Design + Extras

SNAP PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL IN REVIEW

When I first heard about SNAP photography festival it sounded like an all round magical experience: camping without all the hassle (commonly known as Glamping) log fires, sing-alongs in the evenings, great food and a great collection of renowned, world famous photographers giving expert advice in a friendly and relaxed environment. And it lived up to all that and more.

After joining The Bijou Bride team it was much to my delight to discover that Alex (wedding planner & stylist of The Bijou Bride) was in fact the SNAP stylist and planner, assisting the lovely Laura Babb of Babb Photo organising the whole shebang.

Obviously when 13^th April came about I packed up my bags and set off to Fforest to help set up the festival and get involved with what was going to be one of the most influential weeks of my life.

Being around so many other creative individuals (around 80 in total) and listening to talks by remarkably inspiring, thought provoking photographers really helped me gain perspective of my own work and how to make it better… not only for myself but also my clients and the companies I create images for. I think I can safely say that SNAP was a pleasant kick up the back side to get me onto the right path and help me create the work that is truly worth creating.

To help develop the skills learnt at SNAP photo fest, Olympus kindly set up a learning zone and lent out kit to anyone that fancied trying something new. The kit was used for workshops and activities from the likes of John Nassari (The Olympus Ambassador and Reportage Photographer) Sam Hurd (Wedding Photographer) Kevin Meredith (Lomokev) and Conor MacNeil (Travel and Landscape Photographer)

Photographers which flew half way round the world to be at SNAP gave talks on effective branding (Andria Lindquist and Marianne Taylor) Practical advice about blogging (Dylan & Sara) Loving ourselves and what we do (Jillian Powers) and many more.

British award-winning Wedding Photographers also gave seminars and advice on the way they produce beautiful imagery. To name but a few- Laura Babb, the founder of SNAP itself (3 cheers for Laura!) Andy Gaines, Nick Tucker, Alan Law, Emma & Pete and last but in no ways least- Ross Harvey who gave a mind blowing talk about creativity, mind-mechanics, neurological science and our gut instincts.

It’s now been almost 4 weeks since SNAP and not a day goes by without integrating what I learnt into my day-to-day life. I am also part of an online SNAP community now. Within this group I can talk about my photography related problems (haven’t tried posting personal problems but I’m sure I could), inspiring photo related articles, referrals and a general chit chat about the photo world. I would definitely do SNAP all over again!!

Images captured by Eleanor Joy Photography and A Tall Long Legged Bird

To find out about the SNAP ways and next year’s festival, head to – www.snapphotofestival.com