Photography Mentorships - Ready for your first step?

Take a leap of faith.

WHERE DO YOU START

The first step is always the most daunting when you are thinking about venturing in a new direction. Such as developing a business idea, moving home, changing jobs, or wherever your intuition is pulling you.

So often there are words of doubt swirling in your mind…’ what if I fail’ … ‘It’s going to be too hard’… ‘I might regret it’…etc …etc…

It’s all negative self-talk that won’t get you anywhere. It only holds you back, just like in the photograph above – this piece of urban art was positioned on the rooftop of an art gallery in the South of France, and the treetop one below struck a heavy chord with me.

It made me realise it’s very easy to lie back – perhaps very uncomfortably and wait for all your desires and wishes to come to you… it doesn’t work like that, you have to take a leap of faith – otherwise, nothing will ever change. Believe me, I’m speaking from experience…

It’s easy to lie back and wait…

IS THIS FOR YOU?

Are you a photographer who is:

• Wanting to start your own business?

• Struggling to keep up a pipeline of business?

• Looking for a change of direction?

• Looking for creative inspiration?

  OR

• A student embarking on a photography career?

Then my service is for you.

MAKING IT HAPPEN

I always wanted to run my own business ever since I started selling eggs from our garden chickens to neighbours as a child. My dream was to open a portrait photography studio.

In my early teens I worked as a Saturday girl at the local portrait and wedding studio and became an apprentice in their commercial department at the age of 17 enrolling on a three-year day release course back in 1977 when cameras had a film inside and were processed in darkrooms, not Lightroom.

Fast forward 20 years and three children later I was catapulted into adversity and took a leap of faith to provide for myself and my children by realizing my dream. I was completely outside my comfort zone and knew it was now or never. I didn’t want to be on my deathbed regretting having never accomplished what I wanted to achieve – financial independence being my goal through my passion for photography.

MENTORSHIPS

If any of the above resonates with you and you would like my professional one-to-one attention this mentorship program will help you flourish.

This includes:

• Creating a clear understanding of your goals

• Overcoming your fears

• A plan of action

• Networking

• Technology

• Marketing

• People skills

• Managing money

Pricing starts from just £500 with your choice of the below.

Either face-to-face or via Zoom

1. Three hours to gain clarity

2. Two hours a week for three months

3. Two days a month for six months

4. One day a month for a year

LOOKING BACK

This February 2024 marks 27 years since I opened the doors to my high street studio SMS Creative Photography now called ‘Stella’. I didn’t have the confidence back then to have my name above the door – (what if it failed?) so I used my initials Stella Marina Scordellis – the Creative part was to emphasize I wanted to be different from other high street photographers of the time, who were more conservative in their style. I introduced a more informal and relaxed approach to portrait photography where children were encouraged to be more natural and candid either in the studio or in their homes & gardens.

Please feel free to email me, Stella – or call 0777 181 0105 for a brief chat about your direction and how we can make your vision happen.

Thanks

Stella

Festive Greetings

Taken from a footpath looking towards the driveway at Southlands in Tandridge – the perfect place to work and live from.

As the year comes to a close I always stop for a moment to reflect on the past 12 months and what it means to me.

At the top of my list is gratitude to my customers for allowing me to photograph them, their families, the things they love, and their marketing needs. Without you, I would not have my business that has been up and running since 1997.

It’s with the support and input from the other people I work with – the fine art and photographic printers, post-production and IT experts, bookbinders, designers, accountants, and the Association of Photographers who collectively help me keep all the behind-the-scenes part of my business running smoothly.

A very big festive THANK YOU!

Wishing you all a fun time and happy Christmas and a prosperous and healthy 2024.

Looking forward to doing more of what I love for years to come.. thank you very much.

Stella X

S4K International Films at Southlands in Tandridge, Oxted

Southlands a beautiful Grade II listed building nestled in eight acres of grounds with far reaching views

Let me tell you more about where I’m based... it’s a place called Southlands – a beautiful Grade II listed building in the Surrey countryside. It’s nestled in eight acres of stunning grounds surrounded by woodlands and fields and dates back to 1827. The far reaching views from my first-floor apartment are captivating with views overlooking the Weald.

This gives me the perfect tranquil working environment and location for photoshoots. I feel inspired every single day. With this in mind, Southlands will soon be available to others to hire for commercial photographic shoots and filming too.

Last week a local theatrical company called Shakespeare 4 Kidz - S4K International asked permission to film a pilot for a new film they are producing called ‘Side-by-side by Shakespeare’ – shooting a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream – our neighbouring woodland proving to be ideal to set the scene.

So here begins our Southlands Production journey, to offer our grounds for commercial films, period dramas, commercials and photoshoots.

Read on to learn more about S4K International and our day with Titania and Oberon …

The Shakespeare 4 Kidz project started in the mid-nineties when friends Julian Chenery and Matt Gimblett combined to create musical theatre adaptations of Shakespeare’s classic stories to be performed as school shows. Since then the company has expanded into publishing, education and theatre production - with their shows being performed by professional adult casts in theatres all over the country. The shows have also been performed by schools in every English-speaking country in the world.

S4K International’s “Side-by-side…” project is a series of short films that directly compare the Shakespeare 4 Kidz easy-to-understand/accessible musical versions of a scene with the original text one. Both scenes are identical: same scene, same actors, same shots, same edits, same music. The idea is to make them available literally side-by-side.

Set up and ready for a day filming

The famous scene from the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the audience’s first introduction to Oberon and Titania, the King and Queen of Fairyland, and finds them in a heated argument over the custody of a young orphaned prince from India. Oberon wants him to join his gang but Titania has made a vow to the boy’s mother that she would bring him up and protect him. Their argument has disrupted the climate and the seasons of the mortal world.

The actors were Andrew Troy (Oberon) and Thea Jo Wolfe (Titania). Directed by Olivia Chenery.

The Indian Prince, the subject of the King and Queen of Fairyland’s nature-disrupting argument, is a young actor called Kenneth from the Helen O’Grady Academy in Coulsdon.

The series is produced by Carolyn and Julian Chenery for S4K International and the first two episodes will be launched in the autumn of 2023. Film production is by Chris Grierson and Alex Carter of The Sheriff of London.

Makeup by Helena Sergeant. Lunch made by The Limpsfield Cookery School. Costumes by Prangsta Costumiers.

For more information on S4K’s work visit S4Kinternational.com and Shakespeare4Kidz.com - or search ‘S4K International’ across social media channels.

Oberon and Titanian resting between scenes and adjusting headress by Carolyn Chenery left and Helena Sergeant right.

Titania and Oberon during filming

A heavy headress needs adjusting by Helena

Matt Gimblett left and Julian Chehery right, the founders of Shakespeare 4 Kidz.

Behind the scenes

A moment of reflection for Titania.

An important part of any day’s filming is having the right food and enough of it. My apartment was used for dressing, dining and refreshments.

The Indian Prince played by Kenneth

The Indian Prince and Titania

An exchange of stares and words from Oberon and Titania.

A very productive and successful day was had by all. Thank you to Barry our neighbour for being so accommodating with the use of his wonderful woodland and driveway.

To find out more about Southlands Production email me here.

Thank you

Stella