#10

Have you ever paid for an entire conference just for the chance to hear ONE family photographer you admire talk for an hour or two? At The Family Narrative, you get two full days plus two half days dedicated entirely to building, maintaining, and enjoying a sustainable family photography business. Oh and did we mention the number of new headshots/photo content you’ll walk away with?

#8

Most in-person photo education is either a strong lineup of teachers with a big group of participants or an intimate group with 1 or 2 teachers. TFN combines an amazing lineup of world-class instructors with a boutique-sized group of attendees... around a 1:7 ratio.

#6

The 2025 iteration of TFN gives you the option to stay under one roof with other fellow attendees, slumber party style, or for those of you who need personal space and quiet at the end of a long day of learning, we’re offering day tickets so you can retreat back to the homebase of your choice to decompress.

#4

And then there’s location... a gothic revival-style church built in 1906 that has served as a hotel and event space for the last five years. “The Deacon is a place to discover and make your own. Whether with friends, colleagues or family, you won’t want to leave.” Sounds like a good place to host a creativity-focused retreat, no?

#2

One of the founding principles of The Family Narrative was championing diversity and inclusivity in the industry. We aim to ensure that every single person in the community is valued, heard, respected, empowered, and feels a true sense of belonging. We are anti-exclusivity, anti-hate, and anti-bigotry. FAMILY knows no boundaries.

#9

TFN is one of the only retreats in the industry designed entirely with experienced photographers in mind. We assume a baseline amount of knowledge regarding how to use a camera and run a business, and focus our time on inspiration, business strategy, and keeping pace with the industry.

#7

One of the great things about keeping TFN small is that you don’t have to choose between one talk or another, one live shoot or another, one discussion or another... you get to do it all! Every attendee gets access to all of the content.

#5

And speaking of teachers and attendees... we are firm believers that everyone in attendance brings valuable experience and information to the retreat. Everyone does everything together - learning, mealtime and outings are group activities. No VIP teacher’s lounges here!

#3

TFN 2025 will have a focus on creative refocus with teachers leading talks and guiding exercises to inspire and awaken your creative spark, and incorporate into your daily creative practices and routines after you’ve left.

#1

After all of the above - all the intentional space we create for the open sharing and exchange of ideas and inspiration - it’s no surprise that our attendees and teachers tend to form deep and lasting bonds. Our online community is very active with everything from work-related questions to frustrations to shared successes, and even regular online and local meet-ups. Long after the retreat is over, that community remains our biggest accomplishment.