MENTORSHIP

Several years back I was approach by various new professional photographers in Toronto and the GTA who asked me about being a mentor.  I was honoured at the request and since teaching is a second passion of mine, promptly began working with these talented individuals.

Flash forwad to the present: I am now offering a variety of mentorship options for new photographers who are looking at taking their small businesses to a new level.

Before deciding which mentoring option is best for you, here are a few important pieces of information that you must know:

• We gear our mentorships to those who already have considerable knowledge in photography – we do not teach photography basics and expect you to know how to shoot in manual and how to use an hot shoe flash.
• We do not provide any gear during our mentorships; you must always bring your own (including laptops for editing)
• Our specialties are weddings and engagements; we only mentor within our specialty.
• We accept only a limited number of mentorships from photographers who reside and/or work within the Greater Toronto Area – if you are interested in any of our mentorship options and work and/or live in the GTA, please email us immediately and we can confirm whether or not there is a wait list.
• Mentorship involves constructive criticism and feedback; you must be willing to accept feedback with an open mind if you want to get the most out of your mentorship.
• If you are interested in a mentorship, please email us and we will send you a short quiz to complete.  This quiz will help us understand what your focus and goals are and help us determine whether or not we think you are a good fit for our mentorships.  Yes, it sounds harsh, I know, but we do this for two very important reasons:
  • Many new photographers are not yet at a level where personalized mentorship will benefit them; some may still benefit from broad topic group classes first
  • Some photographers may have a style that differs so much from our own that we may feel like a mentorship with us is not a wise investment on their part (Yes, we are honest like that!  We are not just here to take anyone’s hard earned money.)
• Mentorship fees do not cover the cost of your travel, accomodations or other expenses that you may incur
• Mentorship is not available to anyone who is currently or will be offering mentorship sessions of their own at any point in the future

Portfolio & Website Review

• A thorough online portfolio and website written review
• As many questions as you would like to ask during a 2-hour Skype or phone chat
• Fee of $150 for portfolio and website reviews
• SALE!  50% off!  Fee for Portfolio & Website Review is $75 for a  limited time only.

One-on-One 1-Day Weekend Mentorship

• Up to 10 hours of mentorship in 1 day
• Every mentorship session is unique as no two photographers have identical needs.  Our typical 1-day mentorship includes:
  • Begins with a discussion of your business plan and goals followed by a portfolio review
  • Any questions you have can be asked – nothing is off limits!
  • A short engagement session will be arranged to work on posing, choosing the best light and client interactions
  • Editing and workflow to be discussed post-session
  • A brief review of social media and how it can benefit your business
  • A delicious meal (because you can’t work on an empty stomach!)
• If there are topics you wanted to add/remove, all mentorships can be personalized!
• A $500 fee applies to 1-day mentorships

One-on-One 2-Day Weekend Mentorship

• Up to 10 hours of mentorship per day for 2 consecutive days (Saturdays and Sunday only)
• Every mentorship session is unique as no two photographers have identical needs.  Our typical 2-day mentorship includes:
  • Begins with a discussion of your business plan and goals followed by an indepth portfolio review
  • Website and blog analysis with discussion on SEO and your presence on the web
  • Advertising techniques for small businesses
  • Any questions you have can be asked – nothing is off limits!
  • An engagement session will be arranged to work on posing, choosing the best light and client interactions
  • Editing critiques from the engagement session plus coaching on editing processes and workflow
  • A review of social media and it’s benefits on your business
  • A delicious meal (because you can’t work on an empty stomach!)
• If there are topics you wanted to add/remove, all mentorships can be personalized!
• A $850 fee applies to the 2-day mentorship

 

Long-term Mentorship (a.k.a. Internship)

Our long term mentorship programs are more similar to internships than mentorships.  The long-term mentorship program involves an aspiring photographer working with us in a 2nd shooter position over a course of time until their goals are met.

Although you’ll be in a 2nd shooter position, you will not be there to carry bags or set-up lights!  You will be there shooting the entire time!  Since you’ll be at live weddings, you’ll get to experience the day unfold naturally and learn to deal with all the intricacie of a real wedding day (these are things that cannot be taught in any classroom or in any type of workshop).  Furthermore, the students can use these images as part of their portfolio provided the proper release forms and agreements have been signed (please feel free to email us if you would like more information on this).

There is no fee for the long-term mentorship program as it works on a quid pro quo basis: for every wedding and/or engagement session you shoot with me as a mentoree, you are to shoot the same amount of sessions as an independent 2nd shooter upon completion of your goals in the mentorship program.  Due to the incredible value that long-term mentorship offers, the quid pro quo agreement is carefully detailed in a joint agreement and contract and includes penalty fees for the agreement being terminated prematurely.

Entering a long-term mentorship is a little more tricky than signing up for the other mentorship options.  Here’s what you need to know about our long-term mentorships:

• We only allow up to 3 individuals to be on active long-term mentorship at a time
• There is currently a wait list for long-term mentorships but we will be happy to put your name on the wait list if we believe you are a good fit for it.
• We also include an in-person interview prior to accepting new long-term mentorship applicants as our personalities
• You must either use professional series lenses and camera bodies or rent the appropriate gear prior to any wedding or engagement session with us
• Preference is given to those who do live and/or work beyond the GTA
• We reserve the right to terminate any long term mentorship without penalty if we feel like the mentoree is no longer an appropriate fit for the program

 

If you are interested in any of our mentorship options, please email us at info[at]ten2tenphotography.com and we will begin our discussions!