Photographer Mentoring

I’ve been fighting this for so long, but I know that I wish I had the opportunity to have a mentor when I was starting out. I have to put this disclaimer out there first though: I’m NOT an expert on anything. I’m always a work in progress. I’m always learning from my experiences, mistakes, and successes. I think that’s what makes the characteristic you find in me. I have ups and I have downs. It’s all about getting through them and figuring out what to do next.

So, you’re probably thinking, “well, why is she offering to mentor then?” I get asked a lot of questions and frankly, it takes a lot of my time. Most of the time, it’s simple, one-email questions. Other times it’s more conversational. We won’t talk about the times I answer someone’s question and then they never say “thanks” because that’s for a whole other topic!

In an effort to help make my life a little easier – and allow me to really commit to mentoring someone, I figured this was a great way to achieve that. I’m usually an open book. I will tell you what I know and I will give you my honest feedback (if you ask me or want it). I won’t be actively pushing these, so you won’t be seeing me talking about them, unless someone hires me to mentor them. I’ll share the experience and blog it, of course. In return, I hope to make some really great, new friends that share my love of photography, and have the same drive as I do.

With that, here are the details. I don’t have some fancy website for this, nor am I going to advertise it – this is what it is. I’m offering two types of mentoring:  Consults & In-Person Mentoring. All participants should have experience with manual shooting – this isn’t a course in learning photography. For business discussions, you should have a valid business license and tax id.

Consultations – Email $300
Utilize me for two days via email. On any subject. No limits. Must be scheduled for a Tuesday through Friday. We’ll talk about scheduling and details. Please note, I’m not at my computer 24/7, but will make sure to arrange this when I’m more free to give you my attention.

Consultations – Phone $150 per hour.
We’ll have a conversational style consult. I’ll let you know when we’re 10 minutes to ending so you can decide if you want to add on an hour. We’ll talk about anything you want. No weekends.

Two-Day Mentoring $1500
This includes coffee/breakfast and lunch on both days. You’ll have the option to go over: workflow, business, photography, post processing as well as product design & pricing. We’ll schedule a photo shoot with a model on the first day to work together. Does not include accommodations.

Group Mentoring $1000 each (4 to 6 people)
Same as above. Plus, we’ll go to dinner together on the first night. Does not include accommodations.

1/2 Day Meeting $600
We’ll meet for lunch together and then head to my studio to cover one topic of your choice (workflow/business, photography/post processing, or product design/pricing).

My studio is located in St. Louis, Missouri. I only schedule one two-day or group mentoring session per month. If you wish to have me come to you, please contact me for travel quote.

Email me at holly@hollymccaigdesigns.com to request mentorship.