After many requests and countless hours trying to help photographers via email, we’ve started offering one on one mentor sessions for photographers.
It’s an all day (8 hour) session in our studio where you learn what you want to learn…whether it’s studio lighting, outdoor shooting, sales, retouching, business structure, or all the above. Those coming from out of town can split it up over 2 days (4 hours each day). The mentoring will also continue via email after the session.
In previous sessions, we’ve had senior clients booked and we’ve also had a sales sessions scheduled so the photographer can shoot with me and sit through a sales appointment to learn techniques to increase profit. Then we’ve done a portfolio and business structure reviews and ended with retouching of the images that we shot that day. Of course, there was a lot of questions and answers going on too.
Although these are designed to be one on one to give you the most personal attention possible, we offer a 25% discount if 2 photographers want to have a session together.
Below is a list of frequently asked questions from our previous clients:
Q. Will you be offering mentor sessions in the spring and summer as well?
A. Yes, but the available dates may be more limited.
Q. Can I bring my husband/wife?
A. Absolutely! They can take some notes for you so you’ll be sure not to forget anything. Plus…we’ll need an assistant for our photo shoot! 😉
Q. Can I come with another mpixer so we can carpool?
A. Yes! If you come with another mpixer, you both get 25% off.
Q. I can’t leave my kids for 8 hours. Can I split it up over 2 days?
A. You can. I like to try to schedule a photo shoot and a sales session for you to participate in and splitting it up over 2 days sometimes makes it easier for me to schedule those sessions.
Q. What do I need to bring with me?
A. Your camera and lenses, a laptop if you have one, your pricing information and a portfolio of images (unless they can be found online).
Q. What is the closest airport to you?
A. Joplin, MO is the closest, but Kansas City, MO or Fayetteville, AR are probably a cheaper option. Both are about 1.5 hour drive.
Q. What if I have questions after I get home from our mentor session?
A. Feel free to email me! This always happens. You always forget something! So email mentoring will continue after your session.
Q. I can’t make the trip to you. Will you come to my home/studio?
A. If you live in a warm, sunny location, YES! 😛 All joking aside, yes I can. Regular fees plus travel fees (flight & hotel) are required. The positive to this is that I can see your studio location/town you shoot in and make suggestions. We can schedule a shoot (paid or not) and I can help you with locations, lighting, working with clients, etc. Also, if you don’t do in person sales, this would be a great time to start! I can work as your salesman for you so you can see exactly how it works and how to get maximum profit.
Q. Is what is going to be taught already set or can we focus on the issues that I need the most help?
A. It is customized to each session. While we have time to touch on a little bit of everything, we can focus on what you need the most help with. Options are: studio lighting, outdoor lighting, posing, camera settings, in person sales, pricing, business structure, portfolio review, live photo shoots, live sales sessions, retouching, workflow, and anything else you can think of.
Q. Can I use the pictures that I take during your photo shoot for my portfolio?
A. Yes. I have no problem with that at all.
Feel free to send us an email if you have any questions that is not listed above. You can also contact Kim Kravitz, who was our first student a couple of months ago and ask her about her experience.
Below is an unsolicited testimonial from our most recent mentee, Melissa from Wichita:
I had my mentoring session yesterday with Jessica. I can not even tell you how much I learned/soaked in/asked etc. It was invaluable and I am thrilled that I got the opportunity!!
I was afraid that I was too new to even be eligible, but Jessica made sure to explain things in a way that I totally “got it”. She puts terminology into clear language. She is super skilled with her camera (I swear, it’s an extension of her hand). She has the most amazing ability to pause the conversation during sales session w/ clients, making them comfortable while making choices.
We had a fantastic senior shoot. She showed me some of the amazing products from MpixPro. I could go on and on!! I learned so much that I can now do apply to my business. I’ve typed up some of my chicken scratch notes and already had the camera out this morning working on my new skills. If anyone is even possibly considering this ~ DO NOT WAIT! You will NOT be disappointed!!
Here are just a few of the many subjects we covered: posing, studio lighting, choosing locations, shooting on location, going over subjects clothing choices & matching clothes to locations, using reflector, shooting with family pets, business building, marketing, web design, setting prices, running promotions, sales sessions, Photoshop how-to (must-know basics plus using templates), shooting in RAW, converting to jpeg, further education, must have equipment, future ideas for equipment and so much more.
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