40-years working as a commercial photographer. 10-years teaching

Don F.

I am a graduate of the Brooks Institute of Photography, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Since graduating I have been working as a commercial photographer, first in Kansas City, MO, then in Dallas, TX, and eventually in my home state of Nebraska. I have produced photography for many major brands including: Esta Lauder, Cole Haan, Microsoft, Johnson and Johnson, Ezgo, Rainbird, Textron, and the New York Ballet Theatre.
In the latter years of my 40-year career, I have been teaching as an Adjunct Professor at Union College, in Lincoln, NE. For ten years I was a paid speaker at the NYC Photo Expo, teaching a course called “Lighting for Success”. I have personally mentored three young photographers that are now full-time photographers with their own businesses.
I still operate my commercial studio which serves as a backdrop for my educational endeavors. I am well versed in both Photoshop and Lightroom, having been introduced to both programs at their inception.
My main goal as an instructor is to increase my student’s technical proficiency, and to teach them to have a critical eye that will keep them pushing themselves to create flawless work. My goal is to make my students better at the craft of photography.
I am open to working with students of varied experience levels, with the goal of moving them forward toward a tangible goal. Tutoring, as opposed to teaching a specific class, presents the opportunity to tailor lessons to a student’s experience level, and toward their specific goals. People have different reasons for wanting to learn photography. Students that I teach, quickly find out that I am interested in preparing them to earn a living with photography. I come at this from a commercial viewpoint, not as an artist, but as someone that delivers a service to clients that need photography and are willing to pay for that service.