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Join us in our Google Community. We created a brand new community on Google so everyone can share their images. This isn't for cc, this isn't for anything other then to share your amazing images to the world!! For our members who want critique on their images, joins us in the forum. We invite EVERYONE to join in on Google!

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The ALMOST Free In Person Workshop

A few years ago we had a free MEMBERS only TAoPaN in person workshop. It was held upstairs in a huge facility and over 45 photographers gathered  together for newborns and meetup. So many photographers became friends and still connect all these years later. It took me awhile to recover and see if we could do it again. I decided it was time to do it again, just a little differently. The event took quite a lot of man power to make it happen and so this time it won’t be free but almost. READ ON

Lightroom Editing Videos

Editing your images can be simple and quick and still yield high sales. Login to the foum to see how I edit my Baby Photos and Pregnancy images. READ MORE

Behind the Scenes....

Ana Brandt – owner of TAoPaN shoot in her storefront studio in Old Town Tustin for many of her shoots. However, she also provides a lot of in home sessions for clients wishing for her to travel to them. In this post, Ana shows you behind the scenes of a newborn shoot that happened all in a small nursery. Click here to read.

NYC Workshop Reviews

Ana returned to NYC once again, after teaching in New York for several years we found a beautiful new studio. This was Ana’s 6th workshop in New York and with the new smaller class size, we were thrilled with the babies and the results. Click here to read.

Podcast: MOPS Speak Overview

Over the years I have spoken to many MOPS groups. MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. Years ago when I was pregnant with Olivia, I too went to MOPS and I loved going. I treasured those few hours that I could meet other women and re-energize my spirit. I have spoken about several topics such as how to use your camera, and take better photos. Most recently I was asked to speak to a group that would have about 100 women and it was the second time this particular group had asked me to speak.

Head over to our Podcast page and listen to the thoughts of this recent speaking engagement.

PODCAST SITE

Testimonials next prev

  • Mentoring with Ana Brandt is one of the greatest investments I have made in my business. We covered marketing, business development, posing and lighting and I feel like I am ready to take my business to a new level, thanks to the 2 days we spent together. She really tailored the program to my needs, and was willing to answer all of my questions. She is an amazing photographer and a very fun person to work with! I hope to be able to take more classes/mentoring with her in the future!

    Melissa Williams

  • I recently attended the California TAoPan workshop at Ana’s studio and it was amazing! I came to learn everything I could on lighting, posing, and everything associated with newborn and maternity photography. The workshop exceeded my expectations in every way. What makes her workshop stand out is that it is completely hands-on. Ana begins by finding out where your business is at this point in time and what your goals are to improve your business. She shares marketing advice and resources, and shares many tips and advice on how to get started and specific goals for you to move forward. During the shoot, Ana explains everything including her settings, lighting, and posing, as well as why she is doing it that way. She tells you what to look for and then, this is the best part, you have a chance to do it all yourself. You wrap the baby, try the techniques, ask the model to pose, while she watches, listens, and gives you feedback on what you are doing right and what you should do differently. This is so important! I did not just shoot while she posed everyone, but I was allowed to try everything myself under her watchful eye and learn what I was doing correctly and incorrectly. This came along with a lot of laughter on my part, as Ana can adjust lighting, pose the model, and call out poses and transitions lightening fast!!! When it was my turn I would laugh and tell the model, “Just do what Ana just said...I hope you remembered all of that!” I told her I wished I could just tape her telling the model all of the transitional posing and then just press play when I was shooting...she was that amazing! This is what sets her workshop apart from the others...it is hands-on. She makes sure you understand the techniques and she makes sure you get the shot. It is so obvious she really cares about you and helping you learn the business. I cannot recommend this workshop enough, it is the best investment I have made in my business. Kelly T. :)

    Kelly T

  • I wanted to thank you again so much for the workshop yesterday - it was very helpful and inspirational.

    Rebecca (San Fran Workshop)

  • It was great to finally meet you! I can’t thank you enough for the outstanding program you offered AzPPA last evening, and your unselfish sharing of what you have learned through hard-earned experience. You are an excellent instructor, and I heard many wonderful comments from members last night. I will definitely be talking to the Board at our next Board meeting in August in regards to seeing if we can bring you in next year for a full day seminar. As you suggested, I would contact PPSC (is that the name of the Sacremento group?) and see how that could be arranged. We usually try to plan our 2014 education calendar by this september, so hopefully it can work out.

