Last week, I attended the Justin and Mary Lighting Intensive Workshop at Hotel Monaco, in the Olde City Section of Philadelphia. I joined a group of talented wedding and commercial photographers in PA; for a night of learning all things in off camera flash. This is a goal that’s been sitting on my list of things to accomplish for the 2016 season. Back in January, as I sat down with my pen and paper to list out what I wanted to achieve, my one burning desire was the ability to walk into any venue or room and work my light like a true boss. I absolutely love shooting in natural light, so I was a little apprehensive about incorporating flash into my shooting style. I needed to find a way to shoot flash in those tough situations, where I have no control over the light or I can’t avoid the natural elements in the room, and that’s when I found Justin and Mary.
Justin and Mary are an east coast husband and wife duo, that photography timeless weddings in a classic and iconic style. I’ve been admiring their work with light and scouring their blog for advice on how to improve on the skills I’ve built over the past few years. When they announced that they were making a stop in Philly to build on skills they taught in their Lighting Guide book, I knew that I had to be there. Initially, the top priority on my list was how to shoot in dark reception rooms and how to capture crisp images of people shaking it on the dance floor. That was small potatoes compared to what Justin and Mary had in store for us in Philly. We learned how to utilize different off camera flash techniques all through out the wedding day, from the getting ready details to the epic night shot at the end of the wedding day. I am so ready to rock this weekend’s wedding with the new skills I learned during this month’s lighting intensive! Tungsten lighting and craxy DJ disco lights, watch out… I’m coming for ya!
Thanks Justin and Mary! You two are rockstars in my book!
