Can you imagine being so excited by the photos you’re taking, you can’t wait to get home and edit them?

And what about having the confidence and skills to know exactly what you need to do to get photos that match your vision, in any situation?

That’s what Coral Hagan got out of the Advanced Photography Course, and today she’s sharing her experience…

Meet Coral

I live in Scone in the Hunter Valley NSW. I moved here from Innisfail in Far North Queensland after I fell head over heels in love with my now husband, who was in town playing in the local rugby league comp. We moved back to his home town and have been married now for nearly 12 years.

We have 4 children: Boston is 10yo and our sports-mad, footy head. After lengthy fertility issues, we conceived our middle two children via IFV – Mikinlee (5) and Oakland (3).

Then a miracle occurred at the end of 2021 when I fell pregnant naturally with our fourth child – Magnolia, who is nearly one now. She was a huge surprise. I did not believe it until I saw her little heart beating away on the ultrasound. I think I was still in disbelief, until she was earthside.

The kids keep us busy with school and sport, but we also run our 75-acre cattle property as well. I am a trained high school teacher – PDHPE (physical education) turned science, turned mathematics. And now, I can confidently call myself a photographer.

I still go in and do casual days at school around my husband’s roster. Unfortunately, with the teacher shortage, I just cannot sit back and let friends and colleagues pick up the extra load, when I can go in once a week on a casual basis to help out.

I Wanted Better Photos

I really wanted to get better at taking photos of my children.  I was always taking them with my phone – you know, in portrait mode to get the blurry background haha!

So I took the Enthusiast Photography Course and learned how to use my camera in manual mode, and it gave my photos a whole other dimension.

The course opened a magical box of wonder! I now understood my camera, light, composition, editing, and it gave me an urge to keep learning. I wanted to know the ‘why’, ‘how’, ‘what else can it do?’.

So I decided to do the Advanced Photography Course because I could see how much my photography had improved since I started learning with CLG, and I knew that growth would continue to develop on the Advanced Course.

Empowered With Skills & Confidence

Since the Advanced Course I have gone from liking my photos, to getting excited to run inside after a session and see what magic I created.

There are so many aspects of the course that will elevate not only your photography, but your confidence in yourself and your camera.

Being able to take a photo and know on the spot what needs changing and adjusting to get the image I had envisioned, all came from the Advanced Course.

Why You Should Do The Advanced Photography Course

If the Enthusiast Course has lit that spark inside you, pursuing with the Advanced Course provides incredible opportunity for personal growth. And who knows, maybe professional growth in the near future.

As mums, there are not too many times in our lives when we invest in ourselves. We are the givers.

I love the joy of learning new ideas, shooting techniques and editing processes, and I would do course after course if I had time!

The more you put in to this course, the more you will get out of it! Take photos whenever you can – experiment with different light, or styling, or using colours… then post it to the course group, get instructor feedback, then do it again.

Open the Door To New Possibilities

The course led me to photography as a side hustle, while raising my children with my husband. It allows me to step outside (literally, as I shoot mostly on our cattle property) a couple of evenings a week, and I edit at night. For me, at this stage in our life, it is perfect.

By immersing yourself in something you truly love, it has the power to shape your life and open doors to new possibilities.

I am so very grateful, firstly to Brooke Hampson (a CLG Grad with whom I went to university and briefly lived together) for leading me to CLG, but also to Lou and her amazing instructors for giving me the skills that I would not have come across otherwise.

Why the Click Love Grow Courses Work

Everything is broken down into simple step-by-step instructions, and Lou and her team of instructors are always there to help and answer any and all questions.

As a teacher I have found this course to be absolutely spot on with its method of delivery – it is so easy to follow and I never got lost.

Lou has created this most beautiful community of women, who empower each other, learn from one another and cheer each other on.

We all started with the common goal of taking better photos of our children, and for many CLG Grads it also led to hugely successful businesses. I have stepped back from teaching high school maths – which to be honest, I still LOVE – but I am loving photography even more.

Before & After

Check out this amazing before and after set of images from Coral which show how much she has grown since taking the Advanced Course.

Before Click Love Grow

After Click Love Grow

A big thank you to Coral for sharing your story and beautiful photos! If you want to see more of her work you can find her here.

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