For many people, photography is a passion. They love thumbing through albums of family memories, and you’ll find them constantly snapping away at family events and get togethers.

But what happens when there’s a disconnect between the photos you envision yourself taking in your head, and the ones your camera produces when you click the shutter?

There’s nothing quite as frustrating as seeing the perfect shot, but not knowing quite how to capture it!

Meet Emily!

Emily Lomax knows that frustration first hand! A mum-of-two from Australia’s beautiful Mornington Peninsula, Emily had always had a love for photography and a camera in her hand. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get her photos to turn out looking the way she envisioned them in her mind.

So when she came home from her five-week European holiday of a lifetime and discovered none of her photos were up to scratch, she became determined to learn how to master her DSLR…

And that’s where Click Love Grow comes in!

I Wanted To Stop Being Disappointed With Missing The Shot

I have always been interested in photography, and lived with a camera in my hand. In fact, I have always viewed the world in photos, framing shots in my mind. I have always been the memory keeper at family events, going around snapping special moments of connection. However, no matter how hard I tried, I just could not capture what was in my head in camera.

I would get the occasional ‘good shot’, but mostly my photos looked nothing like the shot I had been hoping for. I was so frustrated and deflated.

I got my first DSLR in 2018 and I did manage to capture some really good photos on auto, but they were few and far between. And I had no idea what made those photos turn out while hundreds of others didn’t!

In 2019, I finally got so disappointed with constantly missing the shot that I decided I wanted to really learn how to use my camera and take intentionally good photos.

I wanted to capture our family memories the way I was seeing them in my mind.

It Felt Like Learning A Foreign Language

I scoured the internet for YouTube videos or courses to help. Nothing made any sense!

I even tried several online courses and it just felt like they were speaking a foreign language. I’d watch them over and over and still could not understand even the most basic settings. I was so overwhelmed and it was beginning to feel hopeless. I was never going to get off auto!

We were planning a big five-week family holiday to Europe and the UK for Christmas, and I was desperate to finally figure out manual mode before we left so I could capture all the amazing places we would be visiting.

A few days before we were due to leave,  the Click Love Grow Christmas Holiday Challenge popped up in my Facebook feed, so I jumped in and started following along with the daily prompts.

During the challenge, I learned how to capture bokeh lights, so I felt sure I was all set for my European Christmas holiday…right?! Ha, we all know how that must have turned out!

I did manage to capture some bokeh lights while we were away, so I was pretty excited about that, but the rest of my pictures were far from perfect.

The other online courses I had tried had me totally confused about how aperture works, so my holiday photos consisted of a lot of landscapes with a strand of grass in the front in focus and the rest completely out of focus!

Needless to say, when we returned to Australia, I put CLG’s Enthusiast Course on my birthday list!

From Day One, My Photos Were Just… Better!

I decided to go with Click Love Grow, because the 5 day Christmas Challenge had taught me more about photography than I had learned from years of trying other courses and hours and hours of watching YouTube tutorials.

The Enthusiast Course actually started on my birthday! I remember we were away camping and hubby had bought me a new camera for my birthday, so I read straight through the first lesson and raced off to do the first challenge.

Lou explained things slowly and clearly, and I found the concepts immediately beginning to click in my head.

On day one, I suddenly found myself capturing photos that were much better than any I’d ever taken before!

I Finally Understood Where I Was Going Wrong

My biggest takeaway from the Enthusiast Course was finally mastering the exposure triangle.

I had tried so many times, and not once had it ever clicked or made sense. I loved the way that Lou devoted a whole lesson to each element of the triangle, so that it really made sense…and I finally understood what I had done wrong in my holiday pictures!

The lesson on light was another favourite. I had no idea just how important light is for photography, which seems crazy now looking back!

I got my whole family involved for the shutter speed challenge, and they all had fun trying to get the biggest possible splash for me to capture! It was the first time something I had envisioned actually worked, and it was such a thrill!

I also loved getting to know the other photographers in the course Facebook group, and realizing that I was not alone: they had all experienced the same frustration as me.

Designed By Women, For Women

For me, the number one difference between the Enthusiast Course and the many other courses I had tried, is that is it is designed by women for women.

All of the Click Love Grow courses are broken down into easy-to-understand sections, one step at a time. They’re perfect for sleep deprived mum brains that have way too many tabs open!

I felt supported the entire way through the course, and if I had questions, they were quickly answered in the course Facebook group.

I never felt like I was alone, just plodding away at a course with no support, as I had during other courses. If I found something difficult to understand, there was always someone there to explain it to me.

 

Consistent, Constructive Feedback And Support

The instructor feedback for each lesson was helpful, and guided me to see where I could improve my photography without being harsh or hurtful.

In other courses and photography Facebook groups I had tried, I felt uncomfortable sharing my work because they seemed to believe that the only way for people to learn was to tear them to shreds!

In the Click Love Grow courses and community, I have learned so much from the constructive feedback and I’ve always felt encouraged and empowered to share my work. I have never before experienced such a positive, supportive, caring and uplifting community!

The Click Love Grow community has had such a positive impact on my photography because even long after finishing the Enthusiast Course, I have felt confident to continue sharing my work and asking for advice and feedback.

In fact, I love Click Love Grow so much that since finishing the Enthusiast Course, I’ve gone on to take the Advanced Course and several Creative Workshops! It really has been the best investment in my photography!

Then & Now…

We love a before and after set of images as it’s the best way to show off our student’s transformation!

Big thank you to Emily for your time and gorgeous images! If you want to check out more of her work, you can find her on Instagram.

 

If you’re frustrated with your camera and ready to get out of auto mode, I’d love to help you master your camera and take photos you LOVE! Our Enthusiast Photography Course starts next week… click here to join!