Conference 12 | Welcome to Miami

I finally have the chance to sit down and write about this awesome experience… there’s so much though guys, that this will probably be a series of posts, I’m even overwhelmed so I don’t want you all to be too, haha! So I’ll just start part 1 here at the beginning…

Ever since I started this little photo biz a few years ago, I’ve had in the back of my mind to attend a photography conference or workshop to help me grow. I spent several years actually researching and reading reviews on which were worth the money, and truly taught you something – and a big one – gave you the opportunity to shoot for your portfolio. I had been following Seniorologie even before I decided I wanted to focus the business on high school seniors, so when I got wind of Conference 12, hosted by the lovely Leslie Kerrigan who founded Seniorologie, I paid close attention. A conference and photo shoots that focused solely on the senior market? Maybe this would be a good fit for me.

And then the stars started to align… It’s in Miami this year. Um, that’s going to have some gorgeous backdrops and it’s a place I’d never pick to go on my own so, interesting… Then the speaker list was announced and I’d say honestly 8 out of the 12 on this lineup were already photographers I had been following on social media for a while and I had mad respect for their work. People like Brittney Kluse, Christina Ramirez and Spanki Mills… all of which have distinctly different styles, but capture their clients brilliantly. Seriously, if you don’t know who these ladies are, go check out their work on their websites and Instagram, you won’t be disappointed 🙂

So then how would I work this into our schedule? Could it possibly work this year? My husband Matt who is an entertainer, travels for a living and is usually gone most of October… turns out his business partner’s wife was having a baby and her due date was mid October so they had already planned to take most of the month off – so it was meant to be! We even worked it out with our families to stay behind with our girls so that he could come with me. We NEVER get to travel together alone so this would be quite a treat – plus, he would get to see me in MY element for a change 🙂

So I signed up, we bought plane tickets and off we went to Miami, with me not really knowing what to expect. I mean, this was my first actual conference in the photography world so there were a lot of questions going in. Would this be a typical stuffy conference? Would I get images for my portfolio that I was happy with? And in the back of my mind I was back in high school myself, would I even fit in? And to be honest guys, this conference blew away all my highest expectations. Not only did I come back with awesome images, and a ridiculous amount of information and ideas I can work with in my business, I found a tribe.

This was seriously the most connected that I’ve felt to a group of people of like minded talent since art school. The sense of community and support was incredible. No judgment, no competition, just the sheer joy of our common talent, passion and willingness to share ideas. I’ve been connected with individuals from all over the country that I believe will do nothing but continue to support and inspire each other for a long time thanks to this experience. And the photo shoots and conference itself? So much attention to detail, I don’t even have the words… I’ll just let my images speak for me there. I cannot thank all the speakers and photo shoot leads enough for giving of themselves and their talent so freely. And to Leslie, who is literally one of the sweetest and most fun people you will ever meet, for inspiring us all and creating this community, she is amazing! I would highly recommend this conference to anyone in the high school market. If you want to learn this side of the business and learn from the best, Conference 12 should be on your radar.

So with that here’s just a sample of the fun… And I do plan a series of these posts just so I can go into a little more detail on each day, from the speakers to the photo shoots. So watch out for those coming soon!