I am so excited to share about this part of my business for the first time on the blog!  As you all know, my heart is very much in teaching.  After teaching clarinet and voice lessons since I was 14, going through an education program in college, and being Ms. Steph/Mrs. Gum for 8 years in the HS classroom, it is absolutely engrained in who I am.  I am so thankful that education is a part of my story. When I decided I wanted to teach music, it was because I absolutely loved music and the influence it had in my life, and I wanted to share that passion with others. I wanted to see others be grown by it how I was.

And that is exactly what has led me to wanting to teach photographers.  And by photographers, I mean both those choosing photography as a business, and those who want to learn to use their cameras better (same philosophy I had as a choir director!).  A lot of people, especially parents, end up buying DSLR cameras because they want to capture their children better, and I know that story well. However, finding the time to learn or teach yourself how to really use it is very difficult!  For that matter, each person has different elements of their business, their camera, and their story telling that they want to learn to be better at, which is why I have begun offering one on one mentoring sessions! These 2.5 hours sessions will be molded to fit whatever your desire is for your photography.  Each session will be highly individualized. If you are pursuing photography as a business, we can talk work flow, client care, editing, social media use. If you are a mom wanting to learn how to photograph her children better, we can talk lighting, controlling your camera instead of letting it control you, easy posing thoughts.  And everything in between- I am an open book! Because as a teacher, I know that is how people learn- by asking, seeing, and putting into practice what they learn.  Each mentoring session will involve a live shooting demonstration that is customized to each individual photographer, new head-shots, and a plan to take action on right away for how to move forward.

If you are a photographer or someone with a nice camera that you want to learn how to use better, please email me at jill@jillgumphotography.com for information about one on one mentoring sessions! I am SO excited and passionate about this expansion in my business, and cannot wait to watch other photographers grow and fall more and more in love with telling stories with their cameras!  I am offering a $50 discount on these sessions for one week (ending 12/8) as a little mentoring launch incentive- so this is a great time to check it out!

Melody, an old friend from college, contacted me and asked about setting up a mentoring session like this. We went out and did some practicing shooting, talking about different techniques, did some head shots for her very newly opened business, and talked through some steps for her future. She is just starting out and isn’t entirely decided on how full force her and her husband want to take their camera work, but they are really excited to move forward!  I loved meeting with Melody and walking her through what a session looks like.  There are so many “a-ha” moments in seeing someone else work, as I know well from teaching!  We had a great time together, and I am so excited to see where her business moves next.

Here are some of Melody’s headshots- isn’t she a doll!? We had the most perfect light, and I was so glad we grabbed these in the last few minutes before the sun went down!

LOVE this on the left, sweet friend!

Email me at jill@jillgumphotography.com for more information on one on one mentoring photography sessions near Springfield, Illinois!