Although creativity has always been in my life, my professional career didn’t start in photography. Out of university I started as a franchise owner and eventually a Business Development Coach/GM for a home service business! I did the corporate biz thing for a total of 8 years before I was able to transition to photography full time and really follow my artistic passion!
During the last 3+ years of that 8-year stretch, I juggled working 50+ hours a week for my employer at this business as well as shooting 30-40 weddings/milestones a year! Being so booked meant that I really needed to be organized and have good business systems in place to allow me to provide exceptional customer service AND run both businesses smoothly.
Fast-forward to 2025, with my thriving full-time photography business and I still feel compelled to share with other photographers the artistic, business and behind-the-scenes knowledge I’ve learned through 10+ years as an entrepreneur and artist.
Introducing Wedding Bootcamp
Growing my business enough to sign on two associate photographers to my team for the 2024 and the 2025 wedding season meant that I needed to make sure all of us were operating under the same systems, delivering the same quality and communicating in the same way (VERY important) with our clients.
I wanted to provide a simulated wedding experience that involved featuring amazing vendors and allowing our photographers to learn in a no-risk environment
So what is Wedding Bootcamp?
The mission of Golden Hour Photo Co. Wedding Bootcamp is to provide a place where photographers entering the industry can learn without the added pressure of all the other business tasks on their plate (think marketing, admin, website building, etc). Since it is a simulated wedding experience over the course of a day, there is space and time to play in a way that a real wedding day doesn’t allow for and it’s a chance to experiment and learn from a full-time photographer without any risks or repercussions. It’s a great opportunity to meet other amazing vendors and network while learning.
Structure of Bootcamp
Wedding Bootcamp is a 2-day overnight retreat that focusing on bringing the photographers together and creating a strong network
DAY 1
MORNING COFFEE + WELCOME
This is where we meet up and discuss outcomes for the weekend. There will be writing prompts and goal-setting to get us in the mindset for the day
AFTERNOON: ONSITE WEDDING SIMULATIONS
This part of the day is broken down into chunks of time for the key moments of a wedding to be simulated and allow everyone an opportunity to practice directing couples, experimenting with prompts and their art, and ask questions and clarify things you might want to learn.
Key moments include: flatlay practice, getting ready simulation for both wedding partners, first look and bridal portraits, a simulated ceremony with guests, cocktail hour and dinner tablescapes, reception lighting and flash practice, sunset photos and posing practice.
EVENING: AT THE RETREAT
Participants gather together back at the retreat space for a shared dinner, reflection and discussion of takeaways.
DAY 2
MORNING: COFFEE, CULLING & KEY TAKEAWAYS
After a light breakfast, we begin to learn about culling workflow for galleries after a wedding and how to create a quick and responsive sneak peek for your future couples. Then we move on to posing theory and day-of workflow building over brunch and have an opportunity to share key takeaways and any further questions before the retreat ends.
Hear from Amanda and Maddy (2025 Wedding Bootcamp participants) about their experience below:
Maddy:
“I LOVED the hands-on learning experience that Bootcamp offered. I am a hands-on learner which means that I retain information best by being able to practice it myself. [It’s] greatly appreciated that Wedding Bootcamp gave me the opportunity to put into practice everything you’ve been teaching me in our training sessions. It was also nice to know that I have practiced a first look, getting ready shots, a ceremony, etc. before our first actual wedding day together! It gave me the confidence I needed to be able to launch head first into the wedding industry!”
Amanda:
“I loved that there wasn’t any pressure, and we could just experiment and try out different prompts and set ups!! Staying with me from this experience is definitely arranging flat lays, flash flash flash, and have a little bit of a choreography in mind for portraits!!!“
And check out more images taken on the day by Maddy and Amanda
If you’d like to see more of the vendors who participated in the 2025 Wedding Bootcamp, you can check them out below:
Moss & Thicket: @mossandthicket
Bohemian Bird Floral Preservation: @bohemianbird.florals
The Gown Bridal Boutique: @thegownbridalboutique
Elm & Cedar: @elmandcedar
Waterstone Estates: @waterstoneweddings
MUA: @michelleshawmakeup
Check out more photo education on my instagram page: Golden Hour Photo Co. Instagram
