I’ve finally recuperated from my latest After Dark Education event. The day after I returned to Columbus, I felt like a Mac truck ran over me. At least the exhaustion did not set in till I was back at home. This event in Dallas was as great as the Charlotte event I attended a few months ago. If you aren’t familiar with After Dark, it is a great learning experience for photographers of all levels. Students spend 3-days, 12-plus hours per day, learning and creating with some of the best photography mentors in the country. You experience both workshop and conference type settings in the same event. Students get the chance to work right beside the mentors for each class, asking questions and photographing to develop their style and skills.

When I arrived, I didn’t have a plan of attack to determine which classes to take, but that worked out really well for me. The first day I sat in classes about creativity and workflow. After day one, my brain was ready to explode from information overload and thinking of how I would implement these ideas into my own business. Normally, I would focus on only classes for photographing high school seniors and kids. This time, I decided to try a few different classes in wedding and fashion photography. I’m so very glad I did! I typically do not photograph in the studio and it was a great change of pace working with lighting, backdrops and beautiful models.

Below are just a handful of the photographs I was able to create at After Dark. Since all images created were under the direction or during the mentor’s instruction, I’ve listed below each image who the instructor was for that class.

If you are a photographer and you’re looking for a unique learning experience to push your creativity, After Dark is a must! There are two more scheduled for this year in Charlotte and Kansas City. Hopefully I will be able to go to another one later this year to push myself even more.

The Art of the Bridal Portrait: Mentor - Leslie Spurlock

The Art of the Bridal Portrait: Mentor - Leslie Spurlock

The Art of the Bridal Portrait: Mentor - Leslie Spurlock

Haute Couture – Fashion at it's most unique: Mentor - Brian DeMint

Haute Couture – Fashion at it's most unique: Mentor - Brian DeMint

Impromptu Shooting with mentor Brian DeMint

The Art of UnPosing: Mentor - Vicki Taufer

Creative Kids: Mentor - Mike Ridinger

Creative Senior: Mentor - Amy Parrish

Urban Shooting & Styling: Mentor - Beth Jansen

Urban Shooting & Styling: Mentor - Beth Jansen