Abi Coop
Melissa Richard
Kristen Ryan
Meet the Hello Artist Prep Group Team
Meet the Hello Artist Prep Group Team
Did you know that Hello Storyteller has a free Hello Artist Prep Group that anyone can join?! If you are considering applying for Hello Artist, this free prep group is designed to help you curate your portfolio, provide you with gentle constructive criticism, and give you tips and tools to submit your Hello Artist Application. There is a team of talented Hello Creatives who lead the Prep Group and generously volunteer their time and knowledge to guide you during the application process and increase your chances of success. They’ve all be through the process before and are waiting to help you join our community. Meet the Hello Artist Prep Group Team:
Click here to join the Hello Artist Prep Group
Click here to learn more about the Hello Artist Program
Abi Coop
Meet Abi
Hey, I’m Abi, I’m a Hello Pro Mentor. I live in Cardiff, Wales, UK with my husband and our two daughters. I have a passion for creative photography especially freelensing, Lensbabys and double exposures. I love to try out new things and experiment. I’m not tied to any particular genre, but in whatever I shoot my style shines through. My images are pretty and ethereal, with light, blur and colour used to tell my stories.
I love helping people to build their portfolios, watching them take shape and grow in strength as they find their voice and develop their unique, authentic style. I love to help with flow, composition and storytelling. I will ensure all your lines are straight!!
Abi’s Tips:
- Choose an image that you really love, that you feel is technically perfect and defines your voice to be your first one. This gets your portfolio off to really strong start and you can work out the flow from that image.
- Accept that you will have images that you will hold in your heart, but which aren’t suitable for a portfolio. These images you can continue to cherish, put up on your walls, use as your phone background etc…, but they have to be culled from your set.
- You will reach a point when you feel you are done. You’ll have spent hours re-editing, re-arranging, adding and removing images, and frankly be fed up of looking at your portfolio! You could potentially go on for ever making it a little bit better as you will always continue to grow as a photographer, but you have to decide for yourself when you feel it’s ready.
Angie Mahlke
Meet Angie
Hi, I’m Angie, a Hello Pro Mentor and am part of the Hello Storyteller Admin team. I am a mom of 3 and live in rural Minnesota. I am mostly a hobby photographer but do take a few clients each year. I consider myself a hybrid of lifestyle & documentary photography, leaning more heavily on the lifestyle side these days.
I have been part of online photography groups for many years now and truly consider myself to have found my people. Photography can be an isolating hobby/career. It is nice to have people who understand you. It’s also helpful to have friends who can be honest when you come to them for guidance. That’s what we consider the Hello Artist Prep Group – a friendly photography community with the goal of cheering you on and guiding you in your photography journey.
Angie’s Tips:
I have seen so many portfolios over the years and I get a little thrill each time I get to watch the artist grow with each new revision. Some advice I have to anyone working on their portfolios is this:
- Be brave. Our work is personal to us. Allowing others access to it with the sole purpose of critiquing it is very scary. But be secure in the knowledge that the prep team is always nice and encouraging and delivers feedback in a respectful, kind manner. Our only desire is to help you grow; not tear you down.
- Be openminded. Art is subjective. When we open up our art to constructive criticism, we have to understand that other people might not see it the way we do. When you receive feedback that might seem out of left field, be open to their point of view. But also know it’s ok if you decide not to take their advice.
- Work hard. Once you receive feedback on your portfolio, take the advice you’re given and work on making the appropriate changes, whether it’s going out and working on different compositions or sitting down to figure out a consistent editing style. If you commit to the process, I guarantee you will be successful.
- Don’t play the comparison game. We are all on our own journeys. We grow and learn and develop our craft at different rates. Only compare your work to past versions of your old work, not other photographers. Don’t worry about Suzi and Karen and Elizabeth. Only focus on yourself.
Evy Mackland
Meet Evy
I am Evy and live in Norway amongst the mountains and fjords with my Scottish husband, two daughters, and two cats. I love anything chocolate, baking and traveling.
I have always been passionate about portrait photography and love to mix portrait with lifestyle and I like to photograph a variety of classic, styled and environmental portraits. Regardless of what genre of portrait my main focus is to create an image with honest expressions to help tell a story and evoke an emotion.
Over the years the community has been central to my photography journey. I have been able to grow with the support and encouragement from fellow photographers. I have been an administrator of the HS prep group for approximately two years and I am honored to be given the opportunity to support the prep group members, share my knowledge and passion for photography.
Evy’s Tips:
- Remove emotional connection. When we take a photo we often have an emotional connection to the image whether it is the story behind, the location or the subject. When you include an image into the portfolio think that you are viewing the image as someone else and remove the emotional connection. Without an image pulling on your heartstrings you are better able to dissect the technical aspects.
