Your Mentor
Shimmy Lautman
Founder, Royalty Creation Studios
5.0 on Google · 77 reviews
One mentor. Every session. From your first application to your last frame, you learn directly from the photographer behind the work — not an assistant, not a curriculum. That's the whole model.
The Background
Born into the craft
My family's business in photography, film, video and the arts goes back over half a century. I didn't choose this work one day — I grew up inside it, absorbing the discipline, the patience, and the standards that a family studio demands before I ever called myself a photographer.
Everything I teach is rooted in that legacy. My training and experience were shaped by decades of real shoots, real clients and real once-in-a-lifetime moments — and my work has been showcased around the globe.
What I shoot
- Weddings
- Engagements
- Bar & Bat Mitzvahs
- Portraits
- Film
Through Royalty Creation Studios — the family craft, carried forward by hand.
The Style
Photographs people keep forever
I've always believed in offering more than merely photos: a magnificent, everlasting journey. My style leans editorial and cinematic — real moments, shaped by light, patience and a little daring. Underwater fine art, rain-soaked night portraits, a veil caught mid-air: the images clients frame, pass down, and show their grandchildren.
That's what I teach: how to see the frame before it happens, direct with calm confidence, and deliver work that makes people cry when the gallery arrives.
Wedding · Editorial
Shot by Shimmy
Wedding · Fine Art
Shot by Shimmy
Wedding · Night
Shot by Shimmy
Why I Teach
Why I run this mentorship
Because nobody handed me a shortcut — and I watched how many talented photographers stall without one. The craft can take decades to figure out alone. With a mentor who has already lived it, the same distance is covered in seasons, not decades.
Because the family studio that raised me survived by one rule: the craft moves forward hand to hand. Teaching the next generation is how the legacy stays alive — and how the work stays worthy of the name on the door.
And because I love it. Watching a photographer go from guessing to owning their style, their clients, their business — that's the same charge I get from the perfect frame. I keep the cohort small on purpose: twelve seats, one mentor, real shoots, honest feedback, and a community that outlasts the program.
Next Cohort · Spring 2027
Learn with Shimmy, one-on-one.
Twelve seats per season. Apply in five minutes — if it's a fit, we'll talk about your work, your goals, and which program gets you there.