Wedding Workshop Ireland – 2017

De Burgh Manor, Kilberry, Co. Kildare

So, where to start. A wedding workshop has been on my to do list for the past 12-18 months. You can never stop learning, and for me to get to the next stage in my photography career I saw this as an important step.   I am always willing to learn and find new techniques, skills and the motivation to help me develop as a photographer and as a person.

However, trying to find a workshop was the next step.  A lot of landscape workshops had shown up in searches on google – not what I was looking for. I will admit I was starting to give up and look at the alternatives of travelling abroad to participate.

But then, while stalking images from other photographers (a hobby of mine!) I stumbled across some images from a wedding workshop held in  London a few months earlier.   A few clicks later, and i couldn’t believe it – they were doing a workshop in Ireland!!  In a few weeks!!  A quick email and I was booked!

So to the workshop . . .

Organised by:

Tomasz Kornas | Tom Robak | Wojtek Chrapek

with Guest Speakers

Rob Dight | Paula O’Hara

Each person brought something to the workshop that help make it unique, motivating and inspiring.  Everyone had their own experiences and shared them with us, both good and bad.

From Tomasz dropping his gear into a fountain on a wedding, just two days before the workshop, to Paula talking about the struggles of being a photographer, parent and partner and how to learn to say NO!

Rob gave us an amazing talk and photo shoot on posing couples. This was an area that I was really interested in and to be honest had not seen on the workshop material!  So it was a fantastic surprise!  It can be really difficult to relax a couple on a wedding day, especially a groom!  But Rob, explained some easy and very natural ways to get amazing natural portraits.  So thank you Rob!!

Tom look at SEO and Web site development, and the importance of blogging.  This was a bit of an eye opener, and really hit home the power and complexity of the web.  This could take me a while to get my head around!

Tomasz,  gave us all a bit of a wake up on efficient editing workflow and file management.  This guy is a machine!   But again, he didn’t hold anything back form the group.  He freely discussed his process after the wedding to handing over to a client – every detail.

Wojtek, the awesome London based photographer, looked at off camera flash.  This is an area of photography sometimes we are afraid to challenge as it can fell like you will never get a grasp of it.  But Wojtek broke it down step by step and showed us the process of getting to those amazing off camera images.  I was his ginny pig!  So no photos unfortunately!

The last of the speaking I will cover in this blog has been left to end for a reason.  I am not going to hold back, I wasn’t expecting to get much form Paula’s talk.  It had nothing to do with her work, which is fantastic and you should check it out.  I just had a perception in my head that Wedding editorials were not for me.

However,  Paula really opened up to the group about how people had perceived her to be this great photographer, doing great and a much sought after photographer.  But behind it all she was struggling to come to terms with the daily routine of juggling work and family.

It is easy for us to get wrapped up in our work, and when this happens the people we hurt are the ones we love most.  Paula, gave an emotional talk on her experience that really hit home with every single one of us in that room.

We also had the chance to shoot with Paula on an editorial wedding.

Styling: Grace & Saviour Hair: Claire Barry – Hair Stylist
Makeup: The Powder Room Makeup Studio Gorey 
Model: Teodora Sutra with 1st option models
Florals: Bella Botanica

Paula explained that you can use editorials to get the clients you really want to work with.  She was encouraging, inspiring, helpful and a pleasure to be around.

We were not on a workshop to be made feel inadequate or out of our depth.  This workshop was all about learning small things to make us better.  Everyone from the speakers to the participants were there to learn from each other.  It was about networking and creating  a group of close connections with people that deal with similar day to day circumstances.

Tom, Tomasz and Wojtek, were all close at hand to answer any questions we had.  If they didn’t know the answer they would find it!  If you are looking for some inspiration and motivation in your photogrpahy, life or just starting out on the journey, these guys will provide it in abundance.

So keep an eye on the wedding workshop.co website for upcoming workshops, you will not be disappointed.

Also, Paula and Rob are running some fantastic workshops in Northern Ireland.  For more information on this click here.

To all my fellow participants  on the workshop, it was fantastic to meet up with such a talented group of people from all over the world.  You all brought something to the workshop to make it that much more of an experience for me.  So thank you!

Finally here is a list of some of the sponsors from the workshop:

Tribe Red Leaf | Rebel East | Folio Albums | Shootproof | Fundy Designer  Flothemes | Wooden Banana | Alien Skin

#weddingworkshop