    Bob (Arizona Professional Photographers Association)

  • just wanted to say that today was great. Like really really great. I learned and took in more in one day than I thought possible. I've never been more tired in my life, but it was very much worth it!! You rock. Thanks for today :)

    Kristin (San Fran Workshop)

  • I truly did not fully grasp the connection between the f-stop and light and the shutter speed and catching a clear image of a moving subject until attending Ana's workshop. I've read about photography in many formats but not until Ana took my camera and physically showed me how the same image can change just by adjusting the aperture and shutter speed in different environments(day and night) did it finally connect for me. My work will be forever changed because of this workshop and I could not have progressed in business had I not attended. If you are not yet a student of her forum stop what you are doing and sign up now! It has been an invaluable resource. There are times when I need a tip right before a shoot and I have no one to ask but sure enough I sign onto the forum and have an answer within minutes. I am so grateful to Ana for sharing her knowledge with us." Diane Zarlingo, Proud Mama & Owner of Mama & Me, llc www.mamaandme.com.

    Diane

  • You simply amaze me EVERYDAY! Seriously. You are such an incredibly sweet, creative, talented, and GIVING person! I have learned sooo much from you from our awesome workshops, but everyday I learn something new from the forum! :) You're such an inspiration! I truly think I become a better photographer just by being around you! :)

    Jen

  • Saw your youtube videos and said to myself, god I wish she could mentor me - and then I went to the website and was very happy with what you're offering. I put my camera down about 10 years ago and recently decided to purchase a Canon eos 6d and all the equipment necessary for newborn/maternity photography. I incorporated my own business and have plenty of friends who have recently had newborns and/or will being having a baby within the next few months or soŠ..

    Amanda

  • Wow...I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation at AZPPA last week! I regret not having the chance to meet you personally...I had a long drive home and left shortly after. (I live in Prescott 1.5 hrs north of PHX). Anyway, even though I'm a pet and family photographer, I sure pulled out a lot of useful information. And your energy and passion alone inspire me to keep doing what I'm doing! My business is new to Prescott (only 6 months) so I appreciate every bit of information I can get from people who have been in the business a long time. AND: I'm going to take the slow times this coming Jan-March and try my hand at maternity and baby...just as an enrichment thing, thanks to your suggestion. It will be fun that way instead of scarey LOL

    Lisa

  • Erin and I had such an amazing time at your workshop, and that being my second with you, I expected no less;) Thank you so much for sharing your talent and experience with us and helping achieve our dreams too. My photography has improved so much thanks to your help and I have you to thank for my studios growing success.

    Lisa P

  • Ana,I want to say THANK YOU! I have been a member of your forum for years and it never ceases to amaze me. I want you to know that because of you and your mentorship, I have been able to have a hyper focus and was able to double my income last year. I know that I have a different model (franchise) than you do, however, your insight has led me to believe in myself and go for it!So in short order: I am shouting through my words: YOU ROCK! THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY BIG HEART!Lori

    Lori Ciaccio Photography

  • Hi Anna!!! Thanks so much for all your energy and information last night...(Tall long haired blonde that sat in front right behind the AV guy... so many faces right?! talked with you aft each break with questions for specifics. :D) I\'m personally passionate about HS Seniors for photography, but have 4 sisters and one always seems to be pregnant and wants me to get baby when delivers. lol. I was still able to get great info translating for my own genre as well though which was a bonus! Also Bob sent out the promised PDF this morning... thanks so much for that resource to reference as that is so much when your trying to absorb what is being said and missing some of what is posted...I\"m seeing so much written that I missed last night. THANKS! So great to discover new tricks and treats to make things simpler and more efficient so there\'s more time for the fun stuff!! Much love and adoration for your spirit and talent!! :D Shannon

    Shannon

  • Hi, I’ve been a member for about a year now. I love getting on the forum and posting ideas I am working on, marketing and posing. I have just finished re-doing my price booklet after a challenge by Anna when she redid hers. I love to get inspiration for sessions and look at others posing. It’s so worth the money to join! Amy Wade www.amywadephoto.com

    Amy Wade

  • I had an opportunity to shadow Ana yesterday for a newborn session (and this Saturday for pregnancy). She is such a little spitfire and oh sooo cute!! (So is her assistant Tiffany!) Her studio is just adorable too . . . .just in the middle of a quaint downtown area, and a shopping mecca once you step in smile.gif She has me inspired to make a real studio my goal! And showed me that my little home studio might not be enough room for much . . ..

