In-Depth Blog Post #3

A quick update:

Two weeks ago, I had the coolest of photographic experiences to date, with Neil, my mentor. Neil has a contract with the local Aquarium to take photos of some of the animals there, so I was able to tag along and shadow his shoot while getting some cool photographs. When we arrived there, Neil showed me how to set up a softbox diffuser, and he talked to me about the framing of his shot and the placement of his flashes. After, we had a bit of time before the penguin (the main focus of the day) was ready to photograph, so we took some macro (close up) shots of small wildlife like fishes and frogs. After, the penguin came into the area that we were photographing, and I was able to snatch a couple of shots whilst shadowing Neil. Overall, it was a very informative experience and I learned quite a bit. Below are some of the photographs I got.

Otherwise, I have been in contact with Neil, and we are planning to meet either this weekend or during the week. He proposed that we can either go out and take photographs, or alternatively we could work on image post-processing using software such as Lightroom and maybe photoshop.

So far, I have learned a lot throughout this mentorship, and I am excited for what’s to come.

Some questions and answers about the In-Depth:

 

  1. What went particularly well during your mentoring sessions?

During the mentorship sessions, something that went very well was the actual aspect of learning. Neil knows a lot about photography, so I was able to pick up tips and tricks when spending time with him. He takes a backset approach to teaching, letting me experiment and try to figure things out, before he comes in with pointers, or shows me alternative ways to do things. Through this method, I have learned a lot so far, and I am sure to learn more.

 

  1. What logical challenges affected your communication?

Though the communication between Neil and I has been pretty good throughout our mentorship, one logical factor that has been limiting the effectiveness of our communication has definitely been the time constraints Neil has. Since Neil is an incredibly busy guy, sometimes the less spontaneous and slower aspect of email mixed with impromptu meetings can cause potentially shared meeting times to pass by without correspondence. Still, our communication has been pretty good, and we have lots of time to meet up before the end of In-Depth.

  1. Were you actually listening to each other? Explain

During my second meeting with Neil, we actively listened to each other which made the mentorship more enjoyable. When I had questions on how to set up the softbox, he explained thoroughly, and I was able to figure it out. Later, when I had concerns about potentially being in the way of the photoshoot, Neil acknowledged my concerns but reassured me that I would be fine as long as I stayed behind him so I wouldn’t get in any of his shots. This communication, and listening to each other made sure we both understood what was going to happen throughout the meeting.

 

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