Photography duo, Olga and Katherine, of Wild & Grace have curated a workshop, Find Your Wild, for wedding photographers to fine-tune their skills, breathe in fresh ideas and be immersed in the company of like minded creatives. Set beneath the Southern Alps, Find Your Wild is perfectly positioned to explore some epic locations, chase the sun and and absorb the breathtaking alpine views.
We are excited to be supporting Find Your Wild, and our Wild Hearts Director, Samantha, will be a guest speaker along with an amazing lineup of New Zealand Photographers who we absolutely adore, including Sophie & Si from Bayly & Moore, Ana Galloway, Charlotte Kiri Photography and Jai Long.
We caught up with Olga and Katherine to hear about their plans for Find Your Wild, which is running 19 – 21 October 2020. If you’re looking for a way to feed your soul and ignite your inner creative, read below for more details.
Who is Wild & Grace? Tell us about yourselves, how you started and the beautiful journey you are on today:
Hello, we are Katherine and Olga, a duo of friends behind Wild & Grace. We met in Auckland 6 years ago at a fashion shoot and became friends straight away. We are both cinema junkies, art lovers and avid travellers. Our approach to wedding photography is based on our pure love for a couples narrative, and New Zealand landscapes.The raw emotions and an authentic connection between people are the main storylines we try to capture. Taking our couples for an adventure, finding the magic light, and being present in the moment with two people in love, is what fills our hearts.
What inspired you to create ‘Find Your Wild’?
After 5 years of capturing couples in love, more than a hundred weddings all over New Zealand and around the world, we decided that we were ready to share our knowledge and experience. At ‘Find Your Wild’ we talk about how to stop comparing your work to others and set yourself apart. We also believe that being inspired and staying curious can push your creative and professional growth forward.
We thought it would be great to get together with some brilliant minds from the wedding industry and organise a space for those who need a kick to get going. Especially now, during the pandemic, when it is not easy to keep your head up.
Tell us about the next ‘Find Your Wild’ workshop coming up in October and who you have joining you?
Our next ‘Find Your Wild’, is a two (and a half!) day workshop and is going to be immersive, intense and fun. The workshop offers the opportunity to grow both creatively and strategically, through epic live shoots, teaching and editing sessions, group discussions, and hands on portfolio reviews with us, and one of our guest mentors.
We will have four live shoots with real couples, and incredible locations beneath the Southern Alps. Making the most of sunrises and sunsets in the mountains for engagement and styled elopement shoots. This is an opportunity to create some amazing portfolio images.
We want to create a happy mix of learning, inspiration, and reflection to give each other fresh ideas, and new connections. Add in a beautiful eco retreat surrounded by majestic mountains, good food and great company!
As well as Wild & Grace, we have amazing guest mentors Sophie and Simon from ‘Bayly & Moore’, Ana Galloway, Charlotte Kiri and Samantha Gerard, plus Jai Long will be joining us online.
What makes ‘Find Your Wild’ different from other photography workshops?
We’ve always had an idea to curate a boutique workshop with our favourite photographers from the Wedding industry. We are bringing together some of New Zealand’s best wedding photographers to share their wealth of knowledge, experience and techniques, so everyone attending takes away something personal and new.
An important part of any workshop is the live shoots. So we really wanted to dedicate more time to this aspect to improve shooting skills and build beautiful portfolios. With this in mind we have organised four shoots, including one styled by Samantha Gerard of Wild Hearts, with not one but two beautiful couples. We think this offers something unique to our workshop.
At ‘Find Your Wild’, we want everyone to feel like a part of one big happy family, so we encourage communal meals, and late night fireside chats.
Tell us about the destination you will be staying at?
We wanted to host our workshop somewhere close to epic locations, and keep it comfortable and homelike at the same time. Camp Glenorchy is a modern eco retreat, set in one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand. Their eco-friendly and sustainable practices compliment our own values, and tick all the right boxes. We are very excited to host ‘Find Your Wild’ in such a special place.
Who is the workshop for?
This workshop is for wedding photographers who want to get inspired, to dig deep and take their craft to the next level. If you have a few weddings under your belt, then this workshop is for you.
2020 has been a challenging year, so we feel inspired to make our workshop truly nourishing, motivating and beautiful. We all need some positivity and magic in our lives, and some hope and inspiration in our craft.
How many spots do you have left and where can people book?
The workshop initially sold out in a week when we first announced it back in January. Due to the pandemic and our current border closures, we now have 3 spots available for NZ local photographers.
To secure a spot visit us at: www.wildandgrace.nz/2020-workshop/
Words by Isabelle McKay.
