Last year I was speaking to a very good friend of mine who has also taken a few photography workshops with me, she recommended I start a long-term coaching/mentoring program. Her reasons were valid, she said she wanted someone to handhold her through the process. A day's workshop is great for someone who has a lot of self-discipline and can go and execute what they learned. A long term coaching ensures hand-holding and constant feedback. You may learn all the theory but you may not know what you are doing wrong and why your images are not turning out the way you want them. That is where the teacher and a group of like-minded photographers help. After some contemplation, I launched the three-month mentoring program. I want to keep the group intimate but at the same time have enough students to keep it interactive. I have limited seats (12-14). It is a very interactive program. You are expected to constantly engage and your camera will be put to good use. It is a time-consuming program, both from my end and from yours.
A little bit about the program -
1 - Photojournal & critique
I will create a private Facebook group for this purpose. Each one will create an album in the group and post all their images in the album. Practice makes perfect - the more you use your skills the better you become. I recommend you take a picture every day, if not every day at least 4-5 days a week. Post the images you take in your album. Your photo journal will show you your progress and help me critique.
2 - Partner work
One of the ideas for doing this program is to develop a community so we can work together. I have always seen, when you have someone to bounce your ideas with, we work better. Each member will have a partner to work with. You will critique each other's images on FB. Critiquing really helps us grow, so the more you critique, the more we will learn. This is the reason I strongly believe that critiquing is an integral part of this program. This will help you develop a keen eye for details. You are not restricted to critiquing just your partner's work but I encourage you to do it on as many images in the group as you can.
I also encourage partners to push each other to do better. You can plan with your partner and have a theme for your photo journal or use creative ways to collaborate & grow.
Once a week I will have a one-on-one call with you and your partner to assess your progress and address your questions, issues, or concerns. I will be critiquing the images from the week with you. This will be a 45min-60min call. I will post the day/time slots for my availability and you can sign up for a slot that works for you. Each week it will be the same day/time you pick.
You can pick your partner or I can help you with it. It is very flexible.
3 - Lessons
We will have 5-6 lessons which will be scheduled for all. They will be pre-scheduled and will be about 3-4 hours each. I will be talking in-depth about food styling, lighting, camera setting, shooting in manual, metering, focus, post-processing in photoshop, and artificial continuous light.
To know in detail you can always reach out to me and I can schedule a call. If you are interested in the program, email is the best way to reach me. Email - turmeric53@gmail.com.
All the lessons and one on one critiques with your partner will be held on Zoom.
Cost - please email me for details.
Testimonials - "Simplicity, clarity, depth, perfection, artist ... these are the few things that come to mind when I think of Simi Jois, my teacher. This photography workshop amidst a pandemic was supposed to be a good source of self productivity and good use of time when all we had was time. But for me, this investment turned out to be one of magnificent energy and happiness! Even as I write this I am excited as I know Simi has started me on a journey I hope to travel for quite some time. Her calming energy, constant encouragement, gentle handholding, and at times a kick in the rear to do better and dive in deeper always arrived at the perfect moment. I had not held a camera until this workshop. I thought I took decent photos but only with a cellular phone. But little did I know! The camera was unchartered territory. Today I barely pick up my phone to shoot.... And for that, I am forever indebted as a student is to her amazing teacher!" - Anna Sen Venkatesh
"When I enrolled in Simi's classes, I didn't really know what would be in store. Simi is the best thing that happened to me in my photography journey. Her pics have a unique, artistic touch to them. She is a great teacher and a mentor who explains things until you get it right! When I look back at my photos, I see the progress after joining Simi's classes. She taught me how to understand every aspect in a pic, most importantly, light. Her course covers everything from shooting, food styling to editing. My favorite part in this course has been critiquing. I learnt so much by critiquing on others' pics and getting feedback on my pics too. I wasn't really comfortable with this idea initially, but Simi insisted that critiquing is the best way to learn. That was the game changer! Thank you so much Simi, for not holding back your knowledge and expertise. For pushing me out of my comfort zone, motivating me and challenging me to come up with something better every single time. Rarely do I come across artists like you." Anita Hariharan
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simi