Back in February of 2017, I hosted my first workshop which I called Camp Reset. I hosted it at The Mountain Springs Lake Resort which is the wedding venue that Sandi and I got married at back in 2005. The idea behind it was to focus on “Resetting” before the start of the upcoming wedding season while also pushing each attendee outside of their comfort zone.

“They encouraged us to see the things we document from a new angle and with a different perspective. This was definitely the creative reset I needed after a busy season!” ~ Rebecca Trumbull

I had held off on doing workshops for several years for many reasons, but the timing felt right and I wanted to offer an experience that I would want in a workshop myself. It was based on an idea that I had been tossing around in my head for a while and was really happy that it came to fruition. The idea was based on providing a unique experience in a retreat-style environment that would offer more than just the typical workshop.

[CAMP RESET 2017]

I invited photographers Bud Johnson and Doug Polle to host along with me and things went extremely smooth. The workshop sold out and ultimately ended up going so good that I wanted to make it an annual event. I had planned on hosting the second one the following year but as I took on more projects and workshops with Leica, I ended up down in Savannah hosting a Leica Akademie workshop instead.

Earlier this year, as I put together a game plan for workshops and speaking events, I decided to make hosting the second Camp Reset my main focus. While the Pocono Mountains were a great spot for a workshop, there were a few things that I felt could have been better. So, I switched it up a little and moved it to a little college town called Ithaca in upstate New York.

This past October, 15 photographers attended the second Camp Reset which I hosted with good friends Jason Vinson and Bud Johnson. Everyone camped out in small wooden cabins at the Robert H. Treman State Park which backed up to a stream and a waterfall surrounded by some prime time Fall foliage. It was exactly what I had in mind for round 2.

“As a South Jersey Photographer who is a huge fan of Jay and Sandi Cassario’s work but had not yet met them or had any other connection with them, I fell out of my seat when I saw Jay was hosting a workshop. With a very affordable price, and only a few hour drive from me, I knew I had to attend Camp Reset in Ithaca, NY. I am a mom, who was breastfeeding up until just weeks before the camp began and had never slept a night away from my son. Sometimes we moms need something AMAZING to give us the push to let go a little. This was it for me! Jay was very compassionate to this big step I was making...he checked in on me a bunch to see how I was feeling leading up, and he was open to chat with me during the workshop incase I was homesick or having a rough time. The camp site was at a beautiful state park amongst an interesting town. The three hosts were informative, patient and just plain old fun. We were blessed with the presence of a Leica Rep who allowed each and every one of us to use Leica professional cameras that we would otherwise maybe never get our hands on. The places we hiked to were jaw droppingly beautiful and the models were so friendly and adventurous. They even hung out with us fireside when the sun went down! Camp Reset helped me grow as a photographer. I would recommend it for anyone!”

-Jennifer Helene Photography

We spent 4 nights and 3 days in Ithaca, everyone hanging out together and attached to the hip as much as possible. Half of the time was spent downtown at a shared workspace that was rented out for doing the typical lecture style portion of the workshop while the other half was spent shooting. We had two sets of models to photograph which made things go a lot smoother than what you typically get with 15 workshop attendees all trying to shoot at the same time. There was a good amount of hiking done, some splashing around in the streams and waterfalls, dodging a few rockslides as we dabbled in adventuring to spots we shouldn’t have been. and a camp fire to end each day with everyone hanging out together.

Our focus was finding new ways of doing things, from business and marketing to shooting techniques and creative thinking. Resetting our mindset for the remainder of the season. While the first Camp Reset was held in February just before the next wedding season got started, I found October to be a better time to hold the workshop. It’s the time of year when everyone starts to struggle, starts to feel overworked and overwhelmed, and really needs a “reset” more than ever. With that in mind, I’ll be announcing Camp Reset 3 in the coming months.

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