This summer I went back to school to learn how to take better photos. I did it to become better at my job which ultimately means getting better at my passion: creating deep, meaningful, documentary images.
Learning to be a better photographer for my clients
I started photography as a hobby when I was at university in 2004. I then started my photography business in 2010.
Yeah, I’m aging myself here but the fact is that I’ve been playing with cameras pretty much my whole adult life. I’ve tried out loads of trends and tricks and found my style via trial and error and lots and lots of practice.
But even after all these years, I am aware that there are still things for me to learn when it comes to taking photos that I’d like to appeal to people that don’t know me. That’s a skill! It’s one thing to have my boyfriend love my photos – it’s another thing to have strangers recognise and like my work.
So this summer, I’ve invested in a 3-month group mentoring programme to learn how to take better documentary images. Because you know I’m all about honest, authentic, and unscripted photography.
What I learned
The person running this course is a wedding photographer and former high school teacher called Chuck Anerino. Our cohort consisted of 12 photographers between the US, UK and Australia. Everybody was at a different stage of their career and skill levels were very varied.
Now usually that could make teaching quite hard. Not with Chuck and his course though.
His aim wasn’t to tell us something revolutionary and new. It was about getting better at reflecting on our own work, trying new things and revisiting concepts that have been around since the beginning of photography. And the main goal was to be ok with not meeting our own expectations. Because ultimately we will disappoint ourselves as creatives somewhere along the line – more than we care to admit.
“The process is more important than the outcome.”
He would repeat this over and over.
He taught us to be inspired by other photographers, by films and directors of photography. And we learned to be ok with not getting the photo we envisioned but understand what we were aiming to do – so next time we know how to approach a similar situation and get a better result. Because we’d be prepared.
Honestly, this sounds so trivial but this course humbled me in the best way possible. I got to learn from my “classmates” who pretty much all have been newer in the photography business than I am. But their visions and their way of documenting were beautiful to witness. As was seeing how things clicked into places and watching them improve over the 12 weeks.
During the course, we spoke about layering, movement, shooting cinematically. And everything was aimed at telling better stories through photography.
One of the biggest eye-openers for me was reflecting on the words I want others to use when seeing my work. I have a clear vision of what I want my photos to feel like but I don’t even know if that comes across…
Making an investment
I had been eyeing this course for about 2 years but Chuck is not great at actively selling it so I never really knew if it would be the right fit. There’s a lesson in there for me too but that’s another story.
Apart from being unsure of the outcome, it was also the biggest investment I would have made for my business outside of camera or computer purchases.
I’ve been operating in a lack mindset for years. Due to my money blocks, past experiences, and the way the economy grooms us daily. So spending money ON my business always felt wrong unless it was absolutely needed. Over the past year, I tried to change my outlook on money and investing in this course helped me reframe that money is just energy that moves between us.
I’ve paid for something that in theory didn’t teach me a lot of new things. In reality, though, this investment gave me so much more back than what I paid in money.
On another note… I paid for the course with a single payment, a couple of months before we even started. By the time the mentoring kicked off, I barely remembered having that money in my account because so much else had happened since then.
Money spent is money forgotten.
How does this help you?
The obvious result is of course that honing my craft makes me a better photographer for YOU.
But as a woman running my own business, I’m used to being in charge and being the one with the answers when my clients need my help.
Going “back to school” puts me in a very different place. I was allowed to be the one receiving information and knowledge. That teaches me how to listen and ask questions – which in turn lets me relate better to your position as the one looking for answers.
At the end of the course, Chuck created a slideshow with some of the photos we all took throughout the 3-months. I remember talking about these images in detail – what worked, what didn’t – and can see the progression in every single one. You can watch it by clicking on the image below or by clicking here.
I love learning – either learning something new, improving a skillset or getting more background knowledge on something I’m familiar with. When I’m allowed to choose what I want to learn, that’s where the magic happens.
As a kid and teenager, I sort of enjoyed school but it was always a chore as well. Someone else decided what I would have to learn about – whether I cared about it or not. I mean do I really need to know the Pythagorean theorem in my adult life? Haven’t had a situation where that came in handy if I’m honest.
But I digress.
The joy of being an adult (amongst the many stressful things – you know, keeping it real!) is that I can now choose where I want to put my energy and what I want to learn. And one thing I really care about is being a great service provider and being an exceptional photographer. Still working on that one but we all need to aim high, right?!
Anyway, my point is, don’t be afraid to invest in yourself. Even if it feels like an indulgence. Spending your money on things you enjoy, will make you a happier business owner. Depending on what you invest in, it might also make you a better business owner.
The money I spent on this course has long been forgotten. The experience itself, what I learned and the new friends I made – that will stay for much longer than the money ever would have.
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