I read a lot of photography forums. A lot. And I’ve noticed one of the most asked questions on those forums come from people similar to me: “What advice do you have for an aspiring photographer who is very new to photography?”
There are usually two answers:
- Shoot, shoot, and shoot some more.
- Learn, learn, and learn some more, whether it be through books, workshops, networking, blogs, etc.
There truly is such an abundance of information out there when it comes to photography. It’s actually rather overwhelming. But one thing that I’ve found over the past year or so is that I’m very much a visual learner, and I like to be able to ask questions in a one-on-one situation.
Well, lucky me. I got to do just that last Friday when I met up with Jenna from Jenna Cole Photography for an Aspirations Session. In these sessions, Jenna teaches what she knows about anything you want to know about photography, from the basics to more advanced concepts. This session was completely customized to what I wanted to learn (which was primarily centered around composition and lighting, two things I seem to struggle with). She was more than willing to answer any questions I had along the way, which I so appreciated. I even got to take a couple shots with her 5DMkII. Me wants one.
Without going on and on and on, I just thought I’d share what I wrote to Jenna about why I would recommend a session like this to others:
“There are so many workshops, online tutorials, and other resources out there all claiming to make you a better photographer. However, the majority of these options don’t allow for one-on-one interaction that’s catered to what you want to learn and don’t dedicate time to answer your specific questions. Going into the Aspirations Session, I had a good understanding of the basics of photography, but there were some things, that no matter how much I read or watched online, I just couldn’t grasp. There’s nothing like talking to a pro in person and watching them in action. In my few hours with Jenna, I took away quite a few things, things that I could immediately apply to my next shoot. Just two days later, I had a shoot, and Jenna’s voice was in my head reminding me of things: don’t cut off limbs, do the funny laugh, look for good light not good backgrounds…It was undoubtedly a worthwhile investment. I still have a long ways to go, but I’m definitely closer to where I want to be after the Aspirations Session.”
If you live in the Chicago area and are interested in learning more about photography, definitely get in touch with Jenna. You won’t regret it! If you don’t live in Chicago, check local photographer’s websites to see if they offer something similar. The one-one-one, in-person interaction can’t be beat!
