YPA Mentoring Programme
In the summer of 2010, we launched our first annual Mentoring Programme. The YPA Mentoring Programme links young, emerging photographers with leading photographers and picture editors. Working in small teams, the young photographers are coached as they work towards a creative brief. Our mentors offer support and guidance from the initial conceptual stage through to the final editing process. With mentoring teams in London and Glasgow, the six-session programme extends across the United Kingdom.
Our Mentoring Programme runs in conjunction with the charity's North American programme, creating teams in over ten cities across the US, Canada, and Britain. Having been assigned the same brief, the teams create photographic projects that offer unique, international perspectives on one common theme. The format of our programme lends itself to a range of PR opportunities, increasing the profile of both YPA and our participating photographers The work from our 2010 inaugural programme was exhibited in New York in January of this year and the programme was featured widely in the photographic press.
The YPA Mentoring Programme gives young photographers the opportunity to work closely with industry leaders, enabling them to fine tune their craft, create images for their portfolios, and develop business skills while simultaneously providing them with a platform to show their work. With a balanced education from both a photographer and picture editor, our mentees learn how to work to a brief while honing their technical skills and pushing the bounds of their creativity. Our Mentoring Programme teaches young photographers crucial, practical skills, setting them up for a successful future.
2011 Mentoring Programme
For our 2011 Mentoring Programme, we hosted two teams in London (a Fashion / Portrait Team and a Reportage / Other team) