Classes

Adventure photography isn’t about taking an ordinary portrait. It’s about hanging off the side of a mountain in rock climbing gear to take a dramatic portrait of a couple in clothing that would look awesome walking down the Oscars red carpet. It’s about one-upping classic portraits and injecting emotions and feelings into your imagery–fear, danger, wonder, and adventure–all while being safe! In a nutshell, it’s about living on the edge and figuring out how to raise the bar for your own portraiture so that clients gravitate toward you for something new and different. If you’re looking to shake it up a bit and redefine how you think about “”different”” types of portraits, this class is for you. I’ll show you the challenging setups I’ve created for both OCF and myself in places like cliffside, hanging over a gorge, or on a ridgeline to craft an exciting and cutting edge portrait for my clients. I’ll also go over safety protocol and how to communicate with clients to gain trust (and how not give them a heart attack). We’ll also talk about the not so fun stuff that is necessary to make photo sessions like this run like a well-oiled machine, from pricing, insurance and permits, to the crew I trust with my life and my clients. If you need something different or are looking to shake up your brand, come to this class because you’ll leave with enough inspiration to redefine what you think you’re capable of!

If you’re standing in a room full of people, I can almost bet you that 99% or more of that population DOES NOT like to have their portrait taken. Why? Something has happened in the past that gave them a bad experience, leaving photographers to be the therapists, comedians, and mind-readers to undo that damage. To bust a client’s limiting beliefs and fears about a portrait experience, you have to gain their trust FIRST. My number one goal is to make my clients feel important so that we can craft an experience TOGETHER that will make them ENJOY their portrait experience! This includes genuinely getting to know a client, earning their trust, creating a connection with clients, listening to their fears and vulnerabilities, and simply collaborating as humans together. Essentially, what you reflect is what you will receive. If you are transparent, they will be too, but it might take time. A portrait session is a truly vulnerable experience for most people. Everyone reading this right now probably remembers a time when they felt awkward in front of the camera or didn’t like photos from their session. Most of the time, the previous experience didn’t include collaboration or felt more like a sales session. From the first phone call, to a design session, to the delivery of the images–my clients don’t have to lift a finger, can trust that their vision and voice will be heard, and that they MATTER TO ME. They’re investing time and money in me and I want to make sure they feel like they are working with a professional who truly cares about creating personalized imagery for them and loves the entire experience. Join me in this class to explore how to bust through a client’s vulnerabilities to reveal their true personalities in portraits, helping craft an experience they truly love.

If you joined a sports team back in the good ole days, you’d hold a ball and stand still in front of the camera. That’s it. Grandma would show your photo to the love of your life when you’re older and it would be…utterly embarrassing. Not anymore! Sportraits, or portraits of athletes DOING sports things, is becoming more and more popular. It involves using dynamic lighting and special effects (fog machines, gels, etc.), along with dynamic movement and backgrounds (the things found within the sports environment where the athlete interacts) to create a unique sportrait that athletes will love (and not be embarrassed about in the future). I’m bringing my entire setup to this class to show you some of my best “”photo tricks,”” simple lighting setups, and techniques to create a sportrait, but also some tips on how to connect with and coach athletes to get the result you want. There might even be time for you to photograph a bit, so bring your favorite wide angle lens (or telephoto) to create some dramatic sports imagery that will change the game in your own community!