Capture Your Magic

I attended a photography retreat with the amazing team of teachers and creatives: Xanthe Berkeley, Kim Klassen, Alisha Herrick and Myriam Joseph. I have been taking online classes with Xanthe and have been wanting to learn more about videography and get a chance to work with her and Kim and connect with other photographers.

When I walked into the house on the beach the first morning, I looked at the group of women who were there and I felt warmth and such openness. I immediately felt relieved. I hadn’t known what to expect, and the evening before when driving down Highway 101 I started to feel a bit nervous. Those thoughts went away immediately when I arrived and met the group of women whom I would get to know and connect with over the next few days.

 Kim Klassen and Xanthe Berkeley

We played together, walked on the beach, worked on stop motion movies, and had our cameras with us much of the time.

But most of what I will remember is conversations that were shared, over lunch, in the kitchen, as we danced around a mandala that was created by two lovely sisters. We laughed and connected, told stories, and worked on photography challenges.

After two full days of creative time together, we all found it hard to leave and say our goodbyes.

I drove home thinking about how this experience was what I had been longing for, for what I knew I really wanted.

Thank you to all my Gather friends. This time together and our connection feels life changing for me.

 

Here’s a short video I created so I can hold on to some of the memories we shared.