Jennifer Bowen Photography » Engagement, Wedding, Portrait & Family Photographer // Scottsdale, Phoenix Arizona

About two weeks ago, Kim Jarman and I hosted our third round of Create Better Images Photography Workshops. We did things a little differently this time by splitting the days we host them and it turned out to work great. We had two wonderful groups of attendees and were thrilled with all the great feedback – thank you guys!

If you are new to the blog, Kim and I co-host photography workshops designed for both novice photographers (or parents who simply want to take better pictures of their kids), as well as a more intermediate-advanced workshop designed for photographers of all levels: those who are pretty new to the game, those who have been photographing awhile but might need a different perspective, or advanced hobbyists who want to take their skills to the next level.

Our Create Better Images Beginner class teaches the basic fundamentals of photography: how to take your digital SLR camera off the automatic setting and apply the basics of aperture, shutter speed and ISO to your picture taking to create better or more creative images.We also explain what makes a great portrait, where to find flattering light & how to use it more effectively, how to turn off the little pop-up flash, what lenses you can purchase today to immediately make a difference in your photography, how to adjust your manual settings on your camera as well as share some secrets to making your images pop more. The 3-hour class covers a lot of info, so we know it can be a little overwhelming at first, but most attendees email us after to say they learned SO much and have already begun producing better images.

Here are a couple images from our beginner class two weeks ago:

Our Create Better Images Intermediate class takes the lessons to the next level, and incorporates a live model shoot as part of the learning experience. We go more in-depth with the camera’s manual settings, manipulating the light, posing suggestions and working with clients, using off-camera flash, and working with post processing software in an efficient manner to produce quick and stunning results to add the final touch to your images. The live shoot provides the hands-on learning experience where we walk around to find the light and photograph the models. This is where the attendees have the opportunity to apply the class lessons to the actions of working with light and people with hands-on guidance.

We had two models (well, technically 3 models) for this live shoot. Our first was Cheyenne, an actual high-school senior (I wish I looked like this in high school!):

We also had a couple that modeled as a bride and groom for us. They were married 6 years ago here in Arizona, hired a photographer for their wedding, viewed the images online only to find out a few weeks later he filed bankruptcy and shut his studio down. Sadly, he never delivered any final prints or provided any option for them to buy an album, prints or the images on disc. It baffles me how a person or any business could do that and not follow through on their end.  As you can imagine, they were pretty devastated that they never received any images from their wedding day. So when Tirsa emailed to express interest in serving as models, we didnt even have to blink. While its not their wedding day, she did wear the same dress, albiet slightly altered with the blush pink train she MADE and attached. Between 22 photographers, we knew we could give them some great images of them together. Here are some of my favs from those I captured that day:

Lastly, here is a group photo of our intermediate class. We meant to get one of the beginner class, but we got out a tad late and just didnt manage to get one with everyone. :-(

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If you are interested in attending our next round of Beginner or Intermediate Workshops, here is the general information:

WHAT: Beginner Photography Workshop / 25 seats total

WHEN: Thursday, May 13, 2010 / 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

WHERE: 126 W. Main Street, Mesa Arizona

COST: $189 for the workshop ($159 early bird before February 9, 2010)
$89 non-refundable retainer holds your space; $100 balance due at the door.

HOW TO REGISTER: Click this link to register and to view all the class details

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WHAT: Intermediate Photography Workshop / 20 seats total

WHEN: Saturday, May 15, 2010 / 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM

WHERE: 126 W. Main Street, Mesa Arizona

COST: $379 for the workshop ($349 early bird before February 9th, 2010)
$179 non-refundable deposit holds your space; $200 balance due at the door.

HOW TO REGISTER: Click this link to register and to view all the class details

We are excited to announce the next set of workshop dates!

Registration for both workshops will begin on Monday, August 10th. We have 20 seats available and they are booked on a first come, first serve basis. The last round of workshops sold out within a week, so we recommend booking soon to reserve your seat!

BEGINNERS WORKSHOP

Wednesday, January 13, 2010
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Mesa, Arizona

$179 for the workshop ($149 early bird before October 15, 2009)
$49/$79 non-refundable deposit holds your space; $100 balance due at the door.

*Credit cards accepted. Only 20 seats available.

To Register for the Beginner Photography Workshop please click here. Registration will begin Monday, August 10, 2009.

INTERMEDIATE WORKSHOP

Saturday, January 16, 2010
1:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Mesa, Arizona

Registration begins at 12:30 pm.

$359 for the workshop ($329 early bird before October 15th, 2009)
$129/$159 non-refundable deposit holds your space; $200 balance due at the door.

*Credit cards accepted. Only 20 seats available.

To Register for the Intermediate Photography Workshop please click here. Registration will begin Monday, August 10, 2009.

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We are so excited to have you join us for these workshops. If you have questions please visit our workshop website at www.createbetterimages.com and use the contact section to email us.

Kim and I are so thrilled to share this awesome video that Serendipity Videography created for our Create Better Images Workshops! They did such a great job on it as we feel it gives a nice overview/recap of what to expect from our workshop. This one is specifically from the Intermediate workshop. If you did not know that I co-host these workshop with my partner Kim Jarman, than be sure to check out our dedicated workshop website at: www.createbetterimages.com

Create Better Images from Serendipity Videography on Vimeo.

They also created a personal promo video for me (Jennifer Bowen Photography) LAST October which I’ve been waiting to present it with the “new branding” roll out, but since the entire rebrand effort is taking longer than I anticipated I might post that one here soon as well :-)

If you need a videographer for your wedding, event or for a promo video, I highly recommend them!

