If you are a client or one of my brides, this blog post about a training seminar I attended might be boring to you-I apologize in advance for the industry speak and education talk. So scroll down to see Amanda and Dante’s engagement session at Disney’s Boardwalk instead. If you are a photographer considering this seminar, I highly recommend it. 🙂

Last night, I attended Sandy Puc’s Power of Passion Tour with special guest Jerry Ghionis in Orlando. As a newer photographer, I believe in attending classes and training whenever possible, always learning and advancing my skills. However, some seminars in our industry cost hundreds, even thousands, of dollars for less than 12 hours of instruction. I want to get a good value for my educational dollar and not fall into the “buy buy buy” culture. This class could not be beat for $79 (normally $99, but I had a discount code), and the class ran from 2pm until 7:30 with a few breaks.

I am so, so thankful for Sandy and Jerry and team for bringing this opportunity to Orlando. It has changed me for the better and inspired me to be the best, nicest person I can be every single day.

Suggestions from an Attendee (and I’m being nitpicky here, and am in no way qualified to tell people what to change, just my two cents’ worth):

*This is on the venue, not on Sandy and Jerry and team, but the seats were small (I’m a small woman to begin with) and tighter than economy class on an airline. I attended with a friend of mine who also is a photographer, and I was practically bumping her as I took notes. Sorry, Jen!

*The trade show area was in the hallway and it was extremely tight there as well. I briefly looked through the Finao albums and would have liked to look at more of the booths, but it was just too crowded to attempt.

*The timing seemed a little off with breaks. The first break was pretty far into the show, and then the second and last breaks were close together, with the last break coming just fifteen minutes before the end. There might be a reason for this, but I thought the first segment seemed long, although I was engrossed in the material (3 hours).

*You are not supposed to take photos or video during the seminar, including with your phone. It was a little distracting to me that those in front of me kept taking photos and video with their iPhones, but they may not have known the rules.

What I Loved (I’m being vague because I want you to go see it for yourself!):

*Jerry and Sandy are the real deal. They are long-time pros in the industry with years of experience. Sandy excels at marketing and Jerry is a master of his craft.

*The posing instruction was excellent.

*Professional instruction and presentation

*Many freebies, templates, and trial memberships

*Prizes-I didn’t win, but it was cool to have so many opportunities.

*Sandy has a truly kind heart and is a good person. Much of the show was about inspiring you and emotions (hence “Power of Passion” as the title). I usually shy away from “soft” topic instruction such as this since it doesn’t provide concrete information, but at the start of wedding season, we need a little boost to remember why-emotionally-we chose to become photographers.

*I loved that the show was on a Sunday. In the past, I’ve wanted to attend trainings, but they have fallen on wedding days-typically Fridays and Saturdays.

*No pressure to buy anything. I read a review recently that said there were a lot of sales pitches at their show. I didn’t find that to be the case at all.

*Having the chance to network and meet local photogs-Hi, Carolyn!

*For me, the absolute best part was Jerry’s presentation on not just photographing what you are given, but making an image and thinking outside of the box. This was UNREAL and you will have to see it to believe it. Do not miss this part and your mind will be blown. Shouts of “No way?!!!” and “What!” were coming from people’s mouths-it is amazing.

I will gladly attend any future tours from Sandy and/or Jerry. It was amazing and an excellent value-$79 and I would even go as far as to say it was life changing and invigorating. You should sign up right now if you haven’t already!

And because blog posts are boring without a photo, I leave you with an image I never posted from a few months ago:

Thanks for reading! Thanks again, Sandy and Jerry. I owe you big time for your expertise and advice!