Recently I visited with 2 former students who have begun their journey towards becoming professional photographers.
Mary Hamer and Jina Jani are good friends but I believe their competitiveness spurs each other on, much in the same way as when I worked amongst 20 other photographers at the newspaper.
Though Mary and Jina both shoot events, portraits and fine art, they have very distinct tastes.
I caught up with them at an Arts & Crafts fair at the Hillside Farm in the city of Norco.
While in my class, they were highly motivated to learn and they never missed class.