to understand their language and ultimately how to better capture their everyday lives. We got questions constantly from clients, from wedding guests, from people in the grocery store. "I just got this nice camera and I was wondering how to (insert technical question of choice here)". And thus, This is the Day Photography Workshops were born. We spent a few months developing content, pulling things together, collecting cool giveaways and creating easy to understand hands on learning tools to help a handful folks with "fancy" and not so fancy cameras alike better capture their own stories. It was a heavenly day and… we are finally doing it all over again. But this time even better. And before things even begin this time around we wanted to give you a little glimpse into the heart behind it all. There is no better place to start than with our original Beginners Workshop.
Now that we are comfortably two days into the month of April this little day of photography fantasticalness is less than one month away and with the seats over half full already (Yay, for our Early Bird Registrants!) we want to make sure you get a spot. But we also want you to be able to wrap your head around what to expect for the day. In a nutshell our Beginner's Workshop is designed to better acquaint folks with their "fancy" camera and the power it holds in order to better capture their everyday lives. You see not everyday is a "sit on a vintage quilt in a field of tall wispy grass at sunset and giggle at each other occasionally drawing your attention and grins in the direction of a lady with a camera" kind of day. Everyday is baseball games, impromptu tea parties and lazy days at the beach. They are dance recitals, steer shows and sitting on the back porch at sunset. They are orange blossoms in bloom, babies first grins and sunrises over the lake. Everyday is that gloriousness that God has granted each and everyone of us called this life, your life, that only you get to live and see and experience and remember.
Fancy cameras aren't meant to pull you away from all that, fiddling with foreign settings and innumerable combinations of f-stop shutterspeed and ISO. They should be pulling you into it. What we hope to do is enable you to be more comfortable, more natural, with your camera in your hands, capture the moment by taking a better picture up front and then set the camera down and get out there and live it! So take a day with us. Come on. Let's hang out together, learn a bit, laugh a bit too and then head back to our lives and start celebrating that everyday that has been uniquely entrusted to us.
The below images our from one of our near and dear to the heart 2011 This is the Day Photography workshop participant, Heidi! And here too are her thoughts on the experience...
"I first started to take an interest in photography because I simply wanted to take "good" pictures of my kids...ones that went beyond a basic snapshot. I took a few basic photography courses - one, an adult education class at the local community college and the other online; but, when I heard about the "This Is the Day" workshop offered by Caroline and Sarah, I jumped at the chance! Not only were they local Sebring girls I was familiar with, but they were talented too!
I always admired Sarah's ability to create images that were vivid and bright and, I felt, she had a particular strength for highlighting the eyes of her subjects. Oh, the eyes...always so striking! Caroline's style was a favorite too as she had such a way of expressing the details...as if she were the invisible photographer standing off in the distance seeing beyond what the average onlooker would see. Then, at just the right moment capturing it.
The "This is the Day" workshop was such a fun and interactive day full of information and then hands-on application. From the basics to editing and everything in between, it was a wonderful reinforcement of the few things I had already learned about photography and having Caroline and Sarah in the room, answering questions and sharing their knowledge and skills was the icing on the cake. I would recommend the workshop in an instant to any beginner or even someone with a little bit of a knowledge base who wants to expand and go deeper in their understanding and practical use of photography. You'll enjoy every minute!" - Heidi Stephens, 2011 This is the Day Photography Workshop Attendee
Heidi lovingly shared with us some images she has captured—since attending our This is the Day Beginners Workshop—while "celebrating the everyday" in her life as a mom of three precious little ones...
Below you get to hear from (as well as see the breathtaking images of) another 2011 workshop attendee, Staci Braswell! Already a skilled amateur photographer, Staci joined us at our 2011 This is the Day Photography workshop to develop her craft and to really expand and grow her knowledge. Now-a-days Staci enjoys utilizing her stellar photographic skills professionally from time to time not only capturing her own life experiences but also instilling timeless memories in the hearts of others around her.
"This is the Day workshop was an excellent opportunity to learn from two of the best in the business in a small group setting! Caroline and Sarah are willing to share their expertise with anyone willing to learn. I appreciated the introduction to camera settings and editing programs. But the most valuable part of the workshop was the opportunity to put the information into action with an afternoon shooting a family. I would encourage anyone interested in photography to sign up for the workshop. I have seen many improvements in my work, thanks to the inspiration and encouragement from Caroline and Sarah! These two ladies have a gift and talent that they are willing to share - don't miss the opportunity!" - Stacy Braswell / 2011 This is the Day Photography Workshop Attendee
Thank you to these two amazing past participants for sharing a little peek into your world! And I can't wait to spend a day with a new group of "fancy" camera toting friends and to watch as our new "alumni" grow.
xoxo,
Caroline
