Photo: Brandi by Amanda Diaz
Amanda Diaz has worked as a freelance photographer in Canada since mid-2008. Her focus in photography includes Fashion, Conceptual, Beauty, and Portraiture. Her work has been featured in multiple blogs, magazines, and websites from around the world. She was nominated as one of the top ten fashion/editorial photographers of 2012 with the Framed Network. She has shot in different cities across Canada and began teaching Fashion & Beauty workshops in 2013. For information on workshops in the States as well as international, please email info@amandadiaz.com.
500px: How long have you been a full-time photographer and at what point in your career did you make the switch to full-time?
Amanda Diaz: I started in 2008 as I worked two jobs while shooting in my spare time. Eventually I let one of the jobs go for more photography time; then, in the summer of 2013, I quit the second job and officially became a full-time photographer. It took me five years to transition.
You’re not just a photographer—you’re also in the industry of photography education. How long have you been teaching and mentoring?
I began teaching workshops roughly around four years ago; however, I did personal mentoring occasionally during the times I still had my day jobs.
Let’s talk about the Feminine Portraiture workshop you are giving in October. Who is the workshop for, and what can participants expect to learn from you?
As a result of receiving many questions over the years from other photographers—both new and experienced—who sometimes struggled with posing women in a natural and feminine style, I decided to add this genre to my educational services. There is a “message” behind even the most subtle of poses. This workshop would be for anyone looking to learn more about femininity within their style of photography. The techniques I discuss are meant so that you can have your client or model utilize them. For example, boudoir, bridal, lifestyle, fashion, children, and so on. The workshop is a 3-day intensive and you can find more outlined detail regarding the class on my site.
Will you be running the workshop by yourself, or do you have more instructors scheduled too?
I have always been the only educator at my workshops. However, last year I had a guest come in for about an hour and teach a bit on social media and marketing.
Generally speaking, for photographers who have never participated in a workshop before, what kind of advice can you provide before they choose their first workshop?
I would say the number one question to ask yourself before making an investment towards any workshop is—will it benefit you? You should be able to see detailed information about the workshop. Also, don’t hesitate to ask questions before deciding. Better to ask than to wonder.
For interested photographers, what should they ask themselves before signing up for one of your workshops?
What is it that you are hoping to learn? If you feel that you know more than a workshop is offering, it may not be worth it—even if it’s a photographer you admire. But on the other hand, attending a workshop can also help recharge your creativity—you may learn new ways of doing things, create plenty of new portfolio-worthy images, networking, and so on. Writing a list of pros & cons before making the choice can be very beneficial. Especially if you’re indecisive like me. 😉
As part of the workshops, I understand that participants will also have access to some of your Lightroom Presets, Photoshop Overlays, and other editing tools—how will this benefit photographers who participate in the workshops, and what makes these tools unique for portraiture photography?
Yes, I always include my products at my workshops, as I use these to teach at the same time and it’s an added bonus for the students. The reason that the majority of my products are unique to portraiture is that it’s all my personal editing tools that I use. I spend a lot of time working on them as to make sure that when I am editing an image, I am getting the best results I can. Then after a while, I release them in the store to share 🙂
Workshop Information:
Feminine Portraiture Workshop
October 6, 7 & 8 2017
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Register here: https://amandadiaz.com/workshops-registration/
Plus, save with these discount codes:
Workshop Discount Code: Save $150.00 at Registration
CODE: save150ADworkshop
Store Products Code: 20% Off – Will expire April 3 2017
CODE: save20adp
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