The idea for Love + Light came from the realization of how much our style had been influenced over the last few years by the incorporation of more flash into our portraiture and documentary work. Much of that influence can be directly attributed to our friendship with two of the most talented, hardworking and inspiring photographers we know: Dave and Quin Cheung of DQ Studios. Their use of strobes in their wedding work constantly leaves us wondering – how did they do that?
So we came up with the idea of having a shooting-only workshop where photographers could learn a more comprehensive approach to wedding photography – how to find and use interesting natural and ambient light in dynamic, layered, unusual compositions; and how to add flash to enhance and mold their ideas into works of art. Ben and I took 10 students out on a shoot with a real, engaged couple; and Dave and Quin took the other 10 students out on a separate shoot with a real, married couple. Halfway through, we switched off so each group could learn and practice both styles.
Students walked away feeling confident about incorporating flash, and (we hope) feeling like they could see a little deeper into their compositions – reaching a place where they could feel free to try new things and get a little crazy, get a little dirty. Our goal was also to show how much patience and effort it takes to create the kinds of photos that make complete strangers feel inexplicably drawn to your work.
Love + Light was a day of learning, sharing, and reminding one another of the importance of taking risks to improve our craft with passion, enthusiasm and constantly evolving ideas. We are so proud of the 20 students who stepped out on that limb with us.
Big thanks to our beautiful couple Daniella and Andrew for being so patient and allowing us to capture their chemistry for six hours on 30 cameras! And a huge, couldn’t-have-done-it-without-you thanks goes out to the wonderful team at Renaissance Albums, a company both we and DQ consider part of our family.
Ben’s and my last workshop of the foreseeable future is the Wirkshop, September 27-28 in Kansas City, with one of the best photojournalism instructors in the industry, Tyler Wirken. The three of us will be exploring how to capture authentic moments in a creative, artistic way, and how to use those photos to stand out in this newly saturated market. There is only one spot left for this two-day intensive. Come join us!