What I Learned at Let’s Go Workshop / Hug Point Beach/ Manzanita, Oregon

Last week I attended the Let’s Go Workshop in Manzanita, Oregon.

“Let’s Go Workshop is an inclusive and diverse, high energy, no bullshit place for learning, dancing, and finding a family in the photography community. A place where education is held to the highest standard, where experience matters, and where friends are family.”

Their mission statement held true. We started the 3 day workshop by introducing ourselves and saying something we were most proud of from our year, to a room of about 40 new faces. I took a deep breath in, and said the thing I was most proud of this year was coming out to my family about my sexuality. It’s nothing I’m embarrassed by, but in a room full of brand new faces that I had literally walked into 5 minutes prior… this was a step out of my comfort zone. The whole room erupted in cheering and claps and I felt immediately at ease.

I learned a lot at this workshop. Like how to shoot in kelvin white balance (life changing) and how to be confident shooting in direct sunlight. We learned about pricing for our worth, creating a workflow that’s fast as f*** (title of the presentation 😉 ), how to keep our creativity alive through personal work and challenges, and honestly SO much more.

But more so, I learned about being an artist. Having the honor to tell stories, how to allow humans to feel so comfortable and themselves and shoot what I observe instead of curate. How to give them memories that are REAL. That they can feel in 50 years. How to be more confidently me so they can do the same.

If you’re a photographer and considering furthering your education, stretching out of your comfort zone, shooting in another part of the country or world, meeting new faces who just GET it, or just investing in yourself and your business in a way that really changes you…. I highly recommend this workshop.

Scroll below for a mix of iphone and camera photos from my time on the coast.

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