Participation in this workshop was a must for me.
WHO IS YERVANT?
Yervant’s enthusiasm in photography began at a very young age, he has mastered the craft of capture, retouching and dark room techniques since youth as he spent a lot of time after school and during vacations learning and then experimenting at his father’s studio.
Yervant is a member of AIPP, the Australian Institute of Professional Photography where he has established himself as one of the most awarded photographers in Australia and in fact the world.
Yervant was honoured with a Fellowship of AIPP for his unparalleled achievements which have created milestones for the industry at large.
Yervant is known for his signature style of capture, he has in fact coined “Fashion meets Wedding” as the best description of his modern approach to the traditional world of wedding photography.
Yervant is the first professional wedding photographer who adopted and adapted Digital Technology from an early date, he is often referred to as a pioneer in the field.
He is a sought after mentor, tutor and presenter and travels internationally to meet and inspire his peers and encourage the new comer to the wonderful world of professional photography.
If you are serious about photography, you must make sure to meet Yervant in your career path and be inspired from one of the most iconic Masters of photography.
Text source: http://www.yervantphotography.com/about-yervant/
The workshop of Yervant is the first of its kind in Germany, as it is mainly active in USA, Italy and Australia, the participation was a must for me.
He has over 30 years as a wedding photographer, work experience and has always been a role model for me since the beginning. As a wedding photographer you know your colleagues and above all, great masters.
After registering for the workshop, the trip takes me to Berlin!
There are 2 days planned and takes place in Berlin Sofitel 5 * hotel, where I also booked a nice room for the night.
. . . . . . . .
Day 1 – (15. Oktober 2014 )
We are received nicely, I see the maestro and his wife Anie.
At the beginning I am a bit nervous, except for me there are 15 other participants, the nervousness is slowly gone.
In the workshop you can imagine it as in a school or university: the teacher is "Yervant" and we the students are the participants.
We all introduce ourselves one by one, I realize there are some very good local photographers who want to expand their expertise like me.
After that, Yervant and Anie introduce themselves and begin their program with theoretical part.
Already at the beginning, I realize that the participation was really worthwhile, because a lot of expertise is taught here. Not just how to deal with customers, but small, psychological, logical tricks one can and should use.
A small example for a question?
What do you mean: why have hotels in the rooms, carpet on the floor instead of tiles?
Answer!
To make the guest feel like they are at home!
What does it have to do with photography?
Transfer the trick to your studio that your customer already feels at home!
And what if I do not have a studio but only a small apartment?
Meet in a nice eatery and have coffee with your customers! And many other tips that are important ...
Then it goes into the practical part:
We expect 3 good looking models. The dresses are one-off pieces handmade by Anie "Anies Couture"
In the hotel, Yervant shows us that it is possible to achieve interesting results in dark rooms, with a small light source. Here, too, the background is important.
Then we go to the streets and the master shows us what background we should find, see and use.
I listen attentively, camera settings are explained: ISO, aperture and shutter speed and why to set it. You should be able to communicate with the model so the bride and constantly give instructions.
It is very important to learn how to adjust the camera settings routinely and to already consider new ideas in advance: pose of the bride, at the same time thinking of the background and the camera settings.
First of all, we shoot the photos together in a team, giving each participant the opportunity to take photos from the same perspective as Yervant.
After learning what to look for, we split into 3 groups. Each group gets a model and we go off to take creative photos. We now decide where we are going.
Yervant sets off with another group and we arrange a meeting point so that everyone gets the opportunity to photograph each of the 3 models and Yervant can look over your shoulder.
Now Yervant looks over my shoulder and lets me navigate the model alone.
I decide for a wrong place!
I hear criticism from Yervant behind my back as he whispers to another photographer that I make a mistake and do not see the light and understand it, he says I consider myself a professor!
This review unsettles me and I become a flop.
Then Yervant takes over the model and explains my mistakes!
