Elizabeth Hay Photography Workshop

2018 Elizabeth Hay Equine Photography Workshop

The first Elizabeth Hay Photography Workshop took place in 2018 at the stunning Oyster Ridge venue in Santa Margarita, California. Originally, I had the idea to do a workshop from the struggle I encountered learning photography myself. Being self-taught definitely has its merits, but it also has its fair share of frustration. As a result, I decided to create an environment that was low-pressure and fun.

The idea for the first ever Elizabeth Hay Photography Workshop formed over time. I am the type of person to heavily mull over my creative ideas. Since I was teaching people the basics I wanted it to be simple, straightforward and have an easy atmosphere. Therefore, it had to run smoothly and have solid subject matter and teaching points. Additionally, I created a workbook to help guide me. The EHP Workshop Workbook also served as a great takeaway item for the students.

Firstly, the atmosphere at Oyster Ridge is perfect. Its no wonder its a top Central Coast wedding venue. There are unobstructed views of stunning California landscape. Check. The barn served as our classroom for the first portion of the day. While the golden fields and oaks trees served as our shoot location.

Secondly came the model concepts. My first go to was my friend Alie. She is a born and bred cowgirl and can keep up with any punchy cowboy I know. Scratch that. She doesn’t just “keep up”, she kicks ass and takes names. Her stunning palomino gelding Queso is the classic American cowboy horse. We brainstormed her attire together and decided that classic cowgirl with a vintage twist was the way to go. As a result of our forethought, this concept was rock solid.

The second Elizabeth Hay Photography Workshop model was the lovely Patricia. Patricia was dying to rock a parachute gown. Now, let me back up. I tend to think in color palettes. It’s just how my brain works. I see a color, and it can give me an entire concept. So as soon as Patricia said “parachute gown”, I knew that it had to match her eyes. Therefore the horse we chose had to match her hair… obviously.

Our third model was Gabby. I asked Gabby to come model because she is incredibly proficient in front of the camera. Some people think it just a matter of being pretty to be a good model. I’m here to tell you that that is not the case. While Gabby is STUNNING, she also knows how to MOVE. She knows her angles and she takes direction incredibly well. When Gabby and I have worked together in the past, I just have to tell her a basic concept of what I’m going for and she nails it every time. The idea here is that the participants would get to experience giving someone direction, and watching the results of their directing.

Needless to say we had it all dialed in. Great location, stunning models, beautiful horses, and the perfect classroom setting complete with charcuterie plate courtesy of Ancient Peaks Winery. I’ve been lucky enough to do some commercial photography for Ancient Peaks and I can say from first hand knowledge that their food and wine is amazing! Additionally, we had Carrie Marie Artistry as our badass makeup artist.

Check out the images below and be sure to sign up for my e-newsletter for future workshop dates!