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Newborn Dreamland Workshop: Kelley Ryden & Tracy Raver

houston newborn photography

So I’ve been staring at the computer screen for hours trying to come up with the right words to describe my amazing experience learning from Kelley Ryden & Tracy Raver this past weekend at their workshop in Dallas…but all I can come up with are cliché lines about being inspired and thankful and (if I’m honest) a little ‘starstruck’! All of which are true. So instead, I’ll just tell you about the workshop and maybe only my thankfulness will shine through, but no promises!

This past weekend, I had the great privilege of attending Kelley Ryden & Tracy Raver’s Newborn Dreamland workshop in Dallas, Texas. After signing up for the workshop in February, I  found myself counting down the days until Dallas! The workshop was hosted by Kelly Wills of Inspired By You Photography at her beautiful home studio, which I told the husband I MUST have! We photographed 3 newborns in 16 different setups all in one day!

houston newborn photography

Honestly, I was pretty nervous when we first started shooting at the beginning of the class. It was a little intimidating showing Kelley the back of my camera for her to make sure my exposure was correct. As I was looking back at my images from the first set-up, most of them are blurry because my hands were shaking!  However, Kelley is a natural teacher and she quickly made me feel at ease! I have been following Kelley & Tracy’s work for a few years now and have always dreamed of meeting them, even if that required me to get pregnant, have a baby, and bring my 5-10 day newborn to Omaha, Nebraska to have them photograph! (Coming to this workshop in Dallas was way easier…)

houston newborn photography

houston newborn photography

The reason I chose to come to Kelley & Tracy’s workshop is the consistency of their work, attention to even the smallest detail, and how they’re always pushing their creative boundary and inspiring others to do the same. I love that their work is art. The way they are able to create an image is nothing short of beautiful every single time. Their style is unmistakable and unique. I really enjoyed watching Kelley & Tracy work. They are like a well oiled machine in how they flawlessly work together and make posing look SO EASY!

houston newborn photography

houston newborn photography

During the workshop, Tracy styled and posed each newborn in different unique setups while Kelley instructed. We learned about posing on the beanbag and in props, wrapping, and numerous soothing techniques to keep babies calm throughout the session. Kelley explained how they achieve different poses and helpful tips for us to use when we go back to photographing our own clients. I also learned quite a bit about getting a proper exposure, white balance and composition. One of the biggest things I learned was the importance of getting a perfect image straight out of the camera so you spend less time editing on the computer!

houston newborn photography

houston newborn photography

houston newborn photography

After 7ish hours of shooting newborns in the studio, Kelley went over how she edits her images in Photoshop. She showed us step-by-step of her post processing and how she presents images to her clients. It was very helpful for me to watch how another photographer edits images.

houston newborn photography

houston newborn photography

houston newborn photography

I really am just so thankful for the opportunity to attend this awesome workshop. I learned so much about working with newborns as well as editing in Photoshop and proper camera technique! Thank you to Kelley & Tracy for putting yourselves out there to teach other photographers all that you’ve learned! I would definitely recommend this workshop to any and everyone who is considering attending a newborn workshop! The entire day was filled with tons of “AHA” moments for me and I can’t wait to incorporate them into my sessions!

houston newborn photography

houston newborn photography

houston newborn photography

houston newborn photography

**Note: all posing & styling was by Tracy Raver & Kelley Ryden, all images were shot & edited by Erin Beckwith

4 comments
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  • Bonnie BibeauMay 30, 2013 - 12:45 am

    Such beautiful prints!! I love the creativity in each of these shots. I wish I could have taken my little one to the conference, but I can’t wait for you to try out your new skills on my family.ReplyCancel

  • LarkinMay 30, 2013 - 2:56 pm

    Can’t wait to see how these inspire your upcoming shoots, Erin! Tracy and Kelley sound pretty awesome.ReplyCancel

  • Tracy RaverMay 30, 2013 - 4:24 pm

    ooh Erin…thank you so much for all your kind words! That means so much to Kelley and I. We put everything in to each class we teach so it’s just so comforting to know it’s appreciated. Please keep in touch…ReplyCancel

  • […] Newborn Dreamland workshop when they came to Dallas! You can read about my experience HERE. After attending that workshop, I saw the quality of my work skyrocket and my confidence began to […]ReplyCancel

EHStephanie
Wheeler
Erin Beckwith