Now that I’ve been in the photography business for more than ten years, I’ve felt a call in my heart to lift up photographers with the knowledge & experience I’ve gained over the past decade.
So, in December, I hosted the inaugural Catherine Guidry Workshop at our home in New Orleans. I spent the weekend with eight amazing women – all in different seasons of their lives and businesses, and all incredibly motivated to grow and learn.
Every minute of the weekend was spent diving deep into some of the most important pieces of creating a thriving photography business, from pricing strategy to posing to portfolio consistency. I’ll be honest – I love learning, and I take all the online courses I can, but there’s nothing quite like the magic of spending time with other photographers in person and getting to learn from each other! In between our instructional time and our beautiful styled shoot at Il Mercato, I loved hearing the different ways each photographer runs her business and watching everyone bounce ideas off of one another!
Do I have you convinced yet? Maybe not – but that’s okay, I’m pretty sure by the end of this post, you’ll be ready for your very first workshop experience! Keep reading for a walkthrough of the weekend, or skip down to watch the recap video!
On Friday night, we popped champagne and snacked while the attendees made their way to the Nola House! As everyone arrived, we laughed, chatted, and spent the evening getting to know each other. Before we broke for the night, we mapped out Saturday’s full day of learning and shooting.
Saturday morning started bright & early with breakfast at one of my favorite neighborhood spots, District Donuts. We fueled up for the day while chatting about our Enneagram types, which was so fun!
Then, it was back to my house for the first instructional portion of the workshop on Pricing & Posing. I shared the simple but powerful process I use to set my prices without having to do tons of crazy calculations or mental gymnastics. Then, we talked through my posing system
After a full morning of learning, it was time to get to work at my favorite part of the Workshop: a full styled shoot at Il Mercato!
I was so thrilled to partner with some of my favorite New Orleans-area wedding vendors to create this modern yet elegant styled shoot for the Workshop attendees to capture!
Root Floral Design crafted a beautiful bouquet and two stunning floral installation pieces that truly took everything to the next level. Wedding Belles NOLA provided a beautiful gown that had never been photographed before, and Brilliance in Diamonds lent a stunning ring, necklace, and bracelet as the finishing touch for the bridal look. Ali Vasquez and Verde Beauty prepped our model, Gabrielle Chaisson. And of course, Il Mercato was the perfect venue for this styled shoot, with a great variety of spaces for us to shoot in.
Workshop attendees got a chance to pose and shoot the models in a variety of lighting situations and backgrounds, so they could really make the most of the shoot. Each photographer had a portion of the workshop to take charge and really test their posing & directing skills with our models!
After a nonstop day of learning and photographing, we stopped to enjoy a quick snack at The Vintage (two words: savory beignets!) before heading back home for some additional instruction on my editing workflow.
After chatting about my top tips for achieving consistency and creating a systematic editing workflow, we took a break to freshen up and change for dinner at Jack Rose! Sharing a meal together around a big table was the perfect way to cap off an amazing Workshop. By the time we gathered for dinner, everyone felt like we’d all been friends forever!
Sunday morning was spent with doughnuts & coffee while I worked one-on-one with each photographer to review their portfolio and give each one tailored advice and feedback based on their work and their strengths. It was a perfect end to a jam-packed weekend of learning, growth, and most importantly – fun!
Curious how it actually felt to be at the Catherine Guidry Workshop? Great news – I’ve got a recap video of the whole weekend so you can step into our shoes and experience the highlights of the whole Workshop, start to finish!
Is the Catherine Guidry Workshop the right next step for you?
Investing in your education can be scary, I know. Here’s a quick cheat sheet to figure out if the Catherine Guidry Workshop might be the right next step to help you grow your business and strengthen your photography skills:
- Did you start your business quickly & now you’re feeling swamped by a totally messy workflow?
- Do you break into a cold sweat every time you arrive at a session because you have no idea how to pose your clients confidently?
- Do you struggle with setting pricing for your work that actually cover your cost of business and help you achieve your goals?
- Do you feel like you’re going to crumble to pieces when a client starts asking questions about parts of your contract, your services, or your pricing?
Did you answer yes to any of those questions? If so, I would love to have you at the next Catherine Guidry Workshop so we can work together to help you shape your business in right direction for you. It’s time to stop doing the same things over and over that aren’t producing the results you want! You will leave the Workshop feeling inspired, confident, and able to create the consistent imagery you’ve dreamed of for so long.
Want to be the first to know when registration opens for the next Workshop? Just click below and drop me your name and email address so I can bump you to the top of the list when we announce the next Workshop!
