In case you missed the emails, Facebook or Twitter posts about our new & improved photography workshop name, website AND format, I wanted to share with you again!

My business partner & workshop co-host Jennifer and I announced back a few months ago that we changed the name of our workshop from Create Better Images Photography Workshops to Refocused Photography Workshops. We think the name better illustrates what we do and teach overall. Below you can read more about these workshops, including how to register. But if you hurry over to our Facebook page and “like us” – you’ll find a special coupon code inside that will save you some booku-bucks off the registration cost.

1. The Beginner Workshop is 3-hour interactive, hands-on class where we teach new SLR camera owners how to get the most out of their camera. Over the years we have had so many requests from people who had just bought new cameras with interchangeable lenses how to actually use them, or get the most out of them. So in 2008, Jen and I decided to start a workshop to show people how to take those cameras off the automatic setting and shoot a little more creatively by teaching the fundamentals of photography. Once you understand how light, shutter speed and aperture interrelate; you can pick up any camera with any lens and effectively manipulate the light to capture a look that you may want.

It’s about more than just asking “What button do I put my camera on?” – its about understanding the very core of photography. Other areas we talk about it are what lenses will produce what types of images (ie, if you want a lot of “background blur” so your subject really stands out and pops), how to find great light in and around your home, creative composition, how to turn off the automatic flash that always pops up if you want images that have more feeling and depth, how to adjust your settings to photograph in manual mode (and how to get to manual mode in the first place). Plus much more. Click here to get all the nitty gritty details and find out how to register!

2. The Intermediate/Advanced Workshop: Now aptly named the One Day Intensive, this workshop is a 9 hour very hands on and interactive learning experience. We have now taught over 100 photographers around the US, many of whom have gone on to become successful and busy photographers. Some had already started businesses and were stuck on certain concepts or styles of shooting, others were just branching out and wanted a roadmap on how to create the best images possible with the best gear possible.

• Several tips for lighting, creative composition, and posing
• How to work with subjects and clients before, during and after the shoot
• How to speed up your digital workflow and post-process more efficiently
• Recipes for successful portrait making
• (NEW) MARKETING (branding, networking, getting published, getting your name out there, setting yourself apart, social media, and more)
• (NEW) THE BUSINESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY (goal setting, effective workflow, post-processing, pricing your products and services for profit, paying taxes, setting up your company more)
• (NEW) ALBUM DESIGN (tips for fast and efficient album design, companies to use, and more)
• How to apply many of these concepts to a LIVE MODEL SHOOT!
• In addition, after the live model shoot, you will have the opportunity to process your images via Adobe Lightroom with Jennifer and Kim and then share them with the class.
• Both will offer hand-on guidance, and share useful tips for working with these programs.
• Lastly, we’ll have open Q&A time!

Click here to read more and register for this awesome workshop!

CASTING CALL!

For our live model shoot, we are looking for an engaged or married couple!

Are you a couple that recently got married but wish you had more fun/urban/trendy magazine style pictures of you? Or maybe you are just a super-cute engaged (or non-engaged) couple and want some new and fun images? Either way, this is your chance to get some free images by serving as models for a photography workshop!

Couples must submit a few low-res images of themselves (close up and full length if you have one – snapshots are fine) as well as the attire they plan to wear for the shoot. We need couples who are very comfortable in front of the camera and affectionate with one another.

The session will last approximately 45-60 minutes and be in Mesa on Saturday, Feb 18th in the late afternoon. We will provide more details on when, where and what to wear once you are confirmed as a model. You just need to be available on that date between the times of approx 4:00-6:15 PM.

To apply as a model, please email 2 low resolution images of you both together to info@refocusedworkshops.com

A couple of weeks ago  Jennifer Bowen and I did our Create Better Images photography workshops. We had such a great turn out and had a wonderful time getting to know all of our attendees.

We started on Thursday with our Beginners workshop and taught a lot of people who had just gotten new cameras for Christmas how to take them off of the little green box and start shooting to get great pictures. From the feedback we got everyone learned a ton and, although their heads were spinning, they left with some great tips and ways to take better pictures. I didn’t take a ton of pictures of our beginner class because I always forget to actually stop and take pictures, but here is a cute one of all the attendees trying to figure out their cameras.

