We're so unbelievably excited to share some really BIG news with you today from two of our favorite photographers! Jessica Lorren and Kat Braman have teamed up to share their industry expertise by offering photography mentoring sessions - in West Palm Beach for locals, or on Skype for everyone else. AND we have a really amazing way to celebrate it, so don't miss our announcement below!
{Photos by Jonathan Canlas}
The two fabulous ladies gave us the lowdown on their new venture:
We are people persons. Over the past three years, we've talked to a lot of other photographers - many of them passionate about their craft but frustrated with certain elements of running a business. Whether the issue was was pricing, marketing, or even booking, we began to see a pattern in those around us: plenty of passion, not enough productivity. Photographers kept asking us: what's your secret to running a productive photography business? It forced us both to take a hard look at our businesses to determine what we were doing right. How did we manage to avoid such common pitfalls? In doing this we realized that we have learned a number of things along the way that would be helpful to our friends and colleagues. That's why we have decided to begin offering mentor sessions. To take what we've found to be successful and help others apply it to their businesses. Do we claim to know it all? Nope. But we sure do think we can help.
Mentor Sessions will take place in our downtown West Palm Beach studio, or via Skype for non-locals. Each two-hour session will cover one or two of the subjects below. You choose!
- Workflow
- Client Interaction
- Pricing
- Marketing
- Running a Business
- Finding Your Artistic Voice
- Shooting Techniques
- Post Processing
- Portfolio Review
- Submitting Your Work
Each session attendee will also receive a one hour follow up discussion a month later, as well a resource directory of our tried and true vendors and products, saving you SO much time and money in the long run.
The cost is $500 per session. We will be offering 3 sessions each month. Email us to sign up!
Exciting, right!? Whether you're a photographer looking to move into weddings, trying to improve your craft, or just needing some business tips specific to the industry, you will be in good hands with these two talented, successful ladies. And, to make this announcement even more amazing, we're celebrating this new venture with a giveaway (woo hoo)!
THE GIVEAWAY
Jess and Kat have been gracious enough to offer a free mentoring session to one lucky photographer! Simply follow these two quick steps to enter:
- First, follow both @JessicaLorren and @KatBraman on twitter (you must be following them both to win).
- Then, comment below, telling us why you chose to be a photographer.
- Enter by midnight this Thursday, March 30. We'll randomly pick a winner and announce it on Friday's post!
Best of luck, everyone! And big congrats to Jess and Kat - we couldn't be happier for you! We know it will be a huge success.
AND THE WINNER IS...
Catherine Marciniak! Congrats on your free session, Catherine! The ladies will be in touch to set things up. Thanks to everyone who entered, and don't forget to email Jess & Kat to schedule your session.
Photography is something I have always had a passion for and wanted to pursue but was afraid to do so. It’s nothing something I did for fun and people said “ooh nice pics, start a business”. It’s been inside me for a long, long time and I finally embraced it and let it free. Jess was my wedding photographer and seeing her passion for what she does really inspired me to take that leap as well. I bought my camera just over a year ago and have been pursuing it since then. There have been, are, and probably always will be some bumps in the road so a mentoring session would probably add some sweet shocks to this ride! ;)
I fell in love with photography the first time I picked up a camera. I thought I “Should” do other things but they were never the right fit. Photography was the only choice for me. =)
I always say that photography chose me, never crossed my mind that photography will be the career I would have chosen for me and it has affected my life in different ways. From the moment I had to develop my frist black and white film, it was like magic before my eyes. Photography has given me smiles and tears (of joy most of the time), working with people and being part of something special. It has been a struggle and still is but I am not giving up on the opportunity of do something that brings not only emotion and the gratitude from clients but also the opportunity to capture a special moment in their lives.
You know those lovely college years when you’re not a girl, not yet a woman? ( Britney reference, FTW). I was the cliche, drifting through college, majoring in whatever and not really having an idea of who I was and what I wanted. My last year I was told I needed to take an elective. The only one available was a black and white photography class. Boom. Why had I not known about this magical thing? And so began my education on the one thing I’m good at and actually enjoy doing, even when it is difficult. I’d love to have a mentoring session with some great teachers to further along my education on this magical, sometimes difficult journey :)
I picked up my first dslr almost 4 yrs ago when I had my first daughter. Since then I’ve fallen in lOve with capturing moments and the art of postrocessing. I lost my mom over a year ago and only have pictures to remind me of her memory. Kat documented a very important time in our lives and I am forever grateful. It’s something that helps me feel alive and live, honestly.
