WHAT IS THE BAD ASS PHOTO RETREAT? What it is: a badass editorial fashion photo shoot in a really cool location. What it isn’t: a traditional workshop. While the BAPR is an opportunity to learn from other photographers through friendship, collaboration, and observation – there is no formal instruction. This isn’t one of those photography workshops where a ton of photographers are clustered around
a model who is confused at where to look. Our small two person team philosophy allows you the freedom to photograph the subjects the way you want to. You’re a photographer that wants to take edgier fashion oriented portraits. You’ve admired amazing images in the portfolios of other high-end photographers and wondered how they make it happen. I know how you feel, because I’ve been there. I would scour the internet looking for interesting models who didn’t look like they were a hot mess. I’d come across amazing faces, but those model profiles would offer “paid work only,” or “interested in amazing concepts.” Without concrete concepts or a giant budget, it all seemed overwhelming in the beginning. The big game changer for me was meeting our incredibly talented makeup artist, Cheriene Galley. Cheriene’s versatility creating amazing makeup and hair work is complimented by her knack for crafting incredible conceptual wardrobe styling. She has become an incredibly creative universal translator for all of my hazy ideas, and we have been collaborating regularly on creative shoots, with each one being better than the last. This year, this culminated in a series of elaborate multi-day, multi-photographer, multi-model shoots. At WPPI 2014, the prestigious photography conference in Vegas, we organized a series of creative fashion-meets-portrait shoots for a number of photographers, and it was a huge hit. People had a blast both shooting and connecting with each other, walking away with images we were proud of and a whole bunch of new skills. A couple of months later, we decided to step it up a notch, and organize another multiday series of shoots away from the distractions of a conference and the city. With more focus, and ten times as much creative energy the high-fashion, haute-couture ideas we had were brought to life in an incredible way, creating the sort of images I’d previously envied seeing in other photographers’ portfolios. Everyone kept saying they wanted to come with me on the next trip, and we decided that we wanted to share this opportunity with everyone that is looking for more inspiration, more creativity, and more badassery. We’re inviting you to come experiment, explore, and be a part of an amazing experience. The Badass Photo Retreat is an almost all-inclusive trip to an amazing series of desert locations. You’ll photograph beautiful, experienced models who will be styled by a 3 person team (1 stylist, 2 hair and makeup artists). You’ll be put up in a big hotel suite, you’ll be fed (exact meals vary on trips), and you’ll hang out with some incredible people. At the end of the experience you will have learned some new techniques, you’ll have amazing images that you can use for your portfolio, you’re going to make a lot of new friends, and most of all you’re going to have the time of your life. So let’s do it.
