Discover
THE PHOTOGRAPHER WITHIN YOU
I help photographers be the photographer they were meant to be
I do that by investing time getting to know you so I can personalize what and how I teach you.
And, I believe it’s important to follow your own path as a photographer because, if you do, it can not only make you a better person, it will help you live a richer, more fulfilling life.
In a minute, I’m going to offer you a chance to talk with me about working together on your photography.
But first, let me step you thru a conversation you and I might have about learning photography with me. It might go something like this:
YOU: What could you possibly help me with that isn’t already in one of the thousands of YouTube photo tutorial videos or hundreds of online photography courses?
ME: Easy. I can help you with you.
YOU: Huh?
ME: Tutorials and online courses are great. I use them myself. But they won’t make you a better photographer because they don’t provide an absolutely vital thing you MUST have -- feedback.
YOU: I get that on Instagram and Facebook.
ME: That’s not what I’m talking about. In fact, that feedback is probably hurting you more than it’s helping you.
YOU: { … blank stare … }
ME: Ok. Let’s say you post a photo and get 300 likes and 40 comments telling you how awesome your photo, 3 comments telling you how it’s a ripoff of some other photographer and 1 comment spamming you to buy some weird new photo gadget. Would you be happy with that?
YOU: Yes, I would.
ME: Why?
YOU: Because it would let me know I’m doing good work?
ME: According to whom?
YOU: According to people who love photography and might hire me to shoot for them.
ME: Ok, that’s legit. But we’re not talking about marketing here, we’re talking about becoming a better photographer. How does that make you a better photographer?
YOU: It let’s me know what I’m doing is working and that I should keep doing what I’m doing.
ME: Again, that’s legit if I asked you how does that make you more popular or get you more work … but I asked you, “How does that make you a better photographer?”
YOU: { … blank stare … }
ME: I think the answer you’re looking for is: it doesn’t.
YOU: So I’m not sure I see where this is going.
ME: We all have different ambitions as photographers – financial success, popularity, being great at what we do, personal fulfillment, creative fulfillment, meet new people, explore the world, share things you find amazing, personal growth, help others, raise awareness for things that matter to you, etc.. And the crazy thing is, you can have aallllllll these ambitions at the same time. It’s important, though, to recognize that these are all uniquely different things … and improving in one area, doesn’t necessarily translate to any other area. You can achieve financial success without being a particularly great photographer (and there are hundreds of examples of this). You can be popular without growing or being fulfilled as a person. You can explore the world but not share what you discover. What’s so incredible about photography is it can do … and be ... ssoooooo many things for us. And what it is for one person, can be completely different for another.
YOU: Wow … that’s a lot to take in.
ME: How important is photography to you?
YOU: It’s probably my favorite thing to do.
ME: Me, too. How would you like to go beyond doing photography and start exploring what it is to be a photographer? I’m not talking about photography as a living. I’m talking about thinking about it in a whole new way.
YOU: Hmmm. I don’t know. I’m not bad at photography, but I’m not great, either. That sounds like it might be a little over my head.
ME: Not at all. The only thing that matters is that you love photography and put time into becoming better at it. I take a very different approach to teaching people photography. All the technical stuff matters, but you can learn that anywhere … from me, or pretty much anywhere. What I help you find who you are as a photographer, and help you become better at being that kind of photographer.
YOU: { … puzzled look … }
ME: Maybe these two things will help. When I was a picture editor, I had a staff of 14 fantastic photographers, but 14 very different photographers. Every day I’d send them out on assignments and then work with them when they came back to choose what would go in the next day’s newspaper. Now, a lot of picture editors look thru photographers’ takes and choose the pictures they like best. Because I’d been a photographer, I never wanted to take away my photographers’ “visual voices.” So, we’d talk about the story, what they were trying to say, how they felt about the pictures they’d chosen and why they believed those were the right pictures to publish. I’d share my thoughts and together we’d make a decision. It was a give and take on both sides that preserved who the photographer was and also served the audience that was going to be seeing the pictures.
When I give feedback to students or professionals, I’m not really interested in seeing portfolios because maybe their portfolio is terrific, but those are the only good pictures they’ve ever shot. Or, maybe their portfolio is weak, but they’re a poor editor of their own work and actually have some terrific photos they’re not showing because they didn’t recognize them as great pictures. I can’t really give any helpful advice from an edited selection of pictures. I need to see someone’s entire take to learn how they think, how they move, how they use their lenses, how proficient they are technically, how much variety there is, how well do they work a given situation, is what they shot congruent with the intent they had. THOSE things reveal a photographer’s PROCESS and the process is a photographer’s most important asset.
So … you asked at the beginning “What could you possibly help me with that isn’t already in one of the thousands of YouTube photo tutorial videos or hundreds of online photography courses?”
I’ll help you with things that can’t be put into a free tutorial or online course. Photography is a universal language but, as with language, we’re all meant to express ourselves as individuals.
The difference between doing photography and being a photographer is that courses and tutorials can teach you how to do photography, whereas being a photographer is a process of creative and personal discovery. That requires time, reflection and feedback from someone who understands the journey you’re on and the direction you are moving.
So, the question sitting in your court now is: do you want to just do photography or do you want to learn about what it means to BE a photographer?
If you just want to do photography, that’s completely fine and there are plenty of great photo tutorials on YouTube and how-to photography courses you can buy. Those will not necessarily teach you what photography is but they will teach you plenty of things that will help you make nicer-looking pictures.
If being a photographer is what you want, good for you. There is WAY more satisfaction down this road.
I’ve been walking the path of a photographer a long time, I’ve taught many students and every skill level and I love sharing what I’ve learned – and what I continue to learn – from my experience, and from other brilliant photographers who’ve helped me along my own journey.