When I first started out photographing I joined a couple of Facebook groups. In these groups I met a number of fantastic photographers and amongst these was Maddy Rogers and Shellie Wall. We have chatted on Facebook for a couple of years now and I first met them in person 18 months ago following a workshop they held in Dundee. When it became known I was moving back to Norway we spoke about the possibility of holding a workshop in Norway. The art of newborn photography first became popular in USA and have slowly grown in popularity around the world. In the early years of starting to study the art of newborn photography majority of photographers was crying out for training local however I know a number of photographers who in the early days travelled all the way to USA to attend workshops. Maddy and Shellie were amongst the first in UK to offer local workshops and soon became well known amongst other photographers.
While I was about to embark a new life in Norway I was checking out the Norwegian photography market. I noticed that 12-18 month portrait sessions still remained one of the traditional sessions and found a handful of quality newborn photographers. Over the months I have lived in Norway I have been exposed to an increasing number of photographers catching onto the market of newborn photography. It is becoming an increasing trend and a growing market for it. I felt that the timing was right to introduce The Newborn Workshops to Norwegian photographers, I felt quality training would not only benefit me but also other photographers and give us a competitive edge.
Maddy and Shellie arrived in Norway the night before the workshop. My husband said to me, how well do you know these people that are coming to stay with us for the weekend. After years communicating online, the truth is I feel as though as I know them as friends so it felt only natural that I invited them to come and stay with us.
I have been using a really small beanbag in my studio but I received a Newborn posing beanbag late the night before the workshop and ended up using 400 litres of beanbag fillers to get it nice and firm and ready to pose the first baby.
I have previously attended 1-1 newborn photography training where the focus was on posing so I was really intrigued about what I was going to get out of the workshop. I had previously heard feedback that they provided great information on sleeping patterns. The most beneficial part of the workshop for me was the in-debt information on how to settle a baby and how to prepare your parents for the session. The success of your newborn session lies in how well the newborn sleep and knowing the techniques on how to achieve that deep sleep for me is essential and I really felt the workshop gave me quite a few pointers that will help me in the right direction. Having already photographed a number of newborns I have practised different poses and take newborn safety serious, however this was also covered by the workshop and I did receive a few pointers which will be of great help. The bottom line conclusion is that although I have already attended newborn training, I took more back from this workshop then I anticipated.
I was the host of the workshop and I loved seeing how Maddy and Shellie worked in the studio with my props and the space and lighting available. As a bit of a control freak I was getting stressed about everything running smooth. I wanted to be in control and sadly we did have a hiccup with both the beanbag arriving at last minute and the food getting delivered to the wrong address. Otherwise the workshop ran smooth, we had the most adorable models who all arrived on time. The delegates were all amazing and I had help of the fantastic Theresia Pauls who I share the studio with. She helped me ensure all ran smooth on the day.
The day after the workshop I took Maddy and Shellie for a walk around Stavanger. I was playing with my new Lensbaby capturing a couple of images around town. Overall I had an enjoyable and educational weekend. Thank you to everyone involved.
