Shiloh Ranch Western Creative Intensive, Missouri
October 2027
Join the Cowgirls with Cameras on a Photography Creative Immersion Experience
NEW LOCATION for 2027!
5 Days, 4 Nights | October 21-25, 2027
Amsterdam, Missouri
Build Your Portfolio. Expand Your Content Creation Skills
What happens when you stop thinking about getting the shot and start thinking like a creator?
Today’s photographers are being asked to create more: stronger portfolios, compelling social content, short-form video, storytelling images, marketing assets, behind-the-scenes content, and imagery that serves a purpose beyond simply being beautiful.
The Shiloh Ranch Western Creative Intensive is a five-day Cowgirls with Cameras learning experience designed to help you stretch your creative muscles, diversify your portfolio, and become more confident creating photography and video content in a wide variety of real-world situations.
We’ll give you the subjects, scenarios, education, and plenty of room to experiment. Creative opportunities at this event include: the Western ranch horse, rodeo type action, herds of cattle and horses, senior/equestrian portraits, horses/elk in the landscape, ranch lifestyle, off-camera lighting, and much more!
Model releases are provided so you may use content created during this intensive for your own marketing and/or resale.
This event location offers horseback riding for an additional cost. Private rooms are available.
This is a Cowgirls with Cameras Photography Creative Immersion Experience designed for Intermediate Beginners to Andvanced Professional Photographers.
If you feel you need assistance reaching the desired knowledge level, we offer pre-workshop mentorships to give you everything you need to succeed at this workshop.
Our Learning Immersion workshops offer beginner, intermediate and advanced photographers a chance to grow their skills in a safe and supportive environment. Learning photography can also be a lonely experience and workshops can be intimidating and scary. Learning photography in a workshop setting can be harsh, feel competitive, or stifling, and we don’t want that to be the experience for our students. We want this experience to allow you room to establish a solid foundation and/or expand your skills while having fun and getting the knowledge you’ve been craving.
Register now!
There are a limited number of spots available for this experience. Your deposit of $750 secures your spot at the event and is credited toward your balance. Deposits are non-refundable. Please use this checkout form to secure your spot today!
Full experience price: $3575 Shared | $3950 Private Accommodation
This event blends immersive learning and content creation with a retreat style atmosphere and daily horseback rides if you choose!
Your Leaders: Cara, Kim and Phyllis!
Cara Taylor Swift
Fast Horse Photography, Equine Portrait Specialist
Super Powers:
Eliciting Horse Human Connection
Posing People with Horses
Seeing the extraordinary
in the ordinary.
Canon
Lightroom Classic
Photoshop
PC
Kim Beer
Kim Beer Photography & Be More Business, Gestaltist
Super Powers:
Helping you connect with and love your Muse.
Innovative Business Building
Creative & Fast Workflows
Canon
Lightroom CC & Classic
Photoshop
Mac and iPad Pro
Phyllis burchett
Phyllis Burchett Photography, Photographic Artist
Super Powers:
Artistic Expression in Photography
Seeing the Details
Patience
Passive Income
Nikon
Photoshop
Bridge
PC
The magic of a Cowgirls with Cameras Experience is in our Leaders!
We are three very different photographers and all successful in our own craft using different approaches and techniques. We have been in your shoes — the novice photographer yearning to learn more; the intermediate photographer seeking to become better at your craft; and the experienced photographer looking to expand your horizons and fully tap into your creativity. We each offer our unique super powers, methods, and view points for you to consider. We believe this offers our students the opportunity to truly choose what works best for them. Our instruction style is open, engaging, non-judgmental, and friendly. We are passionate about photography, artistic expression, business, and having fun — we want to inspire you and help you take your photography to the next level.
About the Cowgirls with Cameras Photography creative Immersion Experience at shiloh Ranch
You bring the camera and your curiosity.
Shiloh Ranch gives us an incredible canvas for this experience.
Horses. Western models. Portrait subjects. Cowboys. Arena action. Wildlife. Ranch environments. Western details. Movement. Relationships. Stories. Rather than spending five days photographing variations of the same subject, we’ll use that variety to challenge you to see and create differently.
Photography opportunities range from shooting a large herd of horses moving together across the landscape to team roping and western action. We’ll also work with western models and create styled portrait opportunities that allow you to practice posing, directing, lighting, composition, and connecting with your subject.
PLUS: We’ll photograph Shiloh Ranch’s commercial elk herd and explore the very different skills involved in photographing animals and wildlife.
