This October I attended the Clickin Mom’s photography conference, Click Away in San Antonio Texas. For those of you who are new here, I am a full-time newborn photographer and mom to 6 kids. I planned my conference schedule to allow for both personal and business classes so that I could be inspired when photographing my own kids, as well as learn something about specialties other than my own. I’m a little reserved and I was very nervous to travel by myself but I was excited to be completely immersed in all-things-photography for 3 full days!
I drove up the day before the conference started so I could check-in at the Marriott Rivercenter and get settled and meet my roommate, Erin who I met on the Clickin Mom’s forum. We headed down to meet some other early-arrivers for a riverboat tour! I’ve been to San Antonio numerous times but have never had the chance to hop on the tour boat. I’m not much of a “street photographer” but the architecture was very inspiring! Everything about the Riverwalk is absolutely beautiful, I can see why this location was chosen for the conference.
Day 1 of the conference we had gorgeous weather and I had the chance to rent a Lensbaby 5.8mm Fisheye Optic. It was very different from any lens I had ever used before and I had so much fun trying it out! It’s definitely on my wish-list because my kids and I could have a lot of fun with it!
We all gathered after breakfast for the opening talk. I sat down next to a few local Katy photographers and still had no idea what to expect. Soon, any expectations I had for what the next 3 days would bring, were made clear. Karen Wardlow was AMAZING! She shared her photography journey and her passion and knowledge for what we were all going through was spot-on. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as she spoke!
After her talk, I was even more excited for my upcoming classes and talks! I headed out for more delicious food on the Riverwalk. I had heard about a meet-up for local photographers so I joined their group and enjoyed hearing about their businesses and passion for photography. It was so incredible to be surrounded by so many women who shared so much with me!
My first class that afternoon was senior photography posing with Holli True. She showed us how to make the most of each location and each pose. Holli’s senior photography is beautiful and she is a wonderful and energetic teacher. There is no denying her passion for this industry. 
Photographing a senior right on the Riverwalk was so exhilarating! We had two beautiful models and we took turns photographing them as Holli posed them. Here’s my favorite image from the class…
That night we attended the Voice Gallery. The Voice Gallery was an image competition Clickin Moms had held before the conference. The winner’s images were on display this evening from each category. I hadn’t found the time to submit something myself, but there were so many beautiful images to see. What an inspiration to see just how many talented women were in attendance!
At the event there was a red carpet and cocktail attire was encouraged! Since I’m typically a t-shirt and jeans kind gal, I jump at any excuse to get all dolled up and throw on a pair of heels! What a great way to get all of us together to relax and mingle! Here are some images from the red carpet..
Day 2 of the conference started with an in-studio maternity session with Alli Peck of Glow Portraits. It was so amazing to watch Alli work and learn about her pose flow during a studio session. Bonus- that’s Sabine from Living Dreams helping out! Two of my favorite photographers in one room- I was star struck! Studio maternity sessions are something I plan to focus on this year and here I was, learning from the best!
That evening I attended a golden hour session at THE ALAMO. Let that sink in! I had the opportunity to rent the Canon 70-200 zoom lens and I have to say, I fell in love! There were so many golden hour classes to chose from and I think I switched my schedule 20 times before finally choosing Nicole Everson’s maternity posing class. I made the right choice because she was the most amazing teacher! Her session was styled by Leah Maria Couture and each gown was so beautiful! This class was such an eye-opener for me and made me realize how much I want to encourage my own maternity clients to get dolled up and really make sure they look and feel beautiful for their session!
Day 3 was a half day and everything seemed to be winding down. In the morning I dropped my camera off at the Canon suite to be cleaned. I was pretty excited that Clickin Moms had set this up because it had been on my to-do list and I just never seemed to find time to send it off to be properly cleaned. After a discussion and an off-camera flash class I packed my things up and got ready for the drive home. The 3 days had been incredible. I was inspired and re-charged and ready to head home where I had a full schedule of sessions for the next 3 months to dive into!
Now that my busy season has come to a close I have had a chance to reflect back on my trip and all that I learned.
Growing as a photographer is a never ending process and that’s a good thing! Remember that if your kids are your inspiration for business, take the time to photograph them and be re-inspired.
Your business is just that-yours! It will succeed if you run it the way you planned. Your ideal clients love and trust in your vision, so stay true to it.
I am so thankful I had the opportunity to attend the conference! Aside from those mentioned in this post I attended classes taught by Ben Sasso, Keri Meyers and Shalonda Chaddock- all photographers who I have followed and been inspired by for years. I made friends, was inspired and had the opportunity to learn from so many all at the same time!
