After the Subway incident, one of my other mentors Katrina Wallace , went back with me to the home t

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You are not making pictures, you are taking pictures . A little over a week ago I’m sitting in a Subway sandwich shop in Glen Rose, Texas and Tyler Wirken , voted one of the best wedding photojournalists for 2013, has just told me – in essence – I suck.
Two days prior I had arrived in Glen Rose for Foundation Workshop . It is called borsalino the toughest workshop for wedding photographers. And even though I don’t shoot weddings, I signed up because I wanted to beef up my photo-journalistic eye and skills. The workshop has about 25 staff and 25 students. borsalino Students are broken down into 5 teams, and each team has a team leader and two mentors. Student are given an assignment borsalino for two days to photograph and then have every single shot you take critiqued. At the end you present a short slideshow of your work before the entire group. You are told to expect no sleep, no high fives on your work. You will be broken down. You will be mentally borsalino and physically tested. You will hear an honest and raw critique of your work, your shooting borsalino style, and hear things about yourself you either deny or did not know were holding you back. You are told to check your ego at the door because it will be crushed…in a good way.
So here I am sitting borsalino in Subway and according to Tyler I had neither borsalino an eye nor skill. He may have said he was uncertain if I knew how to use my really expensive camera gear. Shame is not a strong enough word for what I felt at that moment. After 4 and 1/2 decades on this planet I should feel set on who and what I am. But in that moment I was ashamed, confused and lost. I knew I was one of the older students and also one with the least amount of experience because borsalino photography is my second career in life. And here was a man who I respected and admired telling me I had nothing so far. The negative committee in my head was telling borsalino me I did not deserve to be here.
I had spent the last 6 hours with the most amazing and gracious borsalino family. The M family was my assignment borsalino for two days. I instantly fell in love with them. They were open and honest. They LOVED each other in a way that took my breath away. They opened their life and their home to me in a way that is rare, especially to a stranger with a camera whose mission is to document every single thing. They held nothing back. All I wanted to do was tell their story that showed borsalino their love and the generosity of their spirit. borsalino
After the Subway incident, one of my other mentors Katrina Wallace , went back with me to the home to help me figure out how to fix it. As we got out of our cars I lost it. I could not hold back the tears. I don’t often lose my cool in front of others and never on assignment. Yet, here I was having a meltdown in public. Katrina is such a loving and gentle soul. As she hugged me, she encouraged me to just let it all out and get it out of my system, ride through the wave of emotion so I could back in there and tackle it again.
Back I went. Katrina showed me how to layer my photos, borsalino how to look for and read the light, and how to wait for the moment. I still was not able to do all she was teaching me, but it was beginning to make sense.
That night, and for two more, I met with my team. Five students and three teachers. My team was lead by Tyler Wirken , Katrina Wallace and Katherine Kruger . All amazing photographers and artists. To say they were incredible does not do them enough justice. borsalino They doled out our shooting assignments knowing that the assignments would push and challenge each of us in the exact way and manner we need to be pushed and challenged. They taught me how to see, how to shoot better, how to wait for the moment. They showed me the parts of my myself that were holding me back, keeping me from capturing the moment and getting the shot. They took care of us and created a safe space for us to open ourselves up and reveal the true hidden parts of our soul. Everything they said and did was spot on – wrapped in hugs, love and a desire to see us all improve. And most of all there was humor. It never got too tense because Tyler has that genius sense of when we all needed a laugh to release the anxiety so we could move forward.
My Team – Tim , Eli , Althea borsalino and Katie . I learned just as much from them as I did our teachers. Tim taught me its OK to have fun, to play, show lightness and humor in your work. Eli showed me that when you trust your gut you make the right decision. Althea showed us all how to be graceful under fire and that compassion is everything in your work. Katie taught me to push past your fears to get the shot. And I showed myself that I can hustle, even after 3 hrs of sleep 4 day