“Mentor for the Day”

I’m humbled and honored to be blessed with such a fun job that I LOVE.  I grew up with this need to photograph and video EVERYTHING in life as it happened.  It’s deep within me to document time and share it with people.  Eventually it turned into a business.  I started this company with very little equipment or money, but through a lot of hard work and sacrifice it has grown into a successful business.  I get flooded with emails and facebook messages asking questions about photography and the photography business.  I’ve learned everything through trial and error, but I’m willing to share with you what I have figured out through the years.  So if you are a hobbyist photographer ready to take your dream to the next level, I’m here to help.  I definitely don’t think that I “know it all” or I’m holier than thou with photography.  I’ve just worked really hard to be where I’m at, and happy to share what I’ve learned with you.

So…

We are offering a chance to spend the day with us learning and experiencing what being a professional photographer is all about!

#1.  First thing’s first.  Set up your business legally!  The state of Florida is cracking down on hobbyist photographers who are receiving money from clients and not reporting it.  Don’t do everything to build a business only to have it come crashing down on you when (yes, WHEN) you get audited.  It’s not worth it.  Set your company up RIGHT from the get go: with the county, state, and IRS.  I’ll give you a worksheet of what to do to get set up legally. I can also suggest a CPA contact who will help you do all of this for a major discount if you would like the help (I did)!

#2. Pricing and Marketing:  We will discuss the importance of proper packaging and pricing, where to market, what has and hasn’t worked for me, how to make a website and blog.  We’ll spend a lot of time discussing how to get your work in front of your potential clients using website, social media, and Search Engine Optimization.

#3.  Equipment : Let’s discuss what equipment you have now, how to use it, and what you should be putting on your Christmas list.  =)  Lenses are to me like shoes are to most women.  I love lenses, and I always have my eye on a new one.  I’ll share with you what I have, what works best for different sessions and looks best for different shoots.  This is a great way to “try before you buy” your own upgrades.

#4. Let’s go shoot : What type of shoot do you want to do?  We’ll go through manual shooting, natural lighting, flash, posing….the normal rundown of a typical shoot.  Let’s get some hands on experience.  I can show you what works for me, but I also want you to get some hands on shooting time to ask tons of questions. I’m happy to show you how I pose and talk to people in sessions, what my thoughts are as I go as far as settings and lighting, and I how I get the outcome I’m trying to achieve.

#5. Workflow : Let’s be honest.  Photographing is the easy and fun part.  It’s the editing that takes forever!  I’ll show you my tricks on batch editing and proofing.  If your comfortable enough, I would love to download your photos from the shootout so we can discuss and edit them.  Additionally, we’ll talk about how to get your final edited photos on a carting system and website so you can generate revenue from them.

All in all, I’ll basically explain to you how I do things from the first step of marketing to get my client all the way through the process from giving them their final product.  I definitely don’t think my way is the only way or the perfect way.  I’m always changing and evolving.  BUT what I am doing has proven very successful for me, and I would love to share with you what I know.  So get your stuff packed up, and let’s have some fun together.

PRICES:

Price for an all day mentorship $1,200

or

Price for an sit down on how to legally start your business: $200

Price for sit down on pricing, marketing, website: $200

Price for a how to use your camera and lenses, settings, what to look at buying next: $200

Price for a hands on shoot out (you choose the type of session you want to learn): $300

Price for workflow only: $300

***If you have friends that want to do a “group mentorship”, prices are different and can be split among you.  Just make sure that if we are doing the shootout, you all want to learn the same type of shoot whether it be couples, family, boudoir, etc.