Hi friends and fellow photographers! Happy Tuesday Tip day!

Today I want to share with you my top FIVE favorite people to learn from. I am a self-taught photographer, meaning I did not go to school for photography, but I certainly did not learn my trade completely alone. I have stood on the shoulders of giants when it comes to the knowledge I have learned so I felt compelled to share with you!

1) Amy and Jordan Demos – Oh how I love A&J! These two are former elementary school educators so they break everything down into manageable bits. They have hugely shaped my ability to learn lighting, pose couples, and run my business. I firmly believe in everything they teach. They have a couple of free webinars that you can catch when you head to their website. If you are interested in purchasing in either their Shooting & Editing Course or their Posing Course, be sure to click on those links! I have a special discount for you!

2) Katelyn James – KJ is the queen of all light and bright photography. I love how timeless her photos are and I just love her personality! She has helped me gain consistency in my work and has truly made me a better photographer. I am a member of her KJ All Access program, which I highly recommend for photographers who want to create a better wedding day experience with their couples! Nothing beats actually being hands-on with another photographer, but if you don’t have the time, invest into All Access!

3) Abby Grace – Abby Grace and I have something in common – we LOVE dancers! That is what initially drew me into her work… she focuses on ballerinas! Abby Grace is more of a film photographer but offers incredible free and paid resources. Her blog offers tons of insight into lighting which is crucial in making photographers go from good to great.

4) Hope Taylor – Hope is such a fun-spirited, southern girl! I gravitate towards Hope’s bright and bold style of photographer. She is a huge senior spokesmodel idol of mine and shares tons of great tips over on your YouTube channel with Happy Hour with Hope on Mondays!

5) Justin and Mary Marantz – These two are the lighting gurus! I have not signed up for their lighting course but I have been dreaming about it! Justin went to school for photography and Mary went to law school… she says that’s the most expensive way to become a wedding photographer! Too funny! But in all seriousness, their free lighting webinar and their free lighting diagram have helped me experiment with off-camera flash and artificial light. They say that if you can’t find good light, BRING good light!

BONUS! Number 6 is my favorite and my own personal wedding photographer: Claire Diana! Photographers, find yourself a mentor that you can count on and who believes in you. I really would not be where I am today without the gracious help of my dear friend, Claire. She encourages me, critiques my work (kindly), and trusts me. I remember writing down “work with Claire” as a goal of mine about a year and a half ago… and boy am I glad that came true! 🙂

There are TONS of other photographers around the internet that I love learning from but these are my top 5 faves (well, really, six faves)! I hope you can find someone who inspires you this week to create!

Oh, by the way, I am teaching an Intro to Digital Photography workshop in early 2020. Drop me an email at stephaniegorephotography@gmail.com if you would like to be notified of the dates! Just make the subject Photography Workshop!

Interested in booking a session with me? Contact me here! I’d love to work together!