Mentors

<p>Do you have one? Wish you had one? Need one?I don't and I wish I did. </p>

<p>Never had one, and wish I had missed one, because I'm sure, I have needed one, long ago..</p>

<p>Odd. I posted this in Philosophy of Photography, and it ends up Casual? Puzzling.</p>

<p><strong>"</strong>What is the Philosophy of Photography? It's more about the "why" of photography then the "how". It encompasses ethical, aesthetic and sociological aspects of the subject."</p>

<p>My question in any event was to ask what sort of aesthetic, ethical and sociological impact would a mentor bring to your photography, if any? </p>

<p>That's a "how" question, not a "why" question. </p>

<p>I have acted as a mentor to young professionals on several occasions at their request. The primary function of a mentor is to help young artists produce the work THEY want to do - better (NOT turn the young artists into clones of the mentor). The main ways of doing this are to pass on knowledge it would otherwise take time to acquire and above all be a sounding board for ideas, a second pair of eyes and a positive critic (i.e discussing ways to make things better, NOT interpreting criticism as meaning finding something negative to say).</p>

<p>Having a personal mentor would be great, I think, depending of course upon his competency in positively affecting our development (not all educators or mentors are created equal).</p>

<p>How about yearly or semi-annual salons or other competitions where you can profit from the comments of other artists and the 2 or 3 judges? They may not be closely linked to your own development but you can often profit from their reaction to your works, provided you are able to separate sincere opinions and evaluations from the loaded ones. In the absence of a mentor, one approach I took two years ago was to engage with two others in a gallery art projdct (common theme) and while their media were different (sculptor, painter) the discussions with them had some good effect on my approach and what I might additionally consider or improve in the process of preparing work for the small exhibition. You might want to try something like that.</p>

<p>I had a mentor, a LIFE magazine photographer whose path crossed mine by accident, and whose generosity, insights and wisdom I can only repay by mentoring other artists and putting energy back in the arts community.</p>

<p>I think everyone needs a mentor or <em>guru</em> of some sort early in life to excel at most things. They open doors or at least tell you what doors to open as much as pass along practical trade craft.<br>

Think about who YOU could mentor. You would no doubt seek some large satisfaction in being a reliable and welcome inspiration to a special person. Are you special? Would someone of excellent reputation want to see you succeed? <br>

I found even a small bit of sincere encouragement from an admired person very motivating. Once you have made "eye contact" with them you have been mentored. You think of yourself differently thereafter.</p>

<p>Some interesting responses here. In my own case, I'd like to find that person who could review my quests and help interpret the path of getting there. Not from a craft perspective, but rather the art and it's direction. I know the perfect person, be he lives much to far away to have frequent enough contact. I'd like to sit and look at prints and talk about where this is going. Can't do that by email or phone.</p>

<p>I think I could progress faster, and avoid some blind alleys with such a person of those capabilities. I actually haven't asked anyone yet. I am sure there are plenty of qualified people in, or around, the organizations I already belong to. I was hoping something might evolve naturally. Since that hasn't happened, I'll have to push the process along.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I've had a mentor and the reason it has worked so well is TRUST. Also, he's never given me specific answers but challenged me to come up with my own solutions and voice. He's known when to push and when not to, balanced praise with criticism, and is an inspirational photographer himself, though doing pretty different stuff from me. Some has been technical stuff, more about vision and art. We talk stuff out a lot.</p>

<p>As a kid I was very fortunate to be encouraged in photography and mentored by various folks. Besides the local camera club, my stepfather let me tag along on his film productions (he did PSAs, training/educational and industrial films). One of the still photographers on set was very patient with my questions. He explained the fundamentals and even let me shoot a couple of rolls with his Pentax Spotmatic, and offered constructive critiques and pointers about composition and lighting after we processed and printed the photos. After that my stepdad even let me shoot the stills on a couple of jobs when I was only 13 - I still have a few of the slides from that stuff, from around 1970. My photos aren't much better now than they were 40 years ago. But not for lack of mentoring.</p>

<p>When I studied journalism in college I was incredibly fortunate to have been mentored and encouraged by Kayte Steinert-Threlkeld (TCJC-NW), John Dycus and Dorothy Estes (UT-Arlington). I pursued newspaper reporting for only a few years, but their influence was a gift that has lasted a lifetime and made me a more critical thinker and better writer.</p>

<p>I never had one. I would have been nice. I think that's why I go on photo forums, to offer advice to others and hopefully help them avoid the mistakes that I made.</p>

<p>Great story Lex. I wonder if we don't have the social time anymore?</p>

<p>How do we differentiate between a mentor and a teacher? or are they one and teh same, just a language issue?<br>

