See what previous interns/ trainee’s are saying.
Through Her Lens Studio
“In the fall of 2017 Erica Clayton allowed me the opportunity to intern with her at her studio, Through Her Lens Studio located in Indianapolis IN. Quickly, what was only suppose to be an intern for a college course grew in to life changing experience.
Erica, is a very welcoming and genuine young entrepreneur who wants others to succeed, and as her very first intern I can attest to doing just that. The hands on experience of lighting, editing set building and so much more, launched not only my education in a new direction, but also my career.
If you are lucky enough to become this young woman's’ shadow, even for a day, my advice is to treat everything like its the last opportunity you’ll have in life. Listen. Ask questions. Show up. And most of all have fun!
It has been two years since meeting Erica, and the Through Her Lens crew and I’ve met a plethora of new people ready to create but without a doubt, I can say that Erica is one of the most creative people I know and an even better friend. “
-Tori Le’Chelle
“Interning with Erica changed my life. She helped me go from aspiring photographer to full time freelance in less than a year, just by what I learned from her in a 10 week internship. I was able to continue to learn from her after the 10 week program because I began renting her studio space and continued to assist on shoots. She’s really become a mentor and friend. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to learn from her while living in Indy.”
-Jordyn Ari
“I went to school for photography as a minor and what I learned at Through Her Lens from Erica was a lot more essential than what any classroom has taught me. I understood aperture, shutter speed, and ISO but Erica gave me the platform to think outside the box and how to view each image as artwork. She showed me different ways to use light, shadows, and colors to execute the picture in an interesting way. Erica also taught me how to edit photos using high-frequency separations and when it was appropriate to use it. She doesn’t say fixing the flaws of the models (clients) but “enhancing their beauty”.
Another thing Erica has taught me which she is probably not unaware of is how to be patient and confident. She helped me expand myself from a business perspective and forced me to get out there. She was my voice when I was muted and helped me to believe in myself. From this day her words resonate in my head “Your work is amazing but others won’t be able to see it if you don’t put yourself out there”. This field of photography is competitive but Erica builds a podium for other photographers to grow and I am forever grateful for her.”
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Danielle Lawson
“It’s been 2 years since my first workshop with Erica. I believe it was the first one she ever put on and I was glad and excited to learn from her. One because she was a female photographer who is AMAZING at what she does and 2 we’re both from Gary so I had to support. Erica was the reason I started photography in the first place and I couldn’t pass up a chance of working with her. I’ve gained so much knowledge of photography in the past 2 years I’ve been shooting at Through Her Lens studio. Erica has so much talent, creativeness and is easy to get along with! I am thankful to have worked and will continue working with a beautiful soul like her. My photography has grown so much since I’ve started and I know that there is countless of knowledge that I can still get from her. Erica is the best at what she does, so if you’re trying to decide if it’s worth it to train with her, don’t think twice because she can take you to the next level! Thank you Erica for all that you have taught me, allowing me to be apart of the studio and being an awesome person. I greatly appreciate it! “
-Jelisa Janae
“the experience I had being an “intern” was amazing.. I learned everything from retouching skin to lighting.. I like your style of teaching because you don’t give all the sauce at once.”
-Isaac
“Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to work/intern with you.
It was an amazing experience, on how you were concern about us(interns) being better at our craft and you being super transparent, truly each and every experience i had interning with you has had a part in helping me gain more confidence and now i feel as though i'm ready to be the best photographer i can be!”
-Seymour
“I was first formally introduced to Erica, also known as Through Her Lens, back in 2018. She was hosting a shoot titled The Future Is Female. Fancy, right?! I didn’t really know what to expect when I first walked in to her studio, but what I received was something so beneficial and made me love my career choice even more. The energy and support she showed throughout the day was truly motivational and unmatched. You don’t meet too many photographers, or entrepreneurs at all, that are willing to share their knowledge without somewhat benefiting from it, but with Erica, it’s different. From the vibes, to one on one encounter, you can tell everything about her is genuine. I’d always been taken aback by her work. What set her apart from the average photographer was her attention to detail and uniqueness of her shoots. Her creativity level is so distinct you can’t help but be attracted to her work and know it apart from any other photographers. I wanted that. I wanted to create my own signature style of shooting but being an outdoor shooter, I felt limited to the access of knowledge. Sure there were youtube videos and books you could pan through to get the just of photography but books and videos don’t teach you to shoot creatively. They teach you the laws of photography and basic poses, the purpose of an F-STop and shutter speed is, you know, just enough to get by, but that doesn’t work for anyone wanting to do more than just get by.
My biggest struggle when it came to photography was learning to manipulate lighting and the settings under certain circumstances. I have always been a hands on learner, but with limited access of equipment, it was challenging to practice.I can honestly say I lucked up with the opportunity of a lifetime to learn from T.H.E Goat herself. Did you see what I did there? Lol. Anywho, in 2019, I was blessed with the opportunity to intern with Erica. Before she initially selected me, she required all applicants to tell her what we wanted to learn, what we felt we struggled with, how long we had been shooting, our goals for photography, and of course, the why. You can probably imagine my answer was extremely drawn out but long story short, I felt I needed to work on lighting. When I first started interning with Erica, I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about photography. Just from a 6 week time span working along side Erica, baaaaby (in my Erica voice), I got the juice! Definitely not all of it, but honey my cup is no longer empty. From learning lighting set ups, to learning to work with Gels, to functioning Photoshop, to posing models, to interacting with social media, honey, no stone was left unturned.
Erica was my push and my biggest supporter. You ever look at your work and just say to yourself, “Huh, that could be better”? My internship got me to better. Now I sit at my computer desk and I can pan through my work and say, “Damn, I really did that,” or “Baby you are cold!” ( ALL COCKINESS INTENDED). Sure I learned the specs of photography and more than enough to just get by, but to be completely honest, the most important thing I learned during my internship was how to love my work. I learned I am ok with being my toughest critique, but I also learned, it takes one shot, one edit, to fall in love with your craft all over again.”
Signed
- Jocelyn Harris