As a business that relies on tourism and working closely with people and their cameras, we have had to reinvent ourselves amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the ways we did that was by introducing a new format to our existing mentorship program, which was designed around focused, private learning - a version that can be completed entirely online.

Our first student to complete this online program was Eugene Brill, from New Orleans, Louisiana. Our in-person, blended program would have been impossible for him, and we’re grateful to be able to reach new students like him all over the country with the help of Zoom.

Eugene came to us because his goal was to further his photography career as The Wannabe Naturalist. He is a photographer, author, and a pretty awesome gardener. His quarterly magazine, The Wannabe Naturalist, focuses on the relationship between photography and storytelling, and nature, the environment, and life.

Our online program is similar in spirit to the blended program, but differs in one major way: the core of the program focuses on self-driven assignments of the student’s choice. These assignments focus on different disciplines in photography, and each one is to be completed within a week’s time. At the end of the assignment, your work is critiqued and discussed. The rest of the program remains mostly the same, and includes a physical, bound book of learning documents and references, as well as four live webinar presentations.

Eugene was kind enough to provide us with a review of his experience:

“I have nothing but good things to say about the BlueHour Online Mentoring Program.

Paul and Allie provided mentoring to help me grow my photography business. They listened closely to what I wanted from the mentoring program and delivered exactly what I needed. This was an excellent experience. As a team they have many years of experience, are extremely knowledgeable, professional, organized, talented, proactive, creative and responsive. You can come to them with specific ideas, and they’ll make them better. Or you can come to them with no clue, and they’ll walk you through to a result that you’ll be absolutely delighted with. They are flexible, patient, and provided great direction. Also, the format worked great for me. The material that we covered was tailored just to my needs and I could tackle the 'homework' assignments on my own and it was focused on areas I wanted to improve. I got valuable feedback and practical tips and tricks I could immediately implement. The reference material they provided is super helpful.

The experience was amazing and I am even more inspired and motivated than before to pick up my camera and get out there and start shooting! I highly recommend the program. Even from a thousand miles away, it feels like I had an in-person experience. Next on my wish list is a photo tour with BlueHour!

I am confident that my future photography projects will reflect the solid background and understanding I gained from BlueHour Photo. Launching my new magazine, The Wannabe Naturalist would not have been possible had I not participated in this program. Thank you!”

Even though our program is still fairly new, our students have all found it rewarding and enriching. We are looking forward to hosting new students with us in 2021.