Tip #2: Mentoring and Being Mentored

If you are an experienced photographer, you more than likely had at least one mentor at some point in your career. You might even be a mentor to one or more photographers now. If you are beginning your career, however, you should seriously consider the option of being mentored by someone you look up to.

There is a very interesting association specifically for this purpose: http://www.youngphotographersalliance.org/programs/mentoring.php

Whether you are stumped about lighting, model coaching, marketing, networking, printing, location scouting, or any other topic you should know about, there is someone willing to help you who has done these things for many years. When you are searching around, please keep in mind that nobody is unreachable with the right amount of determination, persistence, and professionalism. So, where do you look? You’ve probably already seen a few names in high-end magazines, but another great resource is browsing the top photo rep websites around the world. I will speak soon about photo reps. In the meantime, here are a few links for you to check out:

• http://models.com/agencies/PhotoRep
• http://www.topphotographers.net/
• http://www.jedroot.com/photo-main.php
• http://www.top-fashion-photographers.info/

As we all know, the economy is poor, but it seems to be coming around. So, this time more than ever, we need that little bit of extra reassurance that we are on the right track. Even though we might believe we are doing all the right things, the work might not be coming in like it used to. Sometimes I wonder how the world’s greats came to be who they are today, and it is difficult to imagine (if not impossible) that they did not have at least one helping hand along the way.

Personally, I have been mentoring an array of photographers over the past two years. Some are more driven than others, but it’s always encouraging to think that the photographer(s) I am helping may become the next great artist. Build your good karma. It always comes back to help you. It may be tomorrow or it might be ten years from now, but it will come back. At the same time, I still speak with a few photographers who helped mentor me when I was beginning. They have been shooting for a couple of decades and are always there to help. It’s from them that I truly learned to “PAY IT FORWARD”.

So, if you are beginning your career, I highly suggest to seek out those that inspire you. And if you are at a point in your career where you can help others, it is a very rewarding and exciting thing to do.

Cheers and happy shooting,

Kyle Goldie - www.KyleGoldie.com