I very recently got to meet with my first mentoring student of 2016 (and more to come soon- we were holding off scheduling based on my office remodel project but as you maybe read here, it is all taking a bit longer than planned…) and absolutely adored my time with her!  This is one of my favorite parts of my business- one of the newer parts, and one I hope to expand a lot in the near future!

Cara is a mom of two young and adventurous boys.  She has a thriving career and spends a lot of time with her family.  She is also a photographer! Well, in my mind she is- she has a camera, she loves to use it, and now has so many new tools!  She came to me with a basic background knowledge of shooting in manual- but couldn’t quite put all the pieces together to make it happen.  We spent a few hours together in my living room talking photography, life, cameras, equipment, lighting- you name it- I’m an open book! It was so fun seeing the lightbulb moments for her- the clear spots where something really clicked and made a change in her work!

After working through many different lighting scenarios inside, we adventured outside to put her new knowledge to work. I adore group teaching environments (and always enjoyed that much more in the classroom than a private lesson set up), and loved teaching this workshop to a group of moms…but there is something that is so empowering about really working with just one person and their camera. You can really focus on their gear and their goals and how to make the best plan so that they can grow immediately in their passion.  And that is what happened with Cara!  She made such huge progress during our time together and was able to trouble shoot and figure out how to manipulate her settings to get what she wanted when she left- and I know that there is so much fun and beauty in her photography future!

If you are a photographer, small business owner, or mother interested in one of these mentoring sessions, email me at jill@jillgumphotography for details! Each session is highly individualized based on what you want to learn!  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.  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 (and can include subjects too!), new head-shots if wanted, and a plan to take action on right away for how to move forward.  These ladies also get access to the Jill Gum Photography online education community for further learning and support with other creatives working on the same concepts!  I only book 2 of these sessions per month and they are moving quickly- but I would love to put you on my mid summer or fall schedule!

Isn’t Cara a beauty??