Last night you watched your kids build a fort from every cushion in your house. You see the gold light through the bedsheets. You feel your baby's laugh bring the rest of your family to life. You took thirty-seven iPhone photos of the evening.
But in the photos... the fort looks like laundry, the gold looks beige, and your daughter's face is a smear. We've all been there. You don't have to settle for those kind of memories anymore.
You're the only one keeping the record of these family memories, and the record is lying. Bad photos say your life is blurry and beige and ordinary. Your life is not ordinary.
SHEDDING LIGHT ON FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHy teaches you exactly that, in six once a week nap time windows.
Elevate your photography so your photos and family records match your love.
Most of us freeze the second a camera points our way, kids and adults alike, but we relax around people we know and trust.
That makes you the best photographer to capture your kid's genuine smile and emotion.
You'll learn how in
Shedding Light.
Week 5's Proof of Mom prompt shows you how to set the time and get in the frame. You deserve to be in the memories, too!
Finally be in the photos?
In Week 6 I'll show you how to cull, edit in about 10 minutes, back up your photos, and send your photos to be printed.
Print your photos instead of forgetting about them on your never ending camera roll?
Week 3 teaches how to use real camera settings so you'll be able to use your phone as a phone.
Photograph the moment without getting distracted by your phone?
Weeks 4 & 5 walk you through real-life scenarios and simple prompts, so you get the shot and stay in the moment.
Get real smiles from your kids without saying
"smile at the camera"?
What if you could...
woah, that's the dream.
I've spent my career as a professional photographer, documenting moments and telling stories. Now that I have young kids, their childhood feels like the most important story I'll ever tell. They are growing and changing right before my eyes. Someday they'll hold these photos and know that I was there, that I saw them, and that they are so loved.
photography has the power to make you feel these memories long after they're gone.
I teach parents how to photograph their kids in a way that captures their family's love.
In these six weeks you'll learn photography, be inspired by photographers who documented history, and have the skills to edit and print photos for your own home. You'll be saying "I took that!"
Say "I took that!"?
This course is for the day your grown kids flip through your family albums and say, "Mom, you really saw us."
Shedding Light
on
Family Photography
you're gonna love
Week 6 is all about picking, editing, and printing your images. Your memories deserve to last a lifetime and printing photos is my favorite way to bring them to life.
Printing
Weeks 4 & 5 share prompts and real life scenarios of how to photograph the shot and work with your family no matter what mood they're in.
Posing
Lighting, framing and camera settings will all be covered in Weeks 1, 2 & 3, as well the best auto settings because kids move fast!
Photography
Shedding Light teaches you 3 skills in 6 weeks.
- Intentionally noticing light and the differences between light sources.
- The 3 types of light and why they all photograph differently
- Photographers who use each type of light and how that changes their photos
- How to do a light walk so you can find the best light in your home
- Examples of artists using light to add depth, emotion and drama
- Activities that help you see light differently
Learning to See Light
Module 1
- What composition is and how composition changes how your eyes see.
- Nine composition examples and how to use them
- Visual tools that make a photo stronger
- Famous photographers and how they used composition in their images
- Activities that let you test out compositions in your every day life
Composition that Tells A Story
Module 2
- What Manual Mode means and why learning it is a super power
- Descriptions and advice on how to use the 3 main adjustments to your advantage: ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture
- The exposure triangle
- Additional camera settings that will give you creative control and change the ways your camera photographs
- Extra support, motivation and practice on how to master manual mode
Camera Settings Made Simple
module 3
- Examples of how to put everything we've already learned together
- 5 videos where I walk you through moments in my own life and describe how I see light, how I set up my composition, and how I adjust my camera settings for the photos
- Tricky, real-life scenarios: Indoor light, midday sun at the park, bedtime reading, low light homes and kids who won't stand still
- Hands on practice, support, and trial and error
Real Life Scenarios
module 4
- Permission to let go of the "perfect" family photo, and photo examples that show laughter, love, and a life well lived
- Photography prompts and games you can play with your kids that deliver amazing family photos every time
- Storytelling sequences and photos you can get at home to tell the whole story instead of just a snapshot
- Examples of photographers who use their images to tell stories
- Activities that help you document the magic of your every day
Photographing Kids Naturally
module 5
- A Quick 10 minute editing workflow for busy parents
- An explanation of editing styles and advice for picking your own favorite style
- How to select your favorite photos without agonizing over every other image
- Reliable photo organization and image back up
- Where to print your photos and bring them to life in your home
- You'll end the 6 weeks with your family photos printed and around your home!
Editing, Sharing & Preserving
module 6
Shedding Light closes that gap in six weeks, one small skill at a time. You’ll learn to see the light already in your home, bring out your kids’ real smiles, and quickly edit your favorites. Then, I'll share my favorite places to print photos, so your photos finally leave the cloud and decorate your home.
