Promoting Passion Convention Day 1

I can’t think back to a single photography workshop, conference or talk that didn’t change my life in one way or another. I always come back inspired and ready to try some new things. The 2017 Promoting Passion Convention was no exception – in fact, it was more than that – it was a tight knit family of creatives coming together for a weekend of inspiration, learning, creating and changing your life for the better. This convention is hosted on an annual basis by Fine Art Photographer, Brooke Shaden.

I’ve followed Brooke since I saw her first class on Creative Live. One of my resolutions for 2017 was to attend two landscape photography workshops. As the year went on, I didn’t really find any workshops that piqued my interest. In the meantime, I was watching several YouTube channels trying to learn more about composite photography. Brooke Shaden’s channel is a wealth of information so I played a video each morning to learn more about how she creates these amazing images. Composite photography is not new to me but it is something that I want to get better at because I love it. I became hooked on her “White Wall Wednesday” series and have created a few of my own (“Reach for the Stars“ and “Up in Smoke” are a couple of examples). As I enjoyed each video, I stumbled on one talking about her Promoting Passion Convention. As luck would have it, her 2017 convention was around the corner and the registration was about to open. I mulled over it, wondering if I should go. You see, I only do this for fun, so my first hesitation was that I didn’t want to take away a spot from someone who’s business this could really help. I mulled for about a week and then decided to register. I was so EAGER to learn and I couldn’t wait to meet so many other creatives as well as Brooke.

The time came for the workshop and I found myself on a plane to Buffalo, NY. Because I was part of a Facebook group for all attendees of the Promoting Passion Convention, we all stayed in constant communication in the months leading to the workshop and the day that we all traveled. I was able to fly from Chicago to Buffalo with Shannon (who is an incredible interior designer and artist from California). She greeted me at my gate in Chicago with a huge smile and hug. How wonderful is that? We sat in the same row with a pilot who also lived in California and they chatted art and flying while I quietly tried to finish off my week’s work. When I landed, I waited for Terry – an incredible portrait and glamour photographer from Iowa – to share an Uber ride with to the hotel. I loved meeting Terry and we hung out throughout the entire workshop. She is one of those people that you just love when you meet her – she is caring, spunky and fun. We had a lot to talk about because she is also a food stylist (and I attended a food photography workshop by Andrew Scrivani a couple of years ago).

That Thursday evening we gathered in the main conference room to get to know each other and do a few comfort zone challenges. Afterwards we headed outside to enjoy some s’mores, games and bonfire. The next day was FILLED with great information. From Roderique’s class on photoshop (where I learned some game changing techniques) to Vivienne’s  lecture on her journey and Ryan’s lecture that moved the whole room to tears. After the lectures, we joined Brooke in some creative collaboration time – which is where most of these images are from.

I still cannot believe that over a week has passed since the workshop. I feel incredibly changed and cannot wait to share Day 2 plus a few composites that I created because of this workshop. Thank you so much for reading.

Question of the day: What photography workshops do you recommend attending? I’d love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment 🙂

A big THANK you to our incredibly brave and talented models for posing, standing in the cold and never complaining about getting in the cold lake.

Kristina Fekhtman: Instagram @tinafekht

Lena Novack: Instagram @lunalena84

Aliaksandra Razumets Funk: Instagram @razumeta