In August of 2019, ShootProof acquired Cole’s Classroom, the super-supportive online classroom and community for aspiring photographers. Cole’s Classroom’s passion for empowering beginner photographers with accessible tutorials, workshops, and resources, makes them a flawless fit for the ShootProof family of brands.
ShootProof Acquires Cole’s Classroom, Offers Elevated Learning for Photographers
Coffee and cream, chicken and waffles, ShootProof and Cole’s Classroom: some pairings are too good to pass up! And just like your favorite food combo, ShootProof and Cole’s Classroom’s combined efforts make it easier than ever for photographers to build successful, sustainable businesses.
Three photographers who have benefitted from both Cole’s Classroom and ShootProof are Kellee Hann, Edel Clark, and Corvette Sada Behnke, passionate photographers with a commitment to continued learning and top-tier business tools. Here’s how they’ve built thriving full-time businesses using Cole’s Classroom and ShootProof:
The Fresh Start
Kellee Hann | Soul Tree Photography Studio
In business since 2018 | Based in Fargo, ND
Profitable from the Start with Cole’s Classroom
In October of 2018, at 42 years old, Kellee Hann bought a camera and launched her photography business. A few days later, she signed up for a 10-day Cole’s Classroom trial, never imagining that it would change her life. “I dove right in and did every Cole’s Classroom tutorial and video I could find,” says Kellee. “Every course I completed made me a better photographer and entrepreneur!”
In her very first year of business, Kellee profited over $30,000 from her photography – a stunning amount when you consider that many photographers don’t earn a profit at all during their first few years. “I tell ALL my photographer friends that Cole’s Classroom PRO is my secret weapon,” raves Kellee. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without it!”
Smart Sales and Happy Clients with ShootProof
Along with Cole’s Classroom, Kellee quickly found ShootProof – and she didn’t hesitate to make the most of ShootProof’s powerful sales features. “ShootProof has been a game changer for me from the start!” Kellee expounds.
“I was able to earn more by easily selling prints to my clients,” she says. “ShootProof is so easy to use and looks so professional and clean – and the MUSIC! Oh, my gosh!” Kellee adds music to every one of her ShootProof galleries, and her clients are obsessed. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten messages from clients telling me they cried when they saw their gallery for the first time. The music makes such an emotional impact!”
The (New) Dream Job
Edel Clark | Pixelight Photography
In business since 2007, full-time since 2018 | Based in West Midlands, England
A Community of Friends with Cole’s Classroom
“Cole’s Classroom has been LIFE-CHANGING for me!” glows Edel Clark. When Edel took maternity leave from her career as a high school teacher, she knew the time had come to make the leap into photography – the dream job she’d always wanted. But she didn’t do it alone!
“I literally learned everything I know in the safety and comfort of Cole’s Classroom PRO,” Edel describes. “The Cole’s Classroom PRO Facebook group was so supportive that within a day I felt like I had gained an entire community of friends.”
Now working full-time in photography and serving as a mentor to other Cole’s Classroom photographers, Edel sees herself as a legitimate success story. “I support my family through my business while also being present as a mama to two little ones,” she says, “and I owe every precious day to Cole’s Classroom!”
Work Smarter, Not Harder with ShootProof
In Edel’s earliest days of photography, she spent countless hours creating and delivering DVDs and USBs to her clients. “The whole process seemed to take forever,” recalls Edel, “and was without doubt one of the worst parts of the job.”
Then, in 2018, Edel began using ShootProof, and she said goodbye to DVDs and USBs for good. Each client receives their photographs via a private ShootProof gallery, accompanied by a custom video message and the power to choose the size of the photos they download, from Original to Social Media size – “all without any extra work from me!” she raves.
Edel tracks her sales easily through ShootProof Reports, along with each gallery’s visitors and their favorite photos. “I love that clients can instantly purchase prints, canvases, or digitals at the touch of a button – no more back-and-forth through email!”
The Impossible: Achieved
Corvette Sada Behnke | Sada Behnke Photography
In business since 2018 | Based in Honolulu, Hawaii
3x the Money, Half the Work with Cole’s Classroom
“As a military spouse and mother of three young children, operating my own business was something I thought was nearly impossible,” Sada (shah-DAY) Behnke describes. “The education, mentors, and community in Cole’s Classroom made it a reality!”
As every business owner knows, beginning a business doesn’t come without scrapes and bruises. And a few months into her first full-time year, Sada was already experiencing burnout. “I overbooked myself with underpriced Christmas mini sessions,” she explains. But a year later, thanks to Cole’s Classroom, she’d ironed out all the kinks. “This year, I made three times the money doing half the work of the year before!” Sada raves.
A Strong Start Makes for a Fierce Finish with ShootProof
The vast majority of Sada’s clients are visitors to her island home, so she loves that ShootProof’s online galleries are accessible from anywhere a client calls home. A global network of professional print labs ensures total control over her print quality. “ShootProof helps make my client experience so special,” Sada shares. “From my clients’ ability to purchase their prints and products online, to my ability to customize a video message on their gallery intro page, I absolutely LOVE all the fun features and tools available in ShootProof!”
As her photography business continues to grow, Sada can count on ShootProof to grow, too. With convenient client contracts and easy online invoices, ShootProof is poised to sustain her through every twist and turn of her business – no matter where her family lives next.
“Everything is so simple to use for both myself and my clients,” raves Sada, “– and it’s incredibly beautiful!”
Are you ready to build the photography business of your dreams?
Try these Cole’s Classroom classes for FREE!
Written by ANNE SIMONE | Featuring KELLEE HANN, EDEL CLARK, and CORVETTE SADA BEHNKE
