The Myth & Magic Malibu Workshop

Have you always wanted to live in a fantasy?

Does your heart yearn for ballgowns and mermaid tails and unicorns at sunrise? Do you long for the chance to experience your own, personal fairytale? Well, we’d like to help you make that dream come true.

You’re Cordially Invited to… 

The Myth & Magic Malibu Workshop

Hosted by Fins and Fairies and Mermaid Kalynn 

Join us for a 3-Day Fantasy Photography Experience!

Over the course of three, magical days in Southern California, you will experience picturesque settings pulled straight from a storybook. Whether you are a photographer or a model, you will be enchanted by the moments you capture.

Models Will Learn:

-Land and Underwater Posing Skills

-Breath Hold Technique

-Buoyancy Control

-Water Safety Skills

-Outfit Planning

Photographers Will Learn:

-Model Direction

-Aligning the Shot

-Editing Skills

-Water Safety Skills (and how to anticipate an emergency!)

-Concept/Theme Styling

Day 1, Ride the Sand

On your first day, you will travel up California’s coastline for a unique, once-in-a-lifetime photoshoot! With coaching from your hosts, embrace the chance to shoot on horseback right on the beach. Pick out the perfect ballgown, and with the help of our horse wranglers, pose atop your majestic steed as the waves crash behind you on a sunrise sky.

Following your ride, visit Malibu’s beautiful tide pools for a chance to stretch your scales, transforming into a mermaid as the sun sets!

Day 2, Dive the Pool

Now that you’ve had the chance to practice your skills on-land, go in-depth with the basics of underwater photography and modeling, as well as water safety! In a luxurious, private pool, you will stretch your skillset with 1-on-1 coaching provided by your hosts. Featuring stunning, ethereal backdrops for both deep-end, and half-submerged shelf shots, you will get a full, grandiose library’s worth of diverse images, as well as helpful critiques with an image-review mentoring session.

Day 3, Unleash the Kelpie

You’ve seen those otherworldly images– the long, waving stalks, pushing and pulling through the water, riding that powerful current. It is a forest unlike any other, a haven for the creatures who call this sea home. Take a ferry out to the island of Catalina, and swim in the kelp just off its point! With multiple safeties at your side, transform into a being of the Pacific, and embrace your inner mermaid. Imagine incredible, jaw-dropping shots with the kind of intensely dramatic, romantasy-level backdrop that only nature can provide. In a full day’s worth of dives, prepare to be awe-inspired, and exhausted in the best way. 

Day 4, ADD-ON Pirate Tower Mini-Shoots!

For all attendees, we are offering an optional mini session at the iconic Pirate Tower in Victoria Beach. This add-on experience offers plummeting cliffs and daring waves that will have you ready to set sail -- perfect for nautical, land-based portraits. If you’d like to extend your adventure and create a few more unforgettable photos with Laura of Fins and Fairies, this extra day is a swashbuckler’s way to do it.

*For those unable to attend the workshop, we will have a select few slots available for just the mini-shoot experience! Click HERE to secure your mini session spot!

Video Content will be captured throughout the entirety of the workshop, capturing incredible BTS footage, as well as spellbinding scenes!

There are no certifications required for this workshop, however strong swimming skills are a requirement. You will be in cold, open water with strong currents and waves. A dive waiver and medical questionnaire will be required to be filled out and turned in prior to the workshop. 

Inclusions:

• 3 Fantastical Photoshoot Days

• Individualized Mentoring from Experienced Professionals

• Trained Water Safety

• Portfolio-Quality Images

• Majestic Horse Rental

• Ferry Tickets

• Wardrobe (options will be limited, it is recommended models bring their own outfits)

• BTS Videography

Exclusions:

• Flights and Accommodations

• Meals (snacks and water will be provided!)

• Ground Transportation

• Hair and Makeup (this can be purchased as an ADD-ON)

• Camera and Photography Equipment

• Swimming Gear (wetsuits, weight belts, masks, fins all recommended)

• Travel Insurance (recommended)

How Much Is It?

