Kelowna Girls Photography Retreat

(Youtube Video to go along can be found here)

During my first years as a photographer, it was really lonely. I didn’t have anyone in my life that was a photographer by occupation. All I wanted was a photographer friend. There were a few times when I reached out to photographers in my community, asking if they would want to get coffee or get together for a shoot sometime, but the answer was never yes.

In local photography groups, I would see people (beginners like me) ask questions, only to be ridiculed by older photographers making them feel small and dumb for asking those questions.

This kind of thing is toxic and is not the type of industry I want to be part of.

When I found the online creative community, I felt understood, accepted and able to ask questions freely. I am thankful to have made meaningful connections via Facebook groups & Instagram that I still cherish today.

Here is what I believe today:

I strongly believe that everyone has their own unique perspective to offer, no matter where they are in their journey.

I strongly believe that in creating healthy spaces for conversation, we can grow our industry as a whole

I strongly believe that for the individual to do well, the collective industry needs to do well, one person cannot acquire the entire market.

I strongly believe that community over competition is not just something to say when it is convenient for you, rather a practice to live by

I strongly believe that we need others, and cannot do business alone.

Retreat

Instagram has connected me to faraway friends, but it has also connected me to people within my local community. Over this past year, I have been so thankful to build relationships with women who are all pursuing photography. This fall we decided to take a trip to Idabel Lake for a photography retreat. It was a beautiful time of relaxing, chatting & of course, taking photos. It ended up snowing, which was unexpected, but made the cabin we stayed in even cozier.

Layout of the weekened

We stayed at a cute cabin on Idabel Lake, which was nice and close to Kelowna (where we are all from)

We wanted the weekend to be both relaxing as well as a time of reflecting and conversation. This is how we structured the weekend:

Friday Night: Chill, Sangria & Charcuterie

Saturday Morning: Brunch, Photoshoot, exploring Idabel Lake

Saturday Afternoon: Spent majority of the day going through different areas of our business: client experience, social media, posing, finances, creativity, alll the good stuff

Saturday Night: Dinner & Sparklers

Sunday Morning: Easy breakfast, chat about our goals moving forward, pack up & head home.

The Photos

 

 

 

Takeaway

If you are looking for community, I feel you. I know what it is like to feel alone in your business. It doesn’t happen overnight, but I would so encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. Be the person who reaches out even when you might get rejected. It just takes one person to say yes and everything to change. If you need someone to talk to, feel free to dm me on Instagram

Details

Our Airbnb: Idabel Lakefront Cottage with Deck

The girls: Danae, Danika, Taleah, Jess