This summer I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Katelyn James Workshop Experience with my friend Nichole! It was one of the best experiences of my life and I’m excited to share with you some of my biggest takeaways from the workshop!
To be honest, I signed up for this workshop on a whim. I’d been following Katelyn James for a while and had been loving her free webinars and other resources, but I hadn’t thought about attending one of her workshops. Nichole texted me one day saying that tickets were on sale and she was going and asked if I wanted to go. I looked it up, saw I had those dates free, and I signed up right there! I am SO glad that Nichole asked me to go with her because attending the workshop ended up being exactly what I needed at this point in my business! I learned SO MUCH and came back inspired to get back to work and see how my business can grow.
If I shared everything I learned with you, this post would be entirely too long, but suffice it to say, we talked about everything! From posing, to client meetings, to creating a great client experience, to styled shoots, to insecurities, you name it, it was covered! Instead of sharing everything with you, I’m going to share the main things I appreciate about Katelyn and Michael after attending The Workshop Experience!
1. Katelyn and Michael are unbelievably kind, compassionate, and giving.
The most unique aspect of Katelyn’s workshops is that they take place in her home! For two days, Katelyn and Michael welcomed us into their home. They let us take over their living room, and they even fed us the most wonderful meals. My favorite thing about Katelyn’s business is that her family is so involved! Her sister and her mom both were there to help prepare the meals and make sure we had just the best time! Other workshops I’ve attended take place at a conference center or random warehouse, but the fact that this one was in her own home just made us all feel so much closer!
Katelyn and Bokeh greeting guests at the door!
Yes, her entire house looks like it came straight off of Pinterest.
Katelyn had little goodie boxes for all of the workshop attendees! We had notebooks with our names on them, cookies, and some other goodies! There’s a peek at Bokeh Boy on the right. π
2. Katelyn and Michael care deeply about people and building relationships with others!
Both Katelyn and Michael treated everyone they spoke to with respect and made us all feel like old friends. When Nichole and I first arrived to Virginia on Sunday night, we attended an informal meet up with some of the attendees at a cute little gelato shop. We walked in and Katelyn greeted us with a smile and a hug! The first thing she said to me was, “Oh you’re the pianist and you guys are on a road trip together!” That simple comment immediately made me feel like she cared about me. She took the time to look up everyone of the attendees and find out something unique about them!
Even the vendors for our styled shoot were friends of Katelyn because that’s just how she works! The models for our styled shoot were an actual married couple that were one of Katelyn’s clients. That made our shoot so relaxed and fun!
The wonderful workshop attendees! I loved meeting all of them and hearing their stories!
The food we ate was fantastic, and Emily made the absolute best snacks for us throughout the day!
3. Katelyn helped me figure out exactly what steps I needed to take to improve my business, and she made me feel like I could actually achieve my goals.
My favorite part about the workshop is that it was exactly what my business needed! Her comments and insights were all so practical. Workshops I’ve attended in the past were inspirational, but most of the time I felt like the concepts that were being taught were either unattainable by me or simply impractical. Katelyn’s workshop was the first one where I felt that the material was broken down into a way that was achievable for me.
During our styled shoot, she explained to us what she was doing and why. During our sessions she talked about business basics, relating to your clients, and things that any wedding photographer would want to know. Katelyn started her business just like most of us. She picked up a camera in college and just loved shooting! She’s real. She’s relatable. She hows how hard it is to be successful in this industry because she’s lived it. My biggest takeaway from the entire workshop was the feeling that…
“I can do this.”
I can have a thriving business. I can build better relationships with my clients. I can make a difference. I am beyond grateful to Katelyn for helping me realize that I don’t have to give in to self-doubt. I don’t have to play the comparison game. I don’t have to feel stuck. This workshop was so wonderful and I will always remember the lessons I learned!
And now here comes the photo overload!! π
We were battling rainstorms during our shoot but the clouds eventually let up!
Preparing for the shoot
Katelyn showing us how to create foregrounds π
Soaking up all of the knowledge!
Katelyn and Michael’s gorgeous home!
Katelyn and her mom reacting to a place holder with Everly’s name on it!
Little Evy!! She is seriously the happiest baby ever, even though this photo doesn’t attest to that!
Michael helping out!
Here are some more shots from our styled shoots!
Katelyn and Michael, thank you so much for everything that you do! It wasn’t just my business that benefited from this workshop. I benefited as a person and I can’t wait to get to work on implementing what I learned both in life and in my business!
