Happy Monday! Boy, am I excited to be here today! I'm working on being grateful for Monday mornings because our culture has so elevated the disgust that apparently is attached to a Monday morning. In any case, I'm glad to be here because I'm excited about what's going on this quarter with KTP. Let the joy spread! <3

It's no secret that I have a heart for newbs. Like, seriously. I want to help and support young business owners and entrepreneurs the best way I can. It takes a lot of hard work that only you can do, but it makes no sense to go it alone, does it? So along that same vein, I have to stress the importance of EDUCATION. I actually believe that you should never stop learning as a photographer or artist and that investing in education is one of the best investments you can make in yourself. Learn, learn, learn, soak, soak, soak in as much as you can when you first start and throughout your career!

Below you'll find a list and summary of some of my favorite educators in the photography industry. You'll find that many of them teach about completely different niches in the industry. So an important note here is that you'll find some of the photographers may photograph mainly one thing, but their education is on something a little different. Don't let that put you off! Go with it! I'll also list whether or not they currently offer freebies (YAS, GIRL, GET THOSE FREEBIES), and perhaps a few other resources from people in the wedding industry, not just the photography industry. You know, for fun.

I hope you enjoy these resources and please let me know what you've learned! Do you have any recommendations for educators that I missed out on? {*Note* I did not include any resources on newborn or child photography because I do not specialize in those areas. Please share your finds for this genre if you have any!} I'd love to share a part 2 of this post for people who cater, design events, or run venues!

Grab your notepad, iPad+Apple Pencil, or Notes App and away we go! (PS, each name is clickable! It will take you to their website!)

Katelyn James
1. Educational Niche: Weddings | Editing | Skill Building
2. Freebies: Yes (Downloads)
3. Katelyn is the face of Katelyn James Photography. Katelyn has been a force of nature in the wedding industry for almost 10 years and has countless eons of valuable knowledge for photographers. For newbs and intermediate photographers alike, her educational material is tailored to problem solving and sustaining your business. The education is very thorough and overall, helps to streamline both you and your business for more growth and better profit.
Hope Taylor
1. Educational Niche: Seniors
2. Freebies: Yes (Downloads)
3. Hope runs Hope Taylor Photography, specially crafted for weddings and seniors. Her material includes topics for senior photographers on posing, business tips, and senior spokesmodel programs.
Justin and Mary Marantz
1. Educational Niche: Weddings
2. Freebies: No
3. Justin and Mary are husband and wife photographers who cater to high-end, sleek, memorable clients. Although they have no free resources currently, their education resources are renowned for their value and effectiveness.
Sara Weir
1. Educational Niche: Film Photography | Portraiture
2. Freebies: Yes - (free video course)
3. Sara is a film photographer who sings the value and intent of film over digital. Her educational resource comes in the shape of a video course found on her website as well as a Facebook Community called "Shooting Your First Roll Of Film" Give it a whirl! If anything, this resource can inspire your artistic soul to try something new and challenge you to dig deep.
Jordan Brittley
1. Educational Niche: Editing | Presets
2. Freebies: Yes - (Free preset + downloads)
3. Jordan is currently focusing on editing education, specializing in selling presets and how to get the look you want through editing. Her presets are specifically catered to folks who want their digital work to look like film.
Caroline Logan & Annamarie Akins
1. Educational Niche: Editing
2. Freebies: No (But Caroline by herself has one, as well as an educational program)
3. Caroline and Annamarie are the educators and creators of The Light And Airy Photog. They are two ladies who came together to create an editing system just for photographers who want that "light and airy" look. Their education is instructional, since it comes with the preset suite you purchase from them.
Joy Aleman
1. Educational Niche: Business | Weddings
2. Freebies: Yes (Downloads + Youtube Channel)
3. Joy is a photographer for curated weddings with a very classy, fine art feel. Her education is geared for beginners and takes an informational approach as she shows you how to book certain clients, what's in her camera bag, as well as business tips and tricks.
Davey and Krista Jones
1. Educational Niche: Branding | Design | SEO
2. Freebies: Yes (Downloads)
3. Davey and Krista hail as photographers who have pursued their passion for helping other photographers build "a brand that books". They offer resources on how to build your website around a brand that conveys your authenticity and books the clients you want.
Jordan and Amy Demos
1. Educational Niche: Weddings | Skill Building
2. Freebies: Yes (Video Course)
3. Jordan and Amy are a husband and wife team that guides photographers through wedding days and all the components that go with it. From posing to getting the shot correctly in-camera, they have testimonials that hail life and business changing techniques.
Jessica Zimmerman
1. Educational Niche: Floral Design | Events | Business
2. Freebies: Yes (Course)
3. Jessica Zimmerman is part of the floral and event design company called Zimmerman Events. Perfect for wedding and event designers, she offers courses on business and floral design.
Kathryn Duckett of CremeBrands
1. Educational Niche: Branding | Website Design | SEO
2. Freebies: Yes (Downloads)
3. Kathryn is the face behind CremeBrands, a high end website designer who helps you build a website and brand that is "confident and heartfelt". She actually designed Jessica Zimmerman and Jordan Brittley's websites!