Rosie Hardy: Wedding Workshops!

So... last week I held my very first Wedding Workshop!

Needless to say, I was terrified! Wedding photography is such a tricky thing to teach to anyone, because so much of it is personal taste, so much of it is out of your control (light, venue, people, clothes, reactions & emotions) - pretty much the only thing a photographer gets to decide is their composition, which lens they whack on the end of their camera and how much attention they are willing to pay to their surroundings ;)

So, with that in mind, I tried to put together a workshop which would help photographers (both new and familiar to the wedding industry) get to grips with some of the techniques and thought-processes I go through when I shoot my weddings, and let them get some pretty snazzy portfolio pictures along the way :P

SO! What on earth goes into a wedding workshop!? First off, I booked a bride and a groom - Camilla and Ben.

Camilla is a professional model, whereas Ben is a plumber. I really wanted everyone who came along to get to grips with shooting with people who were "real" people (so to speak) - the majority of couples who hire you for their wedding have little t no experience in-front of a camera, so it seemed a bit off if I were to book pro models. This way everyone got to practice posing and talking to the couple in a way which naturally generates lovely moments for pictures!

I "propped up" quite a lot for this workshop. Expenses (on top of bridal attire and groom's outfit) included a door, a bicycle, a wedding arch, a ton of artifical blossom and other flowers, a blow up mattress to set sail, a "happy easter" sign turned into a "just married" sign, some white acrylic paint and a Jurrassic park painting kit which provided me with the worlds smallest paintbrush, picture frames, "Love" and "Mr &Mrs" lettering, a dalmation dog, a bouquet, as well as a whole ton of petrol to transport all this stuff to and from the location :P

One of the things I really wanted people to get from this workshop is a portfolio building experience. Not only did everyone come away telling me they felt loads more confident and excited about shooting their up-coming weddings (many of them would be their first), but also that they now felt like they were "bookable" because they now had images of a bride and groom - which is probably one of the most difficult things a photographer can get when transitioning to weddings, (unless you're lucky enough to be a guest granted with camera control) as - how do you book a wedding without any experience whatsoever?

Below are some of my wonderful workshopee's pictures from the day and links to their sites! I am so blown away with what people have come away with, impressed and CHUFFED that everyone had such a good time!!! :D

The next Wedding Workshop will be held on 2nd-3rd May 2012, and you can receive an info pack by emailing me at georgiarosehardy@gmail.com
To see what is booked and the moodboard for the next wedding workshop, head on over to click here!

and to have your say on where future workshops are held and for general updates:
Facebook!

Sending a massive thankyou to the 20 photographers who came along to my first wedding workshop, I'm so glad I met you all and hopefully see some of your faces on future workshops, or just round for dinner ;)

Rosie xx

Photos from all the workshopee's on the day :D

Nina Pang:

Sam Gbasai:

Kate Wheeler:

Claire Basiuk:

Simon Healey:

Stephanie Humphries:

Stephanie Sellers:

Jayne Strathdee:

Mark Nuttall:

Eleni Caulcott:

Stacey Portelly

Leah Holding:

"I have been shooting weddings for two years now and I can honestly say that I learned more in the few hours with Rosie on this workshop.

Everything was covered, EVERYTHING. From props to posing and final editing. I couldn't be happier with how my images turned out and the knowledge I learnt to continue throughout my next weddings. The entire day was relaxed and full of fun and if all this wasn't enough, I met the best group of people who's images are equally amazing :) I now feel 100% more confident in directing the couple, shooting the images and editing. I cant thank Rosie enough, but to tell her how much she helped me and to prove it with the images :)"

Amy Showler

Laura Debourde:

"Ok, so where do I even start?! Words can't even describe how fun and mindblowingly awesome Rosie's wedding workshop was! If you want to build up your wedding portfolio, DO IT. If you want to learn more about photographing weddings, get fantastic tips on how to shoot your couple and how to make your photographs stand out then I highly recommend! Being my second workshop I've attended of Rosie's, I didn't think it was possible to be astonished by her upbeat enthusiasm and encouragement, but I was! She is absolutely lovely to work with, and puts herself out completely for other people who are working in Photography. The props that Rosie took time to collect, buy and decorate were absolutely stunning, as well as all the little details such as finding us beautiful models to work with, Ben and Camilla were just little factors that made the day perfect. Not only did I get some awesome photographs, I met some amazing people and it was great to be around Photographer's to share stories and swap tips with each other. Everyone was so lovely! Since the workshop, I have already got my first paid wedding booked, and really, it's down to Rosie for helping me to build up my portfolio beautifully. So thank you so much. Anyone who is contemplating going to one of the workshops, just do it, Rosie is such an inspiration and you will not regret it one bit! xxx"