THOUGHTS BY A PHOTOGRAPHER AFTER A YEARLONG MENTORSHIP
After working with hundreds of photographers in private, one-day workshops on Maui, I was inspired to create a One-Year Exclusive Mentoring Workshop & Program for those seeking to go deeper into the photographic journey.
It has been over a year and I have my first photographers finalizing their program. One recent grad is G.B. Smith. G.B. and I first met at the Four Seasons Wailea and he became a collector of my artwork. A couple of years later, he showed interest in my Mentoring Program and soon after, we launched the year with a 3-day intensive workshop.
When we began, G.B.’s photographs lacked vision, depth, mood and were on shaky ground technically. Now, just after a year of working together, G.B. is making works of art! He has found a vision, learned the technical aspects required so that the image can communicate clearly to the viewer, and most importantly - he has connected to the subjects and the process in a deeper, more meaningful way. In turn, he’s seeing a positive influence in his life.
I am so proud to present these first works by G.B. Smith.
I asked him a series of questions about his experience and wanted to share those with you below.
© G.B. Smith
You have completed the yearlong Mentoring Program. How are you feeling about your photographic path right now?: I could not be more excited about the direction of my photographic path right now. The program has not only helped me rekindle my passion for photography but has had a very positive influence on my life, causing me to step back and simplify and not just my images!
When you look back at the photos you were making before the Mentoring Program versus what you are doing now, what are your thoughts? Did the workshop meet your expectations?: Amazing! - exceeded my expectations in in all dimensions! I did not expect such a holistic and personally tailored approach. It covered all aspects of image capture and development using a wide range of teaching elements - incredibly effective, well-paced, personalized and thorough, with the right level of support and follow up - I could not have asked for more!
Did the initial 3-day Intensive workshop do a good job of laying down The Foundation for what was to come after?: Super enjoyable experience that did a terrific job in laying down the foundation for the year. A great way to introduce the key approaches that were build upon during the year - I came away really stimulated and thinking around my own photographic direction.
Did the Personalized Assignments do a good job of challenging you?: This was a great approach at least for me - allowed hands on learning and drove thoughtfulness around all aspects of the image capture and development.
G.B. photographing in Hana during initial 3-day intensive workshop.
Were the Image Reviews helpful?:
Absolutely, they really served to make me step back and think about the overall approach as well as the detail of the execution. They were always very well delivered and thoughtful and not overwhelming, but to the point and direct - which I greatly appreciated! I felt each time that I could see the learnings and really enjoyed the progress and encouragement.
You went from having no Photoshop experience to now working with Layers, luminosity masks, and blending of multiple images - is that right?: This was a really tough learning curve, I will not deny! Grasping the concepts were one thing but the practical execution was very challenging - not the least of which there are so many different tools to essentially do the same thing and knowing which ones to use when is definitely overwhelming at first.
Did you find Master Image Developing helpful (where I did the work) and showed how and why?: This was a terrific piece of learning for me - precisely the right teaching delivered at the right time in the right form. Not only that, but it has provided an invaluable reference for me that I can keep coming back to (and already have!). It has really helped solidify my understanding of many of the concepts around the molding of the clay that you have been patiently explaining all year!
I LOVE these new images and feel so proud of you for creating these works of art! Do you have any comments regarding these?: I have long been fascinated by the patterns water creates when their flows are channeled by man made architectural structures. I was drawn to this subject by the contrasting shape of the water channels, accentuated by the black and white forms and varied speeds of the flows.
© G.B. Smith
© G.B. Smith