Erika hatfield

The founder of Next Level Photo Education, Erika Hatfield, completed her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Master’s degree in Special Education and began teaching a few photography classes in her Washington, PA home studio in 2018. 

When the pandemic forced her to close her photography business as it celebrated 10 years, she started teaching her classes online.  
Young people inspire her to take more chances and try new things with her own photography work she enjoys working with kids from around the world. Having made millions of mistakes running her photography business over the years, she loves helping other photographers and hobbyists learn more quickly.

Now living only 10 minutes away from the beach in Charleston, SC, Erika lives with her husband, Jake, 12, 13 & 15 year old daughters, and 2 dogs.

MEET OUR TEACHERS



With a variety of different specializations, our teachers all have experience working as a photographer. 


Let us know if we can help you find the best teacher and photography class for your child or click the button below to register for classes. 




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sherilyn vineyard


Sherilyn Vineyard, pet photographer, began shooting professionally in Austin, Texas in 2013 where she rediscovered her love for photography. She has spent many years shooting at local animal shelters, helping 
dogs and cats find forever homes. She continues to volunteer for an Austin area ]dog therapy provider. Sherilyn offers her experience in shooting and retouching 
images through hands-on pet photography workshops.

Jake Hatfield


Jake Hatfield helped teach the first photo classes in the studio in 2018 and has served as technical support for Hatfield Photography since 2010. He is great at helping everyone set up new cameras and find all of the menu functions. As an avid car guy and former mechanic, Jake teaches creative photography classes for toy cars and real vehicle enthusiasts alike as well as social clubs focused on toy and car photos.

meagan shirlen


Meagan Shirlen has a Master of Arts in Teaching from UNC Chapel Hill and studied Multimedia Art at UNC Asheville and is a certified K-12 Visual Art teacher in  North Carolina with five years of experience teaching Digital Photography classes in public schools. She also has years of experience as a freelance photographer and uses varied approaches and projects to help all different kinds of learners grow their understanding of photographic and artistic concepts.

Alina oswald

Alina Oswald is a writer and award-winning photographer living and teaching in the New York City Metro area. She has covered portraits, editorials and events, ad campaigns, promotional photography, landscapes, nature, weather, and the environment. She gets to talk about creative work and the art of storytelling as a frequent guest on Manhattan Neighborhood Network shows.

ellyn norris


Ellyn Norris is a travel and commercial photographer living in San Diego.  Originally from Canada, Ellyn naturalized as a US citizen in 2020.  Ellyn has balanced being a photographer and educator for the past 20 years and exhibits her photography both locally and in Canada.   She enthusiastically shares her skills and experiences with photo enthusiasts.  Aside from teaching, Ellyn plans and hosts yearly photography tours in Iceland, Scotland, and Nepal.

YOU CAN TAKE GREAT PHOTOS, & We CAN HELP!

Digital photography has put an incredible hobby into the hands of billions of people around the world. Everyone at any age with any camera, phone, or tablet can learn some tricks to take their photography skills to the next level.