Classes

Ever get depressed that you put all the work and effort into a Styled Shoot, just to have it go nowhere? That you designed and set up the most beautiful concept that NO couples got to enjoy? Our Pop Up Weddings are all the fun and creativity that goes into designing and setting up a Styled Shoot, but guess what? We have couples that ACTUALLY get married! We consistently sell out full days of weddings, design on our terms, provide a kick ass experience for our couples and make more than we would on a wedding day! Curious how it’s done? We’ll get into selling and marketing the event, pulling your vendors together, what you need to pull it off, and how you can fill gaps in your schedule with a fast paced revenue generator!

Let’s debunk the idea that during a wedding day you have to go to 5 different locations and use 3 different light setups to create amazing bride and groom portraits. WHO’S GOT TIME FOR THAT??
Students will learn:
– How efficiently direct the couple to avoid frustration and time-wasting.
– How to explore a single location instead of traveling from place to place wasting time and tiring your couple.
– They will learn what makes a good pose instead of memorizing pose #1, #2, #3 and so on.

Sales aren’t your thing. You’re afraid you’ll come across like a slimy used car salesman, and you just don’t want to be pushy. You’re offering in person sales like everyone told you to, but you’re just not getting those numbers as high as you wish they were. You’re doing okay, you’re settled in your ways, and you’re afraid of change. But you keep thinking that those higher sales are just out of reach. What would it mean to you if you could increase your sales average by hundreds or thousands of dollars? Would it mean you could quit your job? Take your family on a nice vacation? Pay for dance or soccer for your kids? Finally replace that car that keeps breaking down? Let’s talk about some ways to increase your sales and run a more profitable business.

*how the client education affects sales from initial inquiry
*learn to upsell with add-ons
*protecting yourself from ghosts or time-wasters

Are you wanting to step up your game on posing your couples dramatically? In this hands-on class you will learn the technique of dramatic posing and then apply your skills in class.

– Posing for the money shot
– Understanding angles
– Shooting for drama

* how to create strong collections for Quinceañeras.
* How to increase sales even before you go to cover the event’s day
* how to go from 5k to 10k and from 10k to 15k with a solid IPS.
* How to make money every year with your quinceañera, easily.

Interacting with kids is tough, especially as an adult. Learn how stupid games and a thigh workout will help get you the best kids pictures ever. I was a pre-k teacher before my 17 years in business as a children’s photographer and I can tell you all about:
– Stupid games to play for real laughs and authentic expressions.
– Reverse phycology will win you points too
– Squatting down will get you good pictures and nice thighs
– Treating kids like real people, no baby talk here!
– You don’t have to resort to bribes.

Returning for a third year at ShutterFest this demo class (with student participation) will be an adventure into how I use the art of movie storytelling to create my work. We’ll have a brief discussion of how a character’s journey is structured for a movie and how that is applied the photography session. We’ll weave between a Jedi and a high-school senior basketball player to show you that the magic is the same, because the hero’s journey is the same. You’ll learn how I work with subjects to create real emotion, how I structure my photography to support that emotion and ultimately how it creates the story as we work. Then volunteers from the class will have the chance to try their own application of what we’ve learned and we all will help shape the story within.

This hands-on class will give you the entire class time to capture three genres of photography and practice your storytelling, lighting, posing, structure and create impactful artwork that will set your studio apart from all others. Three separate photography bays, one featuring gel glamour photography, a second featuring fantasy boudoir and a third featuring high-school senior fashion. Lighting, backdrops, props and amazing talent will be provided for you – bring your camera, your best lens and your open imagination. Each student will have time to capture plenty of frames of each subject and I will be there to encourage, guide and help you define your journey.

Boudoir photography is a fast-growing niche. There’s a lot to consider when adding this specialty genre to your brand, but it can be both lucrative and personally rewarding under the right conditions. In this talk, we’ll cover all the things you need to know to get up and running. Topics include:
– Why your WHY is crucial to this genre
– Finding your target client
– Building your portfolio
– Popular products for boudoir
– Working with hair & makeup artists
– Studio set-building and non-studio options
– Tips for male photographers
– Special considerations for your contracts and studio policies
– Handling awkwardness… for you and for your client
– Challenging your own discomforts and biases, and helping client through theirs
– Getting your clients to do *that* pose or *that* face
If you’re considering adding boudoir to your brand, you will not want to miss this informative class!

