Shadow & Light
Foundations in Therapeutic Photography
We Begin January 2026
Your shadow isn’t out to get you, its out to free you. The only job is to reconcile with it.
- Xavier Dagba
As a photographer you have a gift as sacred witness— raw emotion, vulnerability, and authenticity people can't see in themselves. And yet your clients often freeze as soon as the camera comes up, pre-occupied with ‘getting it right’. They are struggling to be seen and don’t know why. They are touching their shadow material, and they might just have a breakthrough they (and you) weren't expecting.
As someone drawn to photography, you already know there are parts of every individual that remain hidden, unexplored, rejected. There is something mysterious about the visual, tangible, embodied experience of photography that calls to you to this craft.
What if your camera and lens could become your most powerful tool for transformation?
In this course you will learn to support clients to identify and integrate their shadows through therapeutic photography. By the end of this course you will learn how to:
Skillfully work with your clients inner-critic and protector parts, so that they no longer dim their light and block their authentic expression.
Liberate your own creative potential from the fears that you have associated with your own shadow,
Not sure if shadow work is for you?
The Hidden (and mysterious) Connection Between Photography and Shadow Work
For 8 years, I've guided hundreds of women through a unique healing methodology that combines photography with deep shadow integration. Through more than 100,000 photographs, I've witnessed extraordinary transformation.
When we turn the lens toward what we've suppressed or rejected, healing happens. This is my own story, my first self-portrait a decade ago revealing so much I had rejected within myself.
Here is what I have learned- the shadows we've rejected—our shame, anger, vulnerability, even our innate wildness—want to be seen.
They need to be witnessed, honoured, integrated. I believe that each of us has a powerful story to tell, and that rejected emotions such as shame block these stories from being told.
This is where the camera, along with your capacity to hold space for peoples shadows, comes in.
Why learn about shadow work as a photographer?
Photographers who understand shadow work can guide clients past their performative masks to capture genuine essence. This creates more powerful portraits and builds stronger client relationships. People sense when someone can see and accept their whole self, not just the pretty parts.
The photography world is full of people copying others' styles. Shadow work connects you to your unique perspective. There is a specific way that only you see the world based on your particular combination of wounds, gifts, and healing journey.
Shadow work connects you to universal themes of transformation, healing, and authentic self-expression. Your photography becomes more than documentation - it becomes medicine for both yourself, clients, and audience.
The camera reveals truth whether we're conscious of it or not. Shadow work just makes us conscious participants in that revelation rather than unconscious victims of our own projections.
This Course Is For You If...
✓ You're a photographer who wants to create art that has a profound impact on your clients
✓ You're drawn to shadow work but want something more embodied than traditional talk therapy
✓ You sense your creativity is blocked by parts of yourself you won't let others see
✓ You're ready to stop performing perfection and start creating from authentic truth
✓ You want to use your camera as a tool for healing, not just documentation
✓ You're curious about therapeutic photography but don't know where to start
IMAGINE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SHADOW MEETS THE LIGHT?
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IMAGINE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SHADOW MEETS THE LIGHT? 〰️
What You'll LEARN in Shadow & Light
Module 1: Meeting Your Shadow
Understand the foundational concepts of Shadow Work and its relationship to photography. This will be a space for you to work with your personal shadow material through guided self-portrait photography practices. Create your first therapeutic self-portraits and learn to work with resistance to shadow work.
Module 2: The Camera as Witness
Transform your relationship with your camera from tool of neutral observation to a lens of compassion and transformation, Learn specific techniques for photographing difficult emotions and hidden aspects of self. You may continue to engage in self-portraits or work with others if you are more advanced..
Module 3: Embodied Sensing & Seeing
Develop somatic awareness while creating. Learn to feel into your body's wisdom as you compose, shoot, and review images with sensitivity to shadow material. Discover how the nervous system guides authentic expression as it moves through shadow material. You may continue to engage in self-portraits or work with others if you are more advanced.
Module 4: Nature as Healer
Learn how natural environments can also mirror and support inner transformation. Work with seasonal cycles, elemental energies, and the healing power of wild spaces, especially as shadows begin to surface in your creative practice.
Module 5: Light Work Integration
Master the art of working with literal and metaphorical light. Learn advanced techniques for illuminating shadow material with natural light, creating images that support lasting integration as more shadow material begins to be revealed.
Module 6: Sharing Your Truth
Develop skills for sharing vulnerable creative work with others. Learn to create bodies of work that speak to universal themes while honoring your unique healing journey. You will also learn how to support clients in the vitalization process of sharing images created through this course and beyond.
What You'll Receive:
6 Core Modules
Deep-dive live lessons on shadow work fundamentals and therapeutic photography techniques (recordings available)
30+ Creative Practices
Guided exercises that progressively build your skills and deepen your self-awareness
Shadow Work Rituals
Sacred practices for creating safe containers and integrating difficult shadow material
Integration Workbook Comprehensive guides, prompts, and reflection questions (PDF download)
Somatic Awareness Meditations
Guided body scan recordings to develop embodied presence while creating
Photography doesn't let you hide behind words, concepts, or stories. It demands embodied presence with what is actually there - making it perhaps the most direct initiation into shadow work available to our image-saturated culture.
Course
6 live group sessions (2 hours each) with lectures, discussion, questions and feedback.
A small, intimate group (max 12 students).
Session recordings for review at your convenience.
A guest speaker sharing their creative process.
Inspiring examples of therapeutic photography from various artists.
Access to the Shadow & Light Course
Course + Mentorship
For those looking for more personalized guidance and deeper creative support, I offer a limited mentorship option alongside the course. I only accept three mentees to ensure you get the attention and care you deserve.
Includes everything in the standard course, plus:
Three personalized 1 hour sessions
Guidance on how to bring this work into your photography work
Shadow & Light Course plus 3 mentorship sessions
FAQ’S
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This course is for anyone who wants to explore photography as a healing practice, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer. It’s ideal for those seeking to add therapeutic photography sessions to their services.
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No. You can use any device you’re comfortable with, whether it’s a DSLR, a smartphone, or even a simple point-and-shoot camera. The focus is on the process, not the equipment. This course does not teach technical shooting.
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While the course is therapeutic in nature, it is not a substitute for professional therapy. Instead, it offers a creative and reflective practice that complements emotional well-being and self-discovery for yourself and others.
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Sessions are recorded, and you’ll have access to the recordings so you can catch up at your own pace.
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Sharing your work is entirely optional. While we encourage a safe and supportive environment for sharing and feedback, you can participate in ways that feel comfortable to you.
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I offer a limited number of need-based discounts, typically to one student per course. If you think this might help you participate, please reach out to me.
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Due to the limited spots and the personalized nature of the course, all sales are final and we do not offer refunds or cancellations. Please be sure this course is the right fit for you before enrolling.
