Wedding Workshop 2017
So, this is the very first blog that I've ever created. Hopefully the first of many, and what better event to blog about than the one which inspired me and gave me the kick in the ass I needed to create one, the Wedding Workshop.
I have been a wedding photographer for a number of years now. I LOVE photography and being a wedding photographer is something I'm very passionate about, I consider myself to be immensely lucky to be able to do it professionally.
As a wedding photographer, I am always looking for ways to be better and to improve. I practice what I do, I work at it, I follow other photographers, I watch videos, I listen to podcasts, I read photography books and magazines, I look at light and the way it shapes things, I study life, I anticipate moments and I prepare for them.
I had heard of many wedding workshops online but they have always been just out of reach, too far away, too expensive, etc., but then, a ray of hope. I cannot remember how exactly I found it(I assume something to do with Google stalking my internet searches), but there it was, on my Facebook timeline, the workshop advert that I had been waiting for. I got excited as soon as I clicked the link, when I found out who would be speaking at it and that it was only up the road from me I became even more so.
The workshop took place at DeBurgh Manor, Athy, Kildare, from the 20th-23rd of March 2017.
I am so freaking happy that I went. Every single person I met was my kind of person, we never ran out of things to talk about and some of the conversations went wildly off track, in the best kind of way. From night time road trips in the snow to ghost hunting in the basement, we pretty much knocked a year worth of adventures into just a few days and I can safely say I'd consider them all now friends and I'm delighted that I had that opportunity to share this whole experience with them.
As for the speakers, it's like they knew exactly what I needed before I got there. Every talk was packed with useful, insightful information, so much so that for the most part I didn't even touch my cameras. I wanted to listen, I needed what they had to say and I just took it all in. If it was possible to be more excited about photography than I was before then these guys definitely got me there, I just couldn't get enough. Since the workshop, I've already implemented some of the things that were mentioned(I'm writing a blog, well there's something I never thought I'd do right there), I have pages of ideas, some I've already implemented, some I'm working on and others in the pipeline. The workshop has given me an even greater appreciation for what it means to be a wedding photographer and a father. I think every now and again we need those levels of positivity in our lives, I know I did. So, for organising and putting together what has been one of my favourite photographic experiences to date, I'd like to give a massive thank you to Tomasz, Rob, Wojtek, Tom and Paula, you guys absolutely smashed it out of the park!!!
If I had to describe the whole experience in one word, that word would most definitely be INSPIRATIONAL!!!
P.S. No party is complete anymore without an After 8 challenge. Also, never take a bet in an After 8 challenge from anyone called Ryan McDonald, the man has a freakish ability to get an After 8 from his forehead to his mouth without needing his hands, I'm talking Jimi Hendrix left handed guitar freakish!!!
I'd like also to give special thanks to the following for helping to put together the editorial shoot;
Styling: Grace And Saviour
Hair: Claire Barry Hair Stylist
Makeup: The Powder Room Gorey
Flowers: Bella Botanica
