Access your workbooks, assignments and other downloads here.
NOTE: In order to save your work, download the PDF files to your computer and then you may enter your info. You'll lose your work if you make edits without first downloading the PDF.
Ready to get Jena's feedback or need to submit a coaching request? Find the links to submit a request for support below.
Find more details about the coaching and critique calls here.
Welcome to Portfolio to Profit!
Course Overview
Before we begin
During our time together, we're going to support you in creating a high-quality, beautiful food photography portfolio that perfectly reflects your voice, skill, and value so that you can share it with potential clients, brands, and agencies to start booking those four-figure day rates.
Each month, you'll have a photography assignment and modules/lessons to accompany them. We invite you to set aside time each month to study, take notes, conceptualize your shoot, and complete your assignment. Then we invite you to submit your assignment or other work within the scope of the program for critique and feedback. Jena will provide clear, personal, expert advice and let you know if further edits/shots are necessary.
There will also be trainings for the financial side of your business, such as pricing, tear sheets, email templates, etc. You are welcome to submit those pieces of work for critique as well.
Passing the course
Did that heading scare you? This course doesn't have grades, or a pass/fail system, but your success does depend on how much you put into the course. We have found that the students who benefit the most from the course read the material, complete the assignments, and then use the coaching calls and critiques to ask questions beyond the written material. Jena is here as a mentor and a resource to help you dive deeper and implement the modules and lessons into your business and your work.
Therefore, it is important for you to take notes and study the modules as if you were trying to get the most out of a college course. Take the time to learn the material so it becomes second nature to you. This will help you work faster and more efficiently on the job, and give you more room for creative growth.
Imagine the results if the majority of your energy was spent on developing the best, most beautiful image possible, and not on technical struggles.
Jena won't be available to you forever to answer questions, so make sure you use this year in the program to put the lessons into practice instead of saving them for later. If you do, you'll be AMAZED at the transformation in yourself and your business.
This is a course with 12 modules covering everything from artificial lighting to refining your brand. But more than "passing" each individual lesson, the true measure of success and growth will be the person you become and you implement the lessons, grow in confidence as an artist, and develop the tools you need to make a living with food photography.
So give it your all! Take advantage of this community of peers, having a mentor, and internalizing the lessons of Portfolio to Profit!
Words of Wisdom from Photographers Like YOU
The Portfolio to Profit Calls
Below is an overview of the calls you have access to during your Portfolio to Profit journey:
Bi-Weekly Q&A Group Coaching Calls
On our bi-weekly Q&A calls, hosted by Jena, we offer answers to your questions and coaching requests on anything from your assignments, client outreach, marketing, photography techniques, editing, and branding. We want to support all aspects of your business!
Examples of Group Coaching Call Q & A includes:
- Feedback on your About Me page
- Questions about hiring a team for shoots, pricing (non-specifics; specific proposals and estimates should be submitted as critique requests), portfolio website hosting, marketing ideas
- Mindset issues or limiting beliefs we need to work through
- Clarifying anything you are stuck on or unsure of
(Reminder that you are still free to submit a question if you're unable to attend live, and the replay will be posted here in the course)
Please submit any coaching requests each week by Monday at 11:59 pm CST. Anything submitted after this deadline will not be addressed until the following coaching call.
When: 1:00pm CDT - The 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month. Add the Coaching Calls to your calendar.
Where: Zoom The link will be the same for every coaching call.
Submit your questions HERE.
Bi-Weekly Critique Calls (Pre-recorded)
These pre-recorded calls are the best place for you to get feedback and eyes on your work! Submit anything you build inside the scope of the Portfolio to Profit program and we will review it for you.
Examples of critique submissions include:
- Photos for your portfolio photography assignments
- Your website or About Me page copy
- Estimates you are working on for a client
- Edits/composition reviews on client work
How to get the most out of Critique Calls:
Please submit any and all items for Critique each week by Monday at 11:59 pm CST. Anything submitted after this deadline will not be reviewed until the following critique call. We will announce in the Portfolio to Profit Facebook Group when your critiquevideo is ready! Find critiques in the course here.
Submit your work HERE.
*Note: Pre-recorded Critiques are NOT live calls. Critique recordings are posted inside the course on a rolling basis throughout the week.
How to Submit a Request
On every page within the course portion of the Portfolio to Profit program, you'll find buttons in left column with easy access to submit a coaching or critique request. Be sure to select your name and share a link that is publicly viewable so that we can access it. Please use Dropbox which allows shareable links.
If you are submitting an assignment for critique, please include the image along with the worksheet or any other related pages bundled in a folder. Name your files with your full name at the beginning or end. This is a good habit to get into for sending your photos to clients and help keeps the materials organized on our end. Jena will review the image and would like the accompanying worksheets for reference. However, if you'd like feedback on the worksheet responses as well, please submit those separately.
Please see the video below for a tutorial on how to create a sharable link to your work, be it a single file or a folder, with Dropbox for Jena's review.
How to Ensure your Files are Shared Properly
How to Properly Name Your Files
Naming your files clearly and consistently will really help you organize your files and more easily find the image you're looking for when you need it. This naming system is also important when sending your images to clients, so they don't get lost or misattributed.
Here is the naming convention I've been using for a long time:
YYYYMMDD-description of photo-first and last name-location-Food Photographer
- Starting with the year in the date has been really helpful. This keeps the images organized in calendar order, instead of all October pictures being clumped together, etc.
- The description of the photo should be specific enough that you can pick it out from other shoots. It could include the client name if that will help you. But it should be more descriptive than "cookies" because you may be shooting cookies many times!
- First and last name keep your identity with your images.
- Location Food Photographer is meant to make your images searchable. I often use "midwest food photographer" or "Wisconsin food photographer" so when those phrases are Googled, my images come up. Use a location where you'd like to be found, like the state, province, or nearest city.
30-Minute One-on-One Milestone Calls
Twice throughout the course of the program, you will have the opportunity to book a "milestone call" with Jena. These milestone calls can cover a variety of topics, but are designed to be a one-on-one coaching call.
As the name suggests, you unlock the ability to schedule these calls once you've passed a milestone in the course. The two milestones and their approximate timing in the course are listed below.
- First Milestone (approx. 3 months): Student must have scheduled and completed a test shoot with another industry professional such as a food stylist.
- Second Milestne (approx. 9 months): Student must have completed the "Shot Approved" exercise found in Module 9 of the course.