More Than a Newborn Photography Retreat | The Friendships That Inspired Tiny Studio

I recently had the incredible opportunity to attend a small-group newborn photography retreat with Arielle Elizabeth Photography and Honeywild Photography, and I came home with so much more than beautiful photographs and new photography techniques.

I came home with friends. The kind of friends who understand exactly why I get so excited about a perfectly wrapped baby, a beautiful little pocket of light, or the tiniest adjustment to a newborn pose.

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And honestly, I think that might have been the best part of the entire experience.

I've been photographing newborns for years, but even after all this time, I still feel like I'm just beginning. There's so much to learn, so much to explore, and so many incredibly talented people doing things I never would have thought of on my own.

I went to this retreat excited to learn from two wonderful photographers. What I didn't expect was to discover that everyone else in our little group had just as much knowledge, creativity, and experience to share.

I went expecting an incredible learning opportunity.

I came home feeling like I'd found my people.

A House Full of Newborn Photography Nerds

Imagine getting a bunch of newborn photographers together in one house. We could talk about lighting, posing, wrapping, editing, and babies for hours, and nobody would get bored.

I loved it.

If you've ever met someone who shares one of your very specific interests, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Suddenly, you can talk for hours about something that makes everyone else in your life politely nod and change the subject.

For me, that something is newborn photography.

There is something so wonderful about being surrounded by people who understand why we get excited about the things we do. We can spend an unreasonable amount of time discussing a tiny adjustment to a baby's fingers, the direction of a light, or the way a wrap falls across a newborn's shoulder.

And nobody thinks it's strange.

Well, maybe we are a little strange. But at least we're strange together.

I loved the photography, of course. But I also loved the conversations, the laughter, the time around the fireplace, and those moments when nobody seemed quite ready to call it a night.

There was so much love in that house. Love for photography, love for learning, and eventually, a whole lot of love for one another.

I went to a photography retreat and came home with some new besties.

Even After All These Years, I Still Feel Like I'm Just Beginning

One of the things I love most about newborn photography is that I don't think I'll ever reach a point where I feel like I've learned everything.

And I hope I never do.

I've spent years building Tiny Details Photography, learning my camera, developing my style, and figuring out how to create an experience that feels comfortable and meaningful for the families who visit my Aurora studio.

But the more I learn, the more I realize how much there still is to discover.

That's why I was so excited for the opportunity to learn from Arielle and Jackie.

Arielle, of Arielle Elizabeth Photography, brings knowledge from her work in the medical field, and I found that perspective incredibly valuable.

I've worked with newborns for a long time, but she shared insights about babies and their care that made me consider things from a different perspective. I love that. I love being reminded that there's always something worth learning, even in areas where we already have years of experience.

And then there's Jackie, of Honeywild Photography.

If you've followed her work, you may already be familiar with her beautiful crisscross wrapping technique. I was so excited to learn more about it from her. Wrapping is one of those things that can look so simple in a finished photograph, but there's an incredible amount of skill and intention behind it.

Getting to watch, learn, and practice alongside someone who has developed such a recognizable technique was a wonderful opportunity.

But here's what surprised me.

The learning didn't stop with our hosts.

Every photographer in our group brought something special to the experience. Everyone had their own strengths, ideas, techniques, and ways of approaching their work.

And I loved learning from all of them.

It reminded me that being a photographer isn't about reaching some imaginary finish line where you finally know everything. It's about staying curious, being willing to listen, and appreciating how much we can learn from one another.

The Photographs Were Incredible. The People Were Even Better.

Of course, we took photographs.

So many photographs.

I've finally finished editing my images from the retreat, and I am so excited to share them. Getting to photograph beautiful newborns while learning alongside other photographers was an incredible experience.

One of the things I find fascinating is how differently photographers can approach the same subject. We can work with the same baby, similar lighting, and the same general setup, yet each of us brings our own perspective to the final image.

I love seeing that creativity.

And I love coming home and looking through my photographs, remembering what I learned and the people who were standing beside me when I created them.

But if I'm being completely truthful, the photographs aren't what I keep thinking about.

It's the people.

I keep thinking about the conversations, the laughter, and how wonderful it felt to spend time with people who love what I love.

Jackie and I had the opportunity to ride together, and I loved getting that extra time to talk and get to know her. I also had a wonderful evening with Arielle after our time together at the retreat. Those personal moments meant every bit as much to me as the photography education.

And it wasn't just those two.

Every person in our little group contributed something wonderful. We shared ideas, experiences, stories, and encouragement. We talked about our photography businesses, our challenges, our successes, and all the little things that come with doing this work.

I think there's something incredibly special about finding people who understand such an important part of your life.

You don't have to explain why you love it.

They already know.

And that kind of connection is something that fuels you. It fills you back up, reminds you why you started, and sends you home excited to create again.

That's exactly how I felt.

The Night Nobody Wanted to Go to Sleep

There was one evening when we just couldn't seem to stop talking.

We had so many ideas, so many things we wanted to share, and so much excitement about what we could do together.

And eventually, the conversation turned toward something that I think all of us were feeling.

We didn't want this to end.

We started talking about how wonderful it would be to keep the conversations going after we returned home.

Maybe we could create a Facebook group where everyone could stay connected, ask questions, and share what they were working on.

Then we started imagining how fun it would be to jump online together and edit photographs. We could work on our own images, chat about what we were doing, help each other through challenges, or simply enjoy having some company while we worked.

Because that's another thing about being a photographer.

As much as we love what we do, a lot of our work happens alone.

We spend hours editing at our computers, building our websites, managing our businesses, and trying to figure out the next thing on our never-ending to-do lists.

And wouldn't it be wonderful to have friends who could just hang out with us while we did it?

