Weddings 101: An Immersive Workshop for Aspiring Wedding Photographers
Weddings 101: An Immersive Workshop for Aspiring Wedding Photographers was a dreamy and beautiful day. And on a personal note, it was a milestone in my business as I took my first step into turning around to those coming up behind me and teaching!
Me and my dear friend Madison, who happens to also be a Detroit-based wedding photographer, frequently get together for coffee as a way to get through the afternoon slumps. And to no surprise, once we’ve caught up on life, we always find ourselves talking about business, our entrepreneurship journey thus far and compare notes on how we got to where we are now.
It’s funny because over time, we realized we both have very similar origin stories; we both studied art and photography in college, we both attempted corporate work for a while and quickly figured out being our own boss was the dream. Both of us gained real-wedding experience second shooting for other established photographers before launching on our own after several years of “side-hustling” (and lots of trial and error, practice, and figuring it out).
Today, we’re both extremely proud of where we are in business, the growth we have, and even the failures and scary times (hello, entrepreneurship) we’ve overcome. And even better, we’re excited about the growth, the possibilities and adventures ahead, and to have someone walking a similar path (aka, someone who gets it) to vent, cheer and celebrate along the way, just makes it all the more sweet.
Over pistachio lattes one day, we both acknowledged how grateful we are to the photographers that let us second shoot with them while teaching us everything they know. But we recognized that people that are open about the inner workings of their business are few and far between (or they don’t come cheap). So that day, we decided to design the workshop we wish we had had when we were first starting out and dipped our toes into photography education in the hopes of helping the next group of Detroit aspiring wedding photographers get their start.
“The workshop we wish we had when we were first starting out.”
As Madison says, “Our mission was to provide the tools, guidance, and cheerleader enthusiasm for any aspiring wedding photographers in Metro Detroit hoping to take their business to the next level. We rallied with some of our favorite wedding professionals, and thanks to their help we were able to pull off the most magnificent, citrus-inspired summer editorial.”
Keep scrolling for highlights of the day!
Hosted at The Riverside on Detroit’s west side, the Weddings 101 Workshop was filled with teachings on gear, finding your client and your style, hands-on learning imitating a real wedding day, a full-blown spring citrus styled shoot, 2 couples and magnificent details with the opportunity to practice posing real couples and build amazing portfolio images.
Thank you to all of the vendors who helped our vision come to life and to the Detroit aspiring wedding photographers who came out, thank you for trusting us as we dive into photographer education for the first time.
Vendors:
Host & Photographer: Emily Kyle Photography | @emilykylephoto
Host & Photographer: Light Garden Photography | @lightgardenphotography
Videography: RDS Films | @rockydfilms
Calligraphy + Design: Shaytionery Designs | @shaytionerydesigns
Planning & Event Design: Elite Events Design | @eliteeventsdesign
Florals: Mager Designs @magerdesigns
Rentals & Installations: Mager Designs | @magerdesigns
Linens: Nuage Designs | @nuagedesignsinc
Dress: The Wedding Shoppe | @weddingshoppemi
Venue: The Riverside Detroit | @theriversidedetroit
Make-up: Jason V Beauty | @jasonvbeauty
Hair: 24 Luxe Hair & Makeup | @24luxehairandmakeup
Macarons | Beth Hill Macarons | @bethhillmacarons
Soda Beverages: Olipop | @drinkolipop
Wedding Photography Student Work
Check out some work from students of the Weddings 101 Photography Workshop below.
Want to see more from this beautiful day? To check out the full details of this summer citrus editorial shoot, click here.
And if you’re an aspiring photographer and Weddings 101 sounds like the right workshop for you, follow along on instagram to stay tuned for future events and workshops!
