Documentary photography is a superpower

Mentoring program for photographers who are serious about making career progress

with Marisa Martins, named world’s

Photographer of the Year 2023

by This is Reportage Family and

Documentarian of the Year 2023

by Documentary Family Photographers

I’ll help you create deep images that evoke emotions and make them stop.

Do you need mentoring?
Only if this resonates with you and where you are in your photography journey 👇🏼

Silhouettes of two children standing on a farm fence, each holding a small branch with leaves, during a colorful sunset. A farm dog is lying on the ground nearby, and trees and farm buildings are visible in the background.

You don’t understand how to take your images to the next level

You have the technical skills.

But you feel insecure about your work and you keep second-guessing if your images are strong enough (and you’d love to win a photography award one day).

A black cat lying on a wooden floor, partially inside a dollhouse, with one eye visible. Inside the dollhouse, a toy figure with black hair, blue outfit, and a small green plant is positioned near a white staircase. The dollhouse has pink walls decorated with multicolored hearts and a blue framed picture with the word 'Love' hanging on the wall.

I know you’re feeling stuck in your photography growth

You feel you’ve been running in circles.

You lack a strategy for your business growth.

You know you need to elevate your body of work and your personal brand.

A woman is holding a baby while crouching on a pink rug in a room with a white dresser. A young girl is climbing the dresser, and a small white step stool is on the floor nearby.

You’re tired of not getting things done

You’re tired of sitting with your ideas. And that to-do list never seems to end.
You know you need accountability to make progress and to grow as a photographer.

A young girl dressed in a pink and white dress decorated with Hello Kitty and pastel-colored embellishments, leaning over two dogs on a gray couch. The dogs are dressed in colorful capes and hoods with bows, one dog has a tan and white coat, and the other has a white coat with black patches.

You’re tired of feeling you’re not good enough

You’ve made great progress in your photography career. You have some great clients.

But you’re not feeling accomplished in your professional and personal life.

A man is lifting three children in the air, all children are smiling and laughing, with a plain light-colored background.

Don’t regret not pursuing your dreams in photography.

You have talent.

You have potential.

You have a gift.

Use it!

You’re spending too much time in your head.

It’s time to open the door to a new vision.

A woman with brown hair, smiling, seated on the edge of a bed in a bright room, wearing a white tank top, black pants, and zebra-print heels.

JOIN OUR GROUP MENTORING

“See the invisible”

in documentary family photography

Learn a powerful way to capture the essence of everyday life.

This mentoring program is designed to help you break through.

Develop your artistic voice and creative vision.

Create a cohesive body of work.

While staying accountable and being part of an incredible community with other like-minded people.

Two children lying on sandy beach, forming shadow shadows of hands interlocking, with sunlight casting shadow shapes on sand, one with curly hair and the other with straight hair, wearing swimsuits.

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP MENTORSHIP

See the Invisible

An online group mentoring with monthly rounds of group discussions, image critique, and assignments

  • Monthly themes like:

    * How to respond in difficult shooting situations + light

    * Price & sell your work

    * Marketing technics

    * Editing / toning

    * Culling your images for a story

    * Learning to critique your own work

    * Series vs. Singles

    * The awards as a marketing tool

    * Finding Your Voice

    * Other Bonus

  • Live group critiques every month

  • Monthly new assignments to sharpen your view and push your photographic boundaries

  • The networking and learning from each other's experiences, share challenges, and celebrate successes is the key to success

Two children lying on sandy beach, making shadow puppets of a hand with sand on their bodies.

Bonuses

  • Ongoing support in the community online platform

  • Learn the best workflow in editing in Lightroom + Imagen AI

  • Guest talks with high-achieving photographers

  • Accountability groups and support from peers

SPECIAL BONUS

> Purchase now 12 months and get a 1:1 mentoring session >

SPECIAL BONUS > Purchase now 12 months and get a 1:1 mentoring session >

Be part of a community of passionate photographers

Ana Afonso Testimonial

Marisa´s program was a real game-changer for me.

I had the privilege of living with all the positive emotions from the program for weeks!

