From 2012 to 2015 I did a LOT of public speaking. And for someone who would actively avoid it at all costs while at school (even so much as faking illnesses – sorry mum!) this was no mean feat. I wouldn’t say I’m a natural public speaker, but when I stand up on stage, I do end up really loving it!
Although I still get incredibly nervous, I enjoy teaching. I love sharing what I’ve learnt over the years with other people. I like to be able to use my position (even though that phrase makes me cringe) to help other people make waves in their own lives and businesses.
Which is why I am thrilled to let you know what I will be speaking at the Photography Farm’s FarmShop in Brighton and Glasgow in March. I haven’t spoken at a wedding photography event since October 2015 and this is most likely going to be my only one for 2017 too!
So what is FarmShop?
For the past four years, the Photography Farm have hosted an annual ‘Farm Week’, offering individual classes for wedding photographers hosted on a real life farm in Sussex.
For 2017, they’ve decided to shake things up a bit with a much larger, conference style event (don’t let that word put you off, it’s going to be really fun, I promise!) where rather than booking into individual classes, attendees will be able to listen to every single speaker all for the one price.
How is this event different from all the other photography workshops and conferences?
Let’s be real here – there are a lot of workshops for wedding photographers to spend their hard-earned cash on. Even as a non-photographer I’ve attended a lot of them (as a speaker and an attendee) and, as these things usually go, some are much better than others.
I have been to too many workshops where the speaker simply tells their story, with a few easily Googleable (is that a word?) lessons thrown into the mix. That’s all fine if you particularly love that speaker or you just want a few actionable pieces of advice to go home with, but what if you want to learn the real nuts and bolts of it all?
FarmShop will be different because the format is completely new. Instead of each speaker standing at the front on their own, lamenting about how they got started in wedding photography and telling the audience to ‘be authentic’ (or whatever buzz-phrase is popular right now!) the format has been set up so each speaker’s section seamlessly leads onto the next.
Each lesson will build on the next meaning we’ll be taking you through step-by-step with everything you need to know as a wedding photographer – from launching your business to branding to working with clients to marketing and beyond. Speakers will stay on stage to chip in on each other’s sections so not only will you get access to an enormous amount of experience, but you will be encouraged to take part, workshop style, not just sit and passively listen to the talks.
What are you speaking about?
In particular, I’ll be speaking about getting featured on blogs and in magazines (but going much deeper than similar talks you may have heard). I’ll be covering everything from making contacts to submitting different kinds of images in for all kinds of features (not just real weddings/ styled shoots). I’ll also be letting you in on exactly what I’m looking for when it comes to print features. If you’ve always wanted to have one of your photos gracing the cover of a magazine, I’ll be telling you exactly what makes a killer cover shot and why.
For part of my section I’ll also be partnering up with the amazing Janneke Storm. You might recognise her name as she shot Ainsley and Sebestian’s Vegas wedding that went viral after being featured on Rock n Roll Bride!
When, where and how much?
The event will be taking place in Brighton on 27th and 28th of March and then repeated in Glasgow on 30th and 31st of March.
For more information on exactly what the conference will cover, and to book your spot for the introductory rate of just £300 (will be going up to £360 at a later date) then hop over to the FarmShop website.