He says, "You have to see the light and use the light sources, besides, you are too crude with the model, put yourself in the position of a woman, how does a bride think, how does she feel?"
I realize how right he is, of course I openly deal with criticism, only one thing I do not like when I'm called a professor. "I am here to learn and that it is not appropriate to blaspheme behind the back"
Yervant apologizes and then says you have what it takes to be a good photographer, but navigate people with emotion!
Then we walk through the streets and shoot together great photos!
. . . . . . . .
Yervant likes my white glove, he says: Are you Michael Jackson?
I answer ironically: Yes, I'm a big fan!
Why do I always wear a white glove, does anyone know?
I am always asked at weddings why I wear it because of the equipment?
Quite simply because I love my tool and the operation of the camera feels better, I decided to try a glove. I was able to work more pleasantly and it became my trademark over time.
It is my signature feature and I can clean the display of the camera on the fast. Sometimes I wipe over mirrors or glass to clean the surface, as I said has many advantages.
. . . . . . . .
At 6 pm we all go out to eat together and our first day is over. Yervant calls us another homework assignment:
You choose a picture that you have done today and, in your opinion, the best! Tomorrow we'll talk about it and go through the theoretical part, image editing, posing as a photographer, selling and marketing.
I'm looking forward to the second day and I do not know exactly which photo to take.
I meet new colleagues from Lithuania, Moscow, England, Norway, Belarus, Poland and Germany
DAY 2 – (16. Oktober 2014 )
The next day I chose a photo on the fast.
Each participant copies a photo to a USB stick. Yervant takes the photos and together we look at it on the projector.
The first participants get criticism from Yervant: Attention if you photograph from below, pay attention to the arms, nose that should be at the right angle to make it look good. The next one is over, again criticism.
I'm excited what will he say about my photo, after all he called me a professor? I love criticism, I'm very excited and nervous, what does Yervant say ... ..?
....... only one word "Beautiful "...., I am stunned, ahh really?
I thought with this model we had the most fun in our group and I take this photo because she was very nice to me as a person!
„Beautiful“
After the evaluation of the photos, it goes into the editing in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
Yervand chooses a picture, distributes it to all participants as RAW file and says: "Let's get started"
He opens Photoshop and launches, shows us on the projector what he does and we do every step on our laptop.
Since his program is in English, it was a bit difficult for me because I did not know many steps.
In any case, it was very interesting to work together, the result can be seen here.
Why did I do the workshop at Yervant?
It was very important to me that I met my idol in person one day. Already at the beginning of my career as a wedding photographer in 2007, I knew him and always wanted to attend his workshop! At first I thought it was a far-off goal, as he mainly gives workshops only abroad. But subconsciously I knew that we would meet someday.
I started photographing weddings and got better with the years and after 7 years I finally got closer to my goal and I finally decided to fulfill my dream, because he comes to Berlin, it was my great chance to be there.
I can say that the workshop was well worth it for me, I was able to meet new colleagues and learn new skills that are very useful to me. I was allowed to dive into his editing of the photos, I mean, to get to know Yervant's style. He has his own distinctive style similar to Picasso, just as an artist in the wedding industry.
His style takes some getting used to, he deliberately cuts body parts or the face with the neckline and he does not care because he uses it to highlight certain details such as lips!
He uses a lot of Photoshop and uses strong retouching, he often works with dark tones, so he paints his artwork. If you look at his photos, they are unique, "Fashion meets Wedding" is his motto and meets his style exactly.
His workshop is one of the most expensive I've ever done. Who also dreams of meeting Yervant in person and considering whether it is worth the money to spend on the workshop?
In my opinion, is worth a workshop at Yervant, you will be charged like a battery, if it is their desire to meet him personally, then do it, treat yourself in life!
I still rave about the fact that I was able to learn from the best in the world and that my dream came true!
Anyone who gives up on a dream will most likely never dream again, and who has stopped dreaming has stopped being alive.
– Winston Churchill –
