Taking what we love doing to the next level!

Being a photographer has its perks. I get to do what I love and meet exciting new people for every project. Plus, when I collaborate with another photographer, it is double the fun!

Photography is my passion for many reasons; the foremost is that I get to share my clients' happiness and help them capture the best memories of their lives. My portraits help them seize a moment in time that they will treasure forever.  I love it when I see their reactions when they first see their graduation, wedding, or family portraits when I share my creations with them!

For me, passion is not enough. I believe that if you really love something, you will always keep on trying to get better at it. This is the reason why, as a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) and a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), I am always striving for excellence in my photography. What does that exactly mean, you ask? Well, to me, it means continuously learning, doing, always willing to work hard, and pushing yourself to the next level. It means believing that you are never done – there's always another mile to go!

Striving Toward the Craftsman Degree

Currently, I am working toward my Craftsman Degree with PPA, which is earned by teaching other photographers. I have taught many classes already. Teaching other photographers enables you to hone your skills further. As a teacher, you have to know what you are teaching inside out. You have to be able to demonstrate, talk about, educate, and help others learn what you are doing. It makes me really happy to share that I am nearing the finish line of my Craftsman Degree.

I recently taught another class, which was another step to take me closer to the finale—this time, I did something different. I teamed up with a fellow photographer and a really close friend of mine, Cindy Dover, who is also working toward her Craftsman Degree. We co-taught a class on The Real High School Senior Photography Session. It was all about teaching other photographers how to work with seniors to get the best photographs possible for their own senior photography sessions. You can think of it as communication, posing, lighting, and composition – all of this rolled into an exciting full-day class.

I might (almost) be at the finish line of my Craftsman Degree, but that does not mean I am done learning or teaching! It's fun to stretch yourself, and if you truly love your craft the way I love mine, then you constantly continue to stretch the limits and reach for the stars! And that's what drives you every day.

A Class to Remember

We scheduled our class at Cindy's gorgeous outdoor studio. Our models for the day were four amazing young ladies, who had a great time posing for us and socializing with each other. They enjoyed getting to know each other and hanging out together all day as they modeled for us. Each girl got outfit changes and location changes, and in the end, they got some mind-blowing portraits of themselves. The girls had a great time, and so did we! After all, who doesn't like getting some great photographs taken?

For every project or class, we get to work with sweet and lovely young ladies. We make them look and feel beautiful, boosting their confidence. This is why I love working with high school seniors, because we get to help them achieve a sense of belief in themselves.

This is how our business goes; first, we demonstrate each step to show how we work, all while explaining what we are doing and why we are doing it. Then we help our photography students set up the shots and encourage them to set up their own while helping them along the way.

Cindy and I have a great time leveraging all the factors that turn photos from good to great. We bask in the pleasure of using our creative minds to photograph them in the best way, and in the end, we are rewarded with some killer portraits for them and us!

Time to See the Magic!

Excited to see the photos? Here you go!