How many times have you heard that it’s the journey, not the destination? 10? 20? 100? Thousands? When did that phrase hit home for you? Every member of the Professional Photographers of North Carolina is on their own personal photographic journey. The destination is different for each member. But the journey? This community of photographers works together.
Photography seminars in North Carolina
Our state organization, the Professional Photographers of North Carolina, offers three educational seminars every year at no additional cost to its members. Yes, you read that correctly…three FREE high quality educational seminars for our members. This past weekend brought photographers to Atlantic Beach at the Carolina coast where dynamic speakers – Tommy White, Ellen LeRoy, Jeff Wenzel, and Crystal Waddell – generously shared their time, their art, and their knowledge.
This seminar was created with our members in mind. It held sunrise photo shoots and golden hour photo sessions, lectures and hands-on learning, allowing everyone to choose how they wanted to spend their time, as well as where they wanted to hone their skills. Whether you want to understand the Art of Creation, enhance your Photoshop skills, utilize off camera flash, photograph children, seniors, families, or get strategic with your website’s SEO, our community came together, elevating the learning for all.
Testimonials from our members
So we went to our membership and asked,
“Do you have a favorite from the weekend or what was your biggest takeaway from the weekend?”
Steve shared:
“Yes, probably more than one. I do want to give Tommy White big props. He went well above what a usual presenter would do. I came away with awesome pictures, had more fun with my camera than I have had in years, lots of new information and a friend. Everyone else was great too, best seminar I have been to by far.”
January also shared her inspiration from the weekend:
“My biggest takeaway from this past weekend was most definitely the people! Hands on learning has always been the best way for me to learn, and I cannot get enough of the “Community over Competition” feel that PPNC gives. Ann & her minions work hard to make sure we have a full weekend of learning while having fun doing it. The instructors are always easy going and are comfortable to approach and ask questions. I am thankful for PPNC and all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. ”
Sunnie said, “In the past I was just using whatever settings people were telling me, but now I understand what to do first: ‘Set the base, light the face.’ My favorite part is having members (who don’t know me) encouraging me and helping me along the way.”
Tetiana seconded the statement about lighting: “ ‘Set the base, light the face’. It was such an amazing weekend! I was happy to see you all. Thank you, Jeff Wenzel, for your class, I’ve learned a lot! Love our PPNC Family!”
Karen pointed out, “I do think it was great to have a variety of subjects ranging from landscape to lighting to SEO.”
“My biggest takeaway is that I want to start experimenting with ND filters after what Tommy taught us!” said Linda.
Ann, PPNC’s Executive Director, shared that her biggest takeaway was “to finish getting my systems in place before working on the SEO part of my website for a great customer experience so I can handle the inquiries properly. The second is to push myself outside of the box with ND filters and landscape photography.”
Jeff Wenzel, who taught Off-Camera Flash, shared, “From a personal perspective, I enjoyed watching the creativity of the photographers and seeing what they were seeing with a model or a scene. Off camera flash is a tool that isn’t always needed. But if it is your style or if the situation could be enhanced, then it is good to be comfortable with it. That’s why I threw in a non-OCF picture in the ‘How’d they light that?’ game.”
Debra shared:
“I LOVED being able to get outside and practice photography with others who love doing the same. Three days in a row, I got out of bed before sunrise. And three evenings in a row, I went out to photograph the sunset. I don’t remember when I’ve had so much fun and was so exhausted.”
Are you looking for a photography community with a high quality learning experience?
Come join us! You can join our membership – we would love to have you! More than that, come join our classes and educational sessions. We will host our next seminar in April, as well as the Carolina Photo Expo in July.
If you want more than just a few hours to enhance your photo journey, I encourage you to check out East Coast School.
This institution of learning has been going strong for over 60 years and for a good reason. Sign up for East Coast School today if you want to immerse yourself in a four-day intensive workshop to learn in a small group environment, which will allow you to leave with a firm understanding of your topic. Courses are designed to be a well-rounded mix of lecture, hands on learning, and solid business principles. What does that mean for you? You leave this class with a wealth of knowledge to create and build the business and life you want. Invest in yourself today.
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