I would like to offer my services as a mentor to any local photographers who appreciate my work, and would like to learn from it, or work together to achieve their goals. This is open to photographers of any level. Photography has been a hobby, and since lockdown it has taken over my life somewhat. It has become a passion again and I would like to share that with anyone who wants to get better at the art of photography.
What do I mean by mentoring?
This is 1 to 1 advice, tutoring or collaboration. This can be technical, on what kind of settings, or equipment is suited to a particular genre, or helping to plan a shot or a photo walk. It could be more artistic, in terms of colour, composition, how to improve shots. It could involve a portfolio review, looking over your existing work and giving constructive critique or observations. Alternatively it could be about post processing and how to make the most of your shots.
As a person I'm more technically knowledgable in many ways than artistically. I have an eye, but it may not be similar to yours, art being often very personal. If you're looking for artistic advice, I can offer opinion, but that's all.
If you're looking for advice on being a professional photographer and how to make money, or business tips and ideas, me too.
What can I offer?
There are 2 kinds of session available.
Social
This is a walk or more social time, walking and talking about photography, with camera in hand. I'm happy to spend time with you just taking photos, doing some critique and helping you to get the most in an informal atmosphere. We can look at something specific, like equipment or settings for a particular subject, but the idea is to spend time, practising and sharing tips and tricks.
These are free, outdoors only, and could be anything from 1-3 hours, during the day, or in an evening, entirely up to you within reason, subject to availability.
In depth session
This is a deep dive into a particular problem or something you want to achieve. It may be preceded by or followed up by free sessions, but this is where we're going to focus on something and work towards an agreed goal.
These sessions I will be charging for. Each session will cost £50, and will be at least 1 hour long with a soft upper limit of 3 hours. If we're really into something and getting somewhere I'm not going to clock watch, but these sessions can be quite tiring for me as an introvert, so I don't want the quality to drop off. This could involve some time indoors, or could be virtual if we can agree on technologies.
Location
I live in a village called Harefield on the edge of London. It's accessible by public transport, and near major roads. I don't drive, and I'm not keen still on public transport post lockdown. Therefore if you live in the area, or can get to Harefield or environs, that would be ideal. I do cycle, and I'm happy to ride up to 10 miles or so to meet, but Harefield is in many ways a great place for wildlife and nature. Nearby, and well within easy reach are Stockers Lake Nature Reserve, Bayhurst Woods SSSI (where I get most of my fungi shots), (No) Dragon Wood or Black Park as well as the canals and lakes.
Experience or qualifications
I don't have any teaching qualifications per se, but I've been a photographer as a hobby for several decades, as you may tell from my first camera, a fairly new secondhand Nikkormat FT2, whose 50mm f1.4 lens I still use. I coached more than taught photography informally in the early 2000s with a local art collective, concentrating on technical details. I've mentored and taught in both my careers, both of which have aspects related to photography, and mentored a couple of aspiring photographers directly. I've managed to work in the largest companies in the UK and the world, self taught in my more recent profession so I don't consider the lack of formal qualifications a limitation.
I have done some courses in photography, NVQ level 2 from memory. The certificate is in a folder somewhere along with the photos.
Professionally I've written colour management and image management and processing systems, and I've lectured on colour theory. I was a contributor to the libtiff library, the original library for TIFF file handling, and ported libtiff to another programming language for my own use. Since lockdown photography replaced work for me, increasing from a hobby to a form of therapy, and I'm now looking to share that and possibly start to make some money from it a little. I've now started to exhibit my photos, and I a catalogue of that, as well as having done some books for friends and family if you want to see more of my work in print form.
Of course this site, and the photos it displays are also evidence of my photographic skills and acumen. Have a look round the site, read the Photo Essays and see what you think.
Privacy
I'm very strong on privacy, and a privacy advocate. Any information shared with me via email will be stored on my computer securely, and I will not share any details. I do ask you to give me a real name, and a contact (mobile email or phone number) for any meets, but again those will be stored securely and not shared. If you decide to take me up on a paid session, I will keep contact information for 6 years, as is required by law.
Similarly I expect the same respect for my privacy from you. I won't be sending you feedback form requests, or asking for recommendations or likes on social media. If you appreciate what I do, and know someone who would benefit, you can pass this website on. I won't be posting your work on social media or looking for followers, since I don't use any social media at all.
Equipment
I don't have or use a smartphone camera, and unless you invest in a specific photography app, much of what I know and can help on is going to be irrelevant. The details of things like aperture and shutter and ISO being hidden not just from the user, but also in the output through computation. I can talk about composition, and possibly some optional add-ons like supplementary lenses, but smart phones as cameras are all too often obfuscating what they are doing.
Smartphones aside almost all cameras use similar language to describe what they are doing, and often offer similar capabilities. While I use Olympus kit, I've used Contax and Nikon previously, and I'm happy to work with users of any brand, format or medium, film or digital. I'm not connected to any camera manufacturer or company, and I'm not interested in pushing any particular brand. If you decide you need extra or different equipment, like a flash for macro work, I can give opinions and point to kit I like or hear is good, but I am not in any affiliate programs or linked to any companies.
The same applies to software for post processing. I have my preferences, but I'm not dogmatic.
How to book
There is an element of trust to these things, you might think I'm some nutcase, and equally you might be booking me with an eye to a swift bump on the head and flogging some camera gear. To avoid any confusion, I'd like to exchange emails and hear something about you and your goals before we meet. Even if you have strong specific goals in mind, and want specific advice, I'd suggest a couple of social sessions first, to get to know each other photographically. You can also assess whether you think a paid session is going to be value for money.
Note if you are uncomfortable meeting me 1:1, that isn't a problem, I'm quite happy for you to bring a friend, if you are under 21 I'd strongly recommend it and if you are under 18, I'm going to insist on you having an adult along.
To contact me email
@
If all of the above sounds like something you're interested in, then I look forward to hearing from you.