I honestly can’t put into words what the Waco, TX Workshop has done for me – personally & professionally. I flew from Atlanta to Dallas, and drove for two and half hours from Dallas to Waco for what has turned out to be the best decision I have made for my little business. Some called me crazy, but I called it worth it. The hands-on learning experience was incredible – the elements I learned were unlike anything I could have picked up among the countless e-workshops I have purchased. Erin walked us through posing, soothing, angles, and gave us honest feedback WHILE we were shooting. To allow Erin to look at the back of my camera was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but it was certainly the most beneficial. At times, Erin even came to my side, moving me & showing me how to get the angle I needed to achieve the perfect shot. She was amazing. She made me feel comfortable, she made me feel good, and for the first time in a very long time I felt like I was capable. It was awesome….but, the most wonderful thing that came from all of it was the confidence I left with – and for that, I will never be able to thank Erin enough. – Jamie
When I committed to Erin Tole’s newborn workshop, it was in the middle of one of the most chaotic times of my life, but I knew going in it would be one of the most valuable learning experiences I could make the time for. Watching Erin do what she does and gaining the confidence to try it myself was AWESOME. I felt like no question was off-limits and the things I learned that day applied not only to newborn photography, but to running a successful photography business in general. Love Erin, love her work, and this workshop was worth every penny. I honestly would do it all over again if I had the opportunity. I’d never made the time to learn from anyone else and I don’t know that I would… she’s a natural at what she does and she’s great (and super generous) in sharing her talent with others. – Nancy
Erin’s workshop is the first workshop I’ve ever attended and it surpassed all my expectations. I went in with certain goals, but left with so much more. I had come to a point in my newborn work where I felt very stagnant and uninspired by my images. Erin pushed us to really think outside the box and understand how we could make our images better. I thought I understood about natural lighting, but actually, I hardly had a grasp on it. Erin was so friendly and quick to help, explain and answer the hundreds of questions that our group kept throwing at her, and never lost her sense of humor. Even at the end of our day, she was bubbly and amazing!
I particularly liked the small group atmosphere (4 attendees) for learning. I left with so many amazing images to work on and add to my portfolio, and I also left with an understanding of how to achieve those poses and the lighting on my own. It was worth every penny I spent and so much more. Definitely the best investment I have made in my photography career yet! If you are looking to add the extra oomph to your images, or feel like you’re just not “getting it”; don’t hesitate to sign up for a workshop with Erin. I promise you, you won’t regret it. – Candace
I was at a point where I was really frustrated with shots that I couldn’t nail down and bad habits that I couldn’t break. I was totally guilty of the “I’ll fix that angle in the Photoshop” mentality, instead of leaning how to get it right SOOC. To me, you are without question, the best in the biz when it comes to wrapping and angles. Letting me get in there and have a hands on experience wrapping with you was the most important moment for me and has taken my work to the next level! My other big lightbulb moments were during the editing portion. The tools that you introduced to me have become a part of my workflow and cut down my editing time! I keep wonder how I ever worked without them.Worth every penny, would recommend to anyone, and can’t thank you enough! – Amber R
“I have loved Erin’s work from the first day I stumbled onto her blog. A few months later when I noticed that she offered mentoring, the were no questions…I was going! I have done one on one mentoring, I have been to group workshops, and I have done tons of online workshops, mentoring with Erin was by far the best decision I have made and the best money I have spent on photography. Erin is a wealth of knowledge, a super sweet person, and a great teacher. She held nothing back and I soaked in as much as I could the whole time I was there. I learned so much and after I got back home, I scheduled as many newborns as I could. I feel so much more confident now, with lighting, posing, and post processing. There is no doubt that mentoring with Erin made a huge difference in my newborn work, one that would have taken me years to make on my own.” – Heather
