The Amazing Petals & Props Workshop

Petals & Props Photography Workshop

with Jamie Jamison

This is the story of Ala Jamie’s Petals & Props Workshop. The one I went to a couple weekends ago (back in 2019!) and still can’t stop talking about! I learned so much, had so much fun, and met so many wonderful people. It was SO fantastic!

Jamie Jamison (@alajamie) is one of my very favorite Instagram photographers – every single one of her photos is glorious. So I was thrilled beyond anything when I read about Petals & Props. That’s her three-day photography workshop, and she was teaching it right here in the Pacific Northwest. Within an hour of my own home!

I was so excited, and then – disaster! Our company picnic, of which I am in charge, was moved to that very weekend. I was so disappointed. But then – Joy! – the picnic was moved back to the original date! I took it as a sign from the photography gods, and registered for Petals & Props that same day.

Gathering in Vancouver

Now as you may know, I live in Portland, OR, which is right across the river from Vancouver, WA. And that’s where the Petals & Props workshop was going to be. In this wonderful barn on the grounds of Made on 23rd‘s textile studio. Most of the gorgeous fabrics that we used at the workshop, and that you’ll see in the pictures, were provided by Made on 23rd.

Deb and her husband, the owners, not only run their business on the property, but they also hold their own workshops in the barn. They designed it as an event and studio space, and it’s light and spacious and beautiful. It was a perfect spot for our course!

Instagram Happy Hour

We all arrived on Friday evening. Jamie greeted us like old friends, and Deb and her husband treated us to a lovely happy hour. After exclaiming over the wonderful space, beautiful setting, and how great it was to meet each other, we settled down to business.

This first night was all about Instagram. Finding out what we each wanted from our accounts, how to discover our personal brands, plus LOTS of tips from the pro. Jamie has over 41,000 IG followers and a thriving photography, brand styling, and content marketing business. So we knew our information was coming from a reliable source!

I went home that night almost bouncing with new ideas and inspiration.

Saturday Breakfast

We were back bright and early the next morning for Petals & Props: Day 2.

As you can see above, our breakfast was wonderful. This is only part of it, but I’m telling you – the food at this place was fabulous! I still want all the recipes!

Petals & Props Flower Arranging

Our first order of business was a flower arranging tutorial by Jamie herself. I’ve been arranging flowers most of my life, and I couldn’t believe how much I learned!

We all had beautiful Urban Stems flowers to work with. And after Jamie showed us her magic, we got to play with them!

This was my first arrangement. Our program was to make two. For the first, we were only using only the flowers we started with.

For the second, we got to use those same beautiful flowers again. Plus dip into the additional greenery and goodies that Deb and Jamie had foraged for us on the property.

One of our colleagues brought her adorable dog, and he was so fun the whole day! He got to be in a lot of pictures and smell a lot of flowers.

Photographing Vignettes

We all started in to our second arrangement with enthusiasm, but I got a little sidetracked right off the bat. The first piece of greenery I picked up was this lovely Dusty Miller. And when I saw it against these gorgeous roses, I just had to take pictures!

While everyone else was making their second flower arrangements, I was off running around making vignettes with my little nosegay. But see the fun photos I got?!

Lunch!

Then it was time for lunch. Like I said, all the food here was exceptional. Mr. Made on 23rd is a wonderful cook, and we ate like royalty. This salad was totally delicious!

Petals & Props Wreath Tutorial

After lunch, we had another amazing tutorial. Rhonda from Hallstrom Home showed us how to create beautiful wreaths. She is so fun – and funny – and she really knows her stuff.

Look at this beauty! A truly gorgeous wreath – and so elegant with just the gold hoop. Then using Rhonda’s tips, we got to make our own wreaths.

Flower Arrangement #2

Unfortunately for me, I was woefully behind schedule, having spent all that time making vignettes. So I went right on to making flower arrangement #2 with my petals & props. (In this case, my prop was that gorgeous compote I got to use for my flowers!)

Sangria

Just about the time I was finishing my arrangement, we took a Sangria and discussion break! (Did I mention spectacular food and drinks?) It was darn good sangria, and we had a lot to talk about. We went over our day so far, and got a lot more wonderful information from Jamie.

More Photography & Styling

She and Deb had set up stations for us to photograph – all over the grounds and barn. It was a beautiful day, and the light both outside and upstairs was wonderful. They had props of every sort, and Deb’s gorgeous textiles. I admit, I fell in love with this hand-dyed blush voile early on, and stuck with it the rest of the day.

While we moved our flowers from one place to another, Jamie gave us individual coaching. She helped with setup if we needed it, showed us tips along the way, and seemed to know exactly what we were looking for.

One of our jokes was that we’d get it all set up and it would look ok. Then Jamie would come over and move one little thing here, and one there, and all of a sudden, it was spectacular!

So here’s a little gallery for you, of all the places my flower arrangement got to go!

On the truck.

On a step ladder with some Made on 23rd ribbon.

And here it is on a lovely old desk.

Beautiful and intriguing chest of drawers.

In front of a ladder.

On the concrete floor of the barn.

Even on an anvil, can you believe? They have everything at this barn!

We also did some experimenting with flat-lays, which I’d never done before. It was really interesting and super fun. Jamie laid out three of these for me, and I did the pearls and keys myself.

And all too quickly, that wrapped up Day 2. I wished I was wearing my Fitbit, because we sure got in a lot of walking, moving, bending, and etc. I was happily tired as I drove home, and already looking forward to tomorrow.

Lightroom

After another lovely breakfast, we spent the first part of Petals & Props: Day 3 learning about photo processing. I hadn’t used Lightroom yet, but Jamie told us all about it, and how it could work for what each of us was doing. I’m really excited to try it. I know it’s what the pros use, and I’d love to process and add the watermark all in the same program.

Teacup Tuesday Photography

Then we had “Free Time!” Jamie asked us what we’d like to do, and of course, I wanted to use that lovely fabric for a Teacup Tuesday photo shoot!

Which is what I did. And you can see them in this post.

I’m so grateful I got to go to the Petals & Props workshop! Learning from Jamie was a dream come true. Our guest instructor, Rhonda, was so inspiring, and I learned a lot from my fellow photographers too. And I made some wonderful friends.

If you like photography or Instagram or both, and you ever get the chance to attend one of Jamie’s workshops, don’t even think twice. It’s an amazing experience!