2025
Photography Mentoring
with Jenna Shouldice
An immersive, interdisciplinary approach for those looking to grow their work and strengthen their voice.
A mentor can listen to your words and experiences, look critically (not negatively but with acute attention) at your work and your process and reflect back to you what is working, what serves you best and where your voice is the strongest.
— Jenna Shouldice
I think that there are lots of photographers (artists) out there, often women but not always, who are hungry for dynamic conversations about photography but when they extend their branches in search of these conversations, they are most often met with advice from gear heads, or practical business ideas. While understanding gear and how to market yourself is extremely valuable, this is not the type of conversation these people are looking for.
What if instead, we talked about photography (art) with a dynamic, interdisciplinary approach? What if we considered psychology, point of view, lived experience and embodiment all to be on a higher pedestal than technical discussions? I’m not saying we shouldn’t talk about anything technical ever again, those conversations in context are both valuable and necessary. But instead what if both facets of conversation went hand in hand? What if we saw our technical choices as emotional choices? What if we directed our attention to how our bodies react to what’s in front of us? What if we created more awareness around what holds us back and what pushes us forward in a given moment, how we would we react in the field then? If we could support our interests with technical choices, could we view technical in a whole new way?
I think yes. How I play with these ideas is the main difference in how I teach and mentor photographers. If you’re hungry for these conversations and photographic growth in a way that feels dynamic and personalized, we’ll love working together.
This year’s mentoring is for those are looking to grow their work (at any stage) and develop or strengthen their voice. I firmly believe that our work serves us best when it speaks to who the artist is and how they see the world in their own individual way. We stand out the most when we are the most ourselves, and yet it is so hard to determine what is unique about the way we see and that’s where support in learning is helpful!
A mentor can listen to your words and experiences, look critically (not negatively but with acute attention) at your work and process and reflect back to you what is working, what serves you best and where your voice is the strongest. This is what I absolutely adore about working with photographers. The same observation skills I use as a photographer serve me to help you sort out where your perspective lives.
I genuinely believe when you give yourself permission to embrace imperfection and allow yourself to fall in love with process, you see the most growth in your work. As a bonus, you’re likely to build a sustainable art practice (and way of being) that is rich in meaning and joy.
Over the next 12 months we will focus on
Our Learning Objectives
01
Development of personal photographic style
Through self-discovery and photographic experimentation assignments
Student(s) will participate in group discussions, prompted journaling, and will begin saving and organizing art that speaks to them from other genres and techniques. We take an interdisciplinary approach referring to various sources (including books, podcasts, works of art etc.) as a way of building an understanding of personal themes and concepts.
02
Refinement of photographic communication
Through technical assignments and discussion of photographic theory, including storytelling tools and compositional awareness
Student(s) will participate in photographic assignments designed to further their technical proficiencies. These will include assignments that expose the student to various approaches to making photographs in a variety of environments.
03
Development of personal perspective
Through self-reflection and theory assignments
Student(s) will engage in in-depth discussions and self-reflections surrounding their experiences in the field as well as their experiences in life. We will look closely at their creative processes, and tendencies, and highlight their individual perspective(s).
04
Development of workflow and practices to support continued growth
Through continual building of technical and intellectual systems
Student(s) will develop a system over the course of the year that sets them up for success in the future when mentoring has been completed. This may include a proficient workflow, as well as intellectual and emotional approaches to challenges and projects that come their way.
Essential
Mentoring program details
WHEN
Weekly Classes and 1:1 mentoring sessions with Jenna on Tuesdays, typically starting at 10:30am, Pacific Time.
The program starts each February and ends the following January
WHERE
Online via Zoom!
You can take this class from anywhere in the world so long as you can make the live class times on a regular basis.
All class recordings are saved and available to rewatch throughout the program.
WHO
This 12-month mentoring program is best for photographers who are drawn to documenting families, births, weddings or personal projects from a documentary photography perpsective.
You do not have to have a business and all levels are welcome so long as you love photography!
You’re likely ready for this group if:
- You enjoy critical thinking and being inspired
- Maybe you’re a bit of a geek!
- You have something to say but aren’t exactly sure how to say it, or you’re curious if you’re saying it well
- You want to refine your photographic communication
- You see people and want them to feel seen
- You need an excuse for a new notebook! Or two!?
- You’re ready to enjoy the process of learning and find freedom in the editing process, and are ready to ditch perfection
- You thrive on the company of like-minded creatives, or you think you do but can’t find anyone yet!
- You love a good conversation!
- The words “photography” or “interdisciplinary” or “process” are thrilling to you.
- Perhaps the word “thrilling” is thrilling to you!
I honestly can’t put into words how much Jenna Shouldice has impacted my photography journey and my growth as an artist. Working with her has been a truly transformative experience, especially when it comes to my first gallery show. Not only did Jenna help me curate the entire exhibition, but she also helped me create an interactive experience for viewers that will bring my work to life. She guided me through the process of printing my work in large format, and the result was beyond anything I could have imagined.
What truly stands out about Jenna as a mentor is how she listens—really listens. She took the time to understand me and my learning goals, helping me identify and trust my unique voice as an artist. She never pushed me in a specific direction but instead asked insightful questions and reflected what she was seeing and hearing. Her approach gave me the space to explore my own creativity while still feeling supported.
Jenna has this magical ability to break down complex concepts in such a way that they feel not only accessible but exciting. Her feedback is always constructive and thoughtful, and she’s never afraid to challenge me in the most supportive, encouraging way. I’ve learned so much from her, not just about photography, but about believing in myself and pushing beyond my comfort zone.
Lastly, her strengths-based approach to teaching gave me so much confidence, and that confidence helped me trust my voice more than ever. Jenna is not only a brilliant teacher, but she’s also my personal cheerleader—always encouraging, always rooting for me. Her belief in me and my work has had such a profound impact, and I am forever grateful for everything she’s done to help me grow as both a photographer and an artist. I truly feel like I have a lifelong mentor in Jenna, and I’m beyond lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from her. If you have the chance to work with Jenna, take it! She will inspire, challenge, and empower you to reach new heights. Thank you, Jenna!
— Megan (Student, Canada)
12 months of in-depth mentoring
Your Investment
$5600 CAD
Approx. $3900 USD / € 3800 EUR
Monthly payment plan available.
All prices are in Canadian dollars and include any applicable taxes.
When in doubt, please always get in touch with me to see how we’ll best be able to work together.
I f***ing love her. Thats it. That’s the end. I see the world exactly the way my heart has been telling me to see it these days. And the only lineage I have to that is Jenna’s guidance into myself
— Sarah (Student, Canada)
You don’t have to be at a certain place in your work to soak in the benefits of being mentored. If you’re waiting until you’re ‘good enough’ the chances are you won’t leap because ‘good enough’ is just something you’re telling yourself. I don’t expect you to be perfect and why would I? That would be boring. I’m not perfect and I’ll never claim to be! I hope to guide you toward loving the process of growth and learning, and I will help you get your work where you want it to be in the process. No artist should be an island! Sometimes the path to improvement isn’t what we expect, and generic photography advice won’t apply to you. I’m here to help navigate what actual photographic growth looks like for you. I hope you join us!
The last thing that I’m super proud of, and that made me think of you with all my heart, is that yesterday I went out photographing and for the first time in a very long time, I have felt my body sing, and my soul sing in tune, when I’ve seen a photograph. It was not actually a photograph, it was the light and the potential of a photograph, but my body reacted to it. And it felt like a bucket of cold water on a sleepy body. I loved it. I just, the surge of adrenaline that went through my body it was, absolutely delicious.
— Lavinia (Student, Italy)