If you are new to photography and really just want to learn how to use your camera better, our beginners workshop is perfect for you!

Intermediate Workshop

On Saturday we taught our intermediate workshop which is 7 hours of jam packed learning and a hands on photo shoot. We had a great turnout, about 15 attendees, and were able to give hands on learning and training to all of them. We spent the first half of the workshop inside my studio learning about what makes a great picture, how to work with clients, how to get the most out of your clients, and showed them photographs that Jen and I have taken and how we actually accomplished them.

We then headed outside with our models, a cute family and an adorable couple. I stood back and got some fun shots of the attendees. I think everyone was having a great time.

At the end of the night we went back into the studio, pulled out our laptops and talked about Lightroom and post processing.

We had people leaving saying it was the best money they have ever spent… it makes us so happy!

Here are a few shots that I got of the crew and the models!

Thanks to all of our attendees and our great models! What a fun workshop!!

Do you want to take better pictures, but aren’t sure where to start? Or are you an ‘enthusiast’ who just wants your images to pop more? Then join us, Jennifer Bowen and Kimberly Jarman, both seasoned Phoenix-based wedding & portrait photographers, in one of our Create Better Images photography workshops best suited to your level.

We only have a couple of seats left in our beginner and intermediate workshops next week!

BEGINNERS WORKSHOP

WHEN:
Thursday, January 20, 2011
6:00pm- 9:00pm
Registration begins at 5:30 pm

WHERE:
Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio
126 W. Main St.  Mesa, AZ 85201

$189 for the workshop

*Credit cards accepted.

To Register for the Beginner Photography Workshop please click below
REGISTER HERE

INTERMEDIATE WORKSHOP

WHEN:
Saturday, January 22, 2011
1:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Registration begins at 12:30 pm.

WHERE:
Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio
126 W. Main St.  Mesa, AZ 85201

$379 for the workshop

*Credit cards accepted.

To Register for the Intermediate Photography Workshop please CLICK HERE.

There are no refunds. If you sign up and are unable to attend you are responsible for finding your own replacement.

Want to shoot like Kim Jarman and Jennifer Bowen?  Well, while we can’t guarantee THAT, we can guarantee that by attending the (almost full!) Create Better Images workshop you will be on the road to being the best photographer YOU can be (who wants to be a copycat anyway?)  The workshops coming up next month are filling up crazy-fast, but there are still a few spots left so we thought we better let our best girls and guys know that these spots are still open and let you know to jump on it FIRST! 

BEGINNERS WORKSHOP

Thursday January 20, 2011

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio
126 W. Main St.  Mesa, AZ 85201

Registration begins at 5:30 PM

$189 for the workshop

There are NO refunds. If you sign up and are unable to attend you are responsible for finding your own replacement.

*Credit cards accepted.

Only 25 seats available.

Click here to register online for the Beginner Workshop!

INTERMEDIATE WORKSHOP

Saturday, January 22, 2011

1:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio
126 W. Main St.  Mesa, AZ 85201

Registration begins at 12:30 pm.

$379 for the workshop

*Credit cards accepted.

Only 20 seats available.

Click here to register online for the Intermediate Workshop!

We hope to see you there, (with the rest of the photography in-crowd!) 

KB, Jenny, and I have been guest blogging every once in awhile for the amazing Scottsdale Moms Blog. It’s been a fun experience getting to know Stephanie and the girls over there!! We’ve been talking about photography and giving out some great tips! I loved my post and wanted to share it with all of you, so below is what I blogged a month ago. If you have a chance be sure to check out Scottsdale Moms Blog, it’s pretty sweet!

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Today I am going to actually talk about the importance of documenting your Childs life no matter what camera you have with you. We are going to continue to guest blog and give tips on what makes a great picture and how to make the pictures you are taking better, but I really wanted to make sure that before that you are at least taking pictures of your kids!!

