The Mentoring Experience, by Indigo Editorial

It can really be a vulnerable thing to put yourself out there as a creative. To say this is my work, this is something I love, and I need help because I am new at it. I am lucky because when I realized I wanted to go deeper into photography, I had Sydney by my side.

I had previously met Sydney because we worked in the same building when I was an editorial intern for Clemson. They housed all of us creatives in the same building, so Sydney and her photography team were just downstairs from me. We didn’t interact much as our schedules and assignments were opposite, but with many relationships in life, one conversation led to what I hope will become years of work together and friendship.

Back before I even owned a camera or dreamed of that, Sydney had to take my headshots for the department. I was extremely uncomfortable in front of the camera, but she helped me relax. We told jokes, and when I received my photos I was really impressed at how she had actually captured some candids of my laughing. Fast forward to a year later, I decided I wanted to pursue photography, and I needed an internship, so I emailed the only photographer I really knew; Sydney.

When we had our first meeting, I wasn’t even using the settings on my camera correctly.

I had taken photos a few times for the campus newspaper (my other job) but never done a photoshoot. Immediately Sydney knew what to do. She gently came down to my level and taught me everything. We sat in a coffee shop for hours as I learned what each symbol on my camera meant, what turning this dial would do, and what pushing that button would do. I didn’t even know how to edit. I had been taking photos for a few months, but the concept of using software to edit photos was something entirely foreign to me. Sydney was so patient with me and my aging laptop. We went through every single element of Adobe Lightroom and what each toggle would change. And now, I book my own clients, and I have presets I made.

I came so incredibly far in the mere matter of one summer, and I credit it a lot to the way I learned. Sydney will tell you it’s because I was ready and had the ability, but I will tell you it was because she was there with me every step of the way.

Sydney was so prepared to teach. “I’ve discovered it [teaching] is something I really love,” she told me, and the love she has for the craft and mentoring is evident through the time she puts into mentoring younger photographers.

Any time I had a question, Sydney was there. And she didn’t just hand me the answers. She knew I knew what to do, she was just there as a guide, and so I learned. Every helpful piece of information Sydney gave me became a habit that I ingrained into my routine behind the camera. “Look at what you’re shooting,” “Don’t be afraid to speak up,” “Don’t be afraid to try an idea.”

“Don’t be afraid”

“Don’t be afraid” is a huge thing I gained from my (still ongoing) time with Sydney. I lacked so much confidence when she first met me. I had never interacted with a client and definitely never tried to pose one. I gained so much belief in myself and my abilities because Sydney was always building me up. She was my biggest fan, and she was getting me active immersion in photography. One week into our mentorship, she booked me a photoshoot where I would have to creative direct for the first time because she knew the best way to learn some things would be to dive right in.

Sydney was like that all summer, taking action to get me actual experience, which really is the most valuable thing when you’re learning a new skill and developing your style. She put so much time into booking studios (I had never even set foot in one) and models so I could play around and learn how to take photos.

A great example of this was a photoshoot we did in July. I learned the temperamental art of flash in the Clemson basement studio with a few other interns and a model who owed Sydney a favor. Sydney brought a spare camera and flash for me, colored gels for all of us, and more props than I could imagine. The whole time I was showing Sydney what I was shooting, and she would offer encouragement and feedback or pose a question that prompted me to try something a little differently for what would be a better result.

During our summer together, Sydney and I had what we called weekly “teaching meetings” where we would sit together for hours and go over something I was interested in learning more about. Before we began our mentorship, she had me fill out a form stating what I wanted to get out of the internship and topics I wanted to make sure I got information on. She compiled all of this, along with photoshoot ideas, into a document, and we would check something else off every single teaching meeting.

The structure of this was great because it brought a kind of classroom element to the internship experience, and I have notes of things I learned and can go over now. It also helped me (and Sydney) make sure my goals were met and helped me see my own growth throughout the summer.

I could ramble on for pages about how thankful I am to have met Sydney when I did and been taken in by her, but that is all I’ll say for now. Sydney will always be there for you when you’re her intern. She will give you invaluable experience, and you will gain things you can’t always get anywhere else, like the client connections and the confidence I gained from Sydney.

She knows what it takes to learn photography and to grow, and so she has given all that knowledge back in the form of internships.

-Mercedes Dubberly of Indigo Editorial @indigoeditorial