- Not every image is a portfolio image. When you put together the portfolio you have to choose images that fit the rubric. This is your opportunity to showcase your ability to take technically sound images. This means that you can take an amazing image and an image that you absolutely love, it may even be your favorite image. Whether an image is suitable for a portfolio does not establish if it is a good image or not. You need to choose images for your portfolio that are technically sound and fit with the story and voice you are trying to tell us. Remember that everyone is here prepping for a portfolio because our images are already of a high standard.
- Get involved. Get involved in our prep group and help your fellow preppers. Help review portfolios and read the comments they receive. By helping to review portfolios you are training your eyes to see what the panel may look for, which helps you with your own portfolio building over time. From experience it is easier to spot areas of improvements in fellow photographers simply because you do not have the emotional connection.
Louise Harmston
Meet Louise
I’m Louise from Buckinghamshire in England, UK. I am a mum to a 13 year old son and an 8 year old daughter. I mainly enjoy photographing portraits, usually of my children in both a posed and a lifestyle way. I also enjoy experimenting with macro photography when I have some time to myself. One of my personal goals is to help others in their photography journey in some way so I’m pleased be become part of the Hello Artist Prep Group team.
Louise’s Tips:
My advice to anyone building their portfolio is to be brave! Join the prep group and share your portfolio as you work on it, no matter what stage you are at. I know from my own experience how scary it can be to put yourself out there for feedback but it really is one of the best things you can do and will definitely help you on your journey. The group is full of information that I found so useful when I was working on my own portfolio.
Rebecca Pattison
Meet Rebecca
Hey! I’m Rebecca. I’ve been married for eleven years to my wonderful husband Chris, and we have three precious children. I spend my days homeschooling, cleaning up messes, and making meals when I’m not wrangling my toddler. I’m an extroverted-introvert, rule follower, and peace keeper powered by caffeine.
Our little family spent four years as missionaries in the Philippines. It was through my desire to share our overseas adventures with loved ones in a beautiful way that I learned photography. It is no wonder that my photography is packed full of simple pleasures and childhood wonder inspired by constant change and a desire for peace.
Rebecca’s Tips:
- One of the hardest things to overcome when building a portfolio can be the pressure we place on ourselves. Remember, not every image has to be a portfolio image. Pressuring yourself will only stifle the creativity. Take time to capture what speaks to you, and when you let your passion lead, you will create works of art! I’ll be waiting in the prep group to encourage you in capturing more magical moments!
- When building your set, include every image that makes your heart sing. From there, purge the photos that don’t meet the rubric. This will help you strengthen your portfolio while making your voice clear. I’d be happy to help you sort through your images to find the strongest ones for your set!
- The portfolio building experience is a growing process. You will look back over your evolving set and realize how much you have learned and grown throughout the journey. Take your time, and enjoy the process. I’m here to cheer you on along the way!
Renee Myrick
Meet Renee
Hello! My name is Renee Myrick and I am a Hello Artist. My 3 favorite genres are street, nature, and event. I have always been a “creative”. I enjoy painting and working with pencils. However, I feel that photography is my strongest passion. I started photography many moons ago with a Canon film camera.
While teaching elementary school my creative side was used daily in many ways. Now that I am no longer teaching, I have embraced photography as my main creative outlet. I cannot tell you how happy I am for digital!
Renee’s Tips:
I am so excited for everyone who is working on (or thinking about) their portfolio! I have to say, I think it is a valuable endeavor. Getting feedback on your images can be a surprise in the beginning. That being said, I learned to see my images the way others might perceive them. Remember, your portfolio images may differ from some of your Instagram images. The portfolio is to show that you understand the categories that are in the rubric. I can’t wait to see your images and be your cheerleader!
About Hello Artist
Hello Artist is a group of CREATIVES with unique voices and talents. We are parents, children, sisters, brothers, students, teachers, and leaders. We come from all walks of life, but we come together on this journey with the common goals of creativity, growth, community, and kindness. When you apply for Hello Artist, you’ll undergo a detailed portfolio review to assess where you are on your creative journey and push you to grow further than you ever imagined. Once you receive a passing score of 55 or higher you are eligible to participate in group projects, showcase your work throughout the Hello Storyteller Community social platforms and are eligible to apply for our ELITE Professionals Program that will unlock a whole new creative path you have always dreamed of.
Get Artist Status for $10 off through December 31, 2022!
If you submit your Hello Artist application before the end of 2022, use code HSARTIST10 to receive $10 off your application! We hope you’ll join us!
For more information on the Hello Artist program or to apply, click here.
