mentor

All posts tagged mentor

How to Find a Mentor

Posted by scottbourne on January 16, 2010
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials, Tips. Tagged: .

A few days ago I wrote a post about mentors. Many of you contacted me to ask for advice on locating a mentor. Here are a few tips.

1. Join professional and amateur photo associations and clubs. This gives you access to people who might know more about photography than you do.
2. Look for examples. Which photographers are doing the kind of work you like? These are prospects for mentorship.
3. Volunteer to assist working pros. Establish your willingness to help them first. Then you win the right to be heard when it comes time for you to ask for help.
4. Have a positive attitude. Professional photographers who are approached by know-it-alls are probably not going to be very excited about taking time from their busy days to help a grumpy person.
5. Ask for referrals. If you know someone who works closely with or for a photographer you’d like to mentor you, ask that person for a referral. This is often a way to fast track your way to mentorship.
6. Use online tools. Meetups for photographers might yield access to mentors.
7. Put yourself out there. Show your work, show your work, show your work. If successful photographers see your work they might even volunteer to work with you if you offer something important or unique.
8. Be realistic. Don’t expect Joe McNally to drop everything and mentor you. Find a local person who’s successful at photography and ask them for help. Locals are more likely to help than nationally-known super stars who already have a full plate.
9. Look outside photography. Maybe you need sales, marketing or business help. In this case someone with photo experience would be nice, but not absolutely necessary.
10. Have a clear set of goals. Don’t expect someone to mentor you if you don’t know what you want to accomplish with the relationship. Have a plan.
_______________
This post sponsored by the Digital SLR Store

Have You Got A Mentor?

Posted by scottbourne on January 13, 2010
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: .

I’ve had a mentor or two. My first mentor, Mr. Russell was a long-time newspaper photographer. He was never famous or fancy. Back then, photographers didn’t tour on a speaker’s circuit or sell DVDs. Mr. Russell just made his living taking photographs for the newspaper, telling stories with his camera, day in/day out and occasionally taking pity on a snot-nosed kid like me. He was one of the best photographers I ever met. Still is. While I didn’t know it back then, he was very gifted both as a photographer and a mentor.

Later in life, Arthur Morris spent a brief time mentoring me as an avian photographer. Without his help, I would have never risen so quickly to the top of the wildlife photographer pool. Artie taught me the importance of keeping my back to the light, finding the right wind direction and knowing everything I can about my subjects.

I’ve also had plenty of teachers who wouldn’t quite be called mentors, but who still taught me a great deal.

Mentors help you learn the value of your mistakes, and give you exposure to ideas you’d spend years trying to find on your own. They help you establish a solid foundation and build up a rapport as you work toward the common goal of developing into the best photographer you can be.

If you’re starting out, finding a mentor can speed your progress ten-fold. If you’re really lucky, you’ll have multiple mentors, which gives you the chance to hear different perspectives.

If you’re a seasoned professional, consider mentoring. I’ve been mentoring since 1996 and once in a while, one of my proteges really excels. Gary Hamburgh comes to mind. I’m working with a few young photographers right now. While I am pretty sure the process is helping them, I know it’s helping me. As an old war horse, it’s very cool for me to see the young folk “get it.” When the “a-ha moment” comes, I get a reminder of how great and exciting photography can be.

If you don’t have a mentor, find one. Even if it’s for a short time. Looking at the world through someone else’s eyes who has more experience than you do will make you a better photographer, one way or the other.

_______________
This post sponsored by the Digital SLR Store