private mentoring w/ shannon & robert

i got a phone call from florida a few weeks ago: “we’re shooting our first wedding and need your help,” robert said. “we’re flying in to colorado a few days early and would love to meet you.”

minutes later, their private mentoring photo session was booked.

robert and his wife, shannon, met with me for a few hours last week. the team did the best thing new photographers could do when first starting out: ask lots of questions, learn, then put those experiences immediately to use.

i asked both of them to come up with goals that they’d like to accomplish in our mentoring session. among the things we covered: learning how to shoot in manual mode, raw vs jpeg, how to meter for optimal exposure, selecting which lenses to use & when, learn how to (or when not to) use the flash, figuring out focusing options, roles of a husband & wife team during the day, and how to be yourself while stepping outside the box of traditional wedding photography.... all that in a few hours!

the next day the team invited me back for seconds. armed with the basics, we delved deeper into things like how to “create a candid moment,” buisness 101 tips, and some off-camera flash basics. it sunk in. they will be an amazing team haven chosen the path of a fast track photographer!

before even shooting with a flash/strobe, i emphasized we rarely use a flash for our casual, fun portraits. simple things like sitting under a tree can yield awesome natural light. in addition, on a hot day, this can help the clients relax and not overheat. more important than depth of field or traditional composition, capturing the decisive fun moment is what makes a signature, lovable photo :)


then we busted out a single off-camera strobe for lighting 101. showing them the back of the camera helped create confidence & fun.


the below picture is what i showed them on camera, which segued nicely into explaining that making something from nothing is what creativity is all about. using a simple tools of lighting and turning a not-so-hot shot into something a point-and-shoot can’t snap is one recipe for success (all the while explaining that the technical aspects can interfer with a nice conversation flow and genuine humor).

i positioned shannon & robert side in the sun for the image on the left. eh. on the right, i used a single flash off-camera strobe to fill in shadows and bring up the exposure on the subjects. notice the sky and the background is the same, the only difference is the lovey-dovey subjects are now happily lit :)

... a fairly simple technique with uber profound and unlimited creative potential.

now, the camera turns. it is up to shannon & robert to practice what they learned. “wow!” she said. the lightbulb went on. easy peasy.


sidenote: my brother still teases me about my 1990s vintage oakley sunglasses, like i’m some volleyball star.