Photographing with your heart in your mouth is wonderful and your program gave me that. “

“With Marisa, I grew, transformed, and started to see photography from a more deconstructed and real perspective:

I learned that photography doesn't have to be perfect, it has to be real and it has to fulfill its purpose: documenting life.”

“I learned that the best moments are not at the beginning or end of a scene, but in the middle of them. This is where true photography lives, the true moment, the widest smile, and the most tenuous, true, felt, and real expressions.”

“Marisa, your program was truly transformative.

You are an incredible person with your heart outside your chest.

Thank you for your shares from Ana, with love”

Interior of a shop with numerous decorative mirrors, lamps, and frames, with people shopping in the background.

Find the golden nugget in chaos.

What you get with the photography mentoring program

  • Master the feeling you want to evoke with your photo

  • Train yourself to see the world photographically

  • Learn how to notice interesting lighting, patterns, details, and compositions throughout your day

  • Use light, color, and composition to tell a story without words

  • Understand how to use natural light to enhance your photos

Person with shoulder-length hair wearing a striped shirt and checkered pants looking at an abstract artwork in a gallery.
  • Edit for Emotional Impact: Explore post-processing techniques to evoke emotions in your family photographs

  • Experiment with different editing techniques to develop your unique voice as a photographer

  • Embrace Imperfections: Don't strive for perfection. Sometimes the beauty lies in the rawness and authenticity of the moment

 FAQs

  • This course empowers photographers of all backgrounds. Whether you're capturing personal moments or running a business, it equips you to learn to master complex scenes, and refine your creative eye, with the skills to become a more intentional documentary photographer.

    If the following sentences resonate with you:

    • You’re feeling stuck in your photography growth.

    • You’re tired of not getting things done.

    • You’re tired of feeling you’re not good enough

    • You don’t want to regret not pursuing your dreams in photography

    • You’re spending too much time in your head.

    It’s time to open the door to a new vision - This program is the first step!

  • Critique is the ultimate way to accelerate your journey as a documentary photographer.

    Definitely the most powerful tool of growth, not just for your photos, but you learn from everyone's critique.

    Our group is a safe space to learn, develop, and connect with fellow photographers. Every critique is delivered with respect, fostering a supportive environment. Plus, it is the most affordable way to get feedback on the work you are building.

  • This mentorship prioritizes personalized guidance for each student. To ensure the best possible experience for everyone, we offer a limited number of spots per session. Because of this commitment to small group size and focused feedback, the mentorship fee is non-refundable.

  • For a 6-month mentoring program, the total cost is 1000€ for a full payment. Alternatively, you can split it into 4 installments of 285€ each.

    For the 12-month mentoring program, the total cost is 2000€ for full payment and this includes two sessions 1:1 - 1-hour meeting with Marisa to do a portfolio review or image critique.

    Alternatively, you can split it into 8 installments of 285€ each. We accept all major credit and debit cards.

  • You'll have access to all course materials for the entire mentorship program, plus an additional 2 months to review and revisit key concepts. Save anything you want to keep permanently before that extended access ends. The supportive platform group is yours for the duration of the mentorship.

  • This mentored program is limited to 12 students to ensure an in-depth experience and so adequate feedback can be provided to participants.

  • Group session times will be confirmed well in advance and shared closer to the program start. For your convenience, sessions will typically be offered on Monday evenings or Tuesdays during the day, although this could be adapted to your availability, please write to us if you have any questions about this.

  • Once a month, a new group session and a fresh assignment awaits! Expect 2-3 hours for the Zoom meeting once a month and a 20-minute investment in reading and watching instructional materials for the assignment. The shooting portion can be completed in a few hours.

  • To ensure the most rewarding experience (and unlock your full creative potential!), we recommend a strong foundation in manual or semi-manual camera operation.

Patricia Gouveia Testimonial


"I've attended many photography workshops, but Marisa's is transformative.

In an unpretentious and passionate way, Marisa manages to convey the essence of photography: emotions.”

Marisa goes beyond photographic technique and shares all her knowledge and experience genuinely and without reservation.

I grew and learned a lot, I changed my way of photographing, and this transformation happened in this workshop. Thank you, Marisa.”

Documentary family photography requires patience, empathy, and a genuine love for capturing families.

A mentoring group can help you stay motivated and passionate about your work.

