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Photography Tips + Mentoring

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— Lori F.

"I love how she takes the
time to get to know each of her seniors and what they want for their shoot!"

Download for FREE the exact questionnaire that I send to my clients to get to know them, their hopes & dreams for their shoot! 

Get to KNOW them!

Want to know the first step
to providing a stellar Senior Portrait
Experience for your clients? 

freebie

What if you could have
success on

Start a photography business, or uplevel your existing one

You could create the photography business you KNOW you are capable of

Ask the questions you need to ask for YOUR senior portrait business?

your terms?

Are you ready to take your senior photography to the next level without muddling through the internet hoping to find the answers you are looking for - and looking for a little guidance to get you there? I offer a couple of options for mentorships to get you where you want to be. Online, or more in depth in-person...let's achieve your goals together!

I want that!

Ways to mentor with me

two

— Glenda L. - from Louisiana, full day mentoring

"MY TIME WITH CINDY WAS OUTSTANDING & EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. SHE IS SUCH A COMFORTABLE PERSON TO BE AROUND, VERY ENERGETIC, PASSIONATE, KNOWLEDGABLE, & WILLING TO SHARE ALL OF HER SECRETS THAT HAVE MADE HER THRIVE IN THIS INDUSTRY. HER KNOWLEDGE & PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY ARE ONLY OUTWEIGHED BY HER INCREDIBLE ABILITY TO TEACH IT. SHE WAS COMPLETELY ORGANIZED AND HAD OUR DAY PLANNED OUT TO ENSURE SHE COVERED EVERY TOPIC THAT I HAD LISTED ON MY QUESTIONNAIRE.

SHE WAS SUPER CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT MY DAY WAS INFORMATIVE & BENEFICIAL. SHE SCHEDULED 2 SESSIONS WITH MODELS FOR US TO PHOTOGRAPH, WITH A WIDE RANGE OF LIGHTING SCENARIOS...AND TEACHING THE ENTIRE DAY. SHE TRULY IS AN AMAZING TEACHER & COMMUNICATOR. I'D RECOMMEND THIS DAY OF MENTORING TO ANYONE DESIRING KNOWLEDGE IN LIGHTING, POSING, PHOTOSHOP, MARKETING, & CREATIVITY. THE WHOLE DAY WAS TRULY A BLESSING! "

— DeAndra J. - from Texas, full day mentoring

My day with Cindy was everything I hopeD it would be. Her questionnaire helped me focus on my top priorities and she made sure we covered those items thoroughly during our time together. She made my priorities her priorities! Cindy had our day organized well, was mindful of the clock, combined small talk with business talk; all the while offering the encouragement and motivation I needed to take my business to the next level. She’s experienced in running a profitable business, genuine in her desire to see me succeed, and honest in her feedback and recommendations. After participating in several group workshops and countless hours of online courses, I knew a one-on-one mentorship was my next step in developing my business. I not only gained a business mentor, I also gained a new friend! "

— Wendy P. - from Houston, full day mentoring

"THE MENTORSHIP WAS 100% WORTH THE INVESTMENT. CINDY ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS IN DEPTH AND DIDN'T HOLD BACK. I COULD TELL SHE LOVES SHARING HER EXPERTISE SO OTHERS CAN SUCCEED. MY MAIN FOCUS WAS IPS AND THE PROCESS FOR THAT. I NOW HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO MAKE IPS WORK FOR MY BUSINESS. MY FAVORITE PART WAS THE BREAK DOWN OF THE PSYCHOLOGY HOW HOW TO BUILD COLLECTIONS AND PRICING THEM.  I OPTED INTO A MODEL SHOOT AND CHOSE TO JUST FOCUS ON WATCHING CINDY INTERACT WITH THE SENIOR AND WATCHING HER POSE, & CHOOSE LIGHTING SPOTS! IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE HER IN ACTION AND LEARN ABOUT HER TECHNIQUES.
THE DAY WAS PERFECT FOR MY NEEDS!"

