As promised, here are some behind the scene photos of last month’s workshop. Thank you so much to everyone that attended and also a big thank you to Maree Louw from Natural light Photography  for taking these photos.

Venue: Clouds Estate
Flowers: Mariette from Varsliefde
Decor and stationary: Anelle from Seven Swans
Make-up & Hair: Alicia

In the first week of October I hosted another workshop here in Stellenbosch. This time the theme for the workshop was fun, quirky and very colourful. In general I tend to go for the very simple, down to earth colours, but this time I challenged myself to do something a bit bolder. :) The funky flowers were done by Mariette from Varsliefde and the decor and stationary by Anelle from Seven Swans.

The couple, Kim and Dave, are friends of mine. They recently got engaged and I knew they would be the perfect couple for the shoot!

I also want to thank Clouds Estate for the use of their venue and Alicia for the gorgeous hair and make-up.

* Behind the scene photos coming next week.

And with these great photos, I’m going to open up an opportunity to you. If you’re a photographer, and you’ve always wanted to attend one of my workshops, here is an opportunity….I’m giving away one spot for someone at next week’s workshop. Yes, for FREE…but before you go all crazy…please read the T & C below (I know I hate T & C’s too, but they are there for a reason :)

Terms and Conditions:

• You have to be available from 9:00 till 18:00 on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 October to attend.
• You will be shooting the behind the scenes photos of the workshop, while attending (testing your multi-tasking abilities here :)
• Photos need to be available within one week after the shoot, edited and sent to me on DVD or CD.
• Your photos will be shared on my blog with a link to your site.
• To apply, please leave a comment of why you want to attend + your blog URL.
• NO emails or FB messages will be accepted, only comments on this post.
• I will choose someone and let you know by Monday 10 October.
• If you were not chosen, please don’t be sad, I only have one spot. But more workshops coming next year (no dates or cities released yet). If you’d like to be on our waiting list, please fill in one of the forms here.)

Thanks again Claudia for these great photos (and yes, next time I’m going to try and open up my eyes when I laugh :D)

View more photos on Claudia’s website: Part 1 and Part 2

Service Providers:

Venue: Middedorp
Stationery: Anelle | Seven Swans
Flowers: Elmarie | El Le Fleur Studio
Hair & Makeup:: Sebastine Pepler
Dress & Headpiece:: Kobus Dippenaar
Couple: Betina Louw & Wouter Du Toit
Behind The Scenes Photographer: Claudia De Nobrega | VDA STUDIOS

In the beginning of September I did a workshop with 10 girls here in Stellenbosch. The workshop was a fun, informal two days with loads of talking, discussing and some shooting. In my workshops I share a lot about my business and talk through all the issues and questions photographers have regarding the business of wedding photography.

The workshop took place at the gorgeous Middedorp Manor guesthouse in Stellenbosch. The stationery and flowers were sponsored by Anelle from Seven Swans and Elmarie from El Le Fleur. I also want to thank Betina & Wouter for helping out as our models, as well as Sebastine Pepler for the fabulous make-up and hair styling. And Betina’s beautiful dress and hair piece was sponsored by Kobus Dippenaar.

The behind the scenes was also captured by Claudia from VDA Studios and will be shared on the blog soon :)

Then I want to share some very exciting news :) For the first time ever we filmed my workshop! Thank you to the fabulous team of Ryan de Wit of Unicorn Wedding Films for the gorgeous movie! You can view the movie at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!

The amazing vendors:

Behind the scenes photographer: Gerhard Nel Photography
Photolocation: Landgoed Te Werve
Organisation: Anouschka Rokebrand and Jo-Anne van der Lelij
Styling: a collaboration between Jo-Anne, Nancy and Brigitte
Ceremoniemeesters van der Lelij: Jo-Anne van der Lelij
Hair and Make-up: Cynthia Heydra for Hey Beauty
Flowers: Pink9Design, Nancy & Edwin
Weddingdress and shoes: Victors Wedding Design
Stationery (by Envelopments): MarryWise, Brigitte Mes
Cake, cupcakes: My Sweet Appetite, Marieke de Korte
Outfit groom: Roka
Videography: Unicorn Wedding Films, Ryan de Wit

Christine Meintjes Photo Workshop -THE MOVIE- from Ryan de Wit on Vimeo.

The yellow details were all put together by an incredible team! To read more about the service providers, see part 1 of the workshop.

At the workshop I shared on how to shoot details and get the best result from different angles. I believe details is a very important part of any wedding. The details help to tell the story of the couple and their personality. I absolutely love details! :)

Thanks again to every one that helped to great this room filled with yellow joy!

