I’m approaching this blog post kinda differently then I have previous recap posts. The most obvious way is because the actual workshop hasn’t even happened yet! So this part can’t possibly tell you what it means to me, because I haven’t taken much from it yet. This opening is about the hopes I have for this workshop!

Back in November I sent a random email to Amy & Jordan after they had just announced their workshop in their home of Scottsdale, Arizona. I just point blank asked what would it take for them to come to Virginia? Jordan was so kind (and quick!) in his response. If I could get X amount of seats committed to, they would market the rest. I thought, okay a challenge but maybe I knew 10 people that would jump on it! I mean who didn’t know who they were?! I found them a few years ago from a People maternity shoot and have loved their work ever since! Throughout following them, I came to love their teaching, marriage and hearts too!

After a couple of back and forth emails, we had a location and most of the seats secured! They stuck it in their newsletter and the rest of the seats sold out before it could be marketed publicly! Here was this tiny little inkling, for me to just reach out and say “hey! I believe in you, I love your work and your why, and I want to learn from you!” and they had now done two workshops and an event in Virginia within a ten day period. They’re on fire!!! I imagine the next time they roll through this area seats will go even quicker!

Tonight we had just a mixer to get to know everyone who is spending time to be here. One thing that stood out to me was just how genuine they are! They made every person feel so welcome and held solid conversations with people. It wasn’t superficial. And then they thanked US for sacrificing to be there. That thank you took me by surprise! It was them, putting it out there and traveling and leaving their home and having a crazy schedule, and they thanked US. Another nod to the kind of great people they are!

So the night before the workshop starts I am hoping for this. To leave this workshop with a better way to serve my clients. To make the experience for brides and grooms incredible, from initial contact to the end. I want to love on my clients and serve them in an even better way. I want to implement business strategies so I am working smarter and more efficiently. I want to learn a few technical things with lighting and exposure. I also want to leave here with new friends! It was fun to sit around tonight and just chat with people! My hopes are pretty large and perhaps unrealistic? Can two people who have been in business two years (despite the fact they have been an avalanche in the industry!) really deliver all that in 24 hour of teaching?

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I’m running on quite the workshop high and hangover right now. As you read, I had some crazy high hopes for this workshop. I almost thought I had put too much into what I was wanting out of it and needed to scale it back down. Guys I was so so SO wrong!!! This workshop has completely lit a fire in me. I had no idea how much I could change in my business to make it better for my clients. Walking in to this a lot of my whys and wants were me based. I wanted to be more successful to contribute more to my family, to create pretty work, to know I mattered to people. What I realized was that if I could completely remove MY wants from the why, and ensure my main focus was to value and adore and serve my clients, then I WAS successful. Pretty work would happen naturally once my clients knew through the whole process they were it for me! I want to preserve the most sincere and intimate moments so that those can be displayed on a wall of life. Those are what matters, legacy strings that connect past and future generations. 

In their workshop they talked about reaching people who may never tell you about your impact. I dig the they knew that I was one of those people. I am a loyal blog follower, I reference them, have gained hope and education from them, and learned that I can do things my way if I keep PEOPLE at the heart, there is no right or wrong way. 

I can honestly say I got 200% more than what I was expecting from this workshop. If I had to do it all again, I wouldn’t even hesitate. I’d pay double for this workshop because I really feel as everything I learned is WORTH that! I left with more tools to implement into my business that I’m not sure this time next year my actual business will even resemble where it stood Sunday. It will be so much BETTER and more FOCUSED. Stronger and more rooted in what matters. For that I am so thankful. 

Amy & Jordan: thank you just doesn’t seem like enough. I will forever be grateful you answered that email. You trusted in an adventure and brought your story to the beach. Your work, your marriage, your value on meaningful relationships and reassuring us that what we do matters just filled my heart ten times over. I am a better person and photographer from learning from you. Until next time my friends! Maybe this time I’ll see you in the desert! xo   

Thank you to the kindest Caroline Logan for these behind the scenes! 

 Thank you to Annamarie Akins for all your help!