Many times when you read a post-conference post you see a ton of pictures like this….
…and this….
…and you might start feeling like this…
…and maybe even secretly a bit like this…
So how about we skip all the pics that scream, “look at what an amazing time I got to have without you” and go straight to what I learned in the sessions at the Relevant Conference last weekend. Sound good?
Hands down the photography workshop with Darcy was my favorite session of the bunch. She gave us a very quick lesson on shooting in manual mode and explained how ISO, aperture, and shutter speed work together to capture quality pics. The lesson was very fast, and I didn’t absorb most of it, but what I do remember is to think of your camera’s ISO like a group of worker bees. For outdoor pictures, you only need 100-200 worker bees bringing you light. In other words, your ISO for outdoor pictures will typically be set at 100 or 200. Indoors, you will need more ISO; however, remember that the more worker bees you have the more “buzzing” or graininess your pictures will have. This is when a tripod, aperture, and shutter speed become very important.
Darcy divided us into groups of Canon, Nikon, and Sony and then took our class outside to practice shooting in manual mode. Below is a picture of my Nikon partner. She was invaluable in helping me remember how to adjust all the settings on my camera and together we fumbled our way through trying to get the right settings.
One of our assignments was to practice depth of field. I wanted to get shots where the subject is in focus and everything in the background is blurry. It was so much fun to just have this time to practice with someone! Here are some of my shots.
And here is a beautiful shot of Myra that I took without her knowing :).
But what about indoors? I can usually acquire quality outdoor shots with my camera but indoors is another story. These three pictures below (of Traci’s bag) were taken inside where there was no natural lighting. I didn’t use a flash, shot in manual and adjusted my ISO, aperture, and shutter speed until I captured an image that looked decent. Although the last picture isn’t perfect, it was thrilling to be able to capture a decent image in horrible lighting. Yay! I’m excited to learn more!
Okay, and now for the mini-cliff notes on the practical things I learned in my other sessions.
- Winning Self-Publishing – Your “How-To” into the World of eBooks and Indie Authorship Unfortunately I didn’t learn very much in this session. I think I was still distracted by the camera lesson and wasn’t paying close enough attention. All I gleaned was that bloggers are making BIG bucks (like HUGE) off of ebooks and if you have a passion about a topic then go for it. Write one. I was also reminded in this session that I’m a visual and hands-on learner. This session didn’t have any power points or visuals so the info didn’t sink in. Sorry.
- The Business of Blogging with Crystal Paine This was an excellent session with a TON of information on the importance of treating your blog as a business and setting up an LLC, keeping a separate bank account, and hiring an accountant. There was a lot of talk on the liability of blogging which was somewhat scary. Also, it should be noted that many successful bloggers (certainly not all…but many) have husbands that are business/techy gurus. This is definitely the case for Crystal of Money Saving Mom. Her husband is a lawyer and co-led the session with her. If you have one of those types of husbands, I highly recommend getting him involved in the business side of your blog. I don’t have one of those, so this session left me feeling overwhelmed and anxious. I definitely have a lot to learn about running a small business.
- Comfortable in Your Own {bloggy} Skin This was more of a motivational-talk kind of session and it was wonderful. Three bloggers of varying “success” talked about the pitfalls of blogging, the comparison game, and jealousy. It was a very heart-felt session and a good reminder to concentrate on operating within your gifts and not to measure your success in numbers. I became teary in this session. Blogging is such a gift and I love it!
- Becoming a Social Media Ninja I will actually be co-leading a similar session at Haven so I was excited to see what this panel of bloggers had to say about social media. Most of the talk focused on social media etiquette but Tsh from Simple Mom shared some practical tips. She uses Yoono.com to view her facebook and twitter feed on one page and only spends about 15 mins a day on social media. Everyone was incredibly excited about this new tool so it might work for you. After some playing with it, I decided I’m not crazy about it because it doesn’t allow you to see your blog facebook page which is what I use much more than my personal page.