I chose to become a professional photographer simply 1 years ago, I wasn’t ever in it for the money just simply because its what I loved to do, who doesn’t want to know that you were a part of someones special day? I think once I realized the beauty of behind the art of capturing a wedding is when I really fell in love with becoming a wedding photographer. I was so tired of everything being so traditional, so I made it a goal in my heart to try to impact the world of photography in some way.
I chose to be a photographer because I feel like it’s the only talent I have that sets me apart from the crowd + frankly it’s the only thing in life that always gives me butterflies (besides eating mint chocolate chip ice-cream, but you can’t get paid to do that)! ; ) I’m a second generation photographer too so of course the genetics played a big part too.
I feel a mentoring session would help me both with my photography skills and business skills. It never hurts to have experienced people offer their thoughts and perspectives on things. I just want to continue to grow professionally and business wise and I think a mentoring session would give me the boost I’ve been searching for. We all need help sometime and my time, I feel, is now.
I chose to be a photographer because I love people. I love capturing the twinkle in their eyes just after saying, “I do”. I love capturing a little kid’s giggle when I peek behind the camera and say, “BOO!” My memory, and my life aren’t what they used to be. Because of certain health trials I’ve realized the shortness of this life. Our memories will become less vibrant, but photography encapsulates those moments and makes them last forever. I want to be the person that captures those precious moments, happy, sad, life changing. They need to be remembered. That’s why I became a photographer.
Photography chose me. I was always inspired by imagery and the aesthetics surrounding me. I couldn’t stop learning and it fueled my passion. I transitioned from hobbyist to professional after multiple commission inquiries and realizing I could really do what I love for a living. It is such a beautiful adventure. The combination of people, emotion, and ambiance makes me giddy. I feel like I’m living a dream!
Thank you for this incredible opportunity!
A little piece of me wants to say I never dreamed to be a photographer, but I think that would be a lie. I definitely dreamed it more than once, or twice. Reality was, I didn’t even own a DSLR, I actually didn’t even know what that meant. But I knew I loved taking pictures and I knew images do something to people. The kind of thing that gives you a good rush or inspires you with what the image says.
Since the days of borrowing a friend’s camera for fun and being inspired by a local West Palm photographer, I have been blessed enough to face my dream and allow it to become a reality. I chose to take that step, I chose photography to live out a dream. I chose it to be a story-teller. We all love a good story. But this medium lets me express the love between two people, the beauty of it, in a little story without words. That’s why I chose photography.
There is something so inherently special in the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Being able to capture a moment in time with the click of a shutter and forever freeze the emotion, memory, and bliss/sadness/laughter becomes the one tool we have against mortality and inevitability. I was pulled into the world of film and flashes, I knew there was no turning back.
Growing up I always considered photography to be this unattainable medium, something that looked so complicated I might as well just admire it from afar. Even then I was always in awe when seeing the work of great photographers and wishing that I could one day come somewhat close to understanding the magic of photography, because photography can create an emotional connection and that’s what I love so much.
A few years ago my sister started learning photography and over time she started to master those techniques that I had always admired, needless to say I am her biggest fan! Eventually I decided to take the leap after borrowing her camera more times than she would have liked, I finally bought my first DSLR and since then we have been inseparable. I learned that photography can bring so much happiness to others and can create such beauty. Together my sister and I decided to start our own business for that very reason. This is why I chose to become a photographer, because I want to tell a story through this amazing medium about the things I see around me. The feeling is electric when you discover a profession that both excites and challenges you, all while never seeming to be work at all!
This is a such a wonderful giveaway!!
I didn’t choose to be a photographer—it’s just part of who I am—but what I’m trying to figure out is how photography fits into the bigger picture of my life and calling. I dropped out of graduate school a year ago to avoid a life-long career in a field I didn’t love. Since then, I’ve worked as a graphic designer as I’ve figured out how to listen to God and pursue His calling. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that it will be beyond my biggest dreams, and that, somehow in some way, photography will be a part of it.
I’ve always had a love for creating art. Recently, I found myself wanting to take my photography to the next level. I used to take a lot of travel and landscape pictures, but wanted to focus more on people. Capturing different people, emotions, and telling a story through my art is what I dream of doing. One day I sat and thought of what I wanted to do with my life and my heart couldn’t get past being a photographer. I know there’s so many out there in the world, but i hope I can truly be myself and tell the stories I’m meant to tell.
Ive followed Jess and Kat’s work for awhile now and think they are incredibly talented. I’d love an opportunity like this!