Blair + Thurston: The Photography Retreat

Elena Blair and I are so excited to announce that we are hosting a 2 day photography retreat in Malibu, CA on February 4-6, 2016! We have created a website to share all of the details, blairandthurston.com Check it out!! For 2 days we will host a small group of photographers for a girls-weekend style retreat, complete with massages, yoga, and a chef prepared meal. On the photography front, we will be discussing and demonstrating how we each create photos that are emotive, joyful, and tell a story. This is not a time to photograph a beautiful model that is professionally styled, instead we will be shooting real people so that you can take home what you learn and use it for your own clients. We believe that the most beautiful photo is one where emotion and connection takes center stage. We will have two sessions lined up where we will show you what we do and then allow you to photograph the subjects. Once we are back to the house, we will upload our images, discuss them, and edit them. Both of us will go over our editing workflow and why we feel that simple edits are the best match for our style of photography. We will be offering full critiques for all attendees, we will share our business philosophies and why we have both opted for the flat-rate model, and mentor anyone who would like help with business practices.

Our goal for this retreat is for all attendees to leave inspired, rejuvenated, and excited about photography. This will be a place to create new friendships, bond over our mutual love for photography, and learn through hands-on experiences.

This is a full business write off where you get to hang out by the ocean in a beautiful house, drink wine around a couch at night with friends, and delve into photography. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm really freaking excited ;)

Registration opens on Monday, Sept 21st at 10am. Spaces are very limited. I hope you join us!

Proud to Announce... | Behind the Scenes Photography Video!

I was honored and humbled when Clickin Moms asked me to be their April Pro of the Month. Clickin Moms is a large photography community with over 10,000 members, 70,000 Facebook fans, 2 million posts on their forums, and 350 photography tutorials. So, as you can imagine, I was trilled! Part of being the Pro of the Month is hosting what they call a "Breakout Session" - it's eLearning where you have the opportunity to teach and share what you know with the entire photography community, not just members of Clickin Moms.

Capturing Couples & Beyond - $25

I wanted to focus on what I love the most, and that is photographing couples. However, everything contained in the bundle is useful for shooting families, children, seniors, weddings, and even boudoir. It's not just all about couples. I use image examples of family sessions and discuss how to apply all of it to other types of clients.

In my Breakout Session, I include a 33 page PDF discussing how to choose great locations for your shoots, how to get a variety in your posing, how to coax out genuine expressions, and how to create relaxed images that truly represent both you and your clients. There are 32 image examples in the PDF complete with exif data (camera settings)

The part I'm most excited about is the 18 minute behind the scenes video of me shooting a couple in a small, somewhat dark location. You'll get to see how I direct them, pose them, refine the poses, coax out expressions, and I even tell you my settings while I'm shooting. You'll also see my final edited images pop up on the screen during the video so you can see the final result.

Last but certainly not least, I also include two posing guide apps (for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices) courtesy of Sticky Albums! There is also a code for 10% off if you'd like to sign up for Sticky Albums, which I'd definitely recommend.

Here is a quick little promo video that my friend Kimmie Jarrett did for me!

I think there is a lot of great information in my Breakout Session and I hope you check it out! I'd love your feedback as well, so if you've purchased it it, feel free to send reviews to bre@brethurston.com. Thanks!