Hey Miss Mae

Ephesians 4:10-12 (NIV)

"He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up"

I am a teacher. Not only do I teach my three girls at home, but I've worked with women all over the world to build their brand, their skill, and their confidence to take the next step in their photography journey.

After the whirlwind of excitement that was my first workshop in DC, I am thrilled be making some changes to improve my future workshops. My goal is to walk with you, side by side, and give you all that I can in our short time together. We'll get to know each other, photograph a beautiful family, laugh, cry, eat (a lot), and wish we had more time together. I’ll take one day (from 9am-6pm) to teach you absolutely everything I know about capturing the essence of motherhood in front of the camera while cherishing your own maternal role at home. People love hearing stories, women love telling stories - I want to teach you how your images can help them tell their most personal one.

Here’s what the workshops will look like:

• prior to our time together, you will be given a personal portfolio review as well as an individualized homework assignment
• upon arrival we will get to know each other, talk about our mamas, or favorite movies, or whatever lame icebreaker I can pull out to make you feel super awkward but still in great company
• we will start our learning time together by going over what we learned from our homework assignments with the entire group
• we will break for lunch at the workshop studio/house. Have some food, laugh at my inability to eat at a reasonable pace (due to horking down all of my food because I usually have a child bouncing on me,) and reflect on what we've discussed that morning.
• after lunch we will photograph a beautiful small family of four in the studio or right outside. We will cover organic styling, posing, finding light, and working at the client’s pace and in their space.
• after our session we will get back to work talking about storytelling though your client's photos
• we will wrap up our time together by talking about the hard stuff. The mom/wife/own person plus business lady problems. The time management, the priorities, the reason that we are so passionate about this work that we do. This will be a Q&A style portion where I can only give as much as you can ask, so come prepared with specific questions that will help you grow and maintain the balance in your home.

Your fee will cover your lunch, snacks, drinks, and a workbook to take notes in and bring home with you. There are only 10 seats for each workshop. The fee is 850 (plus tax and paypal fees if you pay that way) but will be discounted to $650 if you book by Dec 31, 2015. Things happen unexpectedly for you, and for me. Due to the nature of traveling for these workshops, the fee is nonrefundable. You may, however sell your seat to someone else if you are unable to make it. In the tragic, pride crushing event that I don’t fill enough seats, I will cancel the workshop and full refunds will be given within 90 days. Purchase your Fort Worth seat here.

This workshop is for the female professional or hobbyist photographer that already knows their way around their camera (digital or film) in manual mode. I will spend very little time going over camera settings. This workshop is perfect for the photographer who wants to know more about motherhood portraiture and how to specialize in it.

My workshops are kept short for a reason - I have the mama in mind. It makes no sense to me to uphold motherhood in the way that I do, and expect you to leave your baby for days. Many attendees will be bringing their lap babies or keep them close to the workshop so they can be nursed/soothed during our time together. Motherhood is why I'm in this, and it's what I want to teach you to honor through photographs and how you run your business.

So, are you ready? Email me at workshops.maeburke@gmail.com with any  questions (spoiler alert, I have payment plans available) and let’s get started.

Here's what some other ladies had to say about our time together:

"Her workshop was not only informative, but also laid-back and intimate with only 10 attendees. Several of the other attendees I had met before, or know through Virginia Birth Photographers however, Mae, had never met any of us yet she knew so much about us. She took time to pour into us and our business before she even met us by checking out our blogs, websites, instagrams, portfolio's and even giving us specific homework assignments to help stretch our creativity, which ended up being the most valuable part of the workshop experience for me as it forced me to focus on what I love most about this business of mine..." --- Emily Gerald

"I am EXTREMELY grateful that you saw my soul even when I had no clue. I am also in awe of your courage to tell me, not knowing what was on the other side of the message you were sending. I can only imagine you recognized my disconnect due to your own life experiences, and I super appreciate your words and encouragements.  With my whole being, I heard you." --- Nicole Burmeister

" Just wanted to drop in and say THANK YOU for such a great time yesterday. I know I was quiet and reserved but I was just soaking it all in and learning a ton! I felt so inspired after I left, with a little dose of overwhelmed too. smile emoticon You really have a gift for empowering and inspiring women. Aside from the photography tips, you were just so encouraging, so... thanks for sharing that part of yourself with us. I am so new to the business game of photography, so when we were discussing all of those aspects - pricing, client relations, etc. - I realized I realllllly need to step up my game for sure. I think yesterday really helped me solidify what kinds of clients I want to shoot - motherhood portraiture really captivates and energizes me in such a special way, that I think I want to move more towards making that my niche. There's such an open place for that kind of thing where I am from - no one is doing it. And it really does "speak" to my soul and heart and body in a way that no other photography really does..." ---Traci Renee