I did a 1:1 mentoring session with Erin and it was one of the best decisions i’ve made for my newborn photography. I had been to a group workshop a year earlier, and while I learned a lot, this mentoring was totally different and was much more beneficial to me and my business. Erin tailored the mentoring session just to me and the things I wanted to learn. We went over many of the basics as well as the more complex aspects of newborn photography. Her styling is unbelievable. Totally inspired me to really figure out what I want MY style to be. I not only got to watch her work with the babies, but there was hands on posing as well to make sure I was actually learning and able to apply everything. We also went over post processing and I learned some invaluable tools for editing, and she really encourages figuring out what YOUR style is, and having a consistent look to your images. The biggest thing for me was the little details we went over that can really take an image from just “okay” to stunning and one you can truly be proud of. Before mentoring I felt like my images were sort of in the right direction of what I wanted, but in the end they just didn’t LOOK like how I wanted the final product to look. I was sort of at a standstill with my progress. I wasn’t brand new to newborn photography, but I didn’t feel like I was getting much better anymore. But I felt totally different after mentoring with Erin, and I still feel like I am making significant progress with each and every session. Mentoring was worth every penny. Plus? LOVE her actions. Love them. – Melissa
Erin was so great at explaining everything and letting me get hands on with the baby. She showed us where to shoot, different angles, where to stand and how to hold your camera to get the perfect shot and even would stand behind you and hold your hand into that perfect shot! She showed us set up after set up with the babies and the best part was she wanted you to learn what you wanted to learn!! She asked many times what kind of set up we would like to work on, what kind of poses, and with each set up she showed us exactly how to achieve it! Her relaxed and layed back approach to teaching made me feel so comfortable and like I had known her forever! ( Even though we did talk quite a bit before cause I always send her my stuff for Timeless Heirloom to shoot). The day of the workshop she showed me how to get everything ready before hand, how to talk with clients, what to tell them to bring and prepare for the session, and every detail to getting things ready! Then when the babies got there she went over beanbag posing and LOTS of different prop shots ( my request). She went through parent shots as well and showed us how to take every shot at the perfect angle to achieve great results! When the babies left we ate dinner and then she showed us her workflow in Photoshop! Some great easy tricks, and how to create your own look to your pictures! I couldn’t have asked for a better experiences from my mentoring session with Erin. I feel like each session i’m learning more and referring back to everything she taught me each time! Anyone on edge or thinking about taking a workshop I HIGHLY recommend going through Erin!! I promise it will be the best investment in your business you have ever made! I know it was for me! Thank you so much Erin from the bottom of my heart! I truly cherished our weekend together and have made a great friend out of it {full review: HERE } – Allie
ERIN!! You rock Thank you sooooooooooooo much for teaching me! I know I have lots to improve on, but you seriously were so helpful! You better start teaching workshops more often because you are so good at teaching! [My husband] and I were looking at all my newborns over the weekend and I just have to tell you THANK YOU AGAIN! You not only taught me so much, but you gave me confidence which I have never had, EVER! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! – Emily
I was so impressed with Erin’s pictures, that I signed up for her newborn photography class. This class is for the professional or the hobbyist. I myself, do enjoy this hobby. We went through everything in the class, from business to posing to editing. She shares all of her secrets. Erin is awesome to work with, and I highly recommend her workshop. I can’t wait to use what we learned. – Amber
I’ve been in business for almost two years now and had attended other workshops but this year I was determined to invest in a newborn one since I am specializing in newborn and maternity photography, and when I saw Erin’s post about coming to Florida I jumped right on it. I’ve been following her work for a while and she has always been an inspiration to me. I attended Erin’s workshop last April and It was an amazing experience. It was a full day, 3 newborns, she covered how to discuss the sessions with parents, workflow (bean bag and props), we even ventured to shoot one of the models at the beach, also showed us to work on angles and editing, not to mention how sweet she is!!! I had a blast, it was a great experience! I highly recommend to anyone who desires to get their newborn photography to the next level! Thank you Erin for this amazing experience, – Cris