You have THOUSANDS of photos on your phone, but none of them are worth hanging in your home.
We aim for photos that feel like your life!
Life is messy and beautiful and fun and chaotic.
Your photos will be, too.
You want magazine perfect photos every time.
Each week has activities that make practicing fun and easy, and this is where the learning is applied.
You want results without practice.
We work with real homes and real life scenarios. Hiring a professional studio photographer would be better for what you're looking for.
You want studio lighting and posed portraits.
This course is for documenting your family. The photography skills you learn here could be helpful, but we don't cover business.
You want to build a photography business.
This is not for you if...
but will this work for me?
Each week's videos can be watched in a nap window. You'll then have the rest of the week to play and practice what we learn.
You can find 45 minute a week.
You want your photos to look the way life feels when everyone is together, whether you're a visiting grandparent or the primary parent.
You see beauty in your family's life
If you don't take photos of your kids, then who will? Your camera roll is full, but your walls are missing family photos.
You're the keeper of your family's photos.
This is for you if...
but will this work for me?
You'd rather be playing with your kids than behind a screen. You want to fill your family albums then get back to living your life!
You want to be in the moment.
Hi, I'm Hillary! I'm a wedding photographer in the Colorado mountains, a mom of three, and the person my friends text when they're standing in a camera store feeling overwhelmed. For over a decade, my job has been documenting other people's most important moments.
Which is why what happened earlier this year embarrassed me into building this course. I finally organized my own family's photos — all two hundred of thousands of them — bought beautiful photo albums, and set a goal to print fifty photos a month. Some months, out of thousands of photos, I couldn't find fifty worth printing. Me. "The professional."
That's when it clicked: the problem was never skill — yours or mine. It's that documenting your kids and being present with them have become two competing jobs, and the phone loses both. So I rebuilt how I photograph my own family — real intention, ninety seconds at a time, always leading back to living in the moment. My family photos got better! So did the moments. I'm thankful to share that my family albums are now filling up.
I fell into the exact gap you're standing in, with every advantage, and still had to climb out. The way out is real. I'll show you exactly where the footholds are.
I went from having no photos worth printing to filling my family albums.
Why learn from me?
Get on the list.
Your fort deserves better than laundry beige
Enrollment for Shedding Light on Family Photography opens to everyone on Monday, November 23, 2026.
When you join the waitlist:
Get on the waitlist!
- You'll receive the link for Early Enrollment 24 hours before everyone else
- 30% off for those first 24 hours
Doors close Monday, November 30, 2026.
The 6 week course begins Monday, January 4, 2027.
Joining the waitlist is free, and you don't have to decide anything today.
Common Qs and As:
I have a question...
You can find pieces. What you can't find is a path built for your life, in order, with someone who'll look at your actual photos and tell you the specific reason one did or did not work. Free tutorials assume a free Saturday and a working knowledge of f-stops. This course assumes neither.
I can probably find this free on YouTube.
Things never calm down — you already know that. This was built for the season you're in now, not a quieter one that isn't coming. The months you're waiting on are the months you can't get back.
Maybe when things calm down...
This is the real fear. Right now your photos struggle because of skill that no one taught you — not because of you. That's exactly what this course fixes. And you don't need to buy a camera to start. We will begin with what you have. The tool was never the problem, and neither were you.
What if I buy the camera and I'm still bad?
Start with what you have, even your phone. When you're ready to upgrade, the included camera guide recommendation walks you through it by budget. No gear-forum required.
What gear do I need?
I built this for the parent who has nine minutes at a time, not ninety. Each week's video lessons are short videos that add up to be under 45 minutes each week. The path is one small skill at a time, and in The Village the live group is there precisely so you're not doing it alone. You're not buying a course to add to the pile — you're closing the gap in your skills, one week at a time.
I don't finish things that are just for me.
The waitlist gets in first on Sunday, November 22 at 6pm MT (with a special discount). Doors open to everyone on Monday, November 23 and close on Monday, November 30. Then, we take December to celebrate the end of the year with our families. Week 1 drops on Monday, January 4, 2027 so you can begin hitting your New Year's Resolution of taking better family photos right away in 2027!
When do we begin?
It's the list of people who get in first. On Sunday, November 22 at 6pm MT, you get an email with your link and your 30% off, a full day before everyone else!
What is the waitlist?
Doors open to everyone on Monday, November 23 at 9am MT and close on Monday, November 30 at midnight MT. The next time I open them is spring.
What if I miss the waitlist?
Yes. When the doors open, choose "Send as a gift" at checkout and pick the day it arrives.