Frustrated with your skin Photoshop skills? It’s understandable, since skin is one of the hardest things to retouch in Photoshop. Join Kristina Sherk as she demystifies all the top techniques the magazines use to retouch skin. You’ll leave this class with all the knowledge you need to elevate your retouching, and portraits to the next level.

*** This will be an advanced Photoshop course, a moderate understanding of masks, layers, and adjustment layers is recommended. ***

Let’s be real – running a successful photography business is not only hard work, but it can be downright scary! Even though it may not seem like it (thanks to the “reality” of social media), everyone struggles at times, whether it be with client communication, posing, lighting, or the many aspects of running a business.

There are countless things which may cause us to lose confidence or become discouraged, and it’s important we tackle those issues to help ourselves move forward while working on our technical and creative skills. Learn some real world methods you can implement to help you gain confidence and overcome the hurdles standing in your way (even if it’s you!). You’ll take away simple and practical steps which, if applied, can help launch your business into the success you’re working for.

Join Ning for the perfect ratio of business and inspiration, and leave feeling more confident in your ability to manage a successful business.

Things attendees will learn:
-Getting a business started from scratch
-Pricing structures & how to price yourself
-How to sell and close your client
-Communicating with your client once you book them
-Delivering a wedding
-Marketing yourself

Do you offer a full service experience that your clients will leave talking about & excited to share?

What sets you apart from all the “Competition”?

Do you feel confident beyond the props & posing?

In this class you will learn:

• 3 CORE elements of the client experience. Connect, Serve, Educate, and Deliver every time!

• I will walk you through step by step…From the first consult to the day of the sale, provide an incredible experience that will pay off BIG!

• Let’s get beyond just props and posing and to the actual details that matter! Let me help you refine your client’s experience so your work WILL sell itself.

• The Client Experience is everything! When it is all said and done, they will not only trust you with their baby but also their credit card!

Let me help you take your studio to the next level – You’ve got this!

I’ll take you through my sales process from first contact to mailing thank you gifts.
– Start text message, email or phone and get them in for a a consult
– Showing products at consult, shoot and sales
– Session Fees that cover your time.
– Products that practically sell themselves
– Pricing that works
– packaging and product delivery – EVERYTHING

Many people have a hard time with macro photography, but it’s one of the fastest-growing genres right now due to the pandemic restrictions. One of the things I get asked about the most is how should they compose a photo. I use portrait rules and english reading rules to translate a mess into good composition.
– Rule of thirds
– Framing
– Left to right reading
– Color and shadow
– Repetition of elements

Welcome to the weird, wonderful world of Avant-Garde fashion! This will be your chance to shoot some amazingly creative, bizarre, and unique designs. We’ll be pulling out all the stops on styling, hair, and makeup. A short lecture on this genre of fashion, who to follow, and how to create. The remainder will be shooting, and I’ll be showing you both conventional and unconventional ways to capture these one-of-a-kind designs. Fun, imaginative, informative, and exclusive.
• Fashion terms and Avant-Garde designers
• Creative shooting methods
• Creative styling, hair, and makeup ideas
• Outfit creation
• Background creation
• Compositing techniques

Running a successful business is hard, but its even harder if you don’t have proper workflows in place to keep you on track and grow. Your workflow can be the lifeblood or suffocation of your business. This class will teach you how to run your business, and not let your business run you. You will see the importance of workflows to keep you organized and give the best client experience possible. Learn the benefit of implementing CRM programs to automate your processes, freeing up your time! You will learn why outsourcing can be the secret to growing your business. You will walk away from this class knowing how to handle client meetings and consultations without wasting your valuable time. Take back control and be the Boss of your Business!

