In this project-based Multimedia mentorship, explore how photography and audio can be used to compliment each other, adding complexity and depth to a narrative.
Over the course of 8 mentoring sessions, we will work together to find a story that is meaningful to you, and bring the story to life through the combination of still photography and audio. Whether it is a documentary story, a conceptual piece or personal narrative and memoir, I’ll be there to help you from start to finish with conceptualizing, developing, editing and bringing to completion a well produced multimedia story.
By the end of the mentorship you will leave with a new medium of storytelling - the ability to incorporate audio into documentary photo essays, personal projects and client work.
The introduction of audio to a visual story creates an intimate space between the photo subject and the viewer.
it allows someone else's story to feel familiar,
it helps to connect us emotionally to an experience that it outside of our own.
Close to home mentorship package includes:
8 individual one-hour sessions. Sessions may also be divided into two 30 minute sessions.
A 30 minute accountability meeting prior to our first session. This meeting is a chance to discuss your goals for the mentorship and how to best hold you accountable to the creative process. We’ll talk about how we can tailor your experience to focus on what you’d most like to accomplish.
One 30 - 60 minute interactive tutorial on audio editing in Adobe Rush.
Resources on interview techniques, audio recording, audio editing, script-writing, narrative structure, and a diverse library of audio, photo and multi-media stories to explore. Think of it as a private workshop - you’ll be getting all the course material that would come with a group class!
This mentorship is created for photographers who:
Have a deep desire to be a storyteller, but need a push to help them to begin - Someone to hold you accountable, challenge you and most importantly be a support as y0u work through the things that have stopped you from beginning in the past - be it artistic blocks, logistical issues, lack of confidence, or maybe just needing a reason to carve out time for yourself in the midst of a busy daily life.
Feel like they have a story inside of them that is wanting to come out - That feeling that you have something important to say, but it feels vague and overwhelming and you don’t how to give it a tangible shape or where to begin.
Life-long learners who want to learn a new skill that they can incorporate into their business or client work.
Create deeper narratives within your work
Weave audio into your family or wedding slideshows
Produce multimedia work for businesses, non-profits or commercial clients
Give your photo subjects a voice
Make a document of your families life
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You don’t!
Some people come into the first meeting with a project they’ve been thinking about for years, or even something they’ve already started photographing and have made some progress on. Others have the desire for storytelling but don’t know where to begin.
More often than not, the story you begin with will not be the story you end up telling. The organic unfolding of the story is an integral part of the creating process.
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No previous experience is required with either recording or editing audio. We will go over everything, from the basics of recording to the fine tuning that comes with audio editing.
If you do have audio recording experience, our time together will focus less on basic recording techniques and more on how to integrate your prior experience with your photography and use the two together to craft a narrative.
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Unless you already own recording equipment that you’d like to use, you’ll be using a free audio recording app on your phone.
In most cases we’ll be using Adobe Rush to edit together the audio and photo components of your story. Adobe Rush is included with the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, or can be subscribed to as a stand-alone software for $9.99 a month.
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This mentorship is created for photographers (with some photography experience) who have little to no audio recording experience. Photographers of every level benefit from the process of discussing their work and the challenge to make stronger photos that serve their story. That being said, you should have a working knowledge of how to use your camera, as this isn’t a class that teaches basic photography skills.
If you’re interested in the mentorship and are unsure of whether or not you’re advanced enough as a photographer, if you have the right camera or enough experience, please reach out and let’s talk! This is a mentorship designed to meet you where you’re at and the sessions can be tailored to focus on what you need help with the most.
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Sessions can be scheduled at regular intervals, or on a looser time-line.
During our accountability meeting we’ll talk about what would be the most helpful for you in terms of holding you accountable to making progress on your story. Some people work best with specific deadlines on their calendar, and others benefit from the ability to space the mentoring out over a longer period of time so they can give their story the attention it deserves without feeling rushed.
There’s no expiration date on the mentoring sessions. The beauty of individual mentoring vs. a group learning experience is the flexibility to plan around your personal life and make sure that the experience works for you.
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The focus of this mentorship is on producing multimedia work that combines sound recording with still photographs. What you’ll be learning during our time together is how to be intentional with every component of your story; how to shoot, edit and weave your strongest visual work with your strongest audio to create the most impact on the viewer or listener. It’s a different set of skills than video, where your visuals and sound are more likely to be recorded together at the same time.
Of course, there are no rules to the creative process. If you’d like to create a piece that includes video, we’ll talk about whether the choice strengthens or weakens your story.
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There are infinite ways to tell a story, and this workshop is not limited to purely photojournalistic storytelling. You’ll be receiving material that covers documentary practices, as well as prompts that help with conceptual storytelling.
Your story can focus on a subject in the local community, a family member, a theme or idea, or personal narrative. Your audio can include the sounds that make up your subjects lives, interviews, music, or personal narration. Your story can feel like an essay, a biography, a memoir or a poem.
