Inked & Sage
When I decided to invest in a photographers retreat, I never knew the growth and the challenges that would come with this commitment. But let me tell you - IT HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT! And I haven't even made it to the retreat yet!
As you may or may not know, there are a variety of learning options and growth tools available to any creative. Specifically for photographers, there are mentorships, shoot-outs, online courses, YouTube, retreats, etc... I began my education with a 1:1 mentorship in March of this year. I went with the mentorship because I needed guidance on next steps for my business. J. Bojorquez Photo went live in May 2020 and while I'm blessed to say the business GREW overnight - I was feeling overwhelmed and felt like I was lacking a lot of knowledge on the backend: workflow, editing, communication, promotion, and most importantly my client experience. The mentorship definitely helped bring me to a place where I knew exactly what I needed to do for where I was with my business. Then the opportunity for the retreat came up and DAMN IT it was so hard to say yes. Financially, I just wasn't in the best place to say "YES!", but my heart knew I needed this. So I committed myself to shoot X amount of sessions per month to ensure I had the funds and I'm proud to say I'm paid in full and anxiously awaiting October! So let's start from the beginning.
What's a photographer's retreat?
This is definitely not the actual definition and each retreat varies - but here's my spin on it! (lol) It's a "weekend" getaway for photographers to go to a location where they will play & stay with other photographers to have a fun-filled weekend of learning from other "big name" photographers who have done it and been doing it for YEARS! It's an investment in my business and YOU ALL get to reap the reward.
Why did I choose a retreat?
First, because of WHO is hosting. There are certain photographers that inspire me to be better and expand and build new limits. She is one of those photographers. Secondly, the convenience of the retreat being in Sedona. Who doesn't love a good session in the Red Rock city?! Third, I am a stay at home mom and sometimes education while living my every day life can get hectic and I didn't want to miss anything or even have the opportunity to not get to some of the good stuff the other sources have to offer. SO I wanted to get away. Also, it's a great way to learn next to and from other photographers and build a network of support! Did I mention it's an all girls retreat?! Finally, I went with this particular retreat because I love that the photographers hosting invest in their retreat girls from day 1! They provide these challenges that require us to step outside our comfort box. The offer business tools, editing resources, and so much more all BEFORE we even arrive to the retreat. This way, while we are there - we can LEARN (obvi) but also get to relax and enjoy ourselves without information overload! How amazing is that?!
So about this session...
This session was a product of our first retreat challenge. The instructions were "something outside of your comfort zone that sets your soul on fire".. WOW! Instantly I wanted a maternity session because I love to love on my mamas-to-be, but then I thought - that doesn't really take me outside my comfort. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, I wanted to do something outdoors in broad daylight! I live close to these incredible fields of nothing and I always wanted to shoot here. So I had my location on lockdown - but that was it! So I searched and created 2 entire mood boards - one with what I wanted to do and the other as a back up in case I couldn't find the right models for the gig. And guess what?! When I looked back on those two - I just thought, this isn't really taking me outside my comfort enough. So I decided to go DARK - Gothic Western Elopement. WHY?! All my sessions are loving and tender, soft. I also only shoot at golden hour or indoors so broad daylight, with a dark vibe is definitely outside my comfort. Like A LOT! The elopement part is because I love to celebrate unique love stories. With Covid elopements have been all the trend and while I've yet to be hired for an adventure elopement, this lives in my dream and top of my list.
Before I go...
I have amazing plans and goals for this business. I can't wait to continue sharing my journey with you through this space and through your stories!
Always smiling,
Jess
