the aj workshop

If you follow along on Instagram, you know that last week I (Sarah) was lucky enough to get a seat at the workshop of the ever so lovely Amy & Jordan. These two are just about the sweetest human beings on the planet, are doing huge things in the photography world, and I am so incredibly honored to now call them friends.I flew out to Arizona intending to learn a few things to improve the way we run our business, but what I got instead was a total soul recharge I didn’t even know I needed. So now that I’m back (and I’ve had the time to brain dump everything I learned into Ben) I thought I would share a bit about my trip with all of you guys. (Which just so we’re clear involves just as much eating as it does learning. . . .) Here’s a peek at my adventure through a mix of iphone snaps and actual pictures : )

I ventured out west with my sweet friend Ailyn, and the very first stop we made of course had to be In-N-Out. Guys, this is popular for a reason. SO. INSANELY. GOOD!

That night we headed to an ice cream social with Amy, Jordan, and the rest of the workshop attendees. I loved getting to meet everyone in such a laid back environment, and was so surprised at how quickly our little group of strangers from all over the country felt like old friends . . .

But the laid back feeling of that night quickly melted away (ice cream pun ; ) because the next morning A+J were ready to get down to business.

We were each welcomed to the workshop with our very own top secret playbook.

I would tell you how incredibly awesome it is, but even THAT is top secret ; )

The first half of the day was spent raising a whole lot of roofs, and talking about everything shooting related.

And then we got into the shooting part of the day.

I opened my memory card case and found this sweet little note.

Cue cry #1 of the trip. . . .

Day 1 included an absolutely EPIC styled shoot that I am so, SO excited to share with you guys soon.

These models plus the gorgeous design work?! PHOTOGRAPHER HEAVEN.

Then after the shoot we spent the evening going everything post-processing related.

(And of course eating pizza.)

Day 2 came early, but not so early that I skipped my morning selfie. . . .

And after a morning chatting about business, Amy gave us each a mini headshot session

while Jordan kept teaching and answering everyone’s questions . . .

Amy Demos, you’re a magician! ; )

Afterwards we took a few fun shots with new friends. Love these girls and their sweet hearts so, so much!

Love each of these faces and the bond I feel with each of them from this awesome process : )

I mean, we’re all pretty adorable. Just sayin’.

And ever so quickly, our two days were over.

But that didn’t stop Amy & Jordan from sitting outside with us until midnight for one last chat.

The hearts of these two are simply inspiring.   The next morning we woke up, and with just a few hours left in Arizona decided to check off a few bucket list items.

Which of COURSE included a stop for a breakfast cupcake (or two!) at Sprinkles. . .

This my friends, is the stuff dreams are made of . . .

And then we headed out into the desert for a little bit of sight seeing.

I came to Arizona with the goal of seeing a real, live, cactus. Turns out Arizona has just a few. . .  .

Even though I was in ballet flats instead of hikin’ boots

(when you’re serious about hiking you can leave off the g. I know now, I’m an expert ; )

we hiked up to this little lookout anyways. Totally worth all the weird looks I got from fellow travelers!

To anyone debating attending one of Amy + Jordan’s workshops in the future, I whole heartedly recommend it. No matter if you are in your first year of business or you’re a seasoned pro, I promise you will learn something new and walk away feeling ready to serve your clients even better than before. Not to mention you get your very own #demossandwich. And isn’t that worth it in itself? 😉

Love + Laughs,

Sarah