Scheduled shoots are all western equine themed and include a wide range of setups including portrait, lifestyle, action, and creative opportunities. Instructors will be available during the shoots to direct models and help participants with capturing the images they envision.
Classroom time is scheduled between shoots. Our classroom time will be divided between lecture and hands-on learning. Topics covered will include editing, creativity, camera knowledge, composition, business, mindset and more. The classroom time at our workshops is designed to give you the skills you need to get the most out of the scheduled shoots.
Community is a key aspect of our Immersion Photography experiences. We encourage sharing and friendship both during and after the event. Some of our most memorable moments and best friendships have come from the workshops we have attended, and we want you to have that same opportunity at every Cowgirls with Cameras event. Built into the schedule is time to get to know each other and foster support for each other both in our lives and art.
Relaxation time is important to the creative process. Although this event is intensely focused on learning, we will have built in down time for relaxation and just hanging out with each other, the animals, and nature.
We hand pick our locations to offer
• beautiful scenery
• real ranch lifestyle
• horses
• a variety of settings
• comfortable lodging
This Western Creative Immersion will include a mix of the following according to particpant needs:
Posing
Working with Models
Lighting Techniques and Strategies
Photography Business Skills
Mindset & Creativity
Videography with Mirrorless & DSLR
Portfolio Building
Social Media & Marketing for Photographers
Camera Equipment: In order to get the most out of this experience, we recommend you have a DSLR or Mirrorless removable lens camera system. If you don’t own one of these camera systems, we can help you choose what to rent so you maximize your experience and can test out equipment before you commit!
Editing Equipment: A laptop and/or iPad is required to take advantage of the classroom time focused on editing and workflow. Instruction will take place in industry standard Adobe software. For laptop users, we will work in Photoshop, Bridge, and Lightroom Classic or Lightroom CC. For iPad users, we will work in Lightroom CC and Photoshop Mobile. If you edit in Photoshop Elements, you can still benefit from the classroom instruction, but you may not have access to all the tools for some techniques. If you edit with Affinity, you will need to alter some steps of the Photoshop instruction to the specifics of your software. For video we recommend Adobe Premiere or Davinci Resolve (which offers a free version that will be perfectly fine for this event.)
Lighting Equipment and Accessories: Almost all our instructional and setup shooting will be done with available light. There are, however, occasions and locations where off camera lighting techniques will be covered. In these cases, we will have lighting setups provided for Canon and Nikon users. If you use another brand of camera equipment, we will provide you with the requirements for your camera setup prior to the event or you can observe the techniques and apply them at home when you have the required equipment. An accessory list for each location will be provided at the time of registration.
The Important Details
The investment for this event is
$3575 Shared Accommodation,
$3950 Private.
Classroom Instruction
In Field Instruction
8 Photography/Video SHOOTING SESSIONS
Model Releases
Lodging
Meals
Travel to and from the location is not included.
The closest airport to this location is Kansas City International MCI (1 hour 30 minutes from the ranch). You should plan to arrive on location by 2 pm on October 21 and plan to depart the ranch by 10 am on October 25 unless other arrangements are made in advance. There will not be a need to leave the location during the event, so sharing a rental car is advised to cut down on expenses. We will connect attendees through social media and email prior to the event so you can make arrangements.
Lodging is provided by the ranch and included. This location offers both shared and private rooms. Shared rooms will be two people per room. Rooms are comfortable and fully outfitted.
Meals are provided by the ranch and included. The ranch is happy to accommodate a range of dietary needs if they know in advance. Please notify us if you need vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, sugar-free, or other dietary options for your meals. Also let us know in advance if you have any food allergies.
We do everything we can within reason to make you comfortable during the event. If you have any special needs, please notify us in advance so we can arrange to meet them or set expectations accordingly. We also host a virtual meet and greet ahead of the event so participants can get to know each other before arrival as well as plan ride shares if desired.
Activity Level, Personal Gear, and Weather Considerations
Participants in this experience should be in good health and feel comfortable walking over uneven terrain and standing for extended periods of time. We may have to hike a short distance to shoot locations so please be prepared by bringing hiking or western type boots/shoes with closed toes. Weather in the west can be unpredictable, so pack layers to accommodate your comfort in both warm and cold temperatures. We often find morning to start off chilly and quickly rise in temperature and layering allows you to adjust your comfort level easily.
Horse experience is NOT necessary to participate in this experience.