When I moved to Pennsylvania about 2.5 years ago one of the first things I did to progress in my photography journey was Google local photographers in the Philadelphia area. In the process of my googling I stumbled across Lauren Fair Photography. As I was admiring Lauren’s website and blog, I quickly learned that Lauren and Tim are husband and wife team, and they were around my age! I wanted to reach out to them, but after my first few e-mails to other photographers who’d rejected my offer for coffee, I became timid. I’ve never handled rejection well — who does!? So from afar I ooo and ahhh Lauren’s photos in hopes that one day I will get to meet her… that doesn’t make me sound stalker-ish at all.

If you follow my blog, you would know that I “accidentally” met Lauren and Tim at Justin and Mary’s workshop. How do you meet someone accidentally, you ask? Well, although I followed Lauren’s blog on occasion, it was mostly to admire her wedding portfolio — she has a specialty/talent for rustic glam. So when I first saw Lauren and Tim modeling at the workshop, it bugged me the whole time why they looked SO familiar. Then I had the “ah-ha!” moment. And thennn I embarrassed myself, per usual. The rest is history.

For the new year, one of my business goals is to attend more workshops. And not just any workshops, ones that will truly help me grow as a small business owner, and an entrepreneur. When I saw the Facebook posting about the Love Affair Workshop hosted by Lauren and Tim, I wanted to jump on it immediately. But I had to sit back and think how will this workshop truly benefit me? Granted, it’s always great to meet other photographers and photograph a fabulous stylized shoot, but I need to be smart with my investment and my time.

Can I just say how happy I am that I decided to attend the Love Affair Workshop! What I wanted to gain from this experience was not just pretty photos, but how to let go of fear, ways to become a successful wedding photographer, and how to stand out in this ever growing community. And most importantly how to challenge myself and meet those goals. I got that and more. Of course the advice given was simply what worked for Lauren in her journey, but her experience was an eye opener, reminding me that my dreams are obtainable.

Gosh, Lauren and Tim are crazy amazing — and not just as photographers. Lauren and Tim have this ability to make you feel at ease, comfortable, like you’re a long lost friend catching up on life over a cup of coffee. Lauren was most certainly a great mentor and listener, not once did I feel awkward asking her a million questions, nor did I felt she held back. They spilled their hearts into this workshop and allowed me to take a bit of it home. And for that, thank you! Oh! And another thank you to Tim for getting my car out of the mud. Don’t ask… I just have two words for you, Murphy’s. Law… sigh…

Finally, the fun part! I challenged myself for this workshop — shoot only in film. I decided about 2 months ago I wanted to learn film; film has this certain look that you can not replicate in digital (I will get more into that later). About 90% of the photos were shot in film and processed by CS Film Lab. Lauren collaborated with some very talented vendors (I will update) and pulled together an amazing shoot. Thank you to the people who made this shoot possible, and thank you to the ladies who spent the day with me learning and laughing along with me. I wish you the very best in your journey!