The Family Narrative – Atlanta, GA

When I arrived at The Family Narrative last year I felt excited but also terribly nervous. I knew from the facebook group and other photographers who had been previous years that this was a close group of women (now they have a few men attending), all super talented photographers. To say I was intimidated would be an understatement. However, I quickly learned that, although the community is very tight knit, they are also so extremely open and welcoming to newcomers. By the time I left, I felt like one of the family.

This year when I returned, there was only excitement. I already knew many people attending this year and was no longer nervous to chat with new people after my amazing experience last year. That week was something I didn’t know I needed. The sense of community just filled me to the brim. I had so many wonderful conversations about life, work, photography, other people’s kids. I’m a rare breed of non-parent, I could listen to a million stories about other people’s kids and not get bored, I even listen to parenting podcasts on occasion. It started as research for a blog post, but now I kind of love them.

Anyway, let me tell you more about TFN. This year they switched things up and we all met in Atlanta, GA instead of New Orleans. Out home base was the historic Hotel Clermont on Ponce de Leon Avenue (complete with historic strip club in the basement). It was just a 10 minute walk from the Ponce Market, which may be my new favorite place for food exploring. I didn’t get to explore the neighborhood as much as I would have liked but I did check out the Beltline Trail and the general network of trails available to run on in Atlanta. What a great city to be active in!

My days were filled with classes and connecting with photographers. I learned soooo much, not just from the teachers but also from my fellow “classmates”. I feel privileged to get to share and learn from all of these beautiful people. I didn’t do my research on the speakers beforehand and didn’t know what to expect from the classes, I just trusted that the three TFN ladies always over deliver on value. What I found surprised me though. I connected with the talks on a deeply personal level, in a way that helped me to clarify my goals in my business and start to brainstorm ways to make these goals a priority. I learned how to edit based on color and, wow, my mind was blown. No more trying to make purchased presets work for my photographs. I also learned about how powerful images of our family can be, not just as the kids grow up, but for all the generations after, looking back on how life used to be.

I am so excited about what I am developing during this social distancing time. It will mean simplified session options, a new edit style that’s close to what you’ve seen before but feels more true to me, and also a few promotions to launch all this newness. So keep your eyes peeled for that in April!

Below are a few photos from the week. All the family images are taken during a live shoot we got to watch the speakers lead.

Want more? See photos from last year in New Orleans.