Byron Bay Photographers’ Retreat – Elevate Your Photography Over Three Transformative Days.  Join us in stunning Byron Bay for a three-day immersive photographers' retreat, designed to elevate your craft and business. Featuring internationally renowned photographers and educators like Jai Long, Kelly Balch, Graeme Passmore, and your host, Carissa from Elk & Fir, this retreat is a game-changer for wedding and elopement photographers ready to push their creative boundaries.

This experience is more than just a workshop—it's a place where authentic storytelling meets hands-on learning. Expect high-impact education on wedding and elopement photography, editorial and styled shoots, branding with LeeLou, Content Creation with Vanessa Hall, Reel Social Weddings, marketing, and LGBTQ+ inclusive storytelling that elevates your business.

We're proud to welcome Dancing With Her to the retreat, further celebrating inclusivity and diverse love stories.

Early Bird Tickets Open

VENTURE FOLK RETREAT

PhotographerS RETREAT

Byron Bay 6-8th August 2025

Inside  venture folk retreat 2.0

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A soulful,  

Creative

retreat

experience

For

photographers 

Grow,

connect,

be inspired

ready to

&

elevate their

Craft.

A curated trio of immersive, styled experiences for photographers who crave depth, emotion, and wild beauty in every frame.

When I first started out, I had nothing but a camera and a heart full of fire. No connections, no styled shoots, no flash gear or fancy presets — just raw passion and the aching desire to create something that felt like me. I know what it’s like to feel invisible in a saturated industry, to hustle through late nights with nothing to show but burnout and a dream.

Maybe you’re in that place right now — working another job, juggling kids, navigating relationships and the relentless pace of life — with a dream burning quietly in the background but no time to make it real. I see you.

That’s why I’ve built this: The Storyteller Series is the experience I wish I had.

These aren’t just styled shoots. They’re soul-fed, ready-to-roll content experiences — curated by me, with your brand, growth, and storytelling power in mind. You don’t need to organise a thing. Just sign up, show up, and shoot. Everything else — the concept, styling, talent, location, timeline, light — has been intentionally designed so you can walk away with an epic story to tell and images that will elevate your portfolio and attract your dream clients.


Along the way, I’ll be guiding you through:

        How to direct couples or muses with confidence and authenticity

        How to shoot with cinematic flair (think movement, emotion, story)

        Using light intentionally — golden hour, hard light, low light

        How to edit and curate for impact

        How to turn one shoot into weeks of content for marketing

        Personal feedback and real talk (because I’m here to see you grow)










What You’ll Learn:

5 spots each

the story teller series

by elk and fir

Date to be advised - 2025

Inside  the elk and fir story teller series

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choose your,  

Adventure

book one scene

or

bundle

Grow,

connect,

be inspired

and save.

&

elevate your

Craft.

Softness, Seen Through Strength  

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Bare & Becoming (Boudoir) 

Where vulnerability meets vision

All about transformation, softness, and the quiet strength that rises from vulnerability — this boudoir shoot is an invitation to witness the evolution of self through light, connection, and the art of being truly seen. Whether it’s a solo “her” session, a her & him, or a her & her story, this on-location experience celebrates intimacy and the unfolding of confidence from the inside out.

As photographers, we hold more than cameras — we hold space for metamorphosis. We guide with intention. We cheerlead with heart. And in a space like this — where trust is tender and courage is present — you’ll witness firsthand how I gently cultivate connection with my clients, helping them feel safe, seen, and empowered in their own skin.

You’ll shoot alongside me in real time as I show you how to craft artistic, soulful images that go beyond skin-deep — images that are a true reflection of her soul.

📍 Morning or afternoon session (approx. 4 hours)
🎟️ Limited to 5 photographers only
💸 $399

You’ll learn:

-How to direct with empathy and confidence

-Posing for softness, connection, and mood

-Working with natural light and shadows

-Telling a story of empowerment through imagery

-Curating your edit for sensual, artful impact

Date to be released soon — join the waitlist to be the first to know. 

An Intimate Mountain-Top Celebration, Glasshouse  

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Check out my latest  mountain adventure elopements here.  

 Love, Unrushed. Wildly in Love (Elopement) 

For the wildly in love and mountain-bound.

This isn’t just a shoot — it’s a full-bodied, windswept *experience* designed to help you capture elopements that feel like magic and look like a film still.

Together, we’ll create a mountain elopement vision that’s deeply personal, uniquely styled, and full of that wild romance couples crave. From quiet, close-up moments to wide, awe-filled landscape frames — you’ll learn how to tell a couple’s love story in a way that feels honest, artistic, and straight-up breathtaking.

You’ll shoot alongside me in real time as I walk you through how I build connection, direct without disrupting the moment, and turn a rugged mountaintop into the most heartfelt wedding canvas. This is about creating *intentional elopement art*, not just pretty pictures.

📍 Afternoon into blue hour (approx. 4 hours)
🎟️ **Limited to 4 photographers only** (it’s a mountain, space is tight!)
💸 $499

You’ll learn:

* How to help couples feel comfortable, free, and fully themselves
* Creating a vision that reflects the *vibe and soul* of their story
* Directing with care — not control
* Shooting for story: intimate portraits *and* wide-sweeping landscapes
* Styling details that feel meaningful (and look amazing)
* Editing for cinematic warmth and emotion

You’ll walk away with a full gallery of dream-worthy mountaintop elopement images — and the skills to recreate that magic again and again.

Date to be released soon — join the waitlist to be the first to know!





Softness, Seen Through Strength  

LEARN MORE  

Check out my latest City adventure elopement here.
  

Laneway Hearts (City Elopement) 

Where vulnerability meets vision

Laneway Hearts (City Elopement) – Urban vibes, laneway kisses, and gritty romance in the heart of the city.

This one’s for the lovers who trade traditions for alleyway kisses, neon signs, and just-the-two-of-us vows echoing between brick walls. Laneway Hearts is a front-row pass to the kind of urban elopement that feels spontaneous, bold, and unapologetically modern.

We’ll chase light through graffiti-filled alleys, weave stories between city streets, and show you how to create editorial-style images that still feel raw, real, and wildly in love. This isn’t about stiff posing or staged perfection — it’s about capturing connection in unexpected places.

Shoot alongside me in real time as I guide you through my approach to photographing couples in gritty, high-energy environments — balancing intimacy with edge, and finding softness in the middle of the street.

📍 Afternoon into dusk (approx. 4 hours)
🎟️ Limited to 5 photographers
💸 $399

You’ll learn:

How to shoot urban elopements with cinematic flair

Finding beauty and balance in chaotic backdrops

Posing for movement, connection, and cool-as-hell vibes

Using hard light, shadows, and architecture creatively

Blending documentary storytelling with editorial edge

Turning gritty into gold with your editing

You’ll walk away with a gallery full of city soul — electric, emotive, and ready to attract your kind of couples.



Date to be released soon — join the waitlist to be the first to know. 

Let's create some EPIC magic

You & I 
Our Adventure
Awaits !

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