The workshop starts at $2,400 (during Black Friday Weekend), which includes 3 days of fully immersive fantasy and underwater photo sessions across incredible locations, modeling and photography coaching, with a 6-Photo package and BTS video included. Additional enhancements and packages can be added, learn more about those options HERE.

This price only lasts until December 1st, and then it goes up to $3,000! Payment plans are available! Don’t miss your chance, there are ONLY 6 SPOTS AVAILABLE!

When Is It?

This workshop will be hosted September 15-18, 2026. Attendees are encouraged to arrive on the 14th, and join us for a welcome dinner! The last day, the 18th, is an optional add-on day for those looking to get even more out of their trip!

Where Is It?

The workshop takes place all over Southern California, and so having ground transportation will be necessary. We suggest that you fly into Burbank, as it is the most convenient airport with significantly less hassle. Day 1 will take place in Oxnard on one of their horse-friendly beaches, followed by a visit to Malibu. Day 2 will take place in Agoura Hills at a private pool. Day 3 will take place in Catalina Island, we will take a ferry out of Long Beach. Optional Day 4 will involve a trek down to Laguna Beach to visit Victoria Beach, famous for its iconic pirate tower.

Meet: Fins and Fairies

Photo Description: Laura sits by a pool, her toes dipping into the surface. She wears a teal Fins & Fairies legging and rash guard set, and is holding her underwater camera. Beside her is a bright purple and orange mermaid tail, and a pair of iridescent fairy wings.

Laura Lewis is a fantasy and underwater portrait photographer who transforms imagination into living art. With over 15 years behind the camera—including training at the New England School of Photography and mentorship with Kimber Greenwood—she creates immersive portrait adventures where dress-up becomes a doorway to self-discovery. Her motto, “come curious, leave legendary,” reflects her passion for helping cosplayers, performers, and creative souls step into their magic and see themselves with newfound confidence. At the Myth & Magic Malibu Workshop, Laura offers workshop attendees the chance to embody their own dreams through playful, transformative portraits on land and underwater.

Meet: Mermaid Kalynn

Photo Description: Kalynn kneels on the bottom of the ocean floor, her bronze hair flowing. She wears a white, lace bodice, and golden skirt that hugs her tightly. She is holding a bouquet of white roses edged with red. Beams of light dive into the dark, teal sea, lighting the world around her.

Kalynn has been a professional mermaid for over ten years, with experience performing all over the world. Before mermaid tails were something you could acquire with the click of a button, Kalynn hand-crafted all of her first silicone tails. At that time, she was brought on by HB Mermaids to teach mermaid swim classes to children, to host a weekly Meet-and-Greet show at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, and to sing at a local dive bar performing Disney and Broadway classics. 

Since relocating to Georgia, she has embraced the other side of her unique skillset. Whether it be spring-hopping through Florida, or traveling into international waters, Kalynn now works as a professional underwater model, capturing the beauty of the natural world and its most important resource through the breathtaking power of art. She uses her creativity as a means to express her environmentalism, and to encourage others to keep their dreams alive. She is so excited to partner with Fins and Fairies for this incredibly special workshop!

Why Us?

When you decide to join Mermaid Kalynn and Fins & Fairies for an experience you won’t find anywhere else– where expert guidance, rare California locations, and true underwater artistry come together in one unforgettable adventure– you’ll have signed yourself up for a treat of a lifetime. With our combined skills in underwater modeling, safety, photography, and storytelling, you’ll be supported, inspired, and pushed to create your most transformative work yet. And this workshop isn’t just about photos; it’s about growth and adventure, the kind of magic most people never get to experience, creating portraits in places most only dream about. 

Opportunities like this don’t come around often… and the stories you’ll walk away with will stay with you forever. These spots are limited, and when they’re gone, they’re gone!

Does this siren workshop call to you? If so, apply today to join us! You can learn even more about this fin-tastic opportunity, and all of its package options HERE. Slots are limited, so don’t wait! We hope to sea you there.