Personalized Photography Mentoring
& Creative Coaching
Let’s Grow Your Photography Together
Photography mentoring bridges the gap between knowing how your camera works and capturing images that actually feel like you, offering a quiet, supportive space to explore your vision and find your unique creative voice.
Photography is a beautiful way to see the world, but it can also feel incredibly lonely. We spend so much time alone in our own heads, scouting quiet trails, waiting for the sun to drop, and staring at editing screens. It is so easy to get stuck in a creative rut or feel overwhelmed by all the loud tutorials telling you there is only one "right" way to take a picture.
I believe the best way to find your style is to step away from the noise and lean into what makes you curious. Whether you are looking for in person photography classes or tailored online mentoring, our time together isn't about rigid rules or intimidating critiques. It’s a collaborative partnership where we take your current skills and gently shape them into a signature style you feel confident sharing.
Looking for the perfect gift for the photographer in your life? Gift certificates are available for all mentoring sessions and private lessons. Whether they are just picking up a camera or looking to find their unique visual style, a mentoring session is a beautiful way to support their journey.
San Francisco-San Jose Bay Area Private Lessons
There is nothing more effective learning out in the field with a camera in your hand. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, or throughout the Bay Area, we will head out to explore this beautiful pocket of Northern California together.
We will design a session built entirely around the local light. Whether we are chasing the sun through the golden oak hillsides or watching the thick marine layer roll across the coastline, we will practice reading the landscape in real time. We will chat through composition, experiment with different lenses, and play with exposure as the light shifts. There is absolutely no rush, no pressure to get a flawless frame, and plenty of room to slow down, ask questions, and try new things.
Every in-person session is tailored specifically to where you want to grow:
Technical Mastery: Getting fully comfortable with Manual mode, aperture, shutter speed, light metering, and decoding histograms so your camera does exactly what you want it to do.
Intentional Composition & Light: Moving away from quick snapshots to create depth, read dynamic coastal light, and build stronger visual interest with your focal length.
Creative Freedom: Trying new camera techniques, experimenting with film or digital formats, and learning how to shoot with personal artistic intention.
Single Session: The Intentional Field Session
Investment: $225 (1.5 hours in-person)
Includes a pre-session planning chat, hands-on field instruction, and a post-field creative summary email with key takeaways.
Three-Session Series: The Complete Field & Focus Series
Investment: $600 (Save $75) (Three 1.5-hour sessions or flexible hybrid option)
Build your skills progressively over time across different locations and lighting conditions. Includes optional hybrid flexibility to swap one session for a virtual editing or portfolio review call.
Note: While I am based in the San Francisco Bay Area, I also offer a limited number of private, in-person mentoring sessions seasonally on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks.
Online Mentoring From Anywhere
Whether you are outside of California or prefer learning from the comfort of home, we can grab a cup of coffee and connect virtually over Zoom from wherever you call home.
Online mentoring offers a dedicated, supportive space to tackle your exact photographic goals. Whether you are struggling to master exposure, feeling stuck in a creative rut, or trying to organize years of raw files into a meaningful body of work, we will build a clear path forward together.
Our virtual calls are customized around what you need most:
Technical & Workflow: Step-by-step mastering camera settings, file management, gear advice, light metering concepts, and Lightroom instruction.
Creative Curation & Vision: Reviewing single images, culling large shoots with confidence, and finding the hidden threads in your images to build a cohesive portfolio or print series.
Artistic Growth: Overcoming creative blocks, refining your artistic voice, and executing personalized shooting assignments with constructive, gentle feedback.
Every virtual option includes a pre-session intake form, a permanent video recording of our call to rewatch anytime, and a post-session action plan.
Single Session: The Virtual Breakthrough Session
Investment: $150 (60-minute virtual session) A focused, 1-on-1 intensive designed to solve your immediate technical roadblocks or elevate your creative direction.
Three-Session Package: The Technical & Artistic Growth Series
Investment: $375 (Save $75) (Three 60-minute virtual sessions) A guided progression spaced over weeks or months so you have dedicated time to practice, complete shooting assignments, and review progress between calls. Includes direct email support between meetings.
Creative Coaching
Embracing the Slow Pace
There is an undeniable magic in escaping the digital screen and embracing the slow, mindful pace of analog photography. If you are curious about film but feel intimidated by the process, you don't have to navigate it alone. We can easily bring a film camera along to our in-person sessions or talk through the workflow online.
Whether you are unboxing a Polaroid camera for the first time, playing with a 35mm camera you found in a thrift store, or learning how to load a roll of medium format film, we can use our mentoring space to experiment together. This isn't about clinical perfection. It is about stepping away from instant digital feedback, trusting your creative instincts, and learning to embrace the beautiful, raw imperfections that make analog photography so incredibly special.
We can explore the analog workflow together at your own pace, focusing on things like:
Choosing Your Format: Figuring out the unique creative differences between shooting 35mm, medium format (120), or instant film formats like Polaroid and Instax.
Trusting Your Instincts: Learning how to read scenes and light and frame your image confidently without relying on an instant digital preview screen.
Embracing the Imperfections: Understanding film stocks, managing the pacing of a limited roll of film, and learning to love the unique grain, light leaks, and tones that make analog photography stand out.
Analog and film photography integration can be seamlessly incorporated into any of the private online or in-person session packages listed above.
The Magic of Film & Analog
Common Questions
Do I need a specific type of camera for these photography lessons? Not at all. Whether you are shooting with a digital camera, a smartphone, a Polaroid, or a vintage 35mm film camera you found in a thrift store, our sessions are about how you see, not what you hold. We will meet you exactly where you are with whatever gear you currently have.
How does scheduling work for the online mentoring packages? Once you book a single session or a package, you will receive a scheduling link to choose a date and time that fits seamlessly into your routine. For the three-session packages, you have the flexibility to spread our calls out over a few weeks or months, giving you plenty of time to shoot and experiment between our conversations.
Can we focus on both digital and analog film during a series? Absolutely. If you choose a three-session series, we can easily spend one session out in the field mastering your digital settings, use the next to talk through the slower pace of analog film, and wrap up with a virtual call to focus on curation and editing. We tailor every series entirely to your creative interests and technical needs.
What happens if the weather doesn't cooperate for an in-person session? Photography is all about learning to work with the light we are given, and overcast skies or a thick coastal marine layer can actually create some of the most beautiful, atmospheric photographs. However, if the weather is truly unsafe or unworkable, we will simply get in touch to reschedule your field time for a clearer date.
Can I purchase a mentoring session as a gift? Yes! Gift certificates are available for all mentoring sessions and private lessons. It's a wonderful way to support a photographer's creative journey. You can purchase a digital gift certificate directly [here](link to gift card product), and the recipient can use their unique code to book a session whenever they are ready.
Have questions about scheduling, locations, or gift certificates before you book? Complete the form below and let’s chat.
Questions? Let’s Chat About Your Goals!
Every photographer’s journey is completely unique, and I want our time together to feel entirely tailored to you. Drop your details below to tell me a little bit about what you love to shoot, what formats you are playing with, and where you are currently feeling stuck. I can't wait to connect and help you take your next creative step.
Once you hit send, I'll reach out via email, and we can easily set up a completely free, zero-pressure 15-minute chat over coffee to meet each other, talk through your goals, and see if we’re a good fit before you ever book a session.