We’re Hunter and Sarah Photography, a full-time, husband and wife, wedding and portrait photography team based in Charlottesville, Virginia. As we grow our own business, we have a desire to come alongside newer and less experienced photographers in an apprenticeship model, just like more experienced photographers have done for us! If you’d like to learn more about us, head over to the About Us section of our website.

Who We Are

We have close to decade of experience in professional photography, run a $200k+ full-time wedding and portrait photography business, and have shot more than 100 weddings and hundreds of portrait sessions. We’re currently booking weddings in the $8,000-$12,000 range, and portraits at $1,000.
 
We know that if you have a new photography business and desire to grow, learning from others who are ahead of you is the #1 way to fast-track your success! We began this program in the summer of 2019, and have had more than a dozen Apprentices through the program since then.
 
While we offer paid coaching calls and have students who pay us monthly for coaching, we make that coaching (plus the workshops) available for free ONLY through the Apprentice Program.

Why Did We Start This Program?

We’re mainly looking for applicants of any age/life status who are local to the central Virginia area. However, we do have Apprentices who live outside Central Virginia who are able to travel. Although we love teaching photography, our Apprentices must also desire to grow in the business of photography. We’re looking for applicants who are willing to work — at least at first — in exchange for experience and mentorship. However, this will NOT be a “go get me a coffee” type of work, but active and personalized mentorship and coaching in photography and business.

Who Are We Looking For?

Apprentices will come along on wedding days as our third shooter/assistant, then help us remotely with post-production of that same wedding. In exchange for their help with one or more weddings each season, we host a photography/business workshop 4 times each year, where all the Apprentices get together to learn from us in an active, hands-on gathering. We also meet with our Apprentices individually in a 2-on-1 mentorship meeting as often as each month for personalized coaching in business and photography. (Read more about these aspects of the program, here).

As we gain confidence in our Apprentices’ ability to photograph, communicate with our clients, and prove themselves dependable, we look forward to giving them paid opportunities. In the long-term, there may also be opportunities for our Apprentices to grow into Associates, and shoot weddings as the lead photographer under our brand (if they desire). The program is not like an internship as it has no specific length or end date; our goal is that Apprentices will join and commit to the program long-term, then “graduate” when their business has “left the nest” and is flying on its own! We care deeply for our Apprentices, and those who commit to us and the program become like our photography “children”, with direct access to us. That’s why there’s never more than 4-6 Apprentices in the program at a time!

What Do Apprentices Do?

Although we currently have a small team of Apprentices, we’re always interested in adding new people who are passionate about starting a successful wedding photography business. Applications are “rolling”, and you’ll hear back within a few days after you submit your application about scheduling an interview.
 
If you’re interested, fill out the form below! If you have any questions about the application/process, please email us.

How Does The Application Process Work?