Bambi Cantrell is one of the top 10 Best Wedding Photographers in the world.  She’s of those rare artists that leaves you empowered, touched, inspired and infused with passion.  Spending a weekend with her in her studio in Benicia, California was amazing.  This two day workshop focused on intimate portraits of women and gave the students the ability to fast track their boudoir photography skills.  We arrived in her studio and felt like we were in Disney World but for adults.  Seeing the inside of Bambi’s studio in itself was wonderful.  She has a separate print room and an editing room. This studio was fabulous with beautiful light, incredible decor and accents that really made me dream of owning my own space someday very soon.   I’ll be honest, I was like a kid in a candy store touching everything I could get my hands on.  Especially her antique Chinese bed.

This workshop Focus on Fabulous Boudoir focused on taking very intimate portraits of women. Our photos were primarily fine art nudes, taken with elegance and grace.  Bambi guided us with posing and working with models to ensure they’re comfortable and looked very comfortable. That was key!  Intimate portraits of woman are really empowering for your clients.  I can’t wait to finish some of these beautiful portraits. So many of my clients love black and white photography.  I can’t wait to practice some techniques next week.  Not only did we take photos inside Bambi’s lavish studio, but we went outside in the morning on day two. Our class went to a private nearby lake and took some of the most breathtaking imagery of our models.  Bambi is not only enthusiastic and encouraging when you work alongside her, but she’s kind and thoughtful in all that she does making you feel comfortable and at ease in her class.

I’ve attended Bambi’s workshop in Vegas and learned so many new techniques with her this past weekend.  Each time I see her, I learn something new, I see something differently as my career and business evolves.  What I really enjoyed about this experience was the shooting intensive two day schedule which ended with in depth marketing, branding and advertising session.  We also had our images critiqued by Bambi.  That alone was extraordinary as we got to see what judges look for in print competitions. She also showed us several incredible finishing techniques that left each of the students looking at the other in awe. We were incredibly thankful for her generosity, her time and sharing so much of herself with us.  I can’t wait to pick up my camera tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

Natalie