I had my training at a university, so would i count those who taught me as mentors?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>How do we differentiate between a mentor and a teacher?</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br /><br>

Teachers generally work inside a structure, like the classroom, or a syllabus. Mentors tend to be regarded as people who may perform a function with similar value but in a more unstructured way.</p>

<p>I had a mentor, a widely published photographer, for a number of years. I found him by putting up a small website with my photos (this was before photo.net existed, which provides a reasonable venue for photos) and asking him to critique my photos when I happened to notice his severely critical style. I expected to be demolished with criticism, instead he turned out to be a mentor for many years. I finally met him after around five years of online discussion and sending him some prints. He was a tremendous influence on me even though his photos are completely different than mine.</p>

<p>As a result, I have always worked with anyone who sees my photos and asks for help. </p>

<p>For someone looking for a mentor, I think posting photos online is the best way to get some response and find the right person to help. There is no need these days to have to sit in person with someone. </p>

<p>Jeff Spirer: that's all and good ,even online that is very hard to find anyone to give honest critique of your Photos such as, you could crop diffidently or re-size it, lighten an area, take another shot of this, other things that one needs to improve their work: </p>

<p>I have found, on both sides, that finding someone online and having one-on-one discussions works as well as anything in person. Sometimes better, people will say things in the less intimate setting of an online discussion that they might sugarcoat in person.<br>

<br />However, I don't think that things like cropping are what make for good mentoring in the long term. Most of my discussions with my mentor were about what I was doing and how to make it more cohesive. Occasionally it veered into specific approaches to images, but rarely into what to crop, etc. Instead, because it was a mentoring situation rather than "critiquing," he would ask me to think about what was in the photo and to explain why what was in there was important. In my view, that's what a real mentor should do, help to understand how to think about photos and translate those thoughts into better photos. I try to follow his example, often talking about dealing with specific lighting situations (very common as a lot of people come to me for help with concert photos) rather than than the specifics of one photo.</p>

<p>Richard John Edwards,<br>

I use the terms mentor and teacher quite differently, although many people interchange them. I think of teaching as primarily a technical matter, where a specific body of knowledge or specific craft is to be communicated. I consider a mentor more in line with a guide, where a broader journey is planned. It may often involve such things as advice on how to overcome one's own fear of something, to name but one example.</p>

<p>For that reason, I wouldn't find it very useful to communicate via email, let's say. There's no substitute (in my world) for face-to-face conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. Body language itself is half the communication. Someone who has been through their own art journey has more to impart than simply a photo critique.</p>

<p>Much (most even?) of art is unrelated to the specific craft and techniques. It's a problem of the heart and mind. Thanks for bringing up that question Richard.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Someone who has been through their own art journey has more to impart than simply a photo critique.</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br />Doesn't sound like you read what I posted.</p>

<p>Manuel Alvarez Bravo, generally acknowledged to be one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, sent his portfolio to Edward Weston. The only possible response was a letter, there was no other way for the two of them to communicate at the time. Many great artists, writers and photographers have been mentored by people they haven't met, it's not uncommon. It's about the right relationship, not the specific method of communication.</p>

<p>I would add that what I have learned the most from face-to-face conversations with great photographers has more to do with the limits of human alcohol consumption than photography. Similarly, if I were a writer in the late 1940s, sending a manuscript to Hemingway would result in far better mentoring than visiting him in Cuba, which would have led to liver damage.</p>

<p>Recently I started going to a neighborhood camera club. They have reviews where you bring in a couple of photos and club members comment on them how to improve them etc. Once a month they have a "pro" rate pictures as part of a contest. There are other learning experiences. I haven't asked, but there are guys there who have long experience in photography who I'm sure would be helpful f I asked. So local camera/photo clubs might be a way to get that mentoring.</p>

<p>Alan Klein,<br>

Yes. I am in a camera club too. Like yours, we do photo critiques as a regular meeting feature. It is both useful and entertaining as a group activity. We keep the public critique rather genteel for obvious reasons of club comraderie. And naturally, in that forum we stay on topic - specific photographs - without delving into people's inner souls! :-)</p>

<p>And yes, there's a few steady and wise folk there who might fit the bill. Thanks for the suggestion.</p>

<p> </p>

<p><em>So local camera/photo clubs might be a way to get that mentoring.</em><br>

Camera clubs are (or can be) a great place to learn basic technique and improve the technical quality you obtain with your camera. They are absolutely the last place to go for advice on how to make it as a pro or how to make a truly original visual statement.</p>

An acquaintance asked me to stop by his camera club meeting 7-8 years ago. It was very formal.

Ultimately, I found the experience extremely stifling and controlling. Couldn't wait to get out. Way too

much tweed for me.