This year I started 2010 off with a bang by attending the Lyon-Shop!  I've been waiting for months to get into the Lyon-Shop.  This workshop is held a few times a year and it sells out every time!  It's always exciting to learn from other photographers, and Amelia and Justin Lyon of Amelia Lyon Photography managed to pack it all into a day of shooting, furious note-taking, and throw-your-head-back-laughing fun.  They take 5+ years of experience and give it all back to the attendees, withholding nothing!  In one day, Amelia and Justin share all of the struggles and triumphs of running a photography business while encouraging us to reach for the stars with practical instruction and awesome inspiration.  What a great way to help out the next generation of photographers!

That was quite a general review, so here are some specifics on why I really love the Lyon-Shop:

Intimate Learning Environment:  Classes are limited to 15 people, which means plenty of time with the Lyons.  Many of the workshops out there are huge, with too many people and limited time with instructors.  At the Lyon-Shop I had plenty of time to ask every question I can possibly think of, and with this type of learning environment the Lyons were able to assess every students' needs and meet them by addressing each question throughout the day.

Simple and Effective Techniques: What I love about this workshop is the Lyons' ability to teach what they do in a practical way.  No complex set-ups, no suitcase with a million gadgets that you only use some of the time.  Just a few lenses, a few flashes, and a whole lot of creativity.  Since they teach principles, this allows for a wide variety of applications for the learner.  For example, the off-camera lighting session was the simplest setup, and quite effective.  It was really easy to learn the processes that they taught, and I'm really excited about applying it to my photo shoots this year.

Organized Passion: At the Lyon-Shop Amelia and Justin practice what I personally call an Organized Passion.  In other words, they are passionate about what they do, but still they are organized in providing information so that we can understand in a concrete way what this passion really means in every day life through actions.  There are many workshops out there in which photographers like to tell participants that they love photography and they love weddings, and to reach inside of ourselves and give our best, but the practical translation of it all was lacking.  Sure, I am inspired, but the next day the inspiration leaves and I am back to where I started, without practical information to help me translate that passion into successes.  With the Lyon-Shop, I am not only inspired to do great things this year with my photography, but I also have pages of notes I took at the workshop to help me follow through in application.

There you go!  If you are a wedding photographer itching to learn, go to the Lyon-Shop!  If they're full, email Amelia and get on the waiting list!  It's worth it!

Below is a shot of Amelia and Justin doing their thang: