Workshop Review Missie LaFrenz | This Must Be My Place

Workshop Review Missie LaFrenz | This Must Be The My Place

The world of photography is very very crowded. With increasingly awesome camera equipment available to consumers, it can be hard to stand out. Finding a way to do that and learning how to mine for my own “secret sauce” is always something I consider when choosing a workshop.

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s best photographers. In each session I took away something different — a key nugget or two (or ten) that helped me push my business along and push myself to stand out. I’ve also made many lasting friendships that help sustain me in this sometimes crazy business.

Since moving to North Carolina and changing jobs, I haven’t been able to do many workshops. Of course I love e-learning, but there’s nothing like hearing it and experiencing it directly from the source. So, for Christmas this year, I only had one request. I wanted to go to Missie LaFrenz’s family workshop. In Iowa.

I first came across Missie’s work in a photography group and in my daily Facebook feed. Her work consistently stopped me cold, and over time I could pick out her images without needing to see her watermark. That. Is. Hard. Missie’s use of color is nothing I’ve ever seen before. I can’t explain it, you just have to see it. It’s rich, thick and beautifully layered. Her families are perfectly styled and lovingly connected. Her senior work is to die for and once she started using a drone, fuggetaboutit. Honestly, if I could be a senior again just for photos with her, I would. Like tomorrow.

Getting It From The Source

Anyway, when Missie announced her spring 2018 family workshop last fall, it knocked everything else off my Christmas list. My family was kind enough to make it happen, and I recruited my photographer friend Jennifer (a photographer I met at Audrey Woulard’s tween workshop) to go with me. To Iowa. I keep saying it that way because I will admit, I had a specific idea about what Iowa would be like (see also Field of Dreams and The Music Man). Little did I know though, Des Moines is actually a scene. A beautifully diverse, art infused, clean, walkable city with great restaurants, gorgeous parks, skywalks from building to building so no one gets cold in the winter, great night life and a fabulous farmer’s market every Saturday from May to October. Who knew? It ended up being a vacation wrapped in a work trip.

Jennifer, Missie and me

The workshop itself was exactly what I hoped for. Seven ladies from all over with varying levels of experience. Missie let us in on all of her shooting, business, posing, marketing and editing secrets. For three hours we discussed creating an optimal client experience, finding ways to stand out, styling our clients, how to price unapologetically for our worth and a general approach to shooting. And then she set up a full family session shootout for us, complete with three perfectly behaved children and a drone cherry on top.

Missie is a terrific teacher and leader. She knows exactly who she is and has found a way to stand out in a crowd. And like so many of my favorite photographers, she gave of herself unselfishly and for that I am eternally grateful. We crammed a lot into six hours and it was worth every penny and flight connection. Continuing education is so important, regardless of your skill level. I encourage anyone in photography to workshop in person as often as you can. It’s truly a valuable experience.

I’m not sure I’ve completely isolated what makes me unique, but after this past weekend I’m reenergized to keep digging. Thanks Missie! xoxoxox

Here’s the highlights from the family session and my fun weekend in Des Moines.