If you asked me to pick between werewolves and vampires, I’d definitely choose vampires! I’ve had a bit of an obsession with them since I was a child and decided to read Interview with the Vampire purely because the author had the same surname as me. It also made the perfect theme for Photography Farm’s most recent residential workshop, which I was excited to be invited along to as part of the mentoring team.

For those of you who haven’t come across Photography Farm before, it is a fantastic company run by Lisa Devlin for photographers looking to push outside the boundaries of the traditional workshops. Providing a wide range of inspirational workshops that cover the entire spectrum of photography, Photography Farm’s spiritual home is Ridge Farm – which was once a recording studio for the talents of Pearl Jam, Muse and Oasis. After making my debut as a Farm Mentor back in January 2014, I’ve been privileged to have worked alongside Lisa teaching Lightroom and Photoshop on several of her residential workshops, including last Summer’s Snow White Styled Shoot.

On day one of the workshop, Lisa arranges a styled shoot, which gives the farmers a chance to get hands on with their cameras and experience working with a team of creatives. Joined by real life couple Shannon and Jack, who would be modelling for the day, the creative team also included Hair and Make Up artist Elbie Van Eden, floristry by Church Lane Flowers and a stunning bridal outfit designed by Jo at The Couture Company.

That afternoon we had a pretty severe thunderstorm, which really set the mood for the shoot. Starting in the boudoir that I use regularly for my boudoir workshops, it was quite dark and gloomy in there for a chance, with heavy contrast provided by the two small windows in the room. Normally we are blessed at farm with brilliant sunshine, so it was fun to be challenged by the lighting conditions. After a few minutes in the boudoir, we headed out into the hallways of Ridge Farm and looked for pockets of light in which to photograph Jack and Shannon together.

On day two, it was my turn to share my knowledge with a workshop on post production in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Using the images shot the day before, we looked at everything from culling to editing and exporting, as well as how to utilise the SEO features of Lightroom to make sure everyone was getting the best reach with their images. I have included some of my favourite images from the shoot below.

If you’re looking to improve your photography, or simply fancy a chance to get out of your comfort zones and push your photography business to the next level, I’m really pleased to announce that Lisa and I will be back at Photography Farm for the next residential course between the 20th and 22nd October 2015. For more details and booking, please visit the Photography Farm Website.