I learned long ago that in order for me to be satisfied in my profession (and in life in general), I need to constantly be learning, growing, and evolving.  A major reason that I decided to become a photographer and enter into a creative field is that it allowed me to do all of this.  No matter how many years I have been a photographer or how busy I get with weddings, I think it is really important to take time out, regroup, learn from others, and try something different.

I have been following Hoffer Photography out of Philadelphia for awhile now.  I have always been so impressed with Tony and Amy’s way of thinking when it comes to photography.  Their photographs are unexpected, geometric and colorful, and definitely some of the most creative out there composition and lighting wise.  So when they decided to offer a workshop, I jumped on board right away.  And I’m glad I did because the workshop sold out in ten minutes!

I had a wedding the Saturday night before the workshop.  I woke up Sunday morning running on three hours of sleep to fly to Memphis.  Once I hit the ground, it was non stop learning (and fun) the entire time.  We basically had 14 hour days the entire time which was awesome because I was running on adrenaline and wasn’t about to slow down.  Tony and Amy gave each of us a lot of individual attention and advice which was awesome! Not only did we see their photography skills in action and their thought process during a session, but they helped us apply this thought process to our own photography.  During the times we were shooting, we were each given different challenges based on what we needed to work on.  At times, these challenges caused me to become frustrated since a few of them were completely different than I typically shoot…..which by the way is good.  I loved being pushed outside my comfort zone and in the end, I worked through it and will now start incorporating these techniques into my own style of shooting.  With trying anything new and experimenting with new techniques, there will be a lot more failures than successes at the beginning.  But when those successes do come, they are sweeter than ever. Below are some of my favorite photographs I took during the session.  I can’t wait to start incorporating all that I have learned into my own weddings and engagements!

PS: So great meeting all of my fellow Hoffshop attendees! It was so great learning from all of you as well and it was exciting to see the changes in everyone’s photography over the three days.  I’m excited to follow all of you and see more :).

PSS: Big shout out to Tony & Amy!  It is so evident that you two pour your heart and soul into these workshops and I thank you so much for sharing your talents with all of us.  And all of the Philly vendors were right….two of the nicest people ever.