Why I’ll Never Teach Cookie-Cutter Photography Education (And What I Do Instead)
If you’ve ever taken a photography course and thought,
“This isn’t me…” —
You’re not alone.
I’ve been in this industry long enough to see how saturated photography education has become with plug-and-play templates, copycat lighting setups, and recycled poses passed off as “success.”
But here’s my truth:
I didn’t step into this creative world to teach people how to be replicas.
I’m here to show photographers how to become the truest version of their creative selves.
Let me explain what that looks like.
❌ The Problem With Cookie-Cutter Education
Most photography education is designed for scale, not for depth. It’s built to create mass results, fast. But what it often does is strip away individuality.
- Every pose looks like it came from the same Pinterest board.
- Lighting becomes formulaic.
- Emotion? Forgotten.
And the worst part? It teaches you to doubt your own instincts.
If you’ve ever felt boxed in, stuck wondering why your work doesn’t “feel” right even though you did everything “correctly” — that’s exactly why this kind of education fails the artists it’s supposed to support.
What I Do Instead
I don’t teach photography like a formula.
I teach it like a conversation between light, emotion, and soul.
Here’s what makes my approach different:
Vision Comes First
You’ll never hear me say “This is the only way.”
Instead, I’ll ask:
- What story are you trying to tell?
- What kind of work makes you feel something?
- What light speaks to your soul?
We’ll build from there.
Creative Risk Is Encouraged
Try the thing that scares you. Break the rules. Shoot in a way you’ve never seen before.
My job isn’t to correct you—it’s to remind you that you’re an artist first.
Why This Matters
Because the world doesn’t need more photographers who look the same.
It needs more photographers who feel the same burning desire to create work that’s real, emotional, and deeply theirs.
I’ve mentored photographers who came to me feeling stuck, uninspired, or like they didn’t belong in this industry.
Now? They’re shooting with fire in their belly and tears in their clients’ eyes.
That’s the kind of transformation no cookie-cutter education can deliver.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever felt like you’re just checking boxes instead of making art—please know: you’re not the problem. The system is.
You don’t need another plug-and-play educator that teaches what they’ve learned somewhere else .
You need someone who sees your potential and helps you unlock it.
Let’s get one thing straight:
I’m not here to teach you how to be a carbon copy.
If you’ve ever felt creatively stifled by the “rules” of photography education—the angles, the formulas, the plug-and-play posing—you’re not alone.
Because I’ll tell you right now…
You will never hear me say: “Place your light at a 45-degree angle.”
How boring. How uninspired. How completely disconnected from the emotion of your work.
I didn’t get into this to teach photographers how to recreate someone else’s images.
I’m here for the ones who crave something more—
More meaning.
More story.
More of you in your work.
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