Architectural Photography Workshop at Shadows on The Teche…we made it through!

I grew up three houses down from my friend Shannon. She was lucky enough to have a separate place outside of her home…completely designed for us to play. It was giant room filled with toys, tables for drawing, chairs…and a chalkboard. We would take turns teaching; we had papers to grade and all. 🙂

Of course at the time, it was purely for fun, and to be quite honest, I’m not sure what kind of “knowledge” I had to share; but I do remember that I was never nervous and preparation never mattered.

A few weeks ago, Adam Foreman of Shadows on the Teche in New Iberia contacted me to host a section on Architectural Photography as part of their workshop!  I was flattered and quickly agreed. Then, it all set in. This is my very first time standing in front of a group of people to discuss photography. And it felt nothing like I did growing up……I felt a sincere mix of emotions, because as excited as I was, I certainly didn’t want to disappoint or let anyone down.

I took the full tour of The Shadow the day before and decided that in addition to the powerpoint I would begin the presentation with, I definitely wanted to host a live shoot practicing both interior and exterior shooting techniques.

We discussed:

• How to prepare for a shoot
• How to approach the architecture
• Interacting with the client
• And tips and techniques for shooting both indoors and outdoors.

As a wedding photographer, I’ve been challenged to bring much of what I learned shooting architecture into wedding photography. The group of participants hosted portrait sessions as the bulk of their shooting, and so I challenged them to do the same. Many shot in manual for the first time on Saturday, and the more advantage shooters learned more regarding composition and the use of flash and natural light to better create beautiful images.

I had so much fun meeting and interacting with everyone….and next time, I’ll put myself on a timer: to talk SLOWER!

To those who attended, thank you so much for your willingness to learn and to participate. I hope the day was as enjoyable for you as it was for me. I left truly inspired because of you!!!!

Live Simply, Love Freely,

Catherine