Snap Photography Festival : My experience

SNAP Photography Festival is an annual 5 day long Photographer based event full of training, community & celebration.

“It started with a spark of inspiration and the idea that a week away from our day to day lives could create a unique learning experience. We built a community, in the wilds of the UK countryside, and an experience that our attendees would never forget.

SNAP is the annual gathering of our incredible community. Featuring educational content, business advice, inspiring keynote talks, practical shoot demonstrations and a whole notebook full of ideas to propel your business forward.

You can also expect starry skies, new friends, swimming, delicious food, chats late into the night and our epic closing party. You make a friend. You share a story. You shoot for yourself and it feels magical. You thoroughly unwind before the start of a busy season. Something clicks into place that wasn’t there before.
SNAP is not a workshop. SNAP is not a camping trip. SNAP is not a conference. SNAP is the chance to be a part of something bigger than the sum of its parts.”

The best way to really get an idea is to go the THE SNAP WEB SITE and to watch this film made by the most awesome and talented Cinematicide

You can see the 2019 Lineup HERE.

The words that come to mind when I think of SNAP are:

Inclusion ~ Belonging ~ Acceptance ~ Creativity ~ Community ~ Diversity ~ Education ~ Fun

I’ll start by saying I’m not great with large groups of people, as much as it might look like I am on a wedding day. On a wedding day I put a different head on and love it to bits. The social aspect of SNAP is always one that I worry about ahead of time. So many new people and new situations to be in. The joy is that other people feel the same way too and it’s ok and accepted. Because of this, SNAP 2018 was put together with this in mind. More breaks were made during the day. A buddy system was in place for people that felt having a friendly face checking in to see how they were getting on might be helpful. And the activities available were more diverse.

The things that were important to me

If you look through my photographs below it’s kind of obvious I think the things that were really important to me at SNAP.

Taking a break. ~ I LOVE my family and being a Mum. But I so rarely get to sit and breathe, especially out in the countryside. Sure we go for lots of family walks and I get short walks during the week but I never get to take a moment by myself. At SNAP I got to walk every day in beautiful countryside in between sessions. And there’s always one trip to the beach or some such beautiful place to take photos and have a play. Something else I miss as a Mum / photographer. The time to play with my creativity.
The workshops – There’s no sense of elitism. You honestly wouldn’t know the ‘rockstar’ photographers from those just starting out around the dinner table. No stupid questions. No belittling. No badmouthing other photographers or other ways of working. Just openness and education. There’s such a range of workshops too. Not just about the act of photography, but business, mental health and using flash photography. This year there’s going to be some craft workshops too.
The community – SNAP goes beyond the actual festival. There’s a wonderful Facebook group that follows the same ethos of the festival. And in Facebook land that’s a rare thing. I have met some wonderful people through SNAP and grown some lovely friendships through it.
The Party – So I don’t drink. I wish I could as OMG I love a good G&T or a tequila lime & salt. But I get very ill very very fast so I simply don’t. On top of that I get exhausted in social groups so I tend to leave earlier than most. So the first year I missed the SNAP party. But I am so glad I went to the last one. Such good music, first actual loud music and then a silent disco. If you have never done a silent disco you REALLY should. One of my favourite memories is (totally sober) screaming along to Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing in the name of’ at the top of my lungs along with a whole bunch of other people all dressed in sequins and sparkles (that was the theme). It was the most at home and accepted I have felt in a long time (other than in my actual home).

GO HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PAYMENT PLANS AND GET YOUR TICKET

You can see the 2019 lineup HERE .. Bonus is I’m teaching a life drawing class at SNAP this year!

Oh .. and the last photo is my face after the biggest most wonderful group hug ever and the saying goodbyes, in the car, ready to leave. So many tears, because it really was the best.