I’ve done a lot of portrait workshops over the years — studio, on location, lighting deep-dives, full-day experiences, multi-day events. And through all of it, there’s one pattern that keeps surfacing: a whole lot of people still don’t seem to understand what it is I actually offer at these workshops.
There’s a type of photography event that’s become super common. You show up, models are there, people shoot for a few hours, maybe trade Instagrams, and that’s it. That’s not a workshop — that’s just organized access to shoot content. And look, there’s a market for that. I get it. I even host creative shooting events myself sometimes, and they serve their purpose — structured, intentional, collaborative. But when I talk about workshops, I’m talking about something very different.
My workshops are for people who want to learn — like, really learn. Lighting theory, shaping mood, directing expression, capturing emotion, post work, building a style, understanding intent — not just where to place a softbox and when to click the shutter. I’ve spent years sharing everything I know with the photographers who come to my events. Not just techniques, but the why behind the how — the mindset, the decisions, the instinct, the evolution of your work.
Just today I had someone tell me their ideal workshop would include lighting design that shows how light shapes mood, tips on directing expressions, posing, editing workflows, a solid teaching session, time to shoot, and maybe even critique after. And I’m sitting there reading it like…Yeah. I’ve literally been offering exactly that. For years.
The tricky part is — that kind of experience gets overlooked, undervalued, or misunderstood. A lot of people still think of workshops as casual photo ops with some vague instruction sprinkled in. But that’s not what I’m offering. What I build is meant to help artists grow. Genuinely. With structure, support, and shared knowledge.
So I’ll keep doing what I do. Workshops are still my priority, and I know the right people always find their way to them.