Your images don't need to stay stuck where they are
You know that image you keep coming back to because something isn't quite working, but you can't figure out what it is?
You've changed the crop. Reworked the edit. Changed it back. Stared at it some more.
At some point, moving the crop another two pixels probably isn't going to be the breakthrough you're hoping for.
That's where another set of experienced eyes can help.
We'll look at what's working, what's getting in the way, and what you can do to make your images stronger.
The Problem
You've Looked at It Too Long
It's really hard to be objective about your own photographs.
You remember what the light looked like. You know what was happening outside the frame.
You know how hard you worked to get the horse to put both ears forward at the same time.
And you know what you were trying to create.
I don't know any of that.
I only see the photograph.
And that's actually useful.
I can help you spot the things you're too close to notice, figure out why something isn't quite working, and talk through what you could do differently.
What This Is
More Than "I Like This One Better"
You'll send me 5- 10 images, and we'll go through them together during a one-on-one Zoom call.
I'm not just going to tell you which ones I like.
We'll talk about what's working, what's pulling my eye where it shouldn't be going, where an image starts to lose strength, and what I would think about changing.
We'll look at lighting, composition, posing, technique, storytelling, impact, presentation, and whatever else is happening in the image.
My feedback is rooted in the 12 Elements used in professional photographic competition, but don't worry. We're not going to spend an hour talking to each other in competition-judge language.
I'll explain what I'm seeing and, more importantly, why it matters.
Because "I'd crop it differently" isn't particularly helpful if you have no idea why.
What You'll Walk Away With
I Want You to Start Seeing It for Yourself
The goal isn't really to fix ten photographs.
It's to help you get better at seeing what's happening in the next ten. And the ten after that.
I want you to start noticing the light that's pulling attention away from your subject. The awkward hand you would have completely missed before. The bright spot in the background. The crop that isn't quite working. The little things that suddenly become incredibly obvious once someone points them out.
Because once you see them, you can't unsee them.
And that's a good thing.
The more you understand why an image works, the easier it becomes to make those decisions while you're shooting instead of discovering everything later when you're sitting in front of your computer attempting to edit them.
That's when critique starts affecting more than the photographs you've already made.
It starts changing the ones you haven't made yet.
Thinking about Image Competition?
Bring Those Images, Too.
If you're entering image competition, bring those images.
We'll look at how the 12 Elements are working together, what may catch a judge's attention, where the image could lose strength, and whether the story you think you're telling is actually the story the photograph is telling.
We can also talk about one of the harder things to wrap your head around when you start competing:
The photograph your client absolutely loves may not be the photograph you want to put in front of a judging panel.
That's not an insult to the photograph.
Clients and competition judges are looking at images for completely different reasons. Learning to recognize that difference is part of learning how to choose competition images.
Why This Works
Because "Something Feels Off" Only Gets You So Far
Most of us know that feeling.
You look at an image and know something isn't working.
Great. Now what?
That's the part critique can help with.
Once you can identify what is bothering you and understand why it's affecting the photograph, you can actually do something about it.
I don't want to make your photographs look like mine. I want them to look like yours.
Just stronger.
Who this is for
You Don't Have to Be Entering Competition
You don't need to be preparing for image competition or chasing a degree to benefit from having someone critique your work.
Bring horse and rider portraits. Equestrian seniors. Pets. Landscapes. Abstracts. Portraits. Architecture. Illustrative images. Something completely outside what you normally photograph.
Horse photography is my specialty, but I've spent years studying, judging, and critiquing photographs across all kinds of genres.
Bring me the images you want to understand better.
That's really the point.
Ready for Another Set of Eyes?
Send me 10 images.
Bring the ones you're struggling with. Bring the ones you love but aren't sure anyone else will. Bring the competition image you've changed 37 times and can no longer see objectively.
Or bring a mixture of all of it.
We'll sit down together on Zoom, go through your images, and talk about what's working, what's not, and what I think is worth paying attention to.
No vague "I just like this one better." We'll talk about why.
5-10 Image Critique + One-on-One Zoom Session
$175
Rein in the Chaos. Grow Unbridled.
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