Cole’s Clique Elite Member June Spotlight

Cole’s Clique Elite Member June Spotlight

I am telling you, every day  it’s a party in the Cole’s Clique Elite Private Facebook group.  But don’t get me wrong, it’s not only fun and games, we’re serious about improving our photography and for many like Leslie & Jessica – boosting their photography business too. None of this comes easy.  You have to…

Best Portrait Lens on a Budget: 5 ways the 85mm f1.8 Delivers!
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Best Portrait Lens on a Budget: 5 ways the 85mm f1.8 Delivers!

Are you looking for the best portrait lens on a budget? If you are making your way into the photography industry, chances are you are looking to get killer photos of your clients while building your business on a budget. And who can blame you? We want our clients to look their best and we don’t…

How to Help Your Clients Look Their Best
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How to Help Your Clients Look Their Best

So…let’s be honest…what are the odds that your client is a former model? Probably slim ;). Back when I was shooting countless weddings, engagements and portraits, a big part of my job was not to simply just capture, but to also make every day people feel comfortable enough in front of the lens so I…

Growing Your Photography Business on a Budget
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Growing Your Photography Business on a Budget

One of the things that gets under my skin more than anything is stumbling upon articles insinuating that a new photographer must spend top dollar and go into inordinate amounts of debt in able to be considered a “real” photographer. As if the amount of money invested is what buys you a place at the…

How to Make a Photography Portfolio: 10 Simple Tips for Success
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How to Make a Photography Portfolio: 10 Simple Tips for Success

Are you ready to take your photography business to the next level? Are you excited to show potential clients what you can do and grab their attention? Here are some simple, yet very important steps toward achieving your goals of becoming a professional photographer. How to Make a Photography Portfolio – 10 Simple Tips for…

23 Random Facts About Cole from Cole’s Classroom

23 Random Facts About Cole from Cole’s Classroom

One way or another you’ve stumbled upon Cole’s Classroom, and THANK YOU for being here!  It might have been from Facebook, or YouTube or Google or perhaps a friend of yours told you about Cole’s Classroom – at any rate, you’ve likely seen my face or read my words but do you really know me?…

The 5 Best Ways for Making Connections with your Clients!
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The 5 Best Ways for Making Connections with your Clients!

Connection is everything! Without connection it’s extremely difficult to capture true personality and raw emotions. Your subjects cannot relax, and be themselves. Connection takes away the awkward silences. It allows you to focus more on the moment, and less on the pose. So how do you create connection with your clients? What if they’re awkward,…

Should I Become a Full Time Photographer?
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Should I Become a Full Time Photographer?

If you are anything like me, you started out taking photos of your family and friends and you really started to enjoy it and then you decided to make a big leap into starting an official business to further pursue your new-found passion on the side of your “day-job” to make some money while doing…

Should I Upgrade My Camera?
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Should I Upgrade My Camera?

Today’s question is – how the heck do you know if it is time to upgrade your camera.  To make the most of this post, I’d encourage you to jot down your answers to the below questions, it will help you map out your thoughts easily that way. By the time you are done reading…

The Key to a Blazing Fast Lightroom Workflow
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The Key to a Blazing Fast Lightroom Workflow

We all want to edit our photos faster.  Perhaps you are tired of spending 5 minutes (or more) per photo in Photoshop or maybe you are fumbling your way through Lightroom and you know there has to be a better way… At any rate – I have yet to meet someone who isn’t looking to…

Nikon 85 1.8G Lens Review – Your Best Bang for Buck?
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Nikon 85 1.8G Lens Review – Your Best Bang for Buck?

While it’s no secret I love prime lenses and favor them over zooms I wanted to write a mini review of one of the Nikon prime lenses that Nicole and I use a ton… It’s the Nikon 85 1.8G lens.  If you’ve done any research at all on this lens you’ll notice right away it…

What Exactly is a Lightroom Workflow?
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What Exactly is a Lightroom Workflow?

For many of us seasoned photographers it can become quite easy to throw around terminology and words as if we all are speaking a brand new language but the truth is, not everyone knows that language… This quick post is to do one thing and one thing only – give you insight into what exactly…

6 Rules to Follow for a Faster Photo Editing Workflow
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6 Rules to Follow for a Faster Photo Editing Workflow

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again… Becoming more efficient with your time and having a fast post processing photo editing workflow is the number one way to keep your business costs down and boost your profits. Do you agree? If you agree that having a fast Lightroom editing workflow is so important…

The #1 Thing You’re Missing: Confidence in Your Photography
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The #1 Thing You’re Missing: Confidence in Your Photography

The #1 Thing You’re Missing How much should I charge? Am I priced right? Do you think I am too expensive? These are all questions that I read on a daily basis within various photography groups on Facebook, and I am darn sure those questions go far beyond Facebook too. Photography these days seems like…

Nikon D750 – Nikon’s Most Valuable Full Frame?
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Nikon D750 – Nikon’s Most Valuable Full Frame?

Technology is amazing.  It really is.  The thing is with technology is the ones who are the late adopters typically get the better “deal”.  So from a cost standpoint in particular, those that have the patience to wait are often rewarded. I believe that is exactly what is happening again with the newest group of…