What is documentary family photography?

  • Unpredictable because it is impossible to repeat or copy, because you cannot determine what will happen, because it’s constantly challenging you.

  • Helps us understand the personalities of each person in the family, through expressions and behaviors, it is possible to get to know them in-depth, rather than just with a perfect rehearsed smile

  • The details, the small gestures, the details that make up the whole and that give them context.

  • The daily habits can be transversal to so many families and at the same time each family is unique one of the best challenges is to find what is unique about that family

  • Photography is a powerful medium that can magically capture a family's dynamics. The way they communicate without words through body language is a dance that only they know. As photographers, we have the privilege of learning their unique choreography and capturing it from the best possible angle. It is our duty to be assertive and confident in our ability to capture these moments.

  • These are long sessions to reach the point where the photographer is completely transparent and everything happens in a truly spontaneous way, the family does not work for the photographer, they live their daily life and allow their presence.

    The sessions are intentionally long to ensure that the photographer blends in the family. The family is not expected to perform for the photographer, but rather go about their daily routine as usual, while the photographer captures their true essence.

Daniela Sousa Testimonial


”I'm a lifestyle family photographer, where everything is almost perfectly aligned, the pose, the light, the environment, everything is somehow thought out.

Marisa has a gift, in addition to photography where she has a unique record, she has the gift of infecting us with her energy, her inner beauty, and her happy spirit, Marisa has the gift of sharing, without shame, without fear, and in a genuine way gives everything she has.

I confess that I didn't leave the lifestyle aside, but in fact it is different now, it became bolder, more liberated, and more authentic and it's because of the family documentary program that brought me a breath of fresh air, where the imperfect can be perfect and where chaos can be beautiful.

Photography Mentoring Packages

See the Invisible

A person crouching down on dark ground, wearing sand-colored gloves and black clothes, with a small animal in a ring of water in front of them.

12-Months

On-line group mentoring with monthly rounds of discussions and assignments

* Monthly Group Discussions

* Monthly new theme

* Image Critique

* Assignments

* Q&A

BONUS:

2X 1:1 Zoom meetings with Marisa

Two children lying on sandy beach, creating shadow art with their hands

6-Months

On-line group mentoring with monthly rounds of discussions and assignments

* Monthly Group Discussions

* Monthly new theme

* Image Critique

* Assignments

* Q&A

ABOUT

Marisa Martins

Canon Ambassador Marisa Martins describes herself as a 'documentary family photographer'.

“Trying to capture the beauty of everyday life, even in its most chaotic moments." she says.

Marisa's natural approach has earned her many awards, including being named the World’s Photographer of the Year 2023 by This is Reportage Family and Documentarian of the Year 2023 by Documentary Family Photographers.

“I try to capture families in a very honest and real way, taking a photojournalistic approach. 

I want the families to see their true personalities reflected in the images.

I want to understand the dynamic that each family member brings to the group, and to ultimately provide an authentic depiction of life as it is at that moment." - Marisa

JOIN “SEE THE INVISIBLE”

PHOTOGRAPHY MENTORING GROUP

Monthly Zoom meetings

with themes like:

* How to respond in difficult shooting situations + light

* Price & sell your work

* Marketing technics

* Editing/toning

* Culling your images for a story

* Learning to critique your work

* Series vs. Singles

* The awards as a marketing tool

* Finding Your Voice

*Special Guests

* Other Bonus

Image Critique

+

Assignments

+

Group platform access

+

Q&A

Price & Plans

Three children with closed eyes drinking from straws inserted into a slice of pineapple.

166€/month*

12-month mentoring program

*full payment = bonus:

two sessions 1:1 - 1-hour meeting with Marisa

Payment plans available:

split it into 8 installments of 285€

*full payment

Payment plans available:

split it into 4 installments of 285€

Three children with closed eyes and Straw hats sipping juice from a pineapple with straws.

166€/month*

6-month mentoring program

Maria Calheiros Testimonial


Another incredible program, full of energy, motivation, dedication, and passion that is so characteristic of Marisa.

Throughout the program, there was a lot of sharing of knowledge and transformative experiences.”

“Marisa is a great reference and an inspiration for me in documentary family photography!”