Kimmy Howard Photography Newborn Workshop

In the four years that I have had my business, I have never taken a workshop with another photographer.  Up until recently, everything I know about my line of work has been completely self-taught.  While I think it is important to learn things on your own through trial and error, research, studying, etc, I also have since found so much value in learning from others, who do the same thing, just differently.  I guess I would also say, that I feel as though in trying to learn everything on my own, I essentially took the long way, as so many photographers new to the industry are now jumping in with a mentoring session and getting a head-start on everyone who is taking the same path I took.  The fact of the matter is that there are new photographers popping up all over the place everyday and so to try to be and keep authentic, is difficult.  I myself have struggled with finding my own niche and not just do what everyone else is doing.

So, I decided that 2014 was going to be the year I invested in my business by mentoring with other photographers.  I didn't want to produce images exactly like theirs, rather I wanted to learn what things made their shoots easier for them, their workflow, their business strategies, etc.  After shooting for 4 years, I have been able to identify three things I feel I struggle with.... newborns being one of them.  I LOVE newborns and meeting new families and watching them grow, but my newborn shoots seemed to never go the way I had planned.  Getting the baby to sleep and stay asleep in between poses seemed to really be my downfall and if the baby doesn't sleep, well, let's just say, it's just a trickle effect. When I saw that Kimmy Howard, of Kimmy Howard Photography in Avon, IN, was offering 4:1 mentoring sessions, I was super excited to sign up!  Of all the newborn photographers I follow, she is the one I wanted to learn from.  Kimmy's newborn shots  are what I would call "organic and sweet".  Her shoots are beautifully styled and she uses a variety of textures in her images.  I think of her work as "perfectly imperfect"-- there is absolutely nothing imperfect about her images... they just are NOT of perfectly smooth blankets, or perfectly, tightly posed babies. They are perfectly relaxed and natural, which is what draws me in.

When the day came to sign up for the workshop, I sat in front of my computer for an hour before her workshop seats were going to open up just because I could not risk missing my chance at a spot in her mentoring group.  Within 30 seconds of her opening the sign-up, the seats were full and I was IN!  I couldn't believe it, nor could I have been more excited!

So April 4th and 5th, I traveled to Indiana, for an intense workshop with Kimmy.  She very graciously allowed the workshop attendees and prop vendors who were there for a trunk show, to stay with her in her home.  We started the workshop on a Friday night, with a Devoted Knits and Goodnightmoon trunk show and tons of great food and getting to know each other.  Kimmy was an open book.  She let us ask any and all questions related to the business and she answered our questions as thoroughly as she could.  I don't think any of us went to bed before midnight that night and we only went to bed that early, because we knew we had a shoot early in the morning.

Our shoot day was spent with two gorgeous babies. One girl and one boy, and by the time the two sessions had ended, I had learned what I had come for and more.  I had learned how to get the baby to sleep and stay asleep.  I had learned the posing style I was drawn to, and I had learned the shooting angles and styling, but more importantly, a lightbulb went off in my head when I was at Kimmy's workshop.  I think I learned to let go of what I thought I should be doing-- to just accept that it wasn't me, and to go with what I wanted to do.  I feel free to be me with my newborn work, and WOW! what a valuable lesson that was!  

Meet our sweet little models.  This beautiful girl shares my birthday! 

Since Kimmy's workshop, I do what I want with my newborn shoots... pose how I want, style how I want, and like Kimmy, am "perfectly imperfect" with my style.  I couldn't be happier with the changes I have made! It is my time to flourish :-)

Go check out the next blog post written by one of my dear friends, Jess, the chick behind the lens at Jessica Weinstock Photography.