Chicago Photography Workshop and Mentoring

I received a Facebook message yesterday that transported me back to my college Spring break.  I’ve been a photographer all my life, so my Spring breaks weren’t filled with Daytona and debauchery, they involved rolls of film and my camera.  In 1995, I rented a car and drove to Selma, Alabama to document the 30th Anniversary of the March for Voting Rights.  I wore a borrowed jacket, slept on YMCA floors with the marchers and spent a week shooting roll after roll of Tri-X film.  I was also featured in a local news piece, along with a marcher who uploaded the video to YouTube and kindly emailed it to me.

During the march, I photographed an historic moment when former Alabama Governor and staunch anti-Segregationist George Wallace held hands with SCLC leader Joseph Lowery, a leader in the original march, and sang “We Shall Overcome.”  This moment taught me that anyone can change, and it’s never too late to take that first step.

I’m so thankful to receive this video of myself as a very young and inexperienced photographer (though I wish I were dressed better, but hey, I was in college) at the start of the New Year.  I always wanted to become a photographer, so I became one.  I’ve made many mistakes along the way, had several setbacks of self-doubt that can cripple growth, and have grown stronger as a result.  I’ve made many changes recently to embrace the photographer I was in college, because amazing things can happen by simply visualizing who you want to be.

I’ve ditched my zooms and only shoot prime lenses (See what’s in my camera bag here), work with associate photographers and lighting assistants, and keep my business goals at the forefront by building a strong team.  You really can achieve what you want in life by visualizing it, and my career is proof that Manifesting works.  In 2016 I traveled to Porto, Madrid, London and held 3 Moment-Driven Workshops (2 in Chicago and one in London).

In 2017 I am so pleased to teach at the incredible Foundation Workshops in Texas and Spain, and will return to London as a featured speaker at the Snap Photography Festival.  I’ll also hold my second Moment-Driven Workshop: London and have several Moment-Driven Workshops: Chicago.

I’m also launching the Shoot With Your Heart Facebook group, come Join us for tips on how to grow your business (and change your life) with positive thought, how to conquer self-doubt and step outside your comfort zone, and how to capture great moments by being present IN the moment.  Stay tuned for Facebook Live updates, Workshop info and one-on-one Mentoring with me!

I’m so thankful for the photographer I was then,

And NOW!

PHOTOGRAPHERS: JOIN the journey HERE!!   Let’s grow our branches together and make 2017 the best year yet!