Photography Mentoring: The Benefits of Learning from a Professional Photographer

The true benefits of photography mentoring are unmeasurable. Having a professional photographer share their knowledge and skills with you is a great way to accelerate learning.

Today, everyone is a photographer. It has become such an integral part of our lifestyle and how we communicate. It’s so easy to grab your phone and take a quick snapshot to send a friend. This is often quicker and easier than describing some things. But just because technology can make taking photos easy, it does not mean they are any good.

Becoming a professional photographer is more challenging than ever. Everyone has a phone camera, but not everyone has learned how to be a photographer. There’s a lot more to taking a picture well than holding your phone or camera at the right angle.

Professional photographers have studied, either at a school, a college, or on the job. They must know how to use the tools of their trade to capture photos of any subject in any situation. Some are guarded about sharing how they do this. Others love to teach and make it known that there are no real secrets in photography.

Learning photography from a mentor will encourage you and enable you to become the best photographer you can be.

Learning Photography ‘Language’ with a Mentor

“Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.”

– Ansel Adams

Every modern camera is easy to use on one of the many auto modes they have. But, because a camera is easy to use, it will not necessarily make you a more creative photographer.

You will be more creative the more you have to engage your brain with photography. When we have someone more experienced to guide us, learning photography is not only more enjoyable it’s also more efficient.

We learn language from our mothers when we are young. This is why we call our first language our mother tongue. We heard our mother’s voice most often. Even if she was not directly teaching us, we would hear her talking throughout the day. We became familiar with the language.

We were unaware of syntax and semantics in the language. Our mothers probably never sat us down to teach us grammar. But we managed to learn our first language from her. Through mimicking and because of a strong desire to make ourselves understood, we learned. Our mothers provided everything we needed for us to learn our language.

Up until the industrialization era, people learned everything from family members. The songs they sang, the games they played, and the stories they told. The means to provide clothing, food, and shelter, were all learned from family. Artistic expression and the whole creative process were also passed down from one generation to the next.

The Learning Connection

You can learn anything you like if you have an internet connection. But learning from sites like Youtube or Udemy is so limiting. There’s little or no personal connection with the teacher. You’ll certainly pick up some tips and tricks, but with little or no direct feedback.

This limited communication hinders how much you can learn. Without the interaction and being able to ask questions when you’re struggling, the learning process will be incomplete.

I love fresh bread, so I’ve been baking it for years. I’m not very adventurous in my baking though. I stick to a few recipes that I’m successful with.

Last month I experimented with a different bread recipe. I found one I wanted to try while watching Youtube. The recipe was provided on the tutor’s website. I added the ingredients and followed the written steps the instructor provided.

In the video, the instructor said to knead the dough until it was the same as she’d shown us. This was difficult. I could not feel the dough in the video. Was my dough moist enough? Was it too sticky? Was it airy enough? I was not sure and could not get my questions answered.

When you are learning anything and can communicate with your teacher your learning experience will be more complete. This is particularly helpful when you’re stuck on an issue or are lacking creative direction.

Even though I was not sure about my dough, my bread turned out well. Whether you’re still learning the basics, or have some experience, you’ll benefit from having your questions answered. No matter what you are studying.

Studying With A Photography Mentor

You’ll undoubtedly learn more from a teacher who has years of experience. Learning with a photography mentor gives you a much richer experience than watching Youtube or taking an online course.

With a photography mentor, you’ll receive guidance about style and concepts. You’ll receive feedback about your photos which will help you learn to improve your techniques and methods. You’ll also learn how the photography mentor expresses themselves through their photographs. This is something that cannot be easily explained or expressed. It takes a relationship and a lot of discussions.

Both my parents were creative. They were not professional photographers. But I have fond memories of my father getting his camera out to take portraits of us.

My mother was always teaching us creative things. School holidays would be spent painting, making cane baskets, and sewing. We’d make puppets and put on shows. We visited craft shows where my mother was demonstrating spinning, weaving, or cake decorating. This artistic exposure influenced me and eventually, I ended up with a camera in my hands. This is what I love the most.

My great grandfather, Fred Cooper, was a professional photographer. He started back in 1888 as an 18-year-old working at a photography studio in Christchurch, New Zealand. At the age of 19, he became the first person to ever photograph Mt. Cook, which is New Zealand’s highest peak.

“A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart, leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective.” ~ Irving Penn

Make the Most of Learning Photography with a Mentor

Finding a good photography mentor online is easy. Doing this will improve your photography learning experience. For sure, you can learn a lot from watching videos and reading articles. I create these things myself to help teach others photography. But studying with a photography mentor will provide you with a much richer experience.

When you learn with a photography mentor, you will dive much deeper into many aspects of photography. You’ll have your questions answered. You’ll be challenged. Your eyes will be opened to seeing in new ways.

Please check out my photography mentorship program on my By Me A Coffee page. Click on the Membership button. Here you will see the various opportunities available, from image critiques to a full mentoring program.

Here’s another article I’ve written about photography mentoring: Photography Mentorship Program