When I first discovered Stormy’s work, I felt moved in a way I hadn’t been before. Her art was unlike anything I’d ever seen – her portraits weren’t of families fake smiling at the camera yet somehow there was no sign of uncomfortable expressions on anyone’s face. Instead, an effortless feel of authenticity and ease were captured in her intensely captivating images.
Stormy’s All Heart Access online education class was a big game-changer for me. I felt my mindset shift, and so many gears started turning – I kept buying more and more of her online education content, but I was still hungry for more until I learned she offered workshops.
I just KNEW that I had to apply for one of her retreats, but with the limited number of seats available and how popular her retreats were, I wasn’t fast enough. So I applied again, and again, and again.
Almost a year later, I still couldn’t snag a spot – until another photographer had to give up a seat, and I was lucky enough to be next in line. I hastily typed up my confirmation email and got so excited… until the doubts and worries started creeping in…
Are photography workshops actually worth it?
What if I don’t like the other photographers?
What if I don’t learn anything?
After a long, sleepless night and contemplating back and forth, I decided I would give this adventure a fair chance, and it turned out to be the opposite of what I had expected.
I’d like to believe I’m adventurous but to be honest – I prefer to stay in my comfort zone. Taking this giant leap meant getting on five flights (and I’m deathly afraid of flying), calling an Uber at 4 am, renting a car (which I had never done before), and staying in a hotel with a stranger.
I was pretty sleep-deprived when I met Suzy – the “stranger” and fellow retreat attendee, who (of course) turned out to be just as wonderful of a person as they come. We grabbed dinner at an Irish Pub and, soon after that, called it a night so we could go sightseeing the following day before the workshop started.
day one
When we pulled up to the old schoolhouse, a smiling Stormy greeted us with hugs. I instantly knew this would be an extraordinary experience, and the more photographers arrived, the happier I felt. Though shy at first, I started having more conversations with the other attendees and bonded with every single one over a different topic. After our initial awkward introductions, we were off to our first shoot – Genevieve’s maternity session.
photo shoot one
Stormy split us up into two individual groups and made sure we took turns getting good shots – shooting alongside other photographers, you never know how considerate they will be, but with our group, the “excuse me’s” and “oops sorry’s” were flying around, as we all made sure everyone got the shots they needed.
day two
photo shoot two
We had to get up early for our sunrise session at the foggy dunes, but after grabbing coffee, we were on our way to photograph Jordan’s sweet family.
photo shoot three
After wrapping her sunrise session, we had the chance to also photograph Jordan indoors – the unique flair of the old school house combined with just the right manipulation of light made for some truly enchanting and intimate motherhood photos of Jordan and her sweet baby boy.
photo shoot four
Shoot three of the day featured Heather’s sweet family of six at a stunning wildflower location, overlooking the Oregon coast.
Returning to our cozy schoolhouse after each session meant being greeted by the most delicious home-cooked meal by the personal chef Stormy had organized for the retreat and reviewing the previous session or casually chatting about anything and everything.
day three
Making use of every single minute we could spend together, we decided to trek down to the beach and take headshot photos of one another while the tide rolled in and we captured magical photos.
photo shoot five
For our final session at the beach, the sun came out and blessed us with a spectacular sunset. Following the session, we decided to get cocktails at a bar, since this was our last evening together and while I said goodbye to everyone as they set off to bed, I stayed up to leave first thing in the morning, driving back to the tiny airport through the dark and winding roads of Oregon.
once in a lifetime adventure
I vividly remember being 9 years old, sitting at the bottom of the stairs of our apartment, just having said goodbye to my friends after celebrating my birthday, my face buried deep in my hands, with tears streaming down my face. Every Party ended with me being inconsolable as I hated saying goodbye to my friends, and no matter how hard I tried to make them stay, they always left at the end of the day. It’s not a feeling I particularly enjoyed, yet the older I got, the more I understood how powerful and magical loving your friends this profoundly is.
This was the exact feeling I felt after saying goodbye to all the wonderful women I got to share this experience with. As bittersweet as it was, I am forever grateful for sharing this truly unique experience with them.
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