Ready to take your food photography and business to the next level?
Whether you're looking to improve your skills as a food photographer, are interested in starting a food photography side gig, or making the jump to full-time photography, let's chat! I'd love to help you bring your skills and business to the next level.
Hi, I'm Jess! I'm a food photographer, videographer and recipe developer based in Chicago, and the Founder of This Jess. I am also the Business Support Specialist at The Bite Shot where I help students tackle photography-related business questions and challenges.
I spent the first 10 years of my career in PR and communications, working for some of the world's largest CPG and luxury brands. I have spent the past several years building This Jess and This Jess Photography, scaling my business and creating drool-worthy photography and video content for clients including Great Jones, King Arthur Baking, Reddi Wip, Daily Harvest, Duncan Hines and more.
I'm passionate about mentoring and helping others grow, whether that is learning how to work with sourdough discard for the first time, or tackling challenges in launching their own photography business via The Bite Shot or my own social media channels.
Jump to:
Who is this mentorship for?
Getting started in food photography and starting your own side gig or business can be daunting! There are many wonderful resources available (and I'm happy to point them out for you), but sometimes it can feel overwhelming and you just need someone to address questions that are specific to your situation. Or maybe you're feeling stuck in a business or creative rut and unsure of what to work on next. That's where mentorship comes in!
Mentorship can be a complement to other courses you are taking, or sometimes you just need a one-off conversation to help you clarify your goals, give an outsider's perspective, and point you in the right direction!
What topics are included in this mentorship?
Mentorships are 1-on-1 sessions and very customizable based on your needs. Below are a few areas we could dig into:
- Food photography styling and composition
- Portfolio and image critique
- Setting up your food photography business
- Establishing your branding and messaging
- Pitching your services and pricing your work
- Building successful client relationships
- Working with brands as a photographer vs. influencer (they're not the same!)
To be transparent, there are a few things this mentorship will not cover:
- Technical gear support: I'm happy to provide recommendations based on the gear that I personally use. I can certainly point you to other technical resources for any gear-related challenges!
Have something else you'd like to dig into? Let's discuss!
What kind of sessions do you offer?
Let's customize this mentorship to be what you need! There are several different packages offered for working together:
- 1 Session: A one-time meeting to discuss specific questions you have and point you in the right direction!
- 4 Sessions: Ideal for a monthly or quarterly cadence.
- 6 Sessions: Ideal for a monthly cadence to cover half the year.
- 12 Sessions: Ideal for a monthly cadence to cover a full year.
If you would like to use the sessions with a different cadence, we can! Have something else in mind? Let's talk about it!
Let's talk about pricing
Mentorship sessions are priced at $150 per 60-minute session. This is an investment of both your time and money, so we'll make sure these sessions are as productive as possible with actionable takeaways.
Payment plans are available if you would like to buy a package of 6 or more sessions.
There will be limited sessions available each month; at times, there may be a waitlist.
How it works
- Reach out and complete a quick form
- This will help me understand a bit more about you and your goals, and how we might work together.
- Schedule your call
- After reviewing the form, I'll reach out to coordinate payment and schedule a 60-minute session with you at a convenient time.
- Mentoring call
- Our mentoring sessions will be held via Zoom or Google Meet as it's great to be able to connect face-to-face, share screens, and even share live examples or tips.
- Wrap Up Notes / Next Steps
- I will follow up with notes and personalized action steps following our session!
- Future Sessions
- If you'd like to book more sessions in the future, reach out to me directly at thisjesscooks (at) gmail.com and we'll schedule a time to build off of what we've previously discussed!
Mentoring FAQs
If you'd like to book another session, reach out to me directly at thisjesscooks (at) gmail.com and we'll schedule a time to build off of what we've previously discussed!
Refunds are available up to 24 hours ahead of the session (I get it, cancellations happen!). After the mentoring session has been completed, refunds are no longer available.
Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee results, but I can promise that if you are committed to putting in the work, you will see a difference in your photography and your business. And I'd be happy to help you get there!
There will be limited sessions available each month, so there may be a waitlist at times. If you feel you have an urgent need, please reach out to me directly at thisjesscooks (at) gmail.com.