2024 Women’s Final Four Photography Workshop
In April of 2024, I was selected to attend the Women’s Final Four Photography Workshop in Cleveland, Ohio, hosted by NCAA Photos and Clarkson Creative. It was an amazing opportunity to network with industry professionals and peers, have my work critiqued, and shoot the open practice between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
What I learned…
My biggest takeaways from the event came from the portfolio review portion of the event.
During the portfolio review, I had the chance to have my work critiqued by Justin Tafoya and Steph Chambers. Their comments focused heavily on framing, storytelling, and emotional attachment to images. I learned from them the importance of intentionally framing subjects, avoiding distractions, and emphasizing clean backgrounds, while also learning how to create an image that speaks for itself, rather than needing to explain the context of an image verbally.
Having my work critiqued by seasoned professionals also helped me realize the importance of choosing impactful images rather than ones I’m attached to. Creating a portfolio is hard, especially when you have certain memories attached to a photo. However, Justin and Steph showed me that detaching from an image emotionally can help a photographer create an even more impactful portfolio.
Even though it has been over a year since the workshop, the information I took away from the event I still try to apply to my work every day. It was an amazing workshop that contributed to my growth as a photographer immensely. My images from the open practice can be viewed below!