I am tired. Very tired.
I am also very proud and full of gratitude.
Today I am officially announcing the opening of C. Tyson Photography’s Studio. It has been a long 3 months of construction, painting, asking for help, getting a tremendous amount of help and right now I could not be more excited to share this space with you.
Late last year I was taking an honest assessment of where I was at with C. Tyson Photography and where I was headed. Looking at the amount of wedding bookings, editing time and also being a husband and father, I knew I had for the 2nd straight year, pushed myself to just about the max I could handle without falling apart. I had placed myself in a spot where I had a choice to make. Keep doing what I am doing and know what to expect and be comfortable or be willing to remove the glass ceiling I was under and take some big steps so I could continue to grow.
I did not know it then but those big steps would soon take me jumping off a cliff and building an airplane on the way down.
In January of this year, I went to Haiti with a group of amazing photographers from all across the country and went to Child Hope International to just serve the Orphanage and the youth there. It was an experience that had such a profound effect on my life, both personal and business. During the evenings there, many of us would retreat to the roof. Partly to escape the heat and also to watch the sun set. During these times I spoke to many of my peers and from those conversations I started to form how I was going to change some things up.
During those conversations, speaking with my family and also spending many hours asking myself, “What do you want this to be?”, I was able to put a few key thoughts together to anchor the focus of the Studio.
22′ wide x 11′ deep x 9′ tall Cyclorama with 5500k color corrected flicker free LED lighting and backdrop system built in.
#1 The Studio is NOT for my growth only, it is for the local photography community’s growth. I could have built this studio to elevate myself at the expense of pushing those near me down. I want to personally commit to you, that will never be the case. Here is why this means so much to me. Every photographer built their business on the backs of every other photographer before them. We all may not have had a one on one mentor but we ALL watched Youtube videos, asked questions of our friends, read forums posts, read books and magazines and sometimes just watched others. No photographer build their business in a vacuum. Not one. Because of this I feel it is my (and should be every photographer’s) responsibility to create the opportunity for growth of other photographers. The studio will be a place where others photographers can feel safe to grow and learn. It will be place to shoot. A place to laugh, even a place to just watch a movie.
#2 I will organize and create absolutely free, no strings attached, events for the photography community throughout the year. No catches. Just show up, learn and grow. This is important because I remember when I was starting up one of my few free sources of information was sitting in Barnes and Nobles and reading books. There has to be a better way for people to get the ball rolling and hopefully we can work together and create an environment where there are plenty of free opportunities.
I hope that gives you a bit of understanding where I am at and also where I would like to go!
150 year old barn wood wall with signature wall next to it.
Now let’s kick this off the right way! I wanted to set the stage for what you can expect so I called in some favors to some friends who mean the world to me. Starting Monday August 25th, we are going to have a party, some fun and hopefully a bunch of growth!
Dedicated client meeting area.
Monday August 25th 6:30pm Grand Opening/Open House | Hosted by Erica Dargene from Hitched Wedding Experts. Cost is FREE! Register at this link
- Door opens at 6:30pm, come on in and see the space
- At 7pm I will be serving a selection of appetizers from Lino’s
- At 7:30pm I will be giving away some great prizes starting with one each of the three Studio Rental Packages. I will keep updating you on the prizes as they come in, so be sure to check back!
- I will also be announcing a huge opportunity for anyone who wants to help serve others. I am so excited to present this and those in attendance will be the first ones to know.
Tuesday August 26th 7pm An evening dedicated to family/baby photographers | Hosted Kimberly Neyer from Kimberly Neyer Photography. Cost is FREE! Register at this link
- This night is dedicated to the photographer who wants to (or is already) specialize in family and baby photography, so I asked for some help from the amazing Kimberly Neyer.
- The best part is YOU will determine the flow of the night! I have created this handy little question submission form right here. Just take a few moments and let Kim and I know what you would like to talk about. Seriously anything, from posing, to pricing, to editing workflow, to business, to gear… anything! We will take all those questions and create a night dedicated to helping you.
Wednesday August 27th 7pm An evening dedicated to wedding photographers | Hosted by Ryan Davis from Ryan Davis Photography. Cost to you FREE (bet you didn’t see that coming) Register at this link
- This night is dedicated to the photographer wants to (or is already) specialize in wedding photography, so I asked for some help from the bearded wonder that is Ryan Davis.
- The best part is YOU will determine the flow of the night! I have created this handy little question submission form right here. Just take a few moments and let Ryan and I know what you would like to talk about. Seriously anything, from posing, to pricing, to editing workflow, to business, to gear… anything! We will take all those questions and create a night dedicated to helping you.
I hope that gets you a little excited to swing by the studio and maybe even learn a little. To those who knew about what I working on in the background for these months, stopped by to help me and give some ideas or even just laughed with me while I was exhausted, I thank you so much. It is because of you that is even happening! Now go share this, tell your friends and I will see you soon!
You can see more of the Studio right here including rental information: https://ctysonphotography.com/studio