The other day I was at my parents house and we pulled out the photo albums. We sat there for hours looking at our childhood and I was so thankful that my parents documented our lives. As I was looking through the pictures I realized it wasn’t because of the “amazing quality” that I LOVED these pictures, it was because of the memories and the ability to look back at my childhood. My parents weren’t GREAT photographers, but they were GREAT at photographing and documenting special times.

Chase Jarvis, an amazing photographer, has a saying that has stuck with me for a long time now, “the best camera is the one that’s with you.” I truly believe in this statement. I am notorious for not carrying around my beautiful SLR camera everywhere I go. I know that I will get the best pictures out of that camera, but its heavy and big and a pain to carry around. I need to be mobile, especially with a little one and I don’t have the time and patience to carry a professional camera around with me. I do have a point and shoot, but again, it’s not always with me. It’s in my purse or at home on the counter and I find myself not pulling it out much. So, the camera that is always with me, tends to be my phone. I do have an amazing phone, the IPhone, and it takes really great pictures – of course not professional looking ones that my SLR takes, but pretty decent pictures. I use it ALL the time. It’s become my camera of choice and I document my little girls like constantly with that phone!

Before we start talking “camera shop”, my challenge to you is to make sure that you are truly capturing your childrens’ life all the time with whatever camera you have with you! Pull it out and take pictures of whatever is happening at the time. Take at least one picture a day of your kids. It doesn’t have to be an extensive shoot, but just make sure that you do it!

On my phone you can actually see the progression of my baby girl and how much she has grown. I’ve caught some of my favorite pictures of her on my IPhone and I cherish those memories!

Now, this being said, I still believe that you should grow in your picture taking skills and learn how to take better pictures. We will give you some tips on here and we also have 101 classes at the studio that will help you grow as a photographer, you can find out more information on them at www.createbetterimages.com.

I also still highly value professional photography and believe that someone other than me should take pictures of my family at least once a year. In my household I still make sure that I get professional pictures taken of my family about twice a year. I cherish every time I get those pictures and put them on my walls because they really document our history as a family. For some reason, when someone other than me pulls out a camera and chases my daughter around they are able to get things that I am not able to and they are also able to capture pictures of me with my daughter, which is something that usually is lacking in our pile of images. Professional photography is important and I believe something that everyone should try to do at least once a year; however, if you take professional pictures once a year, you still have 364 days that you are missing images of your kids.

So, get out there and start capturing your children’s life whether it be a point and shoot, an SLR, or even something as simple as your camera phone. Don’t let life pass you by and document these cherished times!

Registration for both of the workshops will begin at 1:00 am on Monday, August 10th. Last time we sold out within a week, so make sure that you mark your calendar to make sure that you get a spot! We don’t want anyone to miss out.

BEGINNERS WORKSHOP

Wednesday, January 13, 2010
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio
126 W. Main St. Mesa, AZ 85201

Registration begins at 5:30 PM

$179 for the workshop ($149 early bird before October 15, 2009)
$79 non-refundable deposit holds your space; $100 balance due at the door.

*Credit cards accepted.

Only 20 seats available.

To Register for the Beginner Photography Workshop please click here. Registration will begin Monday, August 10, 2009.

INTERMEDIATE WORKSHOP

Saturday, January 16, 2010
1:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio
126 W. Main St. Mesa, AZ 85201

Registration begins at 12:30 pm.

$359 for the workshop ($329 early bird before October 15th, 2009)
$159 non-refundable deposit holds your space; $200 balance due at the door.

*Credit cards accepted.

Only 20 seats available.

To Register for the Intermediate Photography Workshop please click here. Registration will begin Monday, August 10, 2009.

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We are so excited to have you join us for these workshops. If you have questions please visit our workshop website at www.createbetterimages.com and use the contact section to email us.

I have to give a huge Thank You to Serendipity Videography for doing this promo video for us. They are amazing and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. If you ever need a wedding video or a promo video give them a shout out. They are amazing!

Be sure to check out our dedicated workshop website at: www.createbetterimages.com

Create Better Images from Serendipity Videography on Vimeo.