Two Colorado Springs-based military spouses recently joined a national cohort receiving free advanced training as professional photographers in exchange for donating their time to help transitioning service members prepare for the civilian job market.

Portraits for Patriots, a nonprofit that provides free portfolio-quality portraits for separating service members, spouses and Gold Star families, recently launched the Portraits for Patriots Academy, a self-paced online training program that provides military spouses with a full array of portrait photography skills. Participants learn advanced camera operations, studio lighting, posing techniques and much more.

They also receive a kit, worth roughly $5,000, containing professional lighting equipment, photography software and computer cables. The graduates can keep the kits for as long as they remain with the nonprofit.

“We give them everything they need to be a professional portrait photographer, except a camera and a laptop,” said Eric Stegall, founder and executive director of Portraits for Patriots.

The academy benefits the nonprofit as well as the students, Stegall said. At the conclusion of their training, participants join a nationwide network of highly skilled volunteer photographers. The graduates come away with a skill that they can take with them anywhere the military takes them.

“I’m not a military spouse, but I’ve heard the stories,” said Stegall, who established the nonprofit about seven years ago. “When you relocate, when you PCS, having to reinvent yourself everywhere you go is a huge challenge for a spouse. When you go through our program, we’re going to make you a really, really good photographer.”

As a high school teacher, academy participant Vanessa Lyttle spent years as an amateur photographer for high school band and orchestra programs. Now, with the advanced skills she’s learning from Stegall, she’s poised to turn pro.

“We’ve been stationed in four different states and overseas, and making those moves is really difficult for your career,” said Lyttle, whose husband is stationed at Fort Carson.

“As a teacher, you have to recertify every time you move to a different state. Remote jobs are hard to find; I applied to a remote job last year, and I was one of 1,300 applicants — for a single job. The next best thing is to have a skill that you can take with you from location to location, and that’s what I’m getting as part of this program.”

Sarah Firth, a Space Force spouse, said the program is an opportunity to turn her love for photography into a portable profession.

“Military life comes with unique challenges, especially for spouses like me who move frequently and are constantly reestablishing ourselves,” Firth said.

“It’s hard to find meaningful work that fits the constant change. Thanks to the Portraits for Patriots Academy, I’m learning skills that allow me to turn my passion into something portable and purposeful, no matter where life takes our family.”

Financing for the program comes mostly from its primary sponsor, Navy Federal Credit Union, with additional backing from photographic brands Elinchrom, Tether Tools and Capture One.

Portraits for Patriots started out with a camera and an idea.

About eight years ago, Stegall was a high school marching-band dad shooting photos of his daughter.

“The only reason I got a camera was to get pictures of my little girl throwing her flag in the air,” he said.

Stegall offered to make a LinkedIn profile shot for an acquaintance who was transitioning out of the military.

“It turned out OK, and a friend of his came to me and said, ‘Hey, would you do mine?’” he said.

Now, Stegall runs a nonprofit that provides a way to give back to service members, and their families, who have given so much to their country.

“When you leave the military, you’re transitioning into a life where your rank no longer matters,” he said. “You’re entering a world where you’re no longer wearing your identity on your sleeve or your collar. You have to create a new identity for yourself. We’re here to help with that.”

Because Lyttle and Firth are local, Stegall can give them hands-on training. But his online students receive top-end training as well, he said.

“When you can shoot for us, you’ve got chops,” Stegall said. “We get a great photographer, you get a transferable skill set. It’s a win-win.”

Upon completion of their training, the 10 academy graduates will join a network of Portraits for Patriots photographers, all located near military installations in the U.S. and overseas.

“We’ve got about 150 photographers,” Stegall said. “I need about 500 more.”