Lots of good things come from eating cake... and the birth of Through Your Eyes workshops was one of them! Justine (from Justine Weatherall Photography) and I were yarning over cake and hot chocs at an NZIPP catch up earlier this year and almost spluttered our drinks over each other we realised we had both begun separately planning a workshop specifically for Mums. The more we chatted, the more we knew that if we joined forces, we could create something pretty epic! By joining our different strengths and our different styles with our same passion and desire to share from our hearts with other mothers, we were able to design a workshop based around capturing the absolute chaos, joy, craziness and beauty of family life! We really wanted to open people's eyes to see more moments that are worth capturing in their day to day lives, and to equip mothers with some basic key photography skills to make a big difference to their family photos.
So we did it. We set a date, booked a great venue on beautiful Brighton Beach, and spent countless hours working on the content and design. I'm pretty sure Justine moved into my house for a few months... or least perhaps she should have, given the late nights and early mornings we spent working on it! And then we put it out there... to you. We pushed the publish button and held our breath to see if you people would be keen. Thankfully we didn't have to hold for long, because the first booking came through literally within a few minutes of opening registrations. We had an amazing response from so many people who were keen to learn how to actually use the nice camera that they are too scared to use and how to capture anything more than silly faces from their kids.
Our first workshop in August was amazing. Far out... teaching and sharing with this awesome bunch of women filled up my tank big time! Honestly, it was just amazing seeing how excited they were to learn to use their cameras in ways they didn't even know were possible, seeing so many lightbulb moments throughout both days, and watching them leave filled with so much inspiration and passion for photographing their kids!
An amazing bunch of ladies + a real eagerness to learn more about their cameras + good food + good laughs + an epic location + amazing weather + gorgeous little humans to photograph = the perfect combo for a great weekend of learning and playing.
Our first workshop in August was amazing. Far out... teaching and sharing with this awesome bunch of women filled up my tank big time! Honestly, it was just amazing seeing how excited they were to learn to use their cameras in ways they didn't even know were possible, seeing so many lightbulb moments throughout both days, and watching them leave filled with so much inspiration and passion for photographing their kids!
An amazing bunch of ladies + a real eagerness to learn more about their cameras + good food + good laughs + an epic location + amazing weather + gorgeous little humans to photograph = the perfect combo for a great weekend of learning and playing.
"Just a quick note to say thank you so much for the last two days!!! It’s been fab! You were amazing!!! A VERY well run course!!! My brain feels like it’s going to POP! I don’t think I have had to think so hard or concentrate so hard since Albie was born ;) !!! Looking forward to taking some time to process it all and just play around with what I’ve learnt! I most certainly have a new found appreciation for Photographers! You guys are incredible!!!! " - Bex
Photos by Justine Weatherall Photography
Day Two saw us with some gorgeous little models for our practical shoot on the beach! Thanks SO much to Max & Evie (2 year old twins), and George and Thomas for coming out and playing with us!
I love this photo of Max. One of the things we talk about at these workshops is capturing the tiny things that your children do that are just part of them at that age and stage. So often kids get told to stand still and smile for the camera, when actually their real personalities and cute little quirks can shine through so much more when documenting the tiny day to day things. And they are often the things we want to bottle up and remember, because one day you'll look back, and suddenly they won't be doing them anymore. Naturally, wee Max got told to take his fingers out of his mouth while I was photographing him... but I love this, because sucking his fingers and twirling his hair are things that he does for comfort at this age. And when he's 18, he probably won't be doing that anymore ;)
I love this photo of Max. One of the things we talk about at these workshops is capturing the tiny things that your children do that are just part of them at that age and stage. So often kids get told to stand still and smile for the camera, when actually their real personalities and cute little quirks can shine through so much more when documenting the tiny day to day things. And they are often the things we want to bottle up and remember, because one day you'll look back, and suddenly they won't be doing them anymore. Naturally, wee Max got told to take his fingers out of his mouth while I was photographing him... but I love this, because sucking his fingers and twirling his hair are things that he does for comfort at this age. And when he's 18, he probably won't be doing that anymore ;)
Photo by Justine
Oh, bless xx
Photo by Justine
I'm not actually sure what I'm doing here, but ah, thanks Justine for these behind the scenes... ha...
Photo by Justine
Photo by Justine
We also talked about the importance of existing in photos as mothers... a touchy subject, I know. Sooo many of us don't want to be photographed... we shy away from the camera because we've got bags under our eyes, we feel too fat, we aren't wearing make-up, we are in our trackies, we haven't done our hair in weeks, and we are lucky if we have even showered that day. But these photos are for our kids. They are heirlooms... and our kids love us fiercely, regardless of what we think are our downfalls. The truth is, our kids would never, ever notice the bags under our eyes. They just see and remember the times we were there... fully present, relaxed, and enjoying precious time with them. So to encourage us all to get our there and in front of the camera with our kids, we also gave some tips for feeling more confident in photos. And Justine got out there with her two gorgeous boys to show us all how it's done!
We are pretty excited about running another one in a couple of weeks time! If you are keen to know more, we have one space left for November 12/13th - check out the info and registration details here! We are keen to offer more workshops next year, so if you would love to come along but you can't make it in November, do drop us a note and we will keep you in the loop for any future workshops! Would love to have you along!
Kim xx
Kim xx
"So pumped after a weekend learning how to actually use our DSLR from the wonderful Kimberley and Justine. I never would have thought it possible but tonight I took photos after dark, inside, of our boys moving, without a flash, on FULL MANUAL MODE. Crazy! Just feeling a little proud. Thanks ladies!!!" - Lisa