— Ana D. full day mentoring

"WHEN I STARTED MY PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNEY A FEW MONTHS AGO, I FELT LIKE THERE WAS SO MUCH TO LEARN SO I DECIDED TO INVEST IN A MENTOR. I DID A LOT OF ONLINE RESEARCH TO FIND THE PERSON'S STYLE THAT I LOVED AND WANTED TO LEARN FROM. I WAS SO LUCKY TO HAVE FOUND CINDY SWANSON. DURING OUR DAY MENTORSHIP, SHE GUIDED ME THROUGH HOW TO USE MY CAMERA SETTINGS, LIGHTING, POSING AND EDITING (THOSE WERE THE THINGS I CHOOSE)
BECAUSE OF CINDY'S EXPERIENCE WITH PHOTOGRAPHY, I WAS ABLE TO LEARN THINGS THAT TAKES PEOPLE YEARS TO LEARN! I COULD NOT RECOMMEND CINDY ENOUGH TO ANYONE THAT IS LOOKING FOR A MENTOR AND FRIEND."

— Jessica W. Atlanta, Georgia - Full Day Mentoring

"FROM THE FIRST EMAIL TO THE END OF THE SESSION, CINDY WAS FLEXIBLE, PERSONABLE AND ACCOMMODATING. SHE MADE SURE SHE KNEW WHAT I WAS HOPING TO ACHIEVE WITH HER & FOLLOWED UP SEVERAL TIMES VIA PHONE AND EMAIL AFTERWARDS. WHEN I ARRIVED AT HER STUDIO FOR THE DAY OF MENTORING, SHE WAS WELCOMING AND CANDID, AND HAD MATERIALS PREPARED THAT WERE TAILORED TO WHAT I WAS MOST INTERESTED IN LEARNING. SHE OPENLY SHARED HOW SHE RUNS HER BUSINESS AND HELPED ME TO TAILOR MINE. AFTER LUNCH, SHE WALKED ME THROUGH AN IN-PERSON SALES APPOINTMENT AND HELPED ME THROUGH VARIOUS POTENTIAL OBSTACLES."

"I ATTENDED CINDY'S PLATFORM SPEAKER CLASS AT IMAGING USA.
IT WAS AMAZING!! SHE WAS TRULY MY FAVORITE SPEAKER ON THIS TOPIC. CINDY HAS A TON OF INFORMATION AND IS WILLING TO SHARE IT! SHE IS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE. SHE HAS THE CREDENTIALS, BACKGROUND AND THE ABILITY TO EXECUTE IT VERY WELL IN A CLASSROOM SETTING. I FOUND HER CLASS TO BE FULL OF GREAT INFORMATION AND TAKEAWAYS. HONESTLY, I WISH THIS CLASS WAS ON A WEBSITE SOMEWHERE, SO I COULD WATCH A RELPLAY OF IT.

— Colleen H. Atlanta, Georgia

"This one session was the one that made my attendance at imaging usa worthwhile. cindy was easy to follow and listen to, and included far and away the greatest quantity of high quality, usable content of any session i attended. I'm still referring back to my notes from her class to guide my decisions several months later.
thanks for a great session. I usually hope for a few solid take-aways, but her class was exactly what i needed and i literally have several pages of notes and cell phone pics of slides that I'm still using to guide my strategy for this fiscal year. well worth the time!"

What Other Photographers Have Said

Some Fun Facts

get ready to shine!

I am crazy passionate about photographing seniors, obsessed with beautiful, dreamy light! I love having the ability to bring out the best, real you, and photograph that. My goal is that within a few minutes of beginning, you feel comfortable, like you've known me a long time (it usually happens!). It is SO fun to guide you through this process, the styling tips, make up and hair, molding you into flattering poses for your body, then showing you on the back of the camera how it’s going…..ahhh it's the BEST part! In that small window of time, if I could have some influence in you seeing yourself in a wonderful way, well that’s just awesome!

I'm a talker, I talk fast, and a lot, lol and I LOVE to laugh! So expect that on your shoot, even if you aren't a big talker...I've got you covered. Something funny about me - I love keeping up with fashion trends but don't love to shop, lol, so I'm a big fan of boutiques through Instagram. Most of all I want you to know that if we get to work together, we are going to have a GREAT time! It's so fun to focus on you, and this moment in your life, and preserve it as a memory forever!

Let me help you photograph the most natural,
best version of you!

I'm Cindy

hello!