In addition to the workshops, there were some fabulously motivating sessions by keynote speakers which encouraged bloggers to use the gifts God has given to share your message. Blog conferences are amazing opportunities to network, learn, and grow; however, I should warn you if you’ve never been to one, they can also be incredibly overwhelming. (I’ll write more about the overwhelming factor as we get closer to Haven.) But if you are a serious blogger (even a serious hobby blogger), I highly recommend attending one if you an afford it! (I’ll even talk more in a future post as to why conferences are so darn expensive!)
Miss Charming says
What a great post! I really appreciated you sharing what you learned and experienced at the conference. (I’m learning to do everything myself since I don’t have a bloggy or handy husband to do things for me.) I would love to attend a photography class myself.
Patty Palmer says
This is a great post! Funny pics! My goal for this year is to learn how to use a camera properly. You’re right. Darcy has amazing tips!
Katie from Sew Woodsy says
Great recap! I’ve attended 2 blog conferences this year, and Haven will be my first Home DIY conference. You are so right about being overwhelmed to the point where you feel like your brain is going to explode! I can’t wait to meet you at haven!
Laura says
Thanks Beth – this was such a great post! Take care, Laura
Beth says
I so ejoy reading your blog. You have such a gift of seeing the world through your readers eyes. This post is a great example of it. So awesome. Hope you have had a chance to visit my site very new and I am still learning.
Thanks again your blog is one of my daily FAvs.
Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality says
Beth, loved reading your recap & glad you went so we can fine tune the Haven conference before it comes next June. I love blog conferences & connecting & glad you got to go. I hope to go to Relevant next year, maybe I can hitch a ride with someone down this way & head up there myself.
Linda @ it all started with paint says
Beth, this post has me seriously considering booking a trip to your Haven conference. I’m a brand new blog writer (just launched last Saturday) but the community has been so warm and welcoming and supportive. I’m inspired to keep on going — and really
Anneke @RustiChic.com says
Thanks for sharing some highlights of your trip ~ I’m so new to blogging, but definitely would like to attend one of these in the near future. In the meantime,
I’m thankful to those who blog about all those topics! 😉
Christina @ Christina's Adventures says
awww I have a love/hate relationship with the conference photos…I looove seeing everyone and it’s so crazy to see pictures of my favorite bloggers together…but then it always leaves me sad!!
Natalie says
Loved this post! I was actually at the hotel that Friday for Crystal’s reader meet-up and roamed around a bit upstairs afterwards. That’s my first sneak peek into a blog conference and it definitely piqued my interest in Haven! Thanks for being so honest!
Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating says
I’m so jealous that you got that hands-on photography lesson! I’m still on “auto”. And the picture that you took of Myra is absolutely gorgeous! It kind of reminds me of a picture that I’d see on The Sartorialist of some beautiful French woman walking down the street(except that his are generally full length pics).
Sounds like a very fun and informative time. And the liability talk always frightens me a bit.
Anita @ GoingalittleCoastal says
Thanks so much Beth for this honest review. It’s a struggle sometimes to feel like you fit in. Even at 40 something! I’m mulling over the idea of Haven but I’m still not sure yet if this is something for me. I feel so much older then most bloggers!
The picture you took of Myra is beautiful! Wonderful colored bokeh in the shot of the little seed head.
Crystal says
What a genuine person you are Beth. That is a GREAT and often rare attribute! Love you. 🙂
Jenny says
Myra is beautiful! Lovely picture. It sounds like the photo session was awesome. I’m glad you had a fun time at the conference.
Carrie at lovely etc says
Thanks for sharing what you learned! This was by far the the most helpful post-conference blog post I have ever read.
Heidi @ Decor & More says
I love your honest recap of what the conference did for you– and didn’t do for you. I’m leaning towards squeezing a conference in this year {maybe Haven?} but not sure. Hmmm…food for thought. 🙂
Happy Friday, friend!
Kathryn says
Sounds like a wonderful time and I am still a wee bit jealous!!!
Mary Kathryn says
thank you. Thank you for sharing what you learned and not so much the, “Look what I got to do that you didn’t”. I truly do appreciate hearing about the sessions- sounds like you were able to attend some really great ones. I’d love to attend a photography class/seminar similar to the one you did since I don’t think my SLR will ever really reach its full potential with my limited knowledge of how to use it…haha. Hope you’re having a great Friday!
