Anytime you give me the chance to escape from 30 degrees and wind to spend a weekend in tropical 70 degrees, you can bet that I’m going to snatch that up quick. So when I found the Click Away conference, which is built specifically for family photographers, but also for the hobbyist and professional alike, was being held on Amelia Island, I knew this was one I wouldn’t want to miss!
This was the view from our room…
Once we arrived and saw our room, I was amazed at our ocean view!! It really couldn’t have been better. We opened the sliding balcony door every night and let the crashing waves send us to sleep. They literally sounded like thunder. The day we arrived was cloudy and overcast, so when I first heard the waves, I thought it was a thunderstorm.
The Click Away ended up being over my sister’s birthday, so she got to come along for a special birthday trip. And of course I had to get her in front of my camera for a special birthday session. She’s growing up on me…
Goodness, she’s becoming so grown up.
She was even nice enough to take some beach pictures of me! But of course, me being the way I am, this is how they turned out. đ
I’m going to go full disclosure and tell you that I got lost SO many times on the resort. #directionallychallenged But in my defense, the place is huge! Days were packed with indoor boutique sessions, outdoor boutique sessions, business classes, and so much more. Thankfully, there was a 2 hour lunch break every day, so you can bet I was out on the beach soaking up the sun. đ (and yes, I came back with a sandal tan line….)
Both of the first mornings on Amelia Island dawned foggy. You honestly couldn’t even see the ocean from our balcony. Sunday morning came, and I was lazily resting when Josie got up and went out on our balcony. I cracked my eyes open and realized it was much brighter than it had been previous mornings. I got up and looked out to see clear skies and the sun just peeking over the ocean. “Josie!! Why didn’t you tell me??” were the first words out of my mouth. đ I grabbed my camera and ran down the endless hallway, with Josie right beside me, (of course we would be at the very end of the resort) down the elevator, up and across the bridge, and finally down to the ocean. The beach was lined with photographers; all of us coming down to watch the timeless and ever-new occurrence of the sun dawning on a new day. Wow. It was so worth it.
And the one sunset I was able to see wasn’t too bad either.
There were so many amazing instructors that shared their passion, love of photography, tips, knowledge, and beautiful model families with us. I came home with almost 400 pictures from the 2 1/2 days I was there. Not ashamed one bit. But I also can’t stop staring at them.
After such a refreshing weekend learning better ways to serve my clients, meeting new friends, and getting such precious photos of sweet families, I’m so ready to hit 2018 with my spokesmodel families and other clients. đ
Annnnd if anyone wants to fly me out to the beach to do their family pictures, I AM THERE. đ
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