A few weeks ago I held my first true workshop. 11 hours of intense, hands on work with flash photography - and man was it fun!

I really enjoy these type of events, and watching the lightbulbs go off is really exciting. Check out these real emails:

Dear Shan,

I wanted to thank you for the Vivitar Flash Workshop I attended. It was so much more than I ever expected. I left feeling confident that I can take a professional looking portrait, without spending a fortune on expensive lighting. You took the time and explained everything making sure that we understood before you would continue on to the next lesson. I really liked working with the colored gels, allowing me to change the look of my backdrops, just by changing the color of the gel filter, also very inexpensive. I also enjoyed the night shooting. I would surely attend another of your workshops in a heartbeat, and am looking forward to what you have up your sleeve to teach us at the next Midwest Conference in April.

Sincerely,

Cheri Campbell-Godfrey

Shannon,
Thanks for the great seminar.  I thought I knew studio lighting, but I learned a lot today.  My main goal of today's class was to learn how to travel light with studio gear.  I learned much more than I had hoped.  Those Vivitars are amazingly versatile and flexible, and your enthusiastic style of teaching is inspirational.  The literature, format, and number of topics covered were extremely helpful.
Painting with flash was a new technique for me. I learned about the nuances of balancing multiple background lights with the foreground, using multiple lights in aperture priority mode, and how to best accessorize the Vivitars to perform like real studio workhorses.
I'd recommend this course to anyone who wants to improve their flash or studio lighting techniques.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Miracle

I mean, how can you not love getting emails like this!

Here's a few images:

Thanks everyone for making it a great workshop!

(All images © Cheri Campbell-Godfrey or Jeremy Miracle, used with permission)

Shan