The most important thing is that you allow your storytelling choices to unfold in a way that are true to the story, and true to your vision as the storyteller.
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The process of putting a story together with an experienced mentor is an invaluable experience.
Working with a mentor means that you’ll have someone to run ideas by; who can ask questions that help uncover the bones of your story. Someone to offer you cold glasses of lemonade (figuratively...) while you wade through hours of interviews; who can act as a photo editor and a second set of eyes on your work. It means you’ll have someone who can push you to dig deeper into the story and provide a safe space where you can be vulnerable, as you explore personal subject-matter that might feel difficult to share.
It means receiving emotional support, honest feedback and critique. Having someone there to help you figure out your vision for your project and guiding you back to that vision when you feel stuck or lost in the storytelling. Having someone else completely invested in the success of your story, who can laugh and cry with you (there are almost always tears) along the way. -
This mentorship is an offshoot from the Close to Home Workshop - a small group workshop that was created during the pandemic to help photographers work on stories that were “close to home.”
Over the course of the three years that we’ve been running the workshop, we saw a need for a flexible learning option for photographers who were juggling parenting, full-time jobs and other commitments. And so the decision came to offer the Close to Home Mentorship as a private workshop experience!
If what you’re looking for is a group experience where you can connect with and receive feedback from other photographers, the Fall 2023 Close to Home workshop will be running again this August! You can look at last years webpage (click here) to watch some of the stories produced by previous students.
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While this is primarily an online mentorship, it is also open to local photographers! All meetings will take place in Boulder, Colorado.
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I’m working on creating a library of stories that have been produced by photographers who have participated in the Close to Home workshop! For now, many of these stories can be found on the Close to Home webpage.
$ 1250 USD
$ 940 USD FOR THE FIRST 5 photographers WHO SIGN UP
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The cost of the mentorship is $1250 USD
Because this is a new offering, I’m discounting the program to $940 for the first 5 photographers who sign up.
There is an additional $100 discount ($840 USD) if you pay in full.
A $300 payment is required to secure your spot, and the remainder may be split up into 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 monthly installments.View payment plans HERE.
ABOUT MOLLY:
Molly is a photographer and writer with a background in documentary studies. She has taught audio production and photography to teens and adults and was a recipient of the best new artist award at the Third Coast International Festival for a radio piece that was featured on NPR, Living on Earth, Snap Judgement and Australia Public Radio. Molly has worked with photographers from all over the world; her philosophy of teaching focuses on guiding artists to connect with their personal forms of inspiration. She is a life-long storyteller, paying homage to the world around her through photography, writing and sound.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY:
“Molly is a very knowledgeable, patient and listening mentor. I felt very comfortable every time we reviewed a job, I knew that we could improve it together and without pressure. But at the same time, she is demanding and she likes the final works to be of a high quality, so I received just the right amount of pressure to move forward with the project, to take it seriously. She helped me in our sessions in all aspects of my project: technique, rhythm, image, type of music, sound, etc. So, in the end, the result left me very satisfied, sure that I could share it with the world.”
“Working with Molly has been such a pleasure for me. I love her insightful observations and intuitive way of feeling what the students are trying to express, and asking the important questions to bring it to consciousness. I feel so accomplished after completing a multimedia presentation with documentary photography, interviews and even music- something I had never even considered attempting! I couldn’t have done it without her patient guidance.”
“Working with Molly has been one of my favorite experiences! Not only does she go above and beyond to help you create the best version of your story, she also genuinely cares. She invests her time and her heart into you and your project. She knows her shit! I trust her opinion and am confident in her advice. I could work with her forever!”
“Molls, beyond being a mentor committed to your work, the most beautiful thing is that she opens her heart and gets involved, gets excited, and from that place of vulnerability she shares all her knowledge. I admire her point of view every time she guided with my projects (editing, conceptual, sounds and/or music). She has a surround view and imagination. While looking at your project, she imagines the music, she is intrigued about your thoughts and what inspired you and in that place the dialogue begins.
I love her being my mentor, because I trust in her perception, knowledge and emotion. For me perfect combination. Love you Molls! ”
“Quiet, understated, impactful, encouraging, and inspiring. Molly’s truest gift to her mentees is when she starts with a reflective, “I wonder if…” That gentle nudge, the contemplative push towards exploration and true self. It’s the essence of her curiosity that stays perched on your shoulder when you’re photographing. She has no hard edges. She knows the difference between judgement and careful critique. Her thoughts and ideas encourage exploration, which is the perfect kindling to add to creative fire.”
“Molly’s wholehearted approach to teaching is everything I could ask for in a mentor. She offers insight that ignites and expands curiosity. The time spent learning from Molly boosted my confidence in my unique voice which has been a true gift.”
