Jeannene Mathis-Bertosa — Teaching Photography, CTE & Learning Through Observation
Light, shadow, and patience — the kind of moment Jeannene teaches her students to wait for. Photo Credit: Mathis-Bertosa Photography. Used with permission.
Jeannene Mathis-Bertosa grew up holding aperture cards for her dad’s flash tests, a human card stand who didn’t pick up a camera herself until college. Today she teaches the commercial photography program at GlenOak High School.
In this episode two career tech teachers compare notes. Jeannene breaks down the exposure triangle, why she still uses Photo Mechanic over Lightroom, and the lesson she repeats to every student who’s just bombed their first attempt at something new: nobody is great the first time, you have to keep at it to become great.
Why It Matters
Jeannene’s driving lesson story says it all. Her first time behind the wheel, she drove up a curb. Her dad yelled stop. She kept driving anyway, and now she’s a professional driver. That’s the lesson underneath everything she teaches: the first attempt at anything is supposed to be bad, and Instagram’s highlight reel lies to beginners about that. For anyone discouraged by their early work, this episode is the permission slip to keep going.
About This Guest
Jeannene Mathis-Bertosa teaches the commercial photography program at GlenOak High School in Stark County, Ohio, as part of Ohio’s Career Tech Education system. She grew up around camera gear thanks to her photography-enthusiast father, but didn’t pursue photography seriously until college, where her introductory design professor, photographer Masumi Hayashi, changed her entire academic path. Jeannene shoots professionally across travel, portrait, and commercial work, often working in aperture priority for depth-of-field control, and brings real-world tools like Photo Mechanic into her classroom so students experience the same software working photojournalists rely on.
Jeannene’s Bonafides
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The first time you do everything, you’re not going to be great at it. Instagram tells you that you can do everything perfectly, but the first time you do something, it’s not going to be great. You have to keep at it to become great.
”— JEANNENE MATHIS-BERTOSA, COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY TEACHER, GLENOAK HIGH SCHOOLHear This Episode
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Episode Timestamps
Your ZoomPod — Exit Ticket
After this episode, you'll know:
- Why your first attempt at anything is supposed to be bad — and why that's normal, not a sign you're not cut out for this
- How aperture priority mode gives you depth-of-field control without giving up creative input
- What professional culling software like Photo Mechanic does differently than Lightroom, and why working photojournalists rely on it
- Why observation, not technique, is the real skill behind seeing a photograph before you raise the camera
Gear & Affiliate Links
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Explore More
Check out our other great podcast episodes. Link and follow for more great learn-photography content: IG @tvcommandomedia | FB @ZoomWithOurFeet.
Jeannene’s first time behind the wheel ended on a curb. She kept driving anyway. Same principle applies to the first photo you take.
Stop Shooting From the Stands →BUILD NOTE: Full transcript pending paste-in from Buzzsprout.
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