Mentoring for Wedding Photographers & Filmmakers
“THANK YOU FOR BEING DISCREET, ARTISTIC AND BRILLIANT”
Our mentoring is shaped by real-world experience at the highest level of the industry—not just education.
There’s more information available than ever out there — AI support, YouTube, courses.
But more information doesn’t necessarily equal progress.
Bespoke mentoring gives you clear, relevant direction—focused on your work, your business, and what will actually move it forward.
Our approach is shaped by over 16 years of shooting high-end weddings, our work as Sony Europe Imaging Ambassadors, and long-standing involvement in the industry — including being magazine columnists, being featured in hundreds of articles, judging competitions and being interviewed on lots of podcasts.
This isn’t theory. It’s experience — applied directly to your work and your business.
How we Work
We offer a small number of mentoring sessions each month, designed for photographers and filmmakers who are ready to move forward.
Each session is focused, practical, and tailored to where you are now and where you want to get to.
Portfolio Review
£150 — 60 minutes
A focused, honest critique of your work.
We’ll look at:
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What’s working—and what’s not
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Consistency across your portfolio
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Use of light (including flash where relevant)
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What to refine, remove, or develop
This is about clarity. Seeing your work as others see it—and understanding what’s holding it back.
1:1 Mentoring
£200 Per Hour or £850 Per 5 Hour Block
Every photographer and filmmaker we work with is different — and the aim is to help you build something that feels aligned, sustainable, and true to your work. We’ll focus on the areas that matter most to you so that it is totally bespoke. This can include:
Brand & Positioning
Define where you sit in the market — and how to stand out without trying to appeal to everyone.
Website & SEO
A clear review of your website, messaging, and structure — so it works harder for you.
Photography
Light, flash, and creating consistency across a full wedding day – from capture through to post-production and retouching.
Filmmaking
A simple, realistic way to introduce video into your workflow without overcomplicating things. Including capture, technique audio, workflow and post production.
Business
Pricing, workflow, client experience, and building something sustainable.
Assisting
In some circumstances we can include assisting at a real wedding.
KATE KIRKMAN
Sony Europe Imaging Ambassador
BRENT KIRKMAN
Sony Europe Imaging Ambassador
A strong vocational calling to become a professional photographer drew Kate from her high-profile jobs in Marketing at ITV, and as an Account Director for the branding company Lambie-Nairn. Working with clients including FIFA, O2, and the BBC showed her the power that photographic imagery can have on clients and customers alike. Having worked as a creative storytelling photographer for the past 15 years and having written regular articles and columns for the trade’s press, she is regarded as one of the industry’s leading lights. Under her brand Kate Hopewell-Smith Photography she became one of a handful of global ambassadors for Nikon when she shot on DSLR and now both she and her husband Brent, are not only Sony European Imaging Ambassadors, but also Rotolight – Masters of Light. Kate is the founder of Luxury Boudoir brand – MUSE and together they run visual content agency CREATE.
Brent, likewise, spent over 25 years in Global IT specialising in CRM and Mobile prior to becoming a celebrated cinematographer. As an ex-developer of cutting-edge tech, he has a vast knowledge of website and mobile phone technology which helps CREATE stay ahead of the field. Combine that with his CAA GVC drone pilot licence and his Navy diving qualifications and you have a truly formidable set of talents in one neat little package – a bit like a Jedi.
Kate & Brent have recently relocated to Cornwall but still shoot weddings all over the UK and Abroad. Mentoring sessions can take place via Zoom or in-person. We live right by the beach…
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