TPF Mentoring

[pixmedic]

yes? no? maybe?

Just went and looked at the mentoring list.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/beyond-basics/125099-official-mentors-bio-list.html

pretty sparse. good people, but few in number. (assuming they are still interested in mentoring of course, and haven't just forgotten about it)
i haven't seen it mentioned in a looong time. and MLeek was the last person i remember actively mentoring.
so..just in case there's anyone around that wants to BE a mentor, hopefully Overread is still managing that section.
going from the last post...you might call this a zombie thread, but I think that its a really great concept, and worthy of dragging back into the light to see if it cant be resuscitated with a little TPF CPR. Come on TPF, we can save this one!

 

[runnah]

You could have just asked me to mentor you, no thread needed.

 

[pixmedic]

You could have just asked me to mentor you, no thread needed.

your sheer grandeur and awesomeness make you a little unapproachable. its intimidating. i figured a more subtle approach was needed to lure you in.

 

[Overread]

GAH I knew I forgot something!

The mentors scheme is still running and all the mentors listed are still fully active! Indeed I pruned the list only a month or so ago of anyone who wasn't still interested (or simply never got back to me and is thus offsite for the while). Anyone wanting to be a mentor can still contact me with a bio to be put up

 

[pixmedic]

GAH I knew I forgot something!

The mentors scheme is still running and all the mentors listed are still fully active! Indeed I pruned the list only a month or so ago of anyone who wasn't still interested (or simply never got back to me and is thus offsite for the while). Anyone wanting to be a mentor can still contact me with a bio to be put up

glad to hear it! hopefully a little advertising for it will drum up some new business.

 

[480sparky]

glad to hear it! hopefully a little advertising for it will drum up some new business.

I agree..... I think it's the forums best kept secret as well as one of it's best assets.

 

[terri]

I think it's the forums best kept secret

That's cause Overread is a slacker. :sillysmi:

 

[runnah]

I want sparky to teach me the basics of home wiring rather than photography.

 

[Photographiend]

Wait what? There are Mentors here? :shock: Whooooooa... I want one!

 

[Overread]

I think it's the forums best kept secret

That's cause Overread is a slacker. :sillysmi:

I think I'm just starting to get immune to whipping

 

[480sparky]

I think it's the forums best kept secret

That's cause Overread is a slacker. :sillysmi:

I think I'm just starting to get immune to whipping

Been running around with Mish?

 

[sm4him]

Wow, that list has been pared WAY down!

The TPF mentor program is such an awesome idea and a great opportunity to learn from some highly skilled individuals. I just wish that more of those who are really *qualified* to BE a mentor would put their name in the hat!
I realize there are a lot of reasons that some don't/can't participate--it can be quite time-consuming, for one thing. But it is a tremendous way for "noobs" to get some one-on-one help, and it's also a great program for those who are struggling in a particular area, like lighting; or those who want to learn a new type of photography--portrait photography, sports, macro, etc.

Can we have an election and VOTE people in as mentors? Draft them, maybe? :lmao:

In all seriousness--it's a great program, but since there are so few "official" mentors, I'll add this: I didn't really USE the *official* TPF mentor program, but I do have a few people that I kind of "latched" onto. Most of them were people who are NOT on the official list--except for Sparky. And I'll just say--Sparky rocks!! Wait, no...not Sparky's rocks...those are actually his gramma's rocks, you know...Sparky is incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and just generally awesome. He called me and walked me through doing HDR, even set up a remote session so he could actually use MY computer to show me how to use the program I'd installed. Yeah, okay, there WAS that weird big transaction that mysteriously appeared in my bank account the day after he'd had control of my computer... :lmao: Kidding!!

Most of the people whom I consider to be my "mentors," past or present, weren't found through the Mentor Program though, so if you don't find someone currently on the program's "official" list, don't be shy about contacting someone through PM and asking for help.
I generally found people who'd shown at least SOME level of interest in my work, and who were clearly more skilled in that area than I was (that part isn't really that hard, as criteria goes), and then I contacted them and asked questions. Annoyed the daylights out of some of them.
Others were a more sporadic kind of "relationship" but they still helped me tremendously.
Bitter helped me learn to be much more comfortable in my experiments with abstracts. Sometimes they work for me and sometimes they don't, but at least I have a more solid vision when I create them now.
Charlie (CGibson)--Well, Charlie and Sparky are the closest to what I'd call real MENTORS in my photography. So, you can blame them for the fact that I'm still an amateur hack. :lmao: Seriously--Charlie is the sole reason that my photography in general, and my macro and bird photography specifically, have improved dramatically over what they were just about a year ago.
MLeek--MLeek helps(helped??? Where IS she???) just about anyone that asks and demonstrates a willingness to work at it. She was a tremendous help to getting some reasonably decent soccer shots pretty quickly when I started shooting my niece's games last year, and I was REALLY hoping to bug her to death about portrait photography this year...

I left a few off the list--coastalconn, Scott Craig, and others--who are always happy to answer any questions they can if you PM them. Thanks all!! (Uh-oh. Now people are starting to see that I've sucked WAY more OUT of TPF, in the way of benefit to me, than what I've actually contributed myself...maybe I should delete all that... )

My point is--pick one of those mentors that are listed. But if none of those listed seem like a fit for you, LOOK for someone who IS, and ASK them. Worst they can say is NO (well, that's NOT really the "worst" they can say--I've seen some of THOSE threads. But the worst they can say still ultimately boils down to "No." :lmao: ).

 

[480sparky]

......Yeah, okay, there WAS that weird big transaction that mysteriously appeared in my bank account the day after he'd had control of my computer.............

If you like, I could take that $100,000 back out of your account.

......... He called me and walked me through doing HDR, even set up a remote session so he could actually use MY computer to show me how to use the program I'd installed. .........

FYI: The setup is called CrossLoop. It allows two computers to be directly linked over the innernets so both of us were seeing the same thing on our separated-by-700-mile monitors. We then chatted via cell phones, so sm4him could watch exactly what I was doing because I was basically working on her computer instead of mine. CrossLoop is FREE, and works well enough for the purpose. Only problem is for anyone with dial-up, you need to 'talk' using a word processor on-screen.

 

[Overread]

Also don't forget to ask questions in threads themselves - if someone comments and you don't get it or want more explanation ask - quite a few people leave quite shot comments; but if asked will often open up with far more depth, but you have to ask to get it.

And yes the list is cut way down, there were quite a few who simply slipped away from the forums and who were simply not around any more, so whilst they were on the list they were no longer replying to pms and such. The current list is much more active and I've been meaning (and forgetting) to put some fresh fire behind it to get some more mentors on board.

Remember anyone can mentor, there is no examination; all you have to bring to the table are the skills you have and a willingness to teach those skills to others.

 

[nmoody]

I took advantage of the mentor list a while ago and its been great! My mentor has been extremely helpful and I have greatly improved since starting. We have some real nice people on this forum so take advantage of it.