Jessica @ Muthering Heights says
I’m so glad you liked the session! It’s a struggle to feel comfortable sometimes, but overall, I hope you do! 🙂
Christen says
Thank you so much for posting this honest post! It gives me courage when I read of others who have some of the same feelings or “issues” as I do. Thank you as well, for posting some of what you learned about photography. Again, that was generous – and I for one, appreciate it!
Tara says
What an amazing post! Thank you so much for sharing. I really need to practice using my new Cannon. I have so much to learn and the little tidbits you shared were so helpful!
Jessica@nucheysmommy says
Thanks so much for sharing this Beth! I was hoping someone would 🙂 Your honesty (in response to Cindy’s comment above) that you shared with the world to see makes you such a special person! Ok, I can’t see what I am typling right now b/c your add is covering my workds so hopefuylly there are not to many mispelled words!
Debra@ Bungalow says
This is an awesome post and the honesty you shared is much appreciated by me! That girl all alone in the Oprah pic is me! I always feel like that!
LLC, using my camera, e books and social MEDIA are all subjects I need to learn more about AND SEO. Will you please do a post on SEO and keywords? Your knowledge could help lots of bloggers and your tips are always great!
Beth @A to Z says
Sure Debra. I’ll do one for you soon :)!
Cindy B says
Beth…this is a wonderful post…I met you at Blissdom last year…I was a newbie and felt so vulnerable and a bit left out. Your honesty and sensitivity is why your blog is one of my absolute favorites! Thank you!
Beth @A to Z says
Aw, I’m so sorry to hear you felt left out :(. It’s such an awful feeling. I actually felt left out at Relevant which really makes no sense. I was with people I knew the entire time and was never left out of the group and yet seeing other people having this incredible life-changing experience around me made me feel like I was missing something…while there! It was a good reminder of the complexities of women’s relationships.
Sarah Mae says
Thanks for the feedback on the eBook session – I was one of the speakers and I agree that we should have had visuals. Next year we’ll make things more practical and have power point. Sorry you didn’t get much, but I completely understand why.
Honestly, the Relevant team needs to have more people so we can really focus on the details and cover all the basis.
Thank you, again, for your honest critique. 🙂
kelly@imperfecthomemaking says
Thanks so much for sharing what you’ve learned. I would love to attend a blog conference someday…If ever the day comes that I’m not nursing a baby (or two!) I totally want to go to one!
Sarah says
Thanks for the information! I would love to attend a conference at some point, but right now it’s not feasible 🙁 It’s great that you were able to learn so much about using your camera! My husband isn’t tech-y or business-y at all (he’s a doctor) so I’ve got no help from him either. My blog’s pretty new though, so I think I have time to look into the business stuff still.
Mrs. White says
I love your sense of humor! I really appreciate your sharing what you learned at some of the sessions. You did a super job on this post!
Blessings
Mrs. White
The Legacy of Home
Myra @ My Blessed Life says
I loved this post Beth! I’m still processing….not sure where to begin. I think we liked the same sessions. LOL! It was so awesome to spend time with you and grow our friendship. xo
Jean @ Flower Hill says
I would love to attend one of these conferences! Looks like such an amazing opportunity to meet people with the same interests as you!
Diana @ The Girl Creative says
What a great post! AND I appreciate the non gushing of photos. lol I’m always jealous after reading those kinds of posts. lol I’m curious if I can get good quality photos with my point and shoot camera……….i know it has ISO settings somewhere………. Oh and the blogging for a business thing…..I definitely don’t make big bucks – most of my money last year came from blog design BUT I definitely need to do some research. Thanks for the post. 🙂 Have a great weekend, Beth. 🙂
gertie @ The Old Block House says
Thank you for sharing. I love it when bloggers go to a conference and share with their readers what they’ve learned.
You’ve also reminded me that I really need to get out that new camera from last Christmas which completely perplexes me and figure it out.