Education

At the very guts of taking better photos is mastery of the tools at your disposal. Mastery that takes you beyond which buttons to push and what settings to use; we focus on teaching the principles behind the techniques so you can apply them in your own work with whatever equipment you own.

An education in principles gets us part of the way there, then there are specific tips, tricks and techniques to smooth your work flow and improve your results immediately.

Building on the principles and the practical techniques we then go outside your sphere and share advice on building a network of models, hair stylists, wardrobe stylists, makeup artists, location scouts and many of the other tools you’ll need to take your work to the next level and compete on any level you desire.

As we strive to develop a firm foundation in principles you must invest as much time as possible in shooting, this is the only way to make your tools and equipment become second nature allowing your mind to be freed for the mental energy required to find your inspiration, your unique voice.

“Jake your class was photographic & creative therapy for me.”
George Dansie (attended live workshop)

Inspiration

As a photographer light is your language and the camera is your pen. Once you learn your pen the journey has only just begun. Your unique voice is speaking, even if you don’t hear it yet. Your journey into achieving your potential as a photographer will be guided by authentic inspiration. The world is full of imitators, the notion that it has all been done before is sometimes bandied about as an excuse not to seek for a higher inspiration, but that is lazy.

It has not all been done before. Art is always reinventing itself, exploring new pathways to universal truths but truly inspired paths are as unique as they are similar and if you take your job as a photographer seriously you will toil at feeding your own inspiration. You’ll know you’ve started to hit your stride when it becomes a passion, a passion that is fully capable of consuming you for years, decades or even a lifetime. If you are successful your work will outlast even you.

That is the goal. Creations that will outlive us in their influence. We will take a specific approach to opening up your own conduit to your inspired voice, we will share exercises and techniques to reinvigorate the right hemisphere of your brain, the part responsible for creative endeavors. It is this balance between technique and inspiration that is a requirement for you to be noticed. To gain an audience. An audience that will feed your inspiration as you feed the audience.

“As an Air Force combat photographer I’ve been sent to countless workshops around the country and I was truly impressed. Jake shined a different light on certain things of photography I have really not thought much about.”
Airman 1st Class Devin Doske (attended live workshop)

What is Shoot For Love?

My name is Jake Garn, I am a photographer and founder of the website Shoot for Love. Over the last decade or so photography has been my favorite past time, and recently I’ve loved sharing my passion with others and my blog has attracted tens of thousands of viewers with educational posts of all sorts, from lighting diagrams to discussions on photography ‘rules’, video tutorials and more. Putting those together took a large investment of time and money so I simply wasn’t able to do as much as I wanted.

Then in early 2011 I had an idea. One night on a whim I announced that I’d be offering a class (in Northern Utah) about “Finding Your Style.” After the class the testimonials came pouring in (you can read some of them on this page) and I knew it was something I wanted to keep doing.

That is when the idea for Shoot for Love came. A website with online classes, tutorials, videos, lighting diagrams all tied to a community of photographer with forums for questions and critiques where people could actively participate.

The monthly cost is less than half of what you’d pay for a decent photography book, that being said the information might not be for everyone, and I don’t want you to pay for something you don’t LOVE, so if you don’t enjoy our efforts then take advantage of our 60-day money back guarantee.

As a member you will enjoy…

  • Member only forums – ask, discuss and give/receive critiques
  • Online Classes by photographer Jake Garn, covering subjects like “Finding Your Style” or “Lighting Tools 101
  • Post Processing tips and techniques (Photoshop & Lightroom)
  • Regular blog posts covering all sorts of photography techniques with tons of tips and insights
  • Short videos on a wide range of topics including working with and posing models
  • Content from guest contributors and more!
 


Your initial charge will be $12.95.
You will then be charged $12.95/month.

More Testimonials

“I sincerely want to thank you for giving so much of yourself for the sake of your art… I was very excited, able to reaffirm to myself that I am in the right business and that I can make it happen.  It truly was a breath of fresh air.. so from he bottom of my heart thank you for giving that back to me.”
Rea Simpson (attended live workshop)

“Thanks for the inspirational  class… it was just what I needed to hear.  I have been in a rut lately and have been looking for ways to break out of it.  What struck me most about last night was the idea of shooting for myself, or loving what I shoot.”
Adam Reeves (attended live workshop)
“The class was fantastic, Jake. :) I’ve been to a few photography classes and this was by far my favorite. I love that you had both [the creative and technical] sides of photography and were willing to tell us your opinion about… well, anything.”
Heather Lewin (attended live workshop)
“Honestly, I came unsure of what exactly I would get out of it, but I think that, more than anything, I was just inspired by it. I know that sounds cheesy, but really, just hearing about your process and your history just kind of gave the the inspiration to work harder, challenge myself, and, above all, be patient.”
Kristin Gaul (attended live workshop)