Part 1

YOUR WHY AND OBJECTIVES

(Approx 2 hours)

This session is all about you and the purpose behind your photography. Knowing who you are as a photographer and why you are looking to develop your skills is not only helpful for the mentorship programme ahead, but also for your future growth and objectives.

This is my favourite session of the mentorship programme, as we use a coaching technique to explore your current style, what inspires you as a wildlife photographer and what are some of the reasons behind your photography pursuit.

We will also use this time to fine tune your short-term objectives for our time ahead. This is really important to me as, besides seeing you build your confidence and grow as a photographer, I want to ensure I also meet your other requirements.

Part 2

WHAT MAKES AN IMAGE GREAT?

(Approx 2 hours)

This sessions sets the scene for what makes great images and how photographers can achieve them in the field.

For a number of years on my own journey I felt I had hit a bit of a wall with my photography. I saw the images of other photographers and was in awe with what they were producing. Unfortunately I didn’t know how they were achieving their results consistently and I was battling to move forward.

This led me to research what makes great images and why certain photographers seem to have a knack of achieving them. It also led me to study the work of artists and what makes some more successful than others. I have literally analysed 1000s (if not tens of thousands of images and artworks) looking to understand if there were any themes, common techniques or secrets that I was missing out on.

This session shares with you my findings and gives you a number of practical case studies of how I have tried to implement them in my work. It was a real turning point for me and I hope it will be the same for you.

Part 3

THE KEY FOUNDATIONS

(Approx 2+ hours)

Being able to recognise where your image is on the continuum from ok to great requires both knowledge of the things to avoid and focus on, as well as developing a keen “eye for detail”. If you don’t know what you don’t know you cannot execute it in the field and once you know it you still have to spend many hours practicing so that it becomes second nature.

In this session I teach you what to pay attention to when looking through your viewfinder as well as afterwards in post processing. Knowing these key foundations and making it a habit to look out for them in the field made a huge difference to my photography.

It moved me from taking a few good images every now and then to achieving consistently good images every time I stepped out the door. These essentials ensure that there is a solid foundation in place before we move on to the more complex subject of composition and design. For every essential I provide clear examples as well as practical advice on how to achieve them in your work.

Part 4

COMPOSITION AND DESIGN

(Approx 4+ hours)

Composition and design is one of my favourite subjects to teach. Knowing enough about the elements, principles and guidelines of composition has been a key part of building my confidence as an artist. It has allowed me to become my best self-critic as well as giving me the courage to step out from the normal and show what I love. Juliette Aristides says it well “Intuition and feeling without the knowledge and judgment of design principles are a liability in art” and this part ensures you can use your intuition and feelings with confidence.

Artists and graphic designers often go to university for a few years or undertake intense and practical courses to ensure they have the deep foundations necessary to become master artists or professional designers. Why should it be any different for photographers looking to improve their craft? As much as some would like to believe that photography is all about how you feel and intuition, I would argue that this is foolhardy and that to become a master at your photography, you need to do a deep dive into composition. Although there is lots of material for this online, much of it is surface level and taught through videos.

Instant gratification is not helpful when it comes to composition and a more personal approach that allows practice and feedback is far more likely to bear fruit in your work. Take the “The Rule of thirds” for example. It is a good guideline and just about every article that talks of composition will encourage you to use it, but unfortunately it is incredibly misleading if you don’t consider it within the context of the principles of composition and other more flexible guidelines. If you don’t know how to objectively analyse your images using the principles of composition (such as balance and harmony), if you are boxed by the “rule of thirds” and a few other guidelines, if you want to know what artists understand about what makes pleasing images, then part 4 is definitely for you.

It is a 2 session, deep dive into all I know about composition and design and ends with me taking you through an analytical framework that can be used to evaluate your own work going forward. My role as mentor is to leave you with the ability to confidently evaluate your own work and be in a position to show what you love.

I have also started to integrate how design influences visual perception (i.e. why design actually works) and what our audience ends up feeling when they view our work (i.e. the actual experience).

Part 5

POST PROCESSING

(Approx 2 hours)

I prefer being out in the field and hence, have tried to eliminate as much time as possible when it comes to post processing. In this session we will look at my post processing workflow and how I edit images 95% of the time.

We will then look at some useful tips and tools I use to achieve creative images and ensure I present the best possible version of my photographs for fine art prints as well as submission to competitions. The session ends with a summary of my do’s and don’ts and how I evaluate photographs when part of a competition judging panel.

This session will not teach you the technical side of post processing as there are many helpful courses for lightroom and photoshop online. It will however share with you what I do and the most useful tools I use to do it. This in itself should help point you in the right direction as well as give you the necessary confidence that you know enough to move forward with presenting great images.

Part 6

THE WONDER OF CREATIVITY

(Approx 2+ hours)

In this session we explore what is meant by creativity and how as photographers we can set the table for success as well as use camera settings, tools and presentation techniques to produce work that is new and valuable. The session provides a holistic view of creativity and provides practical, real life case studies to show how it can come alive in your own work. We explore the practical as well as the spiritual and look at how certain attitudes and ways of being can have a significant influence on how you reach your potential as an artist.

Whether it is interesting considerations for time in the field, using different perspectives and ways of presenting your work or how to make the most of your camera’s versatility, you should leave this session with a very solid foundation to work from.

In a world where technology and artificial intelligence is levelling the playing field, soon all that will be left is our ability to be creative.

Part 7

YOUR PORTFOLIO

(Approx 2 hours)

In this part we bring together everything we have learnt to build your best portfolio of images. The selection process itself is an awesome learning experience and I will walk with you as we select how best to compose and present your work.

Getting someone else to give you other options and things to consider is a wonderful way to grow as a photographer. I do it every year when selecting my top 20 images and have learnt so much from the input of others.

Part 8

YOUR NEXT STEPS

(Approx 1.5 hours)

Sadly, this is our last session together and we look back on what you have learnt, see how it has changed your thinking and where you feel you want to go next as an artist.

It is primarily a coaching session but will also be used to close any gaps you may have or double click on any of the topics we have covered where you feel you need more input.