I got an email that pissed me off

Got an email earlier today. Workshop retreat in Santorini. Professional model couples. Luxury accommodation. "Learn to direct authentic emotional moments."

Here's what got me.

They're a model couple. They've been photographed at workshops across Europe for 10+ years. Now they're teaching photographers how to photograph.

That's backwards.

Being directed doesn't mean you know how to direct. Being in front of the camera for a decade doesn't mean you understand what's happening behind it. Proximity to the craft is not the same as practicing the craft.

I've taught workshops. I've organized my own. I know what they can and can't do.

When I include practical shooting, it's not because shooting model couples in perfect locations teaches you how to handle real weddings. It doesn't. But you need balance between theory and practice. You need to see someone's thought process in action, not just hear about it.

Here's what I learned from being on the teaching side.

Photographers will come back from Santorini with beautiful portfolio shots. Guaranteed. Model couples who've done this for 10+ years know exactly how to perform what looks authentic. Perfect light. Iconic locations. Cinematic moments on demand.

And that's the problem.

Because none of that translates to the actual work.

A model couple who's been photographed hundreds of times is not the same as a real couple who's never been in front of a camera before. A curated location shoot with perfect conditions is not the same as a rainy November courthouse wedding where the light is shit and everyone's anxious.

You can't learn how to hold space for real emotion by directing people who are performing emotion.

You can't learn how to work with actual nervousness and awkwardness by photographing professionals who've mastered looking natural on command.

The workshop will deliver exactly what it promises: beautiful images for your portfolio. But what does that teach you about the craft? About dealing with real situations? About building trust with couples who aren't comfortable being photographed?

Nothing.

And the wedding industry knows this.

But right now, everyone's talking about luxury. The next elevated experience. The next transformative retreat. And photographers feel like they're missing something if they're not going.

Here's what actually pisses me off about this pitch.

It's not just that the credentials are backwards. It's that the whole thing represents the industry's current obsession with aesthetic over substance.

Learn to create moments that look authentic. Build a portfolio that looks luxury. Attend retreats that look transformative.

But what are you actually learning?

How to perform what should be real.

I'm not saying all workshops are bullshit. I've taught at good ones. I've organized workshops where the focus was on thought process, on how to approach the work, on the why behind the decisions.

But this Santorini pitch? This is portfolio-chasing dressed up as education. This is the wedding industry selling you the feeling of growth while keeping you in the exact same performance trap.

You don't need perfect conditions to learn your craft.

You need real ones.

Show up to real work. Pay attention to real couples. Learn from the moments that don't go as planned. Build your practice through actual experience, not curated scenarios.

Trust that the messy, imperfect, awkward reality of real weddings will teach you more than any model couple in Santorini ever could.

Delete the email.

Trust your practice.

Keep showing up to the actual work.

Hugs,
Bjørn

For the hearts still beating—keep creating, keep pushing, keep giving a damn.