  • “Got my book today! Whoohoo! It looks great Ana! I read the intro and started reading more. You’ve made it really easy to keep reading and you’ve made points that I would not have thought about. It’s obvious you’ve poured your heart into this project! Be extremely proud!!!! I’m sending you a pm…” Toni

    Toni

  • Thanks Ana!! Loving reading through your book. You have a real gift to making your writing so engaging and conversational….and learn something too! K Spidare

    Karen S

  • I wanted to send you a note and say thank you so much for awesome workshop! Form my two days with you I can see why you are very successful. You go all out on whatever you do and the workshop was consistent with that for sure! I learned a ton and had fun doing it. I was never bored and couldn’t believe how fast the time went. I cant wait to sit down with my wife and go over all the things I learned and share some of the ideas I have for our business that were inspired from the workshop. You are a great person, not many people would open their world up to us like you did. I know that what you shared with us over the two days took many years of blood sweat and tears to develop and perfect. I cant express enough how much I appreciate you sharing. I feel like you just pushed my business forward by years in just a few days(still a long ways to go). Anyway again thank you so much!!! Aaron

    Aaron

  • You are so great! I can’t thank you enough! You have revamped my vision, goals and plans. You are so inspirational! “I wanted to send out a HUGE thank-you to you for your knowledge and fire starting abilities! It is after midnight here in Canada and I am still working (which I am thrilled about)! I can not tell you how amazed I am at what has happened as of late… shocked might be the better word. Now I don’t wish to jinx anything, but I am BUSY! It appears that the marketing efforts are starting to bear fruit and I couldn’t be happier. You would laugh because I had to start a new list on who is booking, when, if paid, who has completed sessions, orders, and so on. This is a FIRST for me as I usually can keep a handful of people straight in my mind at a time (which is what I was used to doing). I find I am looking to hire a sitter for my children much more often than I am used to as well (booking spilling into the week now). So my question to you is this… I had planned on being what I considered busy by the time my youngest went to SK (3 years from now), I joined B studio and plans changed!!! WHAT DO I DO NOW? lol. Juggle as best I can. I hope this all continues (knock on wood!!!!). For today I am floating with happiness. Thank-you again from the bottom of my heart. I know I wouldn’t be making leaps like this so quickly without your guidance. Most Sincerely, Danielle www.40piggiesphotography.com

    Danielle

  • Attending Ana’s TAOPAN Workshop was truly life changing for me. Looking over my pictures from last weekend I can’t help but smile. Ana gave me the confidence and reassurance that I needed to move my business forward. Because Ana showed me how to get it right in the camera with pregnancy and newborns, my processing time has DRAMATICALLY decreased already! I went into this workshop knowing I would learn a lot, but I never imagined that I would leave feeling so confident. Ana was an open book and there wasn’t any question that couldn’t be asked of her. My friend Missy led me to Ana, but God opened every door, knocked down every roadblock we faced and we were blessed to attend this Workshop together. I have been forever blessed by Ana and I am truly honored to have learned from such a great talent. Ana taught us how to calm and soothe newborns, position them safely and perfect each detail down to every tiny finger and toe. We also learned a great deal about transitional posing and how to get the most out of each setup. I’m a natural light lover but Ana also showed us that you don’t need a lot of studio lighting and extra equipment to get an amazing shot! Don’t hesitate if you ever have a chance to attend a Workshop with Ana, it will be the best investment you make and you will walk away with many tools to grow your business.

