Wedding & Portrait Photography Workshop UK

Monday – Flick the Switch Day

Our week begins at 11am with an introduction and time to get to know each other with “Ben’s Hot Lap” activity. Following a lunch break we will start with individual image critiques which will last into the evening. Everyone’s photos will be shared on the big screen and Ben will provide helpful critiques for everyone on lighting, posing and other techniques, while also giving on the spot demonstrations in the room to accompany these theories and help solidify the concepts in your mind.

The Critique Session is very in depth and you’ll learn an incredible amount through this process, however it will take us well into the evening on Monday normally finishing between 9pm – 11pm. During the evening we will stop for a short dinner break where Ben will order pizza’s or some other style of takeaway. (We will decide on the food to be ordered in the morning so if anyone has any food allergies please let Ben know when you book in on the registration form).

****Special Note**** While the thought of, even the sound of, “Image Critiques” is terrifying, it’s absolutely not! The critiques are delivered in a completely positive way with the aim of helping you grow as a person and as a photographer, as opposed to telling you what you’ve done wrong or badly.

The workshop environment Ben creates is that of a completely safe space so that you can feel completely heard, understood and supported in your growth.

Tuesday – The Fundamentals Session

Tuesday morning is when the rubber hits the road. We will spend the morning and a portion of the afternoon focusing on the fundamental principals of Exposure, Composition, Lighting and Posing. Ben will share his wedding photo process that will give you a solid foundation for what to look for and how to find or create the right light in any room you walk into.

We’ll discuss the different types of light you’ll encounter and how to create them if you’re in a poor lighting situation while also understanding exactly how to expose for and compose your photos. You’ll be guided through Ben’s personal 6 step process he uses to create his signature images while also sharing with you his inspirations for more creative and technical images.

You’ll learn how to pose both men and women in a way that flatters their individual physical characteristics and makes them feel comfortable using a combination of lighting and your sparkling personality, so that you’ll never run out of poses and your subjects will always feel comfortable.

The Tuesday “Fundamentals Session” is an explosion of information with lots to take in. Ben will be sharing everything he’s learned in his career of 20 years and nearly 1000 weddings, so it’s important that you’re well rested and ready for a big day.

Mid Tuesday afternoon we will step outside for your first shoot of the workshop. Initially Ben will demonstrate many of the techniques and principles discussed in the morning while he works with and photographs a couple. You’ll have the opportunity to see the results of Ben’s photos as we go. You’ll see how he finds or creates the light, how he exposes correctly for each scene, and how he interacts with the couple while creating well crafted, impactful images that look natural in any scene.

Ben will share the subtleties of creating his signature photos like using reflections, composition, LED constant lights, varied angles and perspectives.

You’ll then have an opportunity to practice these new techniques on your own with your own couple. (If you desire you can be paired with a fellow participant during your time with your couple). Your one single massive goal during this session will be to step outside your comfort zone and put into practice the principles and techniques you learned in the morning, to think differently and create just 2 images from the session that Ben will critique on the Wednesday morning.

Your breakthrough will happen when you choose to make a change and Ben will push and incentivise you to make that change by offering a prize to the best “Tuesday Photo”.

Wednesday – Creative Kickstart Day

The morning begins with everyone sharing their 2 RAW IMAGES from the previous day’s shoot with Ben providing a customised critique of each image, so that you’ll see how much you’ve progressed in such a short time and building your confidence to tackle any situation. Ben will also choose the best image from Tuesday and present the winner with their prize.

We will then change gear and discuss some of Ben’s workflow and post production techniques and you’ll be given a short amount of time to edit and finesse your 2 “Tuesday Photos” using some of the techniques you’ve just learned. Ben will then deep dive into the on and off camera flash principles and techniques he uses to create his many signature and award winning photos.

Mid afternoon Wednesday we will start our second afternoon location shoot followed by night photos. 

You’ll have an opportunity to photograph your own couple both in the afternoon and evening. For your night shoot session you’ll be paired with a fellow participant so that you can both assist each other with holding lights, etc. Your goal during these sessions will be to again step outside your comfort zone and put into practice the principles and techniques you learned throughout the day and create 2 images from the afternoon session and a further 2 images from the night session that Ben will critique on the Thursday morning.

There will also be a prize for the best “Wednesday Afternoon Photo” and another prize for the best and most creative “Night Shot”.

****Special Note**** The Wednesday afternoon and night shoots do take some time and we will be shooting from around 3:30pm till around 9pm. Refreshments and a light dinner will be provided but participants are reminded to ensure you have your own water, any medication you may need and nibbles if you require.

Thursday – Marketing & Branding Day

The morning begins with everyone sharing your 2 RAW IMAGES from Wednesday afternoon’s shoot and your single best night shot. Ben will again provide a customised critique of each image and choose the best images from the afternoon and night shoots and present the winners with their prizes.

Following our short critique session we will put our marketing and business hats on for a full day of business, marketing, branding and sales training and insights. We’ll be joined by our Marketing Pro Anna who will share with you the finer details of marketing, branding, social media and much more.

Every participant will be invited to share their marketing materials with the class so that Anna and Ben can provide tips and suggestions to each person based on your current branding, marketing materials and the direction you would like to pursue. We will wrap up our Marketing session mid afternoon and then switch gears in to pricing and album design and sales where Ben will share the different tiers of pricing and give you examples of what to offer and charge. He will also share the many elements to a beautiful and profitable album design to assist you in maximising sales after the wedding or portrait shoot.

You’ll then be taken step by step through Ben’s fool proof “Album Sales System” where you’ll learn how to conduct an in person album plan session, what to say and how to say it in order to sell your clients an album upgrade without any “Hard Sell” or pressure tactics that we all hate. You’ll discover the approach and steps to upgrade your clients while leaving them feeling like they’ve gotten great value, feeling no pressure and loving what you’ve created for them, so that they’ll share their experience with all their friends and family.

Thursday night is what Ben likes to call “Transformation Thursday”, this is where we head out together as a group for a celebration dinner to celebrate and reflect on the transformations, new friendships and new skills you’ve learned over the past 4 days. Thursday’s dinner is held to reinforce the concept of community and infinite mindsets between us as business people and photographers. Ben aims to promote a sense of community, sharing and not competing with each other, but instead competing against yourself to be the best you can be on a daily basis.
Transformation Thursday’s dinner location will be decided on Monday and booked in based on peoples food preferences.

Friday: Chequered Flag Day

Our final day will finish strong with some impactful discussion around building and growing a Business mindset. Ben will very honestly share his mistakes so that you don’t have to make them and he’ll share his approach to being a successful business person.

Ben will cover marketing, social media, communication, administrative workflow and much more. You’ll learn how to effectively communicate with your clients, how to nurture the relationship, how to negotiate with them and how to correctly handle objections to ensure the best outcome for both parties.

At lunchtime on Friday our workshop concludes with Ben’s “Last Lap” activity. At the conclusion of the “Last Lap” Ben will give away a prize to one workshop participant. This prize will go to the individual who over the 5 days of the workshop, has demonstrated a willingness to grow, patience, self acceptance, community, compassion, respect and assistance to others and transformation within themselves as a result of attending.

Each participant will also receive access to Ben’s complete online photography program “The Unstoppable Photographer”.