I love learning. And I love learning about photography. I had the best time at Conference 12, held in Scottsdale Arizona and put on by the wonderful Seniorologie. IF you want to check out my first post about the first day of the wonderful learning experience, then check out Part One. Day two featured an incredibly fun keynote on Branding from Becki Crosby, aka Whippy Cake. And I loved learning from the fabulous Brittney Kluse talked about creating a Slammin Senior Brand. A huge highlight for me was learning from Jared Rey, who I have been good friends with for years.

But first lets start with some amazing photos styled by Kelly Cowieson. She created a Coachella inspired look, with a total hippie feeling. Loved this look, especially against a gorgeous Arizona mountain backdrop.

So back to the review…Day two was epic! Our morning started off with an incredible dose of learning from the eccentric Whippy Cake. Number one, I love this girl. She is super spunky, totally adorable and super authentic. She told us her whole origin story, which always makes me feel better about myself and gives me hope for what I can become if I work super hard. Whippy Cake is an internet sensation who built her online presence starting out selling little cupcakes and now is a fashion & beauty blogger. And she is fabulous. And I especially loved her pixie haircut and gave me inspiration for what I can do with my short hair. Then came a long Brittney Kluse to the stage. I have been online friends with Brittney for years, and I have enjoyed watching her business grow and grow to the wild success it is today. Watching her dynamic personality on stage was definitely eye opening to why she is in such high demand. Not only does she create fabulous photos that are infused with color and energy, just like her, but her brand reeks optimism and joy. And what people don’t want more joy in their life. Being around Brittany, just makes you happy! And so does her work. I would LOVE to have my family photographed by her! Maybe one day. Brittney talked about how she created her brand built around the idea of “modern, clean and a pop of color”. Ok, can I steal that? My tag line is hip & happy senior portraits, but I totally describe my work as modern, clean and a pop of color too! Ha! But it was awesome hearing how Brittney’s business is built on intangible feelings about her & her imagery. Then we heard from my rockstar friend, and only guy at the conference, Jared Rey. Jared and I became friends at another workshop years ago, and have stayed in touch since then. I was super pumped to learn from him in person, teaching us all about off camera flash. Jared has been working with me via Skype & texting before shoots, walking me through the ways of off-camera flash, but being able to learn from him and practice with him at my side, was super invaluable. I know have the confidence I need to bring to a shoot when the light is disappearing or when their is an epic sunset and I want to capture my client with out blowing out the sky. Thanks friend for helping me rock my camera! And then the wonderful Misti Davis of Pink Fly Photo, hit the stage. I have followed Misti for years on IG, so it was super cool to learn from her. She spoke on Concept Shooting, which is usually what I strive for with my big Foxy Model shoots, but she challenged us to do this with every senior client. Her work is incredible and she is uber creative, so I was kind of blown away at how easy she makes it look. Totally inspired! I love this quote she included in her Keynote: “You have to find what sparks a light in you, so you in your own way, can illuminate the world,” Oprah. After a full day of learning, we headed to the hills and got some super fun shots of these two gorgeous models. Kelly styled them to look like they were heading to a summer concert, like Coachella. I wish I looked this styled when I was in high school heading to Lollapalooza, 1996! Woot! Oh those were the days! 🙂And we ended with some sweet shots of this lovely model playing the guitar. I wish I was this cool! Isn’t she gorgeous?! So was this conference amazing? Yes! Would I go again? Yes! If you are considering going to a workshop that is all about Senior Portraits, then I would seriously consider signing up. It was super awesome!