I’ve been back for a few days now and am still processing everything that went on in Seattle. It was such a crazy fun time with so many cool people but at the same time, I got what I came for. The Boutwells and the Coopers laid down some knowledge that I’ll be reviewing continually for the next few months. There will be some changes going on around here based on what I’ve learned and I’m ready to take our photography and our business to the next level! I totally enjoyed every aspect of the whole workshop from meeting everyone to learning all that I could. Here’s what I enjoyed the most:

1. The Knowledge

The whole ANTI workshop concept was created so that a few ultra creative minds could share their alternative methods in the wedding photography biz. When I first heard about it, I knew it was the workshop to go to. I had a few main goals when I set out in this business. One was to become successful while staying ultra creative. I’m trying over here and the Boutwells and Coopers are helping people like me who want to take that next step and help them maintain a balance between creativity and good business practices. The main things that I’ll take back are how they see light, color and the environment. There are so many other great things that filled up my notebook, but those main things are what will be keeping me up at 3 AM.

2. The People

The other reason to go to any workshop is the people. It was just incredible to hang out and chat with so many different talented photographers. It was fantastic to be around others who wanted to elevate their photography just like I did. I learned just as much from talking with all the other “students” over a 4 day period, than I have reading forums and blogs over the last 6 months. Thanks to Jamie, Kate, Lisa, Shyla, Fred, Jasmine, Dustin, Heather, Kelley, Ed, Jason, Maurice, Jesh, Jennifer, Erin, Jennifer and my roomie Mark for making the trip even more worth while.

3. The Polaroids

One of our exercises was to take polaroid cameras around downtown seattle and complete a 10-photo assignment that centered around one theme. It was such a great assignment that taught us how to compose a shot and tell a story without the complexities of our modern equipment. No focusing, no zooming, no fancy stuff. Just making great images using the most basic camera around and your imagination. Seeing what everyone was able to produces was just awesome! It was an amazing eye opening experience that I can apply to almost anything that I shoot.

4. The Beer

I’ve never drank beer while taking notes before and it was AWESOME! AHAHAHA! Thanks to the Boutwells and the Coopers for the awesome idea of drink tickets as prizes. It was a blast having the workshop at the Pike Pub and Brewery. Totally ANTI! Loved it.

So, here’s a quickie slideshow of some cool peeps, a couple of our model shoots and many other things that caught my eye. Press the tiny play button on the bottom left below.