TIRED OF BEING A STRUGGLING PHOTOGRAPHER?
I GUARANTEE YOUR SUCCESS WITH MY PROGRAM LET'S GET STARTEDGROUP COACHINGNEW AND CONTINUING CLASSES
Client Acquisition Sprint for Serious Photographers
5 Days to a Solid System for Finding and Keeping Clients
24 Frames in May, 2024
Our annual analog month. It’s fun, relaxing, and exhilerating all at the same time. Grab that old filmster, load it with a roll of 24, and make some imagery. Woohoo – more fun than an Etch a Sketch!
POLAROID PORTRAITS AROUND 1985
Back in the mid ’80s, I was shooting a lot of fashion and beauty work in my Phoenix studio, and occasionally in New York and Chicago. Those were heady times with shoot schedules coming back to back for weeks and months at a time. My work at the time was mostly focused...
SO YOU’RE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER… WHY SHOULD ANYONE HIRE YOU?
“Why should I hire you to shoot this job for us?” This is one of the most challenging questions you will ever get. It happened to me once and I had no answer. None. My brain simply stopped doing anything as I sat there wondering what in the hell I was supposed to say?...
IT’S TOUGH TO QUIT THAT 9-5… BUT HERE’S A ROADMAP
Can’t figure a way of that nine to five? Here’s an idea or two. One of the hardest things to do when making that transition from full-time worker to self-employed creative is to know when to make that jump. Even HOW to make that jump seems almost an impossible to...
THE CREATIVE CLASS.
Expand your skills to future-proof your creative business.
THE CREATIVE CLASS is for you!
I WILL HELP YOU SUCCEED
I GUARANTEE IT
AS SEEN ON:
“I learned early on that entitlement encourages weak thinking and creates financially needy people. I decided to never be one of those. All it takes is a plan, and the confidence to make it happen.
The best way to be confident is to be prepared. Get ready like I do: work with a coach. They help you find what’s holding you back and encourage you to move forward and grow.”
From a commercial photographer to the owner of a large ad agency in Phoenix, Arizona, I have been working with creative people my entire adult life. For the past 10 years, I have helped hundreds of photographers build a more robust business for themselves by discovering what they truly loved to do. From online groups to one-on-one practicums, my goal has always been to challenge the concepts of scarcity and failure with the reality of the big wins available to those who work for it. I offer no quick fixes, overnight successes, or instant riches. I offer insight into the myriad ways we can move through this thing called a creative life and come out the other end more powerful, more creative, and stronger than ever.
This is the time of the creative. This is our time. Together we can build a future for you and your creativity.
“Some people know exactly what they want to do and build their careers and lives around that. But most of us have several careers during our lives. There is no right or wrong here, the goal is to enjoy what you do and to feel like you’re making a difference. If you don’t enjoy it, know that you are gathering information about what you’re not meant to do so you can get closer to your calling.”
—Stylecaster
Journal…
Introducing Collections III: Fall 2022
Introducing The Collective III: Fall 2022We are a group of photographers who have binding love of the photographic medium, and a desire to share our work with all who love the magic of photography. All of the photographers in this book are members of Project 52 Pro...
TEN WAYS TO STAND OUT IN THE CROWDED FIELD OF PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Everyone tells you the same things… here are a few different approaches. There are more photographers than ever before. And while I do not believe that is necessarily bad, it does create a lot of marketing “noise”. Our mission is to raise ourselves up above that noise...
SEEKING THE “PERFECT” IMAGE MAY BE COUNTER PRODUCTIVE
Sometimes we get focused on the things we think will make us better and ignore the simple things that will indeed make us better. Recently I wrote about not taking enough photographs, now I will take on the idea of the ‘perfect’ image… or exposure or composition....
I WORK WITH YOU TO CLEAR THE PATH TO SUCCESS
Photography Mentoring
If you want to jump-start your photography business, we can make that happen.
Writing Coaching
Writing a book? I have written five. I can help you focus on your non-fiction book and get it done.
Online Course Design
I have actually built several online courses, and I continue to do so. Let me help you get your course designed correctly.
STRUGGLING TO FIND CLIENTS THAT TRULY MATTER?
YOU NEED A ROADMAP: ONE THAT MAKES SENSE AND IS EASY TO FOLLOW INSTEAD OF BEING AT THE MERCY OF RANDOM CLIENTSAbout Me
I have been a creative all my adult life. From music to photography to writing, I have focused on making something that others found interesting or they would learn from. My greatest passion is helping others find and build on their creative talents to make a great life for themselves and their family. Whether you are a photographer or a writer or want to build an online course, I am well aware of the pitfalls and challenges that await you. I am here and ready to be brought to the team as your coach, mentor, and chief butt-kicker. Together, we will build your dream into something more resembling reality.
“Frankly, I don’t write references very often, not because I don’t want to but typically I’m underwhelmed or in some cases just disappointed by the service.
Don is not one of those individuals that will disappoint you.
Don’s no-nonsense approach to commercial photography may not be in line with the group hug therapy crowd, they’re not making any money either. If you’re looking for someone to help you make it in commercial photography, how to find clients, effectively produce the project, and all-around make you a better photographer Don is that guy.
His agency background and shooting experience provide a unique set of skills to tap into, he’s not going to tell you pie in sky stories like you’ll be shooting for Dior next week, his approach is realistic, attainable, and refreshing. If you think because you can push the button that you’re ready for commercial clients, your about to get an eye-opener. One last thing he’s a really nice guy.”
“I learned about Don through his tabletop product photography class on CreativeLive (highly recommended by the way!). I immediately loved his style, his tremendous knowledge, his approach, which included his strong emphasis on lighting and particularly “subject-centric lighting” (his term), his strong sense for design (yes, he’s a designer as well), and his tremendous knowledge and experience on the business side of photography as both a photographer and a previous owner of a large ad agency.
I was looking for a mentor who can assist me with my launch in commercial photography and found that in Don: Don assisted me in helping me develop a professional product / still life portfolio, while sharpening my lighting as well my editing / retouching skills, and my overall creative vision and aesthetic; Don designed and developed my web page and marketing materials (including logo). Don’s knowledge, and experience in both the technical aspects of commercial photography, but importantly also the marketing/business side have been invaluable to me.”
I love Don’s workshops! They took my photography way past the “next level”! Each class is designed to bring you an awareness of style and standards for commercial photography. But you spend a lot of time learning and doing and then seeing everyone else’s work and hearing the questions. I learned so so much. Highly recommend! I want more!
If you want to grow in your career or start a career as a photographer, nothing is more valuable, than having a mentor and a community to draw inspiration, feedback and challenge you to do better, grow bigger and pursue your photo dreams. I love being assigned random subjects for photos, that I would never normally pursue on my own. Seeing what my fellow mentees come up with, in our weekly video chats, is so much fun. Not only do I get to learn from my work being critiqued, but I get to learn from the critiques of others. We are 15 weeks in and the experience has been invaluable!
Thanks Don!