Tag Archives: cowbelly workshop

Seattle June Cowbelly Workshop is now SOLD OUT!

March 22, 2011 – 12:44 pm

Within an hour of opening registration for the June Seattle Cowbelly Workshop this morning the workshop sold out! If you were hoping to get in but didn’t, please send me an email to workshops@cowbelly.com to be added to the waiting list. If I have enough interest it’s possible I may add a second date this summer, but it will depend entirely upon the level of interest. The waiting list, like the workshop registrations, will be first-come, first-served. It’s rare that I have cancellations, but you never know, so it can’t hurt to reach out to me. :-)

My sincere apologies to those who wanted to get in but didn’t! This was the fastest selling workshop I’ve done to date! (I feel like Jasmine Star, lol). Hopefully some of you will get into a later date, or have another opportunity to learn from me in the future! Also consider our new Portfolio and Branding Review Service, which might be a nice alternative for those who can’t attend a workshop.

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in Workshops | Also tagged , , | Comments (2)

2011 Preliminary Workshops information

February 10, 2011 – 11:30 am

I want to start this post by thanking my photographer followers sincerely for your patience with me in planning this year’s workshops. There have been so many exciting things going on behind the scenes- other events and opportunities- that all have needed to happen in tandem with each other, which has made picking dates extremely difficult. The next 6 months for me will be extremely busy, as you all will soon see. Thank you again for being so patient. :-)

With that said, I’ve got some preliminary info for y’all on 2011 workshops, and will have more detailed information coming during the rest of February. Normally I don’t release ANY information until I can release ALL of it, but given how far behind I am on everything, I’ll give you the info in snippets as I have it. It’s not ideal, but I figure it’s better than nothing!

I want to preface this blog post by saying that this information is ALL THAT I HAVE at the moment. Meaning, if it’s not in this blog post, I don’t know it/have it/decided it yet. I promise to release the detailed information as I get it. Pinky-swear.

========================================================================

PASSPORT WORKSHOP:

Date: May 13th-15th, 2011. Friday morning through Sunday night. (1-day Commercial Workshop Monday May 16th- more on that below). 3 days.

Location: San Diego! Hotel TBD.

Content: TBD, but will include photography (both studio and location), branding, marketing, pricing, sales, business basics, photo processing, gear, and workflow.

Teachers: Jamie Pflughoeft (Cowbelly Pet Photography) and J. Nichole Smith (dane + dane studios).

Cost: $1695.

Includes: lunches, snacks and beverages each day, 90-page workbook, resource CD filled with Cowbelly and dane + dane forms, all instruction and goodie bag. Does not include lodging, parking or transportation to and from workshop.

Registration opens: Tuesday March 1st, 2011. Registration deadline: Friday March 18th. All registration fees are due at the time of registration. Because of the limited availability of seats and high demand for the workshops, spaces will not be held.

This will be Nichole and my last Passport workshop stateside.

SEATTLE COWBELLY WORKSHOP:

Date: June 2nd-5th. Thursday afternoon through Sunday evening. 3.5 days.

Location: Seattle, Hotel Max downtown.

Content: TBD, but will include location photography, branding, marketing, pricing, sales, business basics, photo processing, gear, and workflow.

Teacher: Jamie Pflughoeft (Cowbelly Pet Photography)

Cost: $1495.

Includes: lunches, snacks and beverages each day, 70-page workbook, resource CD filled with Cowbelly forms, all instruction and goodie bag filled with great stuff from my sponsors (who include Asuka Book, Borrowlenses.com, Simply Canvas, ProDpi, MPIX, Creative Motion Designs, Marathon Press, ProPhoto Blogs, MCP Actions and more). Does not include lodging, parking or transportation to and from workshop.

Registration opens: Tuesday March 22nd, 2011. Registration deadline: Friday April 8th. All registration fees are due at the time of registration. Because of the limited availability of seats and high demand for the workshops, spaces will not be held.

Spaces available: 15 maximum

PASSPORT 1-DAY COMMERCIAL WORKSHOP:

Date: Monday May 16th. 8 hours.

Location: San Diego! Hotel TBD.

Content: photography, marketing, pricing, business ethics, agencies and organizations to use, and other aspects of photographing pets commercially.

Teachers: Jamie Pflughoeft (Cowbelly Pet Photography) and J. Nichole Smith (dane + dane studios).

Cost: $1195.

Includes: lunch, snacks and beverages, 20-page pdf resource guide, all instruction, commercial photography books, and goodie bag with fun stuff from our sponsors. Does not include lodging, parking or transportation to and from workshop.

