Kelley Ryden and Tracy Raver Newborn Dreamland

I took their workshop about 5 years ago and learned everything about posing and photographing newborns. This workshop is for experienced photographers only and those who want to learn from their style. They are doing their thing all day for those in attendance. It's amazing how I can read some negative reviews that complain they didn't take them by the hand, or tell them to stop stuffing their faces and get to work. It is completely up to the participant to observe and get the most out of their investment. If you're not prepared to sweat and work, then don't bother showing up.

I never realized how much negativity there was online surrounding this workshop, so I want to leave a review that will balance the others out, in case someone is considering taking a class with Kelley and Tracy.I have run my own photography studio specializing in newborns since Jan 2011, and over the years, I've taken a total of 3 classes with K&T. All three have been excellent, and have helped me tremendously, depending on the stage that I was with my posing and photographic artistry. I would say that it's definitely worth the money if you can afford it and if you're looking to become a better artist.K&T are amazing amazing ARTISTS, and if you LOVE newborn photography, and spending a day in their studio and watching them work is like spending a day painting with Picasso. I've just never experienced anyone like them. Even after all these years, it's so clear that they love what they do, and are not jaded at all by what this industry has become (meaning that newborn photography is now a commodity and there are a ton of other people teaching classes that most likely first learned from THEM just a couple of years ago).They are very honest and open, and I've never had a question go unanswered. You have to approach them as great artists first, and not necessarily an elementary school teacher that will sit you down and teach you your abcs. What they do is so natural to them, that you have to keep your eyes and ears peeled and ask questions like "Why did you put that there, why did you turn the head this way, why did you use that kind of material, what would you do in this case, what do you think about this" etc. They will answer everything and then some.I never understood people that go to these workshops and start socializing with other photographers to the point where they miss the action. Hello! You're not there to chit chat about your kids or eat cookies, otherwise why bother??I wouldn't go to a workshop taught by someone else simply because I refuse to pay money to someone that first went to K&T to learn (or even worse, learned from someone that learned from someone that went to K&T) and then is "teaching" other people. Why wouldn't you go experience the real deal instead of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy. Here are some tips to get the most out of your workshop:1. Get some basic newborn sessions under your belt first, even if they are free models. That will help you get the feel for working with a baby and what issues might arise, and then know what questions to ask.2. Pay very very close attention to their lighting. Lighting is everything, and how they manipulate it, how much light there is in the room, how far away the baby is from the light source, how the baby is positioned in relation to the light and how many shadows there are on their face, it's all super important.3. Observe their stylistic sense. Watching them coordinate set-ups is probably like watching Coco Chanel dress up in the morning. The way they feel color and texture is one of a kind and can't be taught like a multiplication table. Pay attention.4. Keep your eyes and ears peeled and ask a ton of questions.5. And enjoy!!

I attended the Kelley Ryden and Tracy Raver Newborn Dreamland posing workshop in early 2013. I wasn't going to leave a review, because I don't like leaving negative reviews. But then I realised, I wished I'd read a review like this before I attended, so I could've had all the facts and not bothered.First things first, I think the whole thing got off on a bad foot. The advertising flyer for signing up said $1900 per person (already much more expensive than another I am attending, which is 2 days, and this was only 1), maximum of 10 per class, only 3 classes available. I thought, great, I secured my spot, 10 sounds like a lot of people but thats ok, only 30 people in my area get the chance to do this. Well, when the class lists were released, they had added two more days, and there were 12 photographers on each day. I signed up knowing there would be 10, not 12. Plus there were two hosts. Plus Kelley, Tracy and Jo (from JD Vintage props). Plus the parents of the models. That is a LOT of people in one room.Then, on our day, there ended up being 13 photographers. 13. THIRTEEN. So I had 12 other photographers to share my space with, share the time with, and ultimately, we were rushed rushed rushed. One woman managed to join the "line" for photos at the beginning, middle and end each time, and Kelley did nothing to stop her. I ended up at the back of the line most of the day, and Tracy would tell us to hurry up and get our shots because they wanted to move on. We were rushed, and they didnt seem to care, even though it was their own choice to put 13 photographers on that made us so rushed.Now, onto the actual content of the workshop. I thought there would be some emphasis on posing, as well as angles etc. There wasn't. If you weren't paying attention, or looking closely (which is hard, with 12 other photographers all trying to get the best spot), you wouldn't even know they had posed the baby. With that many people in the room, they should've talked us through, step by step, what they were doing. It wouldnt be that hard, just talk while you work, easy. Then everyone would have had the best chance of knowing how to do the pose. Instead, Kelley focused on telling us what her Kelvin setting was, as well as the other settings on her camera, and would say "I get about x amount of angles from this one set up" and not really make an effort to help us understand the angles. I showed my screen to tracy to have her tell me my angles were wrong.. but they did nothing to help me understand why. Even when I asked for help, I didnt get any. When we stopped for lunch, we were all eating on the other side of the studio, sitting around the table having a chat, and we looked up and noticed Kelley and Tracy had started posing another baby. They didn't tell us that lunch was over and they were starting again. They didn't care that we weren't watching.All in all, I got the vibe that they were there to show us how good they are, and make us feel inferior. That is seriously the feeling I got from these ladies the entire day. I did not feel welcomed, and I did not feel like they cared about educating me or my experience at all. I think at the end of the day, we were a way for them to make some good money ($1900 x 12 photographers x 5 days, you do the math) for a week of work, and then leave and never have to worry about us again. This may sound unfair, but I am just being honest - that is how they made me feel.At the end of the day, my sessions did not change due to what I "learned" at this workshop. Nothing they "taught" me made any difference to what I was already doing. It was not worth the money I invested, not by a long shot. I do not recommend this workshop.