I built my career the hard way — figuring out lighting by getting it wrong, learning business systems through trial and error, and spending years refining a client experience that actually works. It was a beautiful, messy, expensive education.
You don't have to do it that way.
Real feedback.
Real strategy.
Built around where you actually want to go.
education
Whether you're a photographer who's early in your career and building from scratch, or you've been doing this for a while and something just feels stuck — this is the space where we figure out what's missing and fix it. No gatekeeping. No fluff. Just the real information, honest feedback, and practical strategies that will actually move the needle in your work and your business.
MENTORSHIP
My issue with most photography education — and I say this with love, because I've purchased a lot of it — is that it tends to be someone teaching you their exact process and hoping it translates to your business. Sometimes it does. Usually it doesn't.
Mentorship with me works differently. We start with you. Your actual goals, your actual challenges, the specific thing that's been nagging at you for months that you can't quite solve on your own.
Every session is built around what you need — not something pre-prepped. Because the fastest way to grow isn't following someone else's blueprint. It's getting clarity on your own.
WHAT'S INCLUDED >
Some of the topics we can cover include:
The session itself is maybe half the job. The other half is everything that happens before and after — and that's usually where the money and the referrals live. We'll refine your client journey from first inquiry to final delivery, and talk about in-person sales strategies that actually feel good for everyone involved.
Client Experience & In-Person Sales
Moodboarding, color theory, styling direction — all the creative decisions that separate 'nice photo' from 'I can't stop looking at this.' We'll build a process for developing concepts with intention so your work starts feeling less like happy accidents and more like a point of view.
Creative Vision & Concept Development
We'll work through setups that actually make sense for your style and your space — from the foundations to the more advanced techniques that make people look at your work and wonder how you did it. The goal is confidence. The kind where you walk into a shoot and know exactly what you're doing, even when something goes sideways.
Studio Lighting & Equipment
Posting more often is not a marketing strategy. We'll look at your brand, your positioning, your messaging, and your channels — and figure out how to consistently attract the clients you actually want to work with, instead of just… whoever finds you.
Marketing & Growth Strategy
You are too close to your own work. I mean that kindly — we all are. I'll give you honest, specific, constructive feedback on your portfolio. Not 'great job!' with a thumbs up. The kind of critique that actually tells you something you can use.
Portfolio Review & Image Critique
CRMs, contracts, scheduling, pricing, team building — the unsexy infrastructure that quietly determines whether your business thrives or slowly drives you insane. We'll look at what you're currently using, figure out what's working, and fix what isn't.
Business Systems & Workflow
Join a Workshop
Small groups. Hands-on learning.
The kind of progress you can feel.
Workshops are where you stop watching tutorials and start doing. Each one is built around a specific skill, taught in a small group at our DC studio with real equipment, a real model, and real-time feedback from someone who will tell you if your light is off.
I keep groups small on purpose. I'd rather you leave knowing how to actually execute a technique than leave with a certificate and a vague memory of someone demonstrating something cool. These are working sessions — you will be doing, not just watching.
Upcoming workshops
EXPLORING COLOR
Exploring Color
Bold, saturated color is one of my favorite ways to create images that stop people mid-scroll — and it's more accessible than most photographers think. This intermediate workshop takes you through my complete process for working with gels, from the color theory behind the choices to the technical setup that makes them actually work.
Fair warning: once you start working with gels, you will not want to stop.
January 20th, 2024
1210 18th St NW
Date
location
9:00am - 5:00pm
time
Intermediate
level
Introduction to Gels