Registration opens: Tuesday March 1st, 2011. Registration deadline: Friday March 18th. All registration fees are due at the time of registration. Because of the limited availability of seats and high demand for the commercial workshop, spaces will not be held.

Spaces available: 8 maximum

This will be Nichole and my last Commercial Passport workshop stateside.

And since we anticipate questions, here is a Q & A I’ve created in advance.

========================================================================

Passport Workshop Q & A:

Q. Where in San Diego will this take place?
A: We’re not sure yet! We are weighing our options as we speak. What we can tell you is that it will be held in the city of San Diego, as opposed to a suburb or outlying area.

Q: What is the difference between the Passport and Seattle Cowbelly Workshop?
A: The location for one, the items mentioned above for two, and the fact that the content of the Passport workshop is applicable to both beginners and intermediate photographers. There is also an overview of studio work, which dane + dane is experienced in, but Cowbelly is not. The Cowbelly workshop is designed strictly for beginning photographers and business owners. (see below).

Q. Can I register early?
A. Unfortunately no. To make things fair for everyone, early registration won’t be allowed.

Q. When is payment due?
A. The registration fee is due in full at the time of registration. We have a refund policy to allow for cancellations and also allow photographers to find another person to take their spot should something come up.

Cowbelly Workshop Q & A:

Q. Will I need a rental car when I come to Seattle?
A. No. The hotel will be central to everything you need within a short walk.

Q. Who are the Seattle Cowbelly workshops designed for?
A. Beginners. Those who have been in business for no more than 12 months. If you have been in business for over 12 months, I will refer you to the Passport workshop, or ask you to wait for an intermediate/advanced workshop.

Q. When is payment due?
A. The registration fee is due in full at the time of registration. We have a refund policy to allow for cancellations and also allow photographers to find another person to take their spot should something come up.

Q. Can I register early?
A. Unfortunately no. To make things fair for everyone, early registration won’t be allowed.

Commercial Workshop Q & A:

Q. Who is this workshop designed for?
A. Intermediate and advanced PET photographers. In other words, those who have solid experience photographing pets professionally (for profit). Those who have good technical mastery of their camera, and have been running businesses for long enough to understand the complexities of contractual negotiations, ethics in photography, and legal ramifications involved in working for corporations. We’ll expect each applicant to reply with an emphatic “absolutely” to the following statement: ”You feel confident in your abilities to produce outstanding shots in any situation with any pet under any lighting conditions given any shot list. Your technical skills are excellent.” We are very strict on who we allow into the commercial workshop, and would rather have an unfilled, small group than be training those who aren’t ready for the legal and business risks doing this kind of work inherently carries. If once you read the information online on the commercial workshop you’d like to attend but aren’t sure if it’s right for you, give us a shout and we’ll help you figure it out.

Q. Will there be discounts given on this workshop if you register for the Passport weekend?
A. Unfortunately no. Because of the extremely competitive nature of commercial pet photography work, and the potential for high revenue photographers stand to make with this information, there will be no discounts on the registration fee for the 1-day commercial workshop.

Q. Where will the commercial pet photography workshop take place?
A. Same location as the San Diego workhop- exact location TBD.

General:

Q: When will the websites be updated?
A: This month! Nichole and I will both be in Vegas the week of the 21st, but we are planning to have the websites completely updated with all of the information live before March 1st.

Q: Will there be discounts on the hotels in Seattle and San Diego?
A: Yes! If you book at the hotels we are holding the workshops at, you will get a very nice discount, and also have the option of rooming with your fellow attendees. Of course, you are welcome to stay wherever you like if you have your own rewards program, but we will give each attendee information on how to book at our hotels with our group code after they register. The most important thing is to register first!

Q. Where will you be teaching in 2012?
A. Haven’t gotten there yet and don’t plan to until late 2011! What I can tell you is we have no plans to return to cities I’ve taught in recently- those cities include: Santa Monica, CA, Boston MA, NYC, Atlanta GA, Austin TX, Chicago IL, or Los Angeles.

Q. Where will future Passport Workshops take place? I remember reading something about them going overseas.
A. After 2011 we plan to take the Passport show on the road- hence the name- Passport. Out next destinations will be London England or Australia. Those who are in those areas, we could use your help. The more of you who are interested in these countries, the better the chances we’ll come to your area. It looks likely that Australia will be the next stop on the itinerary, and if you are an Aussie getting this email, you can bet we’ll need your help! The planning that will go into a workshop like this will be HUGE, and we’ll take all of the support that we can get. Once we are done with the 2011 workshop we’ll start talking about what 2012 might look like.

