Have you ever thought about photography courses but as a mum you could never find the time? “One day” is what you probably keep telling yourself.

But here’s the thing, most of our students are mums. And they all say our flexible learning format made it easy for them to fit the learning in between all.the.things.

What’s more, you’re not learning alone. Most other online photography courses send you the material and leave you to it.

But we already knew from first hand experience that the most powerful way to learn is with live support. It keeps you engaged, heading in the right direction, and knowing where you’re going wrong and how to fix it.

And that’s why the Enthusiast Photography Course is community based. In other words, you have the benefit of learning in a private group, alongside fellow students who encourage you to keep going. You have access to instructors who will answer your questions, and provide individualised guidance through feedback on your photos.

And it was those two key things – flexibility and support – that ticked Deanna Large’s boxes. Deanna is a busy mum with a full time job, who dived into our Enthusiast Course in July 2020…

 

Meet Deanna

My name is Deanna, I’m from Melbourne and I work full time in the finance industry. I have a gorgeous 2yo boy named Harvey who keeps me on my toes every day, and he’s looking forward to meeting his brother in March 2021.

My husband is my biggest supporter. He holds our family together simply by being my best friend and the best dad we could possibly imagine having. His hands on approach and supportive nature enables me to step away from being a mum sometimes.

I love music, and taking photos ever since I can remember. I love capturing memories and moments and the way every picture tells a story.

 

My Expensive Camera Was Collecting Dust!

I had a DSLR, but I was frustrated that when I took a picture, the image would be plain, boring and dull.

I was taking better photos with my phone, but I didn’t realise I could get more out of my camera.

I read the camera manual, and I tried to learn on Google and YouTube but I didn’t even know what to look for or where to start!

 

 

I Didn’t Have Time for Photography Courses

I realised I needed to do a photography course to broaden my photography knowledge and start using my DSLR properly. But I also felt I didn’t have the time for a course. I was really busy with a toddler and full time job, and this stopped me from doing anything about it.

But then we went into an extended Covid lockdown in Melbourne. So my weekends paused and that finally gave me the nudge I needed to start a course.

Flexible Group Learning

So I searched online, however most searches resulted in accredited Diplomas. That didn’t gel for me because they were too long, a short course was a better fit. I also anticipated little online support from large photography courses, and none provided group learning. I had a very big concern of starting something I knew there was a chance I would not finish.

CLG was highly rated and came up constantly in my Facebook news feed and Google searches. It was a short online course of 8 weeks with a flexible learning structure, and lessons delivered weekly. Then you have all week to read it and complete the lesson’s photo challenge. Also the lessons are delivered in both ppf and video to appeal to different learning styles.

It all happens within a small private Facebook group with an amazing group of people from all over the world learning alongside and supporting you through.

I couldn’t find any other short course that was structured in that way. It made the difference in choosing the CLG Enthusiast Photography Course over other online photography courses.

 

Learning to Shoot With Instinct

CLG taught me the basics I needed to start taking photos I love.

My favourite lesson and biggest takeaway was the storytelling lesson. It helped me see my photos as works of art and reach my potential to tell a story with images. It was also at that point that everything I’d learned in the previous lessons suddenly just clicked and…

I didn’t need to think when taking good photos anymore – it became instinctual.

Once I started, I knew I wasn’t going to give up midway because I was loving it. It was fun, interactive and challenging, and I was seeing real progress… I wanted to keep going.

If lockdown hadn’t happened, I may not have jumped into the course. But it was one day a week for a couple of hours to read or watch a video lesson and practice the set challenges.

Looking back I now know I could have fit it in easily, even working full time with a toddler.

 

Learning in a Community

My favourite part of the course has been meeting amazing photographers around the world and close to home. They challenge me to keep going, continue learning and practicing – these people are some of my biggest supporters.

It’s not just a photography course… honestly, it’s a community.

We get together and do loops on Instagram and that keeps our connection and the vibe fresh and fun.

 

Before & After

Everyone knows we love to share a before & after side by side because it’s such a fantastic way to show how far you can come when you take the Enthusiast Photography Course. So please enjoy Deanna’s fabulous before & after set!

Many thanks to Deanna for your inspiring words and beautiful photos! If you want to see more of Deanna’s photography check her out at Instagram.

 

If you’d like to learn how to master your camera, shoot in manual mode and confidently record your children’s milestones and life events… our Enthusiast Photography Course is starting soon and I would love to help you achieve your goals! Head here to get all the details and register…