Every year, I budget for at least two workshops – one that will advance my photography skills and one that’s geared towards running my business. Last week I attended my first photography workshop of the year by the ever talented Nichole Van based out of Salt Lake City. A couple of years ago, I bought her workshop in the box, which is basically a book and DVD that is just overflowing with photography information. That one book, written by Nichole, really made me see photography a bit different and helped take my work to another level. Nichole is such a great teacher and is so open with sharing her knowledge. I was happy to find that she is the same in person. Her husband, Dave, is also a wealth of information and the two of them make such a wonderful team. They truly are blessed to have each other. The workshop was very informative and as an added bonus, I made some life-long friends in the process. Below are two images from Nichole Van’s Professional Workshop. I decided to post these two first as it’s a bit out of the norm from my regular body of work. It actually reminds me of a family portrait session I did two Autumn’s ago in Alton, IL. I don’t get to capture those older than toddlers that often, but when I do, this type of artistic treatment is quite fun and gets my creative juices flowing. I start thinking of what I could with a family in this type of environment with their cute lil’ kiddos. Perfect for the modern family!