In a Photographic Rut

Recently I have found myself in a bit of a photography rut, except to take a snapshot of the kids I haven’t picked up a camera in over a week. I haven’t taken a half descent photo in over a month. I’ve got to a point where I’m considering just packing it in, after all it’s not my career and I’m not making any money from photography. As much as I enjoy the process of taking pictures at the end of the day eventually you want to end up with photos that you can print and be proud of. I know I haven’t been taking photos seriously for very long (3 years) but I did think I was making progress, but now not only have I reached a plateau but I’ve sunk into a chasm, I think my photography has got worse. Every single photo I’ve taken in the last month or so has been terrible, not just by other peoples standards but by my own. There is no way I would share any of these photos online.

I don’t want to give up though, I’ve made the investment in time and cameras, I enjoy the act of taking photographs and the feeling when I produce a good one and I want to create a body of work that I can be proud of, so I’ve taken a break. For the last year or so I’ve taken a camera with me everywhere I go, but for the last week, I’ve been leaving the cameras at home, in the hope that I can come back to it and find my way again.

A Possible Solution

Yesterday I read this article by Dan K and it makes a lot of sense, basically I’ve done things the wrong way round. I’ve learnt how to use a camera from a technical stand point first and left the development of my artistic eye until last. I can take a photograph that is technically ok i.e. in focus and well exposed, but taking a photograph with any artistic merit is beyond me. Composition, meaning, vision, all the things that it takes to turn a well exposed technically good photograph into a great photograph that speaks to the viewer, this is what I need help with. I want to try and follow the advice given by Dan in his article so I want to start with Step 1, “Get An Eye For Photography”, but in the second paragraph, I already reach a stumbling block “If at all possible find a mentor, or a teacher”. I have toyed with this idea before and think it’s a good idea, but how do I go about this? How do you find a mentor? Who would want to spend their time mentoring me, a person with little discernible talent? I don’t know the answers but I hope there is someone out there willing to give it a go. Hopefully with a mentor I can continue with the rest of step 1 and the other steps in the article and improve my photography.

What I’m Looking for in a Mentor

Now that I know that I want a mentor, what sort of person am I looking for? I’m looking for someone who does street photography, whose work I admire, preferably shoots film, has the spare time and the will to mentor someone like me.

So guys, can you help me find a mentor?