Just two short weeks ago, Kim and I held our most recent series of workshops to help beginning & more intermediate photographers take better images. They both sold out in just a couple weeks, and we had a jam-packed house all day long and we were so thrilled to have everyone join us!

Before I start recapping, I want to thank our sponsors for this workshop:

Gina, owner of Fiori Floral provided the beautiful boquet for our Bride and Groom shoot as seen down below in this post and ZuZu’s Petals in Downtown Mesa for the beautiful centerpieces for our food table.

Our goal for the beginner workshop is to teach those just starting out to understand the fundamentals of photography, understand the basics of their cameras by turning them off the automatic setting to shoot manually, and thus more creatively.

Among several other things, we also teach attendees which lenses will deliver better quality images and the different effects you can get by adjusting your cameras manually.

Everyone was practicing adjusting their settings to compensate for me being back light by the window and I couldn’t resist getting a shot of them!

Three of my former brides attended our Beginner Workshop, so I had to get a picture with them! L to R: Janna (2006), Shelley (2006), me, Christy (2008). Janna also stayed on for the Intermediate Workshop in the afternoon.

Here is our entire Beginner group:

For the intermediate class, we dive deeper into several areas, including lighting, communication, creative shooting and much more. For a full explanation of what we cover, you can visit our dedicated Blogsite: CreateBetterImages.com

But most importantly, we go outside to work with live models in two separate shoots and give the attendees lots of hands on practice!

This time we had a family with young children (since this is a group with which most budding photographers will find themselves working) as well as a “bride and groom” model. (Funny story there… read below.) It’s great to be able to apply the lessons from the class into a live shooting scenario and explain with hands on experience how we find good light and work with existing light, pose our subjects, adjust our settings and more.

A couple shots of our adorable family that modeled for us. As you can imagine, the kids were a little nervous with 20+ photographers taking picture of them!

But we applied my favorite — the tickle-approach — and it worked like a charm!

After our family shoot, we spent another 45 minute or so working with our bride and groom models. Here are a few shots of Cristi, our “bride” (and I might add THE most photographed fellow photographer in the Phoenix area – but its easy to see why — she rocks the camera!)

So funny story, Cristi’s husband Curt was out of town for our shoot, so she brought his cousin Kevin along, which provided some good comic relief at moments when the posing got a little too “intimate.” Of course there was NO KISSING or anything remotely similar :) At least we all laughed quite a bit and they were such troopers.

A few more shots of the attendees in action – Kim took these next three shots:

Here is most of our intermediate group. Cristi took this shot while some of us were still making our way downstairs for the live shoot.

Again, a big thank you to Gina, owner of Fiori Floral for donating this gorgeous bouquet! I absolutely love it and wish I had done something similar for my wedding several years ago.

To read some blog reviews by those in attendance, click here, here and here. Oh yeah, and here and here!
(Am I missing anyone? Please leave a comment with your blog link if so.)

To learn more about our workshops in general and find out details on the next one, click here.

We are seeking models for our intermediate workshop on June 13, 2009. Please see the details regarding this casting call below and submit for the area you fall into by providing 1-3 images. Please forward to others you may know who might be interested in free photos and serving as a model for our workshop.

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Bride & Groom Models

Are you a couple that recently got married but wish you had more fun/urban/trendy magazine style pictures in your gown and suit (or tux)? Or maybe you are just a super-cute young couple and want to get all dressed up in a gown (that you own, can buy on Craigs List/Ebay or borrow) and suit for some super fun images? Either way, this is your chance to get some free images by serving as models for a photography workshop! 

Couples MUST supply their own attire for this shoot and “brides” please note your gown WILL GET DIRTY. You can bring the dress you got married in and still have hanging in your closet, or you can buy a super-affordable white dress/gown from Craigs List, Ebay, a consignment store or even the David’s Bridal $99 dress sale. 

Couples MUST submit a few images of themselves (close up and full length if you have one – snapshots are fine) as well as the attire they plan to wear for the shoot. We very much need couples who are comfortable in front of the camera and affectionate with one another.

The session will last approximately 20-30 minutes and be in Mesa on the date above.

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High School Senior Model
Girls and guys – here is a chance for some free senior pictures (or modeling) a little ahead of schedule! Please include a couple pictures of yourself (close up and full length – snapshots are fine), and verify that you have your parents permission for this shoot. For all minors, a parent will need to be present for the photo shoot and we will have a Minor Model Release for them to sign.

The session will last approximately 15-20 minutes and be in Mesa on the date above.

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Family with young children
Families who need some updated photographs, here is your chance! We are looking for a family of 3-5 people with children, ideally in the toddler to pre-teen range, but we will consider others as well. Please include a recent family picture (snapshot is fine) and indiciate that you are okay with us taking a few images of your children individually as well. The session will last approximately 15-20 minutes in the late afternoon/early evening on the date listed above. The session will take place in Mesa.

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The exact time(s) will be confirmed once we select our models, but will likely fall between approximately 4:30-6:30 PM. Please note you may need to adjust nap schedules for any babies/toddlers/young children on this date if you are interested in this opportunity.

ALL MODELS MUST SIGN A MODEL RELEASE AND BE AWARE THAT SOME IMAGES WILL APPEAR ON SEVERAL PHOTOGRAPHY BLOGS ON THE INTERNET. Of course, the poses/styling and resulting images will be age appropriate and in good taste at all times.

If you are interested, please email us here. Be sure to include a photo or two as indicated above.

It’s official – both the June 13th beginner and intermediate workshops are now sold out!

If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please contact us through the Create Better Images Photography Workshops blogsite and we will be sure to add you to the list.

Thank you everyone for your interest! We look forward to a great day with both classes on June 13th!