  • “Amazingly informative webinar. I can’t wait to design my first book!!!!!! lots more webinars please! Linda Zawadzki www.lindazawadzkiphotography.com

    Linda Z

  • “OMG all that marketing I did paid off TEN fold. I couldn’t even get to the 21st day because the response to the first 14 was so overwhelming I could barely handle the business I got. With that said, I hadn’t been on the forum in a FEW days and SO much happened…T.Perez

    T Perez

  • “I just got my book in the mail— UNBELIEVEABLE! I have only flipped through it and I can’t believe all of the info that’s in there! The images are flawless and the book is just put together so well.” Natalie P

    Natalie

  • “I love this book and it covers every little detail about maternity and newborns. Thanks Ana” Claudine J

    Claudine

  • I got mine a couple days ago..You rock Ana!! The book is amazing and really gave me a ton of inspiration! I also got your cards and the videos…Watching someone else work was so cool…You are deffinatley doing what you are meant to do- Your comfort level while holding the babies is amazing and I now know that is what I need to work hard at. I usually stand back and direct but now I realize I need to take charge during these sessions. Thank you so much for sharing all your expertise!” Cari

    Cari

  • Ana is this tiny ball of energy, so generous and personable and above all really knows her stuff. She would curl up a newborn in 2 seconds and when the baby wouldn’t settle she would transform the little ball into a different shape . . . you could tell she was an absolute pro at this and had no difficulty handling newborns. If you haven’t shadowed her, you need to get to her studio now! Buy plane tickets, whatever but it is definitely worth it to meet her in person” Marlo Y.

    Marlo

  • “Great information and learned much. Will reference the materials frequently and hope to keep up with Received mine yesterday and just finished watching it. Loved it. It really gave me a good feel for a session.the forum. Appreciate all you put into the course and the hands on help, Ana. Kris R”

    Kris R

  • Thanks sooo much Ana for sharing your wisdom...... Again. I loved opening up my studio to you all. For the other attendees, all I can say is I have attended tours and webinars with other photographers. They always end up being shameless plugs to buy something. Ana gives more advice and actual how to knowledge than any other photographer I have met yet. Take her advice and run with it!!! Kimberly Zatezalo KZ Photography, LLC

    Kimberly

  • ou wouldn't truly believe how I am doing. After the workshop, I set a goal: ten newborn models to exploit absolutely every option to learn for 2011. I made the goal, except Baby Ten was 2012 because he was born Dec 14 and spent a month in NICU. I got my models by obtaining a 1917 wicker buggy and a real looking baby. I restored the buggy with a lotta bangles and I went to autumn outdoor events handing out cards. The baby and the buggy drew a lot of attention. I am afraid some folks thought I was nuts. But I got my ten babies. I have been absolutely terrified throughout the experience, but I was so energized from the workshop and I wanted to respect the workshop and you and be able to show you how much I appreciated you and the opportunity, remember: "No Regrets!" It's one thing to gain so much from the workshop; it's another to commit to implement. I've made some beautiful portraits, and I've made a lot of mistakes, but NO REGRETS! (Despite the intense inner voice that tells me I'm too old, I'm not skilled enough.) So, now I am pulling together a price list and a blog. I already have a Facebook page: Lagniappe* Newborn Portraits. I actually have a paying customer lined up!!!!!! For 2012, no more models, no more freebies. I've collected some beautiful props, and have a few incredible antiquing stories to tell. My model moms and babies have been truly courageous and patient. I do want to send you a CD of my portraits. Not that you'd have to look at each one, but maybe get a general idea. I just want you to see all the work you've inspired. How am I doing? Well I still do not know how to adequately thank you. Stay well, you keep infusing us with so much excitement and confidence. Love, Darlene

    Darlene

NYC SIMPLY BABY WORKSHOP

Ana is back in NYC again this summer for one day Simply Baby workshops.

click

CA SIMPLY BABY WORKSHOP

Take your 4 hour newborn sessions down to 2 in this Simply Baby Workshop, Ana will show you how.

click

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Latest blog entries

NYC 2013 Workshop {Reviews}

August 7, 2013
0 Comments

Ana returned to NYC once again, after teaching in New York for several years we found a beautiful new studio. This was Ana’s 6th workshop in New York and with the new smaller class size, we were thrilled with the babies and the results. Below are student reviews and

Read More

California Workshop {Reviews}

August 2, 2013
0 Comments

This past summer we had a pregnancy and newborn workshop in the Tustin, California studio. The students were wonderful and worked so hard at the studio, field and beach. Below are some student sample images and reviews. {the next workshop is September 29, 2013} A couple things I learned from

Read More

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