Nineteen Photographers in the Hamptons

There are no shortage of  workshops and conferences geared at photographers, and I’ve been lucky to have attended a handful of them. Every time, I’ve come away with new inspiration and new tools to help both my business and my photography. But most of the time, these conferences were so large that it was difficult to connect with more than a handful of people who were present. For the same reason, it was often difficult to have a dialogue with the speakers or presenters from whom you wanted to know more. At one such larger  conference last year, a handful of photographers had an idea to have a small retreat in the middle of the year where everyone could learn from each other. Not only would it give everyone the opportunity to see each other again, the smaller group size made it much easier for everyone to learn and ask questions of each other. I was thrilled to be invited as part of the group, and along with 18 other photographers, I made my way to the Hamptons a few weeks ago for a week-long adventure filled with education, demonstrations, and some fun!

It would take far too long to go into how much I learned from every person, and I wouldn’t be able to do any of them justice. Here’s just a few highlights: Mike Garrard came all the way over from across the pond to talk about websites and SEO, Ed Atrero shared some of his flash-ninja skills, Mark Janzen talked about everything from portrait sessions to print sales, Caroline talked about wedding blogs, while her fiance Ben and I talked to the group about social media. I’ve already put into place some of the things that I’ve learned at the conference on the business side of things, and I’m excited about some of the new tricks and techniques I’ve learned on the photography side.

A message to my clients: I’ve come away from this retreat with more information and more knowledge that will improve my business, my work, and as a direct result, the photos that you’ll receive from me. And to other photographers: education never stops, so make an effort to always keep learning.