Chicago: A Recap of my Mentor Series Experience
Check out some of my favorite photographs from my Mentor Series trip to Chicago on my flickr account! All Photographs are for sale and I will also be entering a few into local galleries. Additionally I will be putting some on my ETSY account shortly.
Chicago Mentor Sereis: August 10-12, 2012
Earlier this summer I got a phone call from my father who asked me if I would be interested in going on a Mentor Series workshop to Chicago. Two things came to mind (1) I could hang out with just me and my dad which doesn’t happen very often and (2) Travel to a new place. I replied with an emphatic excited YES!
The Mentor Series is put together by Popular Photography magazine and they do Photo Treks all over the world. I wasn’t sure what to expect but knew I was in for an experience. This trek was an intense three day workshop of shooting around the city on a double decker bus, a boat, and on our feet. We ran around the city with our amazing mentor Reed Hoffman who was there to provide a plethora of information and knowledge on Nikon cameras, lighting, composition, and challenged all of us to go outside our comfort zones. Every night when we got back to the hotel we edited 5 photos which were then critiqued by Reed the following day. The final day we had a show and all of us presented up to five of our favorite photographs (It was amazing to see all the different perspectives).
Not only did I get to hang out with my father, who also loves taking pictures, but I met some wonderful Trekers who also have a passion for photography. Many of them are repeaters and have taken other Treks around the world and all were super friendly and warm and were open to sharing their knowledge. Additionally Erica Johnson was our Trek lead and she made our experience seamless when there were a few changes on the trip.
I can’t even begin to explain how much I learned on this trip as both a photographer as well as a personal journey! And I can’t wait for the next Trek! If you want to push your boundaries and get outside your confort zone, learn about your camera, lighting, subject matter, backgrounds and meet wonderful like minded people, I highly recommend signing up for one of these Mentor Series. I KNOW I’m a better photographer because of this experience and it has helped me see the world behind my lens forever differently.