1:2 mentoring info.
anymore, everyone has a *lot* of options in terms of choosing a newborn photography teacher. i enjoy teaching people at many different stages along the path to finding themselves, and i’ve had people who have quite literally never photographed a newborn and simply want to “do it right” and others whose work i look at and think “why on earth do they want me” because it’s already so strong and just needing detail-oriented refinement. either way, i truly love doing it, but my approaches to teaching obviously vary a lot depending on my students. for this reason i have always felt much more comfortable and confident in laying my photography brain on the table for picking with a really small class size. this year, i’ve decided to offer 1:2’s exclusively, with mindfulness about who is pairing with whom in order to ensure people really are on the same page. i will admit that this small size is selfish on my part too, because without the weight of a big class, i am able to stretch my creative wings and do/try to execute new ideas and poses that simply aren’t possible in a workshop setting. the 1:2 dynamic is great because with no long lines of people to rotate through, we cover a lot of ground, but the added ‘extra brain’ in the room really helps lots of questions get asked (including some you may have forgotten or never thought to ask!) so it’s grown to be my favorite type of mentoring.
in the interests of keeping the same knowledge and tricks from being recycled indefinitely through the industry, i ask that you not come mentor if you think you might ever want to teach/mentor yourself someday. if you have plans to teach, i recommend taking the extra time to truly find your own path, so that what you have to offer others is unique and valuable, not ‘more of the same’.
there is also a mileage restriction of 150 miles from zip 98683 to protect my own portrait business.
so, what do you get?
me. for a day. completely open on anything photography related.
2-3 newborns (we’ll discuss which format you prefer). during the warmer months, I include an outdoor babe as well but the weather is of course unpredictable… i try my best to make it happen though!
- during the day we can go over whatever you prefer, and this is why I want students who are on the same page as one another. if you want to spend 3/4’s of the day going over wrapping or a certain pose, we can choose to dedicate our time to whatever is important to you. I like to think we can have a “focus” and still cover lots of other ground though…
- my ‘studio space’ is basically an extra living room in my home, and i treat my students and clients like friends.
all current and future digital products, free. actions, presets, new stuff that isn’t released to the public, my mentoring group on Facebook is my “tester” club for new stuff, so that is pretty fun!
online support through my facebook group, for CC on all things. it’s pretty active and there is a lot of talent in there ! i also try to answer all the questions i can.
post processing. we’ll upload files and go over whatever aspects of post are most important to you. my usual is to show my general workflow from bridge into ACR and then batching in photoshop.
- after we’re done shooting we will either eat and then do processing, or do processing and then eat dinner, depending on how we’re feeling. sometimes we order food in, sometimes we want to go out to eat, but the food is always good, and we’re always really ready to eat.
So, a probable schedule might look like this:
9 am : you arrive, can see some of how I set up for sessions, ask general questions, we usually chug lots of starbucks and talk about what we want to go over during the day
9:30-10am: first model arrives
12:30-1pm: first model leaves. quick break to eat lunch.
1-4pm: second model
(summer months, we will do a 6-7pm outdoor newborn session, weather permitting, then a very late dinner and processing, its an exhausting day but super rewarding)
5pm: post processing
630-7pm: dinner and done!
what I need from you:
- a good understanding of your camera. fundamentals like knowing what/how aperture works, how to toggle focus, shoot fully manual etc.
- appropriate gear. i prefer people use the same focal length i am using. i use a 50mm on a full frame camera, although a 35mm on a crop sensor is just fine too. my space is too small for a crop sensor to shoot with a 50, or a full frame to use an 85, sorry!
- goals! i can’t cater to your specific dreams unless you tell me what they are. so don’t hesitate to have a list of questions or goals you want to cover during our time
- please don’t wear your cocktail dress (or jeans for that matter!) to mentoring! it gets *really* warm, so dress accordingly. a tank and yoga pants/leggings and hair out of the face is good 🙂 it’s hard to focus on learning when you can’t move… we all know, newborn photography is part bikram yoga!
- leave your ego at home! i am here to help- my criticisms are meant to show you how i see things, which is why you’re coming eh? so don’t argue with me, hehe.
other info:
airport code: PDX
i am very close to the airport, so in most cases i can do airport pickups and take you to your hotel, assuming it’s not too far from me, although there are shuttles to most nearby hotels as well.
this particular hotel is extremely convenient, like, walking distance if you had to!
springhill hotel (marriot) in vancouver
this is NOT the place to stay if you want to explore portland. i really recommend airbnb for that. it’s basically where you can rent out an apartment or room from someone with extra space, usually for a really awesome rate. there are homes in some of the coolest, most fun places to explore in portland… and i’ve had students have a great experience with them. other than that, google is your friend, lots to choose from for lodging!