Family Photojournalist, Teacher, Mentor

Where Kirsten Lewis is based really doesn't matter.

You see, both her passion and her vision to document families takes her around the world from her home base in Denver, Colorado. She is a highly sough-after teacher as well. Did you catch her on CreativeLive?

Her first course, Family Photography: Modern Storytelling, drew such a huge following that she is scheduled to come back and teach again this February. This time her topic is – Family Photography: Photojournalism in the Home.

But before she heads back to teach at CreativeLive, in Seattle, Kirsten Lewis will be at Inspire Photo Retreats, taking place February 8-10th. Her presentation at Inspire is called “The Being Of You.”

The Interview

If you are asking yourself what that means, you will want to listen in to our short conversation below:

We talk about:

– How Kirsten moved from wedding photography to documenting families
– The unpredictable nature of photographing families
– What the best photojournalists can teach you
– Encouraging all photographers to be vulnerable enough to strengthen your work
– The Artist vs. Business person
– Being a documentary family photojournalist
– How Kirsten becomes a part of the family she is photography for the day
– The one important you can grow your own documentary family photography business
– Who are you photographing for?
– Why are still photos so important?
– How to offer all-day, or 1, 2 or 4 hour sessions
– Why trying to convince parents to hire you for their documentary family session is the wrong move to make … instead what will persuade parents to sign up

In our current industry, saturated with thousands and thousands of photographers all making work that look like they come from a single shooter, it's imperative to stand out in your market. The easiest way to do so is to simply make pictures that are an extension of you, your experiences and how you see the world.

Kirsten Lewis' Documentary Family Photography Portfolio

Though Inspire Photo Retreats is just a few weeks away, you can still register for it. I am going to be there and Kirsten Lewis's presentation is on the top of my list. As a family photographer in Avon, Connecticut, I owe a great deal to her as my mentor and teacher.

Bonuses

We mentioned Huy Nguyen who founded The Foundation Workshops and Fearless Conference.

Kirsten also talks about the amazing portrait photographer Luis Gervan. Check his work out!

Robert Norman, a wedding photographer based in Trumbull, Connecticut, will teach other photographers the encaustic process at this year's Inspire Photo Retreats conference.

So, what is the encaustic process?

The Encaustic Art Institute says this:

Encaustic is a Greek word meaning “to heat or burn in” (enkaustikos). Heat is used throughout the process, from melting the beeswax and varnish to fusing the layers of wax.

Robert and I sat down to talk in some detail about the encaustic process, how he approaches it and finally whether there is any commercial applications with the final piece of artwork.

As I said, at Inspire Photo Retreats this year, Robert will guide a small group of photographers step-by-step through the encaustic process. By the end of the day everyone will have one or two finished pieces to take home with them.

If you haven't yet, register now for the Inspire Photo Retreats conference. It's a terrific event, bolstered by charming photographers like Robert, Cig Harvey and Tyler Wirken.

Below are some examples that Robert has shared of the encaustic process:

If the interview piqued your interest and you want to learn this fun photographic process, there is only one way to learn from Robert Norman and that's by being at Inspire Photo Retreats this year.

Tyler Wirken, a documentary wedding photographer based in Kansas City, Missouri is presenting at Inspire Photo Retreats this coming February, in Newport, Rhode Island.

Tyler is a highly regarded teacher and mentor to many photographers. His workshops, or “Wirkshops”, are always sold out. The CreativeLive class he taught, “Documentary Wedding Photography: Capturing Reality,” was one of the most popular courses on the site.

Given that Tyler was one of the first speakers announced by the Inspire Photo Retreats crews, I snagged the chance at interviewing him about documentary wedding photography, his role in promoting that genre of photography and finally about his presentation at the annual conference.

I asked Tyler to share some of his documentary wedding photography with us and so here you go:

Inspire is a retreat-style conference for professional wedding and portrait photographers. The conference is comprised of sessions on a variety of subjects, from business practices to shooting techniques, to artistry and personal vision. Inspire retreats are structured to enhance opportunities to foster deep relationships with other attendees, build community, and create a culture of ongoing peer-to-peer mentoring and support in our industry.

Learn more about Inspire Photo Retreats and sign up for the conference. Among photography gatherings, it is on my top 5 list! Full disclosure, Tiffinbox is partnered with Inspire Photo Retreats.