That night, we dreamed up all kinds of possibilities.

Some of those ideas are still growing, and I'm really excited about a program that was also inspired by our time together. I'm not quite ready to share all the details about that one yet, but I can't wait until I can.

For now, there's one idea I couldn't stop thinking about.

Two Weeks Later, I Couldn't Wait Any Longer

When I got home, I went right back to my normal routine.

There were photographs to edit, clients to take care of, business tasks waiting for me, and all the usual things that come with running Tiny Details Photography.

But I kept thinking about my new friends.

I missed the conversations. I missed being able to bounce ideas off one another. I missed having people around who understood exactly what I was working on.

And I kept thinking about that late-night conversation.

We had talked about creating a place where we could continue connecting, learning, and working together.

Well, about two weeks after coming home, I decided I couldn't wait another day.

I wanted to see my friends again.

So I built us a place to meet.

And that's how Tiny Studio began.

Welcome to Tiny Studio

Tiny Studio is a photography community inspired by those conversations and the wonderful group of photographers I met at the retreat.

The idea wasn't something I dreamed up entirely on my own. It grew out of our shared excitement about staying connected and finding ways to support each other after we went home.

I just happened to be the one who came home and decided to build the website.

And what started as wanting to see my friends again has become something I'm incredibly excited to share with other photographers.

I want Tiny Studio to feel like pulling up a chair beside another photographer and saying, "Okay, here's what I'm working on. What do you think?"

A place where we can talk about our businesses, ask questions, share ideas, work on photographs, and encourage each other.

Not another place where everyone has to pretend they have everything figured out.

Because I certainly don't.

Even after years of running my photography business, I still have questions. I still try things that don't work. I still have days when I feel like I'm figuring everything out as I go.

And I know I'm not the only one.

I think there's something really powerful about creating a space where we can be honest about that and help one another along the way.

If you're a photographer looking for a little community, I'd love for you to come explore Tiny Studio.

Maybe you'll find some of your people there, too.

The Photographers Who Made This Experience So Special

I couldn't write about this retreat without sharing some love for the photographers who made it such a wonderful experience.

First, a huge thank-you to Arielle Elizabeth Photography and Honeywild Photography for bringing this small group together and sharing their knowledge so generously.

The opportunity to learn in such a personal setting was incredible, but the connections that came from it were even more meaningful.

I also want to recognize the other talented photographers who were part of our group, including Jennifer Rodriguez Photography and another wonderful photographer whose Facebook page you can find here.

Additional photographer names and links will be added here.

Every single person brought something valuable to the experience. Whether it was a technique, a thoughtful question, a different perspective, or simply a wonderful conversation, I learned something from being around each of them.

And I am so grateful for the friendships we created.

Bringing All That Love Back to Tiny Details Photography

I think one of the most wonderful things about an experience like this is how much it stays with you after you come home.

I returned to my studio with new techniques to practice, new perspectives to consider, and so much excitement about creating photographs.

But I also came home feeling encouraged.

And I think that matters.

When you run a small business, especially a creative business, it's easy to get caught up in the everyday responsibilities. There's always another gallery to finish, another email to answer, another website update to make, and another thing that needs your attention.

Sometimes you forget to spend time simply enjoying the thing that made you fall in love with your work in the first place.

This retreat gave me that.

It reminded me how much I love newborn photography, how much I enjoy learning, and how wonderful it feels to share that excitement with other people.

And I get to bring all of that back to the families who visit my Aurora studio.

Every new technique I practice, every little detail I learn, and every bit of inspiration I bring home becomes part of the experience I create for my clients.

I want to keep growing, keep learning, and keep falling in love with what I do.

If you're curious about what a newborn session looks like at Tiny Details Photography, you can explore my session details and pricing or visit my newborn photography website.

Want to See the Photographs From Our Retreat?

I've shared some of my favorite photographs throughout this blog, but there are so many more beautiful images from our time together.

I've created a Pinterest board dedicated to this experience so you can explore the photographs from the retreat, see the different setups, and enjoy some of the little moments that made our time together so special.

View the Complete Newborn Photography Retreat Gallery on Pinterest

I hope you enjoy looking through them as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Sometimes the Best Things You Bring Home Aren't Things at All

I went to this retreat hoping to learn from talented photographers and create some beautiful newborn portraits.

And I absolutely did.

But I also came home with friendships I didn't know I needed, memories I can't stop smiling about, and the beginnings of something that has already grown into a whole new adventure.

I keep thinking about those late-night conversations, the laughter, the time spent learning together, and how much fun it was to be surrounded by people who love the same things I do.

There's something really special about that kind of love.

The kind that fills you up and sends you home excited about life.

I'm grateful for every bit of it.

And to my new photographer friends, if you're reading this, I hope you know just how much our time together meant to me.

I missed you enough to build us an entire website.

If that doesn't say something, I don't know what does.

Keep keeping on.

Jennifer

Key Takeaways

• I attended a small-group newborn photography retreat with Arielle Elizabeth Photography and Honeywild Photography, where I learned alongside an incredibly talented group of photographers.

• Arielle's medical background and Jackie's signature crisscross wrapping technique offered valuable new perspectives for my newborn photography work.

• The friendships, conversations, and shared love of photography became the most meaningful parts of the experience.

• A late-night group conversation about staying connected inspired the idea for Tiny Studio.

• About two weeks after returning home, I created Tiny Studio to help keep those connections going.

• The experience renewed my excitement for photography and gave me new inspiration to bring back to families at Tiny Details Photography.

For photographers: Come join the conversation at Tiny Studio.

For families: Explore newborn photography at Tiny Details Photography in Aurora, Colorado.