From Fine Art Nude to Erotica, there is more that a boudoir photographer can offer to clients.
-Establishing rapport with naked people
-Fine Art Nude – posing/lighting
-Only Fans, etc (well, okay, this might be considered porn so there are some things you need to know!)
-Erotica (shooting erotic, private images only for your clients)
-Legal talk (I’m not a lawyer) – Form 2257
-How and Where to Market
-Red flags and how to handle inappropriate communication from potential clients
-Client and Photographer safety
-Products and Vendor

Wonder if blogging is worth it or not for your business? With #AllTheThings that you have to manage when it comes to digital marketing (social media, google ads, SEO, reviews, ect) I understand how tacking on one more time-consuming task can seem daunting.

In this session, we will discuss the importance of blogging and how it can impact your business. In addition, we will also review 5 WINNING how-to tips for photographers.

Fitness Models and Athletes spend their lives in the gym – Learn how to photograph and light that poppin’ body.
• Fitness is a huge market, but how do you separate your imagery from the typical gym pictures?
• Get away from cheesy

-Is it really doudoir or male boudoir? Is there a difference? YES!!
-Setting ground rules and communicating comfort levels
-Posing men is different than posing women
-Positioning your brand to appeal to male clients
-Ideas and tips for planning with your male clients

Never feel intimidated by posing again!

Posing is a language you can learn to speak.  You don’t have to spend the rest of your career guessing or copying poses.  Learn the basic elements of the posing language, and you will be well on your way to freedom from the constant fear of posing people.

1. Learn why you are stuck in budget weddings
2. Learn how to align your brand with other luxury wedding brands
3. use the blueprint in pricing and wedding vendor alignment to create collaborations that lead to bookings

Capture One is used by many professional photographers and is growing in popularity with aspiring pros. This amazing tool is what I call “Lightroom for grown-ups” as you can do things in Capture One that are just not possible in Lightroom. In this new session, we will examine the entire retouching workflow, and finally exporting in this powerful tool. You will learn why Capture One is the choice of the top-end of our industry and how it can improve your speed and image quality with flexible tools unavailable in Adobe products. If you have wondered about Capture One and how it might fit into your workflow, this is a great session to see it in action and ask questions.

Are you leaving your weddings feeling defeated and questioning your approach to your couples’ wedding day? Let me show you how I pose, direct and interact with my couples to make them feel cared for, properly captured and comforted on the day of their wedding.

“Never forget that all the great photographs in history were made with more primitive camera equipment than you currently own.” Brooks Jensen.

I’ve shot with the cheapest digital camera from day 1 and used lights from Walmart for 10 years. While some types of photography require special equipment, most do not, and I’ll show you how you can replicate expensive setups on the cheap. From styling to lighting to backdrops we’ll be using and talking DIY and the art of being creative. Impress your clients with your shots not what you’re shooting with.
• Camera Settings for premium quality
• Lighting Patterns
• Lighting Techniques and the principles of light
• DIY lighting stands, backdrops, backdrop holders
• Special FX techniques that cost near nothing
• Understanding the important role that composition makes

– Discuss basic terminology regarding audio
– Give tips and tricks regarding best practices on capturing audio
– Show and tell the gear we use and how we use it
– Go over the software we use to clean up audio

Lighting can be language to bring out and define the character of our subject. Perception of our model, expressive nature or over all mood can steer our viewer towards conclusions we can be shape both literally and figuratively with various in camera lighting techniques. The environment in can be just as important in telling the narrative of our scene as well as insights into our subject themselves… but what if… there isn’t much of an environment to be had..? Lets create the perception of our subject and their environment with light. In this demo join photographer Seth Miranda as he walks you shot for shot through a live shoot

You’re a white balance dunce. Auto WB has been saving your ass for too long and you’re finally ready to master light in every condition. It’s time to remedy your understanding of light and color, and get amazing color out of your images, on purpose. Attendees will learn:

• How to identify the white balance of any scene
• What Kelvin setting to use for your desired intention
• Getting the most color out of your images
• How to manage mixed lighting environments
• How to use white balance creatively
• Using corrective and creative gels in your flash photography to get out of this world photos

Create colorful and interesting images in the worst possible location/lighting scenarios using Magmod Gels.