CAMERA READY // Boston

by Ashley Weeks Cart

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It happened. Oh yes, it happened. This weekend, CAMERA READY went from a crazy idea I dreamed up one sleepless night in November to a reality. Say what?! I can barely believe it myself. I knew that Kate and I would make a great team for this project. It was born out of an afternoon Kate spent teaching me the ins and outs of how to shoot in manual mode. It was later that week, while lying in bed tossing and turning, that I realized how very many people must crave that very same kind of quick, straightforward brain dump for them to put their SLR cameras to better use.

So many people own nice cameras, but only ever shoot in auto mode. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have one day of learning, with lots of fun and “camera ready” pretties to inspire, and come out of it knowing how to shoot in manual mode? Why yes, yes it would!

Given my event planning experience and overly-organized, programmed first-born personality, and Kate’s talent, knowledge and spunky affect, I knew we had the skill set to pull it off. It was a thrill to sell out our inaugural class and have it filled to the brim with fun, creative, playful women (this is very clearly a female-centric class, and we like it that way.)

Everything came together beautifully, and while it was certainly a learning experience for us as much as our students, we couldn’t be more thrilled with our first attempt at teaching to a group. The class will only improve now that we have a full run through and some amazing feedback under our belts. THANK YOU to our brave students for joining us in this experiment. Your energy and enthusiasm was infectious and we can’t wait to teach again!

Here’s how it all came together… i.e. the longest photo post to ever hit this blog. But appropriate, given the nature of the class.

Kate’s studio was completely transformed into our classroom thanks these gorgeous picnic tables and that insanely cool photo backdrop by New England Country Rentals. Their offerings are so unique and beautiful. I highly recommend! We used their chalkboard to help direct the group to Kate’s studio, and that wall, hot dang! We love that wall. Granted, it nearly killed me and Kate to move it (as we decided after their crew had left that we wanted it in another spot in the room), but we lived to tell the tale. And what a pretty one it is. Everyone had their portraits taken against that there wall.

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And oh the flowers. Sweet lordy the flowers! They are swoon-worthy, no? We have Krissy of Pollen Floral Design to thank for these beauties (she even dropped off fun fabrics and pretty candlesticks to add to the room). Anyone in the Boston area, take note! The space really came together once her blooms arrived. There’s just something about fresh flowers that really transforms a space and sets the mood. Thanks, Momar, for teaching me the power of flowers! They were an anchor and constant subject and source of inspiration for our students.

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Next up, goodie bags! We promised our students treats and we delivered. Everyone received the Photography Set of temporary tattoos from Tattly. I loved that one student thought that my sleeve of cameras were real tats. I was clearly very committed to my craft. Ha! We gifted everyone a custom print of Kate’s work, a Green Eyed Monster bag, a faux mustache, a CD loaded up with our CAMERA READY playlist, name tags, and notebooks we created with helpful diagrams and plenty of room for note taking. Each student also went home with a DIY project from For The Makers that they worked on in class while photographing the process. And one lucky student took home that gorgeous art print from Minted, and one of my custom Utility Cord camera straps. I’ll shoot a DIY of that project soon enough.

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Our students took to Instagram during class using hashtag #camerareadyboston. These snaps from 1. PaperFashion, 2. Anasantos, 3. Spreedia and 4. EBLColor showcase some of the goodies from class.

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Plus, each lass got a chance to get in front of the camera with Kate behind the lens. It’s always a delight to see this woman in action. She is good, y’all! These are some of my fav portraits (the full spread of our favorites is viewable here). Now everyone has a series of high res, professional portraits. Thanks, Kate!

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There was also yummy food, as it was a long long day, and the only way to make it through a long day is with plenty of caloric fuel. Namely in the form of sugar. These mini cupcakes and that outrageously adorable cake are thanks to Sara Miller Cakes. And the lunch was catered by Gulu-Gulu Cafe, a delicious spot right around the corner from Kate’s studio.

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And most importantly of all, there was learning. Lots and lots of learning. And practice! And making of friends. And smiles. And laughter. And shooting shooting shooting. It was a good good day.

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Kate and I were completely beat by day’s end. We crawled home to her place, curled up in pajamas on the couch and drank wine, ate cake and watched “Lady and the Tramp.”  While that sounds like an odd way to celebrate this accomplishment, it was just what we needed.

The fact that this is the only snap of the two of us together is perhaps reflective of how all-consuming and quickly the time moved.

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Thank you to all who participated. And we hope that anyone out there interested in learning more about how to wield their camera in a fun, creative, playful environment will join us in a future class. Register here. To help convince you, here’s what our students had to say about class:

CAMERA READY gets you using your fancy camera in manual mode instead of auto mode. Learn how to adjust aperture, ISO, shutter speed to manipulate your images. Learn and practice, with Kate and Ashley available for questions and help. At the end of the day you will go home with so much more confidence in your abilities and a desire to continue playing around with your camera.

CAMERA READY gave me the knowledge and confidence to go out there and use my DSLR more often. I’m excited that I know now how to take beautiful photos in any lighting situation and also feel confident in shooting various subject matter. I was blown away with how passionate and awesome both Ash and Kate were and their excitement was infectious. I’m recommending CAMERA READY to all of my friends now (for reals!)

I think everything was great, really! I loved how the tables were set up so we would interact with each other, I loved how approachable and fun the both of you were. I can’t think of anything I would change in the way you organized the class, as I had so much fun and had a perfect Saturday with you and the other girls! I loved the goodie bag, the fact that Kate took an individual picture of each one of us, the decor was amazing, the ambience was great, the food was delicious and the cupcakes so very cute!

CAMERA READY was a great class! I learned so much in just one day about my camera and how to finally shoot photos in manual mode. Not only was the class full of great information, but the instructors really took the time to decorate the space in an exciting and inspiring way! Thanks so much CAMERA READY!

What a way to spend a Saturday!  These ladies really know what they are talking about, and teach you to use your camera in the most user friendly way possible.

CAMERA READY is a fantastic way to get to know your Camera and your inner artist.  Whether you’re a true beginner or someone with more photographic experience, CAMERA READY is designed to give you an ideal balance of structure and space to gain experience and confidence in your photography skills.

CAMERA READY was the perfect experience for a beginner photographer yearning to switch her DSLR camera out of automatic and into manual. Kate and Ash created a beautiful and comfortable environment, a studio, light and glowing, bringing Kate’s photographic style to life. Through direct instruction and a hands on afternoon all nerves were erased as I navigated my camera, f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, even editing in lightroom like the pros!

I used to be so frustrated by my photos–they would be good photos, but the exposure was always off–I found myself thinking I needed to either improve my photo skills to adjust my photos, but now I have the skills to adjust my camera in any light and situation. I have gained so much confidence from CAMERA READY! Thank you!

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And remember, say YOGA!

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Photos: Courtesy of Kate Drew Miller