========================================================================

Ok, whew, that’s it! That’s all we know right now! We’ll cover all of the details in the upcoming weeks, and you can keep yourself updated by following these websites:

http://www.cowbellyblog.com/category/workshops/
http://www.facebook.com/CowbellyPetPhotography

Thanks again for your patience photographers and we hope to meet you this year! :-)

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in Workshops | Also tagged , , , | Comments (1)

PASSPORT: International Pet Photography workshops by Cowbelly & dane + dane

May 10, 2010 – 12:36 pm

I am beyond excited today to announce the launch of a new brand of intense, interactive pet photography workshops. To double the awesome on the workshops I already teach, I am adding in my most esteemed colleague J. Nichole Smith as my partner, and we are taking the show on the road- internationally, starting in New York City in August. That’s right, a workshop so chock-a-block with information, with valuable resources, with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and with crazy fun cool dogs, it’s bound to blow your mind. AND, unlike the regular Cowbelly workshops, it’s open to both beginning photographers and intermediate photographers alike (with an optional Commercial + Editorial workshop open to intermediate and advanced photographers). Check out the whole meal deal below. And get excited, we know we are!

wed_background

Passport: worldwide workshops for aspiring pet photographers

Who: The Passport program is a collaborative effort between myself  (Jamie Pflughoeft, owner of Cowbelly Pet Photography)  and my treasured colleague J.Nichole Smith, founder of dane + dane studios.  Read more About Us…

What: Passport Workshops are intense and interactive – crafted for photographers aspiring to make a full-time living via their pet photography businesses. These workshops also include an optional fourth day which is centered entirely around editorial and commercial pet photography- featuring guest speakers and a real client shoot.  Read the program itinerary…

When: The inaugural program is scheduled to take place in New York City in August this year (please check the website for dates and current openings- these workshops book fast!!).

Where: These workshops will take place in destinations around the world, starting with arguably the most inspiring city of all – New York. The workshop itself will be held in the FANTASTIC Nest Loft in the Flatiron District of Manhattan.

Why: Because we have seen first-hand how hungry our pet photography peers are for information, advice, tangible resources and genuine collaboration- and we want to help in a major, life changing way. Both Nichole and I wish we had a program like this when WE were first starting out -oh the multiple “burn-outs” and expensive mistakes we would have avoided.

wed_background

For more information visit the online home of the Passport Pet Photography Workshops at: CowbellyWorkshops.com and be sure to check out the FAQ page to find answers to all of your questions.

Nitty Grits…

Registration will open this Friday May 14, 2010 at 9am PST– and not one moment sooner.  Because space is very limited and we do expect the program to fill quickly – we recommend you plan to register right away. Acceptance is on a “first come, first served” basis – so don’t miss the boat! Check out more information about NYC Registration & Rates.

PLEASE NOTE: We do screen our applicants carefully to be sure that the program will be beneficial to all who attend. Also, out of respect for our own businesses and our local colleagues, we will not be accepting any applicants who live or work in Western Washington.

Nichole and I hope to see some of you in NYC or beyond!

(Oh, and for those who have asked, I will still be teaching my annual Cowbelly workshop in Seattle every year! The June workshop is sold out, with 8 people on the waiting list, but registration for the September workshop will open on June 21st! Note: I plan to do only 2 workshops per year starting in 2011- one in Seattle in the spring or fall, and one travel workshop with Nichole.)

==========================================================================================

Updated to add:

We have gotten a lot of emails over the last two weeks asking about future locations for the passport workshops (we sent out an early notification email to the folks on our mailing list), and here is what we have tentatively planned at this point:

Given the growing demand of international pet photographers for a quality educational experience, the bulk of the workshops will be held in international locations outside of the US, with a few in the future in domestic locations. Below is what we are working toward:

International: London, Australia, Italy and Asia

Domestic: Miami, and possibly LA or  Hawaii

In regards to domestic (US) locations, we don’t have any plans to re-visit cities I have already taught in, either with the Passport workshops or the regular Cowbelly workshops, with the exception of possibly LA at some point in the (farther) future. (All regular Cowbelly workshops, taught by me alone, will take place only in Seattle from this year on.)

In regards to the numbers of workshops per year, given the massive amount of work required for planning each workshop, and our desire to continue to serve our private clients in Seattle as best as we can, Nichole and I only plan to teach one Passport workshop per year. If we follow the aforementioned schedule it would keep us busy for the better part of 7 years, so that’s enough planning for now, whew!

If you live in or near any of the above locations, and/or would like to travel to any of those locations let us know. We currently have a list of names in locations around the world, and will continue to grow this list into the future. We’re excited to see where this venture takes us, and are super excited for the inaugural workshop in New York in August!

