The Anti-Workshop: Austin RECAP

Well, we’re finally home from our first workshop in Austin, Texas. The city was fabulous, the photographers were awesome and we could not have asked for better partners in crime – The Coopers.
Day One was a lot of fun. People arrived at the Alamo Draft House Cinema for some introductions and classroom time. The Alamo is a restored movie theater in the Warehouse District of Austin.

People were greeted at the door with some fun gift bags and huge movie-themed posters of our work, printed by The Most Awesome Lab In The World!


Here’s a couple of shots of the inside of the theater, where we held all of our classroom sessions.


A couple students deep in thought….

Then it was time for our first shooting exercise! Students were divided into groups and given a really difficult challenge – to tell a photo narrative using only a pinata and a Polaroid camera! No fancy cameras or hot models here! Students had to reach deep inside to come up with a cool idea. And they did! We had narratives ranging from a Superman giraffe who saved the day, to Fransisco, the purple pony, and his first trip to a local gay bar. Everyone had a ton of fun! Here’s a shot of the pinatas, waiting for their close-ups.

We finished off Day One with a Happy Hour Critique session. Everyone ran to the bar, grabbed a beer and shared their awesome work.

On Day Two, we went on a Photo Scavenger Hunt! Each team was given a model and 2 hours to make all sorts of images. Doug, myself and John ran all over downtown Austin shooting with each group. Here’s one team working their magic -

And another shooting somewhere unexpected -

Then it was time for us to shoot the models! Here are some of our shots from the day -










On Day Three, we headed to The Cathedral of Junk in South Austin. The Cathedral is really one of the most amazing things I have every seen. The artist has devoted the last 20 or so years of his life working on this two-story structure. It was a real honor to shoot there, and even more exciting to share it with 40 new friends. The only downside…. it was 30 degrees! Needless to say, this California girl didn’t handle the cold weather too well.
Here are some shots of the junk -


We were incredibly blessed to have the uber-talented wonder couple, The Bebbs, as our models. Jen and Steve braved a blizzard, airport delays and slept on the ground for a night, just to be there for us. As if that didn’t suck enough, they modeled in wedding gear in 30 degree weather! They are awesome photographers, but even better friends.
Here’s what they were up against – 40 freezing-cold photographers with giant cameras.

And a couple (okay, A LOT) of our shots from The Cathedral -













Here’s a shot of John and Dalisa -

And the Anti-Crew -

Special thanks to everyone who attended. We had a blast, learned a lot and made some friends! And to The Coopers, who are THE best partners in crime a girl could ask for!