Part 3 will follow soon :)

The amazing vendors:

Behind the scenes photographer: Gerhard Nel Photography
Photolocation: Landgoed Te Werve
Organisation: Anouschka Rokebrand and Jo-Anne van der Lelij
Styling: a collaboration between Jo-Anne, Nancy and Brigitte
Ceremoniemeesters van der Lelij: Jo-Anne van der Lelij
Hair and Make-up: Cynthia Heydra for Hey Beauty
Flowers: Pink9Design, Nancy & Edwin
Weddingdress and shoes: Victors Wedding Design
Stationery (by Envelopments): MarryWise, Brigitte Mes
Cake, cupcakes: My Sweet Appetite, Marieke de Korte
Outfit groom: Roka
Videography: Unicorn Wedding Films, Ryan de Wit

One of the places we visited, while in Europe, was Den Haag, Holland, where I hosted a two day workshop with some fabulous wedding photographers. The two day workshop started with my story, telling some bits and pieces of where I come from & what I’ve learned in the past 5 years, as well as talking through some business topics, such as marking, planning & workflow. The first day is always an exciting one, as it ends with a beautiful styled shoot. One of my favourite things in the world! A room filled with pretty things!

This time the workshop styling was put together by some of the best service providers in the Dutch industry! The workshop was inspired by Anouschka Rokebrand contacting me, asking whether I would come and share about photography, while in Holland. I was excited straight away! After some Skype meetings, Anouschka & Jo-Anne from Wedspiration, contacted some service providers to help out with the styling. I put together a very yellow moodboard, which it totally not me :) But something I’ve always wanted to try out and I forwarded it to the girls. The styling on the day was a collaboration of a great team (see all credits below) and some fabulous yellow joy! Thank you to everyone that made this dream come true! I absolutely fell in love with this shoot and you guys made it all possible!

A special thanks to Anouschka & Ray for all your organizing and Ray for taking time out to help behind the scenes!  Jo-Anne van der Lelij, Birgitte & Nancy for the gorgoues styling. Thank you to Gerhard Nell for being such an inspiration and for all the behind the scene photos in this post. Thank you to Marieke for the yummy cake. Thank you to Birgitte for her stylish stationary. Thank you to Victor for making the fabulous wedding dresses. Thank you to Cynthia for the make-up and hair. Thank you to Ryan & his team for the fantastic video (coming with the next post) that will always recall all the fun times we had at the workshop! You guys did such a great job!

Then, without all the photographers, there would be no workshop! Thank you for each one of you for attending and listening to what I had to share. Thank you for inspiring me and making me and iaan feel at home! You guys were simply awesome! xox

p.s My photo shoot photos coming next :)

The amazing vendors:

Behind the scenes photographer: Gerhard Nel Photography
Photolocation: Landgoed Te Werve
Organisation: Anouschka Rokebrand and Jo-Anne van der Lelij
Styling: a collaboration between Jo-Anne, Nancy and Brigitte
Ceremoniemeesters van der Lelij: Jo-Anne van der Lelij
Hair and Make-up: Cynthia Heydra for Hey Beauty
Flowers: Pink9Design, Nancy & Edwin
Weddingdress and shoes: Victors Wedding Design
Stationery (by Envelopments): MarryWise, Brigitte Mes
Cake, cupcakes: My Sweet Appetite, Marieke de Korte
Outfit groom: Roka
Videography: Unicorn Wedding Films, Ryan de Wit

Along my journey, I have learned to use my camera in a way that makes me feel confident and in control. I’ve also made some stupid mistakes and unfortunately wasted money on unnecessary things. In this journey, I took some detours and here and there, I discovered short cuts. In my business, I’ve created some processes that help me run a smoother operation :) and I try to improve them all the time.

A few years ago, I had some enquiries from photographers to help them with their photography and businesses, and so my first workshop was born. In my workshops, I have the privilege to share these stories & business tips, that help and hopefully inspire other photographers :)

When I did my first workshop two years ago, I imagined the workshop to be something like of a group of photographers sitting around a kitchen table, sipping on some coffee and tea. They would talk about photography and their businesses (the two topics that really inspire me), sharing what they know and learning from each other. This intimate, friendly environment is the kind of environment I try to create at a workshop.

When iaan and I planned our trip to Europe this summer, we thought it would be a great opportunity to do a few workshops. But planning these kind of things all the way from South Africa, is not a joke! Lucky for me, I had a great team behind the scenes of each of the workshops. The guys and girls that were involved, were totally amazing! Thank you to every single one that helped out (see the credits for more detail. Den Haag, Holland workshop will follow next week :)

For the Munich workshop, I firstly want to thank Doreen Winking for being so willing to help me with all the organizing and styling. Thank you for being such an awesome person and for setting aside time to do this, even though you are in the middle of your wedding season! You have always been willing to help me and I’m so grateful!

A big ‘thank you’ also to Carmen from Caringo for all the behind the scene photography! I know you guys are REALLY, REALLY busy and have so much editing to do, but for those days you chose to help me. I really appreciate it!

Ingo, thank you for organizing the venue and allowing Carmen to come and shoot the behind the scenes for me :) Thank you to Julia Hörl for the very creative and pretty flowers! (and especially for getting those pink Peonies just for me! You know how much I love them!!)

Thank you to Barbara Gerdes for organizing the models, the clothing from Mitgift Bridal Lounge, as well as doing the hair and makeup.

I also want to thank Elsje’s team (all the way in South Africa!) for making the gorgeous stationary and paper cut outs! Every single one of you are amazing!

Then, there would be no workshop, if it wasn’t for the photographers that attended. Thank you to each one of you! It was great to meet you guys! You guys taught me so much about the German wedding industry. Each one of you taught me something and I can’t wait to see your dreams become a reality! Thank you for enriching my life.

xoxo

ps. please note the behind the scene photos were taken by Carmen from Caringo :), only the styling and model photos are mine :)

After these two events, Iaan and I will be hosting two workshops in each city. At this stage we’re still planning, but what we can tell you is the dates, content, areas and costs. So if you’re interested in any of these, please email me. There will be limited seats, so booking is essential. (For bookings please mail workshops at christinemeintjes.co.za)

The two workshops that will be hosted:

1. Christine Meintjes Photography workshop

A two day workshop where I will share my story and journey in the field of wedding photography. The classes are very small and intimate, like a group of friends sitting around a dinner table, chatting about the things they love! At the workshop I will share about what I’ve learned along the way in the areas of business, marketing, shooting & post production (Lightroom)

On the first day we will talk about the equipment I use in different situations, as well as do a styled couple shoot.

Cost: 400 Euro (drinks and lunch included) For photos of previous workshops click HERE.

2. Social Media workshop

A one day workshop, where iaan will share the following:

Introduction
The difference between conversational- and broadcast-communication and why it is time for your business to focus on engaging in conversation and stop merely broadcasting a message.

Facebook
See the business purpose that Facebook has apart from a personal communication tool. How to share information in a way that utilizes the network-effect Facebook to increase the reach of you message. The differences between profiles, groups and pages will be explained to show the benefit and purpose of each.

Twitter
What is twitter and why it should not be ignored. A systematic look at setting up you account, modifying your profile to optimally make use of the available options. Step by step explanations of how to tweet, re-tweet, direct message, mentions and searching.

Google analytics
The reason why analytics is a vital part of a social media strategy. How to set up an account and make sense of the data.

Cost: 150 Euro (lunch included)

Cities we’ll be visiting:

Munich, Germany
6 – 7 July 2011: Christine Meintjes Workshop
8 July: Social Media Workshop

Den Haag, Holland
13-14 July: Christine Meintjes Workshop
12 July: Social Media Workshop

For bookings please mail workshops at christinemeintjes.co.za

I’ll also be open to shooting portrait sessions, as well as on-to-one sessions. If you’re interested please email me.

The workshop was hosted at our favourite restaurant Coginto in Stellenbosch. The topics covered were about one of the things Iaan and I love: Social media. I can’t imagine my life without it! Social media has given me the opportunity to expand my business internationally, even though I live in South Africa. It has helped me to build relationships with people in other countries and to stay up to date with what’s going on in my friends’ lives, even though I don’t see them that often.

Social media is important; in my opinion, it’s crucial! And if you don’t know how to use it correctly, you’ll probably think it’s not worth spending time on. But as Iaan said in the workshop. “Social media is not a waste of time. It’s part of your job!”

Think of it this way, social media is like the radio. It’s constantly making conversation and if you’re not listening to it, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth listening to, you’re just choosing to miss out.

A big thank you to my team, Adri and Candice for all your help! Thank you to Cognito for the facilities and wonderful food. Thank you to webnow for the free Wi-Fi. And to Lizelle Lotter for the awesome photos!!

Iaan and I were too blessed with the emails, FB messages and tweets that came in over the weekend. Here is one testimony:

Dear Iaan and Christine. (and the rest of the KIKI team)

I can’t thank you all enough! The workshop was AMAZING! I learned so much! Thank you for sharing your knowledge so freely, it’s amazing how you guys are so willing to share your information. As soon as I got home, I switched on my Mac and started applying all the things I learned! I’m so excited for the future of my business. You gave me hope!

I can’t wait for the next workshop!!

Our next Social Media workshop will be in Centurion, Gauteng on the 10th of March.

The workshop is a full day and we only have 23 seats available.

If you’re interested, book your seat here. (R750 pp, We had to add R100 for the Gauteng workshop to cover some of our traveling costs.)

This workshop is open to any business owner, not just to photographers..

If you’d like to be on the waiting list for the next Stellenbosch social media workshop (or tell us where you’d like us to come and we’ll be there): please fill in this form.

The content of the workshop:

• Share knowledge about the philosophy of social media
• Blogging introduction
• Why a business should care about Facebook with practical tips
• Understanding Twitter and how to use it effectively
• The basics of Google Analytics and how to implement it on your blog/website
• Q & A