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in Workshops | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (11)

Workshop I highlights

September 19, 2008 – 12:40 am

First off- I am still alive!! Tired in body, but very happy and energized in mind. 

In composing this post I have had a hard time knowing what to say.  I know I can never come up with the perfect description of what this past weekend was like, but here is what I CAN say: the inaugural Cowbelly Pet Photography Workshop I was all of these things: intense, exhilarating, exhausting, challenging, super fun, intellectually stimulating, laugh-out-loud hilarious, sad at times, frustrating (don’t even ask me about the projector issue), thought-provoking (boy was it ever!), and in a word: awesome. I have been abuzz with ideas and filled with happiness since Sunday, so much so that sleeping has been difficult! From what I read in the emails going around since the workshop, I am not the only one. 

I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to teach such an amazing group of women who flew in from all over the US and Canada to place their hopes and dreams in me and listen to what I had to share with them. I had never realized or considered before that I would have a ready-made group of friends following the workshop, or that they would all form fast friendships with each other. How did I ever get so lucky? :-)

Without further adieu, here are a few highlights from Workshop I last weekend.

Saturday was my favorite day. Why? Because we had a pug party!! 

The stars of the show were: Diza, Frank the one-eyed pug (Oh Frank), Barolo, and Walter. Diza- below left- in a position I won’t normally shoot dogs in, but I couldn’t resist. I mean, look at that face! I like the one on the right below, because even though Diza’s face is blurry, you can see the gals with their cameras behind her. 

Walter. This sweet boy has one of those faces that you would recognize anywhere. How cute is he?

I’m loving all of the smiles! We were shooting at high noon in part shade/part sun, which is the very worst time and place to photograph moving subjects, but it was because I made an executive decision that most of the shoot would take place in the shade because our models have short noses and therefore do not have very good internal air-conditioning systems. It was so HOT that day (85 degrees?)- I am still getting over my sunburn. Oh- and look at the little non-pugs below! We were attracting a veritable plethora of pooches. :-)

Frank, the one-eyed pug. Apparently I have been living under a rock because Frank is famous and I didn’t even know! Oh Frank, you are so handsome. Frank has his own blog that you simply must check out. 

Frank even has stickers! I have several in my office. I love them so much I am hoarding them. And no you can’t have them. You will have to go to his blog and ask for them. Neener-neener. 

Frank even has his own bicycle carrier and helmet (check out his blog to see his helmet). I think Frank is the hippest pug in town. (I still love you Charlie and Seymour, but come on- Frank has his own blog and his own bike carrier AND helmet!). 

Tell me that isn’t the coolest thing ever. :-)

Walter, in his mother’s arms. And yes, he is just as ridiculously adorable in person. 

The pugs attracted quite a bit of attention that day at the park and had people stopping in their tracks. Hey, when you are in the company of a famous pug, there are bound to be pugarrazi nearby! (sorry, I had to, hee hee)

My favorite shots from the day below. (I told you they were fantastic models!). I only wish I had had time to pull my flash or reflector out. I don’t think I have ever been so distracted shooting dogs! From left to right: Walter, Diza and Frank. I didn’t get any shots of darling Barolo! Did anyone else?

I was determined to get some shots of Diza and the beautiful polka dotted bowl, but lunch arrived, and I had about 2 shots to get what I was aiming for. I think this will have to be a follow-up shot. Whose bowl was this? Can I borrow it??

Holy pug tongue!

The stars of the show. 

I refused to leave there without at least one shot of Diza’s pink studded punk rock fabulousness. I wish I could get Fergie to wear a necklace like that. 

And last but not least, the amazing, fabulous, warm-hearted, generous, talented, INCREDIBLE group of gals at Workshop I. I love you all! FYI: that’s me center back with the black shirt and big smile. We originally had 14 scheduled, but one had something come up with work, and the other was under 2 feet of water in Florida in the midst of Hurricane Ike! (ah yes, excuses, excuses). They will both be joining me for the October workshop.

Here are some comments I have pulled from a few of the workshop attendees emails this week:

“I have learned so much this weekend….. Thank you for all your comments and suggestions. I feel much stronger than I did before I left for Seattle, I got the focus that I need.”- Angie W.

“Jamie – thank you for putting your self and your work out there for all of us to learn from.. You have worked so incredibly hard, developed a beautiful business that clearly energizes you. It would be easy to keep that to yourself and prosper.  By sharing with others I know you realize it will only come back to you tenfold.” -Bev H. 

“Jamie, Can’t thank you enough….your course was as wonderful and exciting as I had hoped, thanks for such an opportunity!” -Maria C.

” Jamie, I have thought so much about the courage and resourcefulness and dedication it has taken for you to develop and offer this workshop.  I am so inspired by your devotion to helping others, particularly women, be successful in this unique and fun field we have chosen. You are an amazing woman and I feel so fortunate that I was able to attend your very first workshop.  I learned so much from you and the other women – I don’t think all of it has really sunk in yet… I’m still processing.” -Jeanne H.

“Jamie, you are an amazing person, and I know that you exhausted yourself this weekend, thank you!”- April W.

“More accolades for the workshop!! I learned so much and now my brain is flying in all directions trying to figure out everything I need to do to be ready.  I hate being stuck at work when I want to be at home getting my website and blog all purtied up! Jamie, you did a fabulous job and gave us all something we will thank you for forever!” -Tracy A.

“Jamie – I can’t thank you enough!  The wheels are still turning trying to put together all the useful info I got from the workshop.  You’re a truly selfless woman to share all your tips and tricks to becoming successful!  I haven’t stopped talking about you and the workshop to all my friends and family back here.  I think they’re getting sick of me!” -Keriann K.

“Thank you so much for the rockin weekend! Jamie you are amazing in everything that you do!” -Jaime R.

Oh my god I am so not worthy of these comments.

I’d like to give a huge shout out to the people involved with the workshop- either directly or indirectly. A giant thank you to: all of the folks who helped me with the planning stage during the first quarter of the year: the lawyers and professors at the CDEC,  Jeff and Laura, the mentors and contract writers including the contract writer for Boeing who approved all of my contracts (planning a workshop takes a village!); my tireless assistant Christina for everything that she did over the course of 4 days- (none of it went unnoticed!), Glazer’s for saving me when the projector I rented from the ‘other’ company decided not to work (grrrr), The Baguette Box in Fremont for supplying us with such deliciously yummy food and making an exception to their ‘no weekends’ rule, (oh, and for having a dog in their logo!), to the amazing people at Olympic Reprographics for filling my order at the last minute when their competitor totally flaked on me (thank you Ian!!), to my dad for making those last-minute desperate phone calls to U-Haul to try and get us a van, to the super awesome lovely Starbucks employees in my ‘hood who made my life so much easier every morning, to Jeremy for guest speaking on the lighting portion, to Brandie for sharing all of her industry knowledge with us, to the puggy model parents for showing up at the last minute and for being so patient with all of us shooting their dogs, to the pug models for being total naturals in front of the camera, to the gals who helped me clean and tear down on Sunday night before dinner, to the photographers at the studio- Rocky, Mike, Jim and Howard- for giving me the opportunity to teach my workshops there, and last but not least to Keriann, Beth and Stephanie for indulging my tastes in champagne on Sunday night- I had a blast with you guys!!

I will post links to all of the gals’ websites from Workshop I, and of course add them to my blogroll, but want to give them a chance to get all gussied up and ready before I show them off. I think they are going to knock your socks off, truly. Some of these gals’ work puts mine to shame!

I am very much looking forward to meeting the next group at workshop II, which is in a short 2 weeks. 

Then it will be at least 6 months before the next workshop (I need some time to recover folks), which WON’T be in Seattle. All of the 2009 workshops will be in other cities- in fact, it’s now unofficially being called the ‘Cowbelly Traveling Roadshow’ (thanks for the name Wendy!). I am already about 85% sure of the cities on the 2009 target list, but still, if you’d like me to come to your town, be sure to send me an email and let me know! I am saving each email and adding each person’s name and city to my little excel spreadsheet. I have zero idea of dates yet, and know it will take a massive amount of work to make happen, and I will also have a MINIMUM enrollment per city, so if you are interested, and/or know anyone who may be please don’t hesitate to contact me.

This week and next I am catching up on proofing clients + designing new art + blog posts and have a ton of new images to share with y’all so stay tuned for that. I will also have a tiny announcement following workshop II that a few of you may find intriguing. 

OH, and before I forget: a few important workshop II updates:

I still have 4 (?) spaces left for the workshop and it’s certainly not too late to register! We are now having dinner on Saturday night instead of Sunday night, so if you’d need to leave to head home to return to work Monday morning that is totally doable- we’ll finish by 6pm-ish. We will be having portfolio review Sunday morning instead. Everything else is the same. Don’t know if the pugs will be there but I’ll have to ask! Ah, I can’t wait. 

Life is good and it just keeps getting better. :-)

Hope everyone is having a terrific week!

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in Workshops | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (22)
Top