Light, Pose, and Profit: The Art of the Newborn Photography Business

Light, Pose, and Profit:  The Art of the Newborn Photography Business

with Amanda of Kimberlin Gray Photography

Everything you ever hoped for in a workshop....and more!

I run a successful portrait photography studio specializing in maternity, birth, newborn and babies through their 1st year. My business has been profitable since I started with a home studio in 2009.  By January of 2013, my business had outgrown the home studio so I transitioned into a retail studio space in Virginia Beach.  I have won the top honor on the Best Newborn Photographer website twice, received an Honorable Mention in the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers Photo of the Year contest (2012), and my work has been published in Posh Tots, Midwifery Today, & Golf Digest.

As a former teacher, I know how to guide and instruct - I won’t expect you to pick it up by watching from the sidelines.  I will TEACH you how to prepare for sessions, pose newborns, use both natural and studio light, and process images cleanly and beautifully.  You will have hands on (guided) practice with posing and you will shoot images for your portfolio under my watchful eye.  We will talk through everything we do and I will answer ANY questions you might have.  This is a SMALL GROUP workshop.  A maximum of 7 attendees will be in the group so that I can be sure that each of you receives individual attention. After the practice sessions, I will share my step-by-step workflow and you will leave with a booklet full of sample images outlining the poses and tips for sessions and processing to help guide you at home when working on your own.

In addition to multiple sessions with models, we will also have a Business Workshop where we will cover everything from operating legally and paying taxes to the dreaded PRICING question!  In addition to covering business, marketing, and advertising, I will give Individual Portfolio Reviews to any participant who elects to bring samples of their work and share their website portfolio with me.  AND (if that weren’t enough) the learning won’t stop when you leave my studio. You will be added to a private Facebook group where I will give constructive criticism, help you with business and marketing questions, and be there to guide you every step of the way. I have designed this to be the only workshop you need to take your business to the next level! You will need basic knowledge of your camera and how to adjust aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings in Manual Mode. You should also have a good attitude and friendly nature - we will laugh and joke and have fun with each other!  You may bring a laptop if you want to follow along - we will use both Lightroom AND Photoshop so no matter which program you use, I will share techniques that you can take away and use immediately to get beautiful and natural results with your newborn portraits.  (Workshop Schedule Below)

Workshop Schedule:

Day 1:  Friday evening 6pm - Meet & Greet

7pm - Dinner and Basic Prep for workshop

Day 2:  Saturday

8am -  Preparing for your sessions **Session styling, prop selection, helpful hints to prepare parents

9:30am - Newborn Model #1 (natural lighting) **We will cover white balance, proper exposure and the 4 basic poses (side, tushie up, chin, taco), and then progress to adding wraps or hats/headbands, transition from pose to pose, and soothing techniques.

12:30pm - LUNCH

2pm - Post Processing *Our focus will be on how to reduce your culling and editing time using Lightroom & Photoshop, and how to achieve clean edits and beautiful newborn skin without overprocessing.

4pm - Newborn Model #2 (studio lighting) **We will cover setting up studio lighting to look like natural lighting, proper exposure/settings for the studio, review of the 4 basic poses, and then we will add more complex and composite images. You will also learn parent poses that flatter new moms and make new dads comfortable.

7pm - Dinner & Drinks

Day 3:  Sunday

8am - Business Workshop - The Psychology of Pricing and Marketing

12pm - LUNCH

1pm - Newborn Model #3 **We will review all previous material and you will have guided, hands-on practice with our newborn model(s).  We will also review camera angles and composition in depth to be sure you are getting it right in camera!

4pm - Post Processing

6pm - Q&A ~ Portfolio Review

Other Details: *Lunches, dinners and snacks both days are included in the workshop fee!!  Lodging and transportation is not included. Please let me know if you have dietary restrictions or allergies so that I can best plan for them. *Pay in full or $350 non-refundable deposit to reserve your space.  Final payment due 30 days before the workshop. *If you're flying in, Norfolk International Airport is less than 10 miles from my studio - the airport code is ORF. *Lodging Options are fairly inexpensive:  Stay near the studio and airport:  Wingate by Wyndham, Sleep Inn @Lake Wright, OR extend your vacation and stay at an oceanfront hotel in Virginia Beach, which is about 11 miles (20 min. drive) away! *I will add you to the private FB group BEFORE the workshop so that you can make friends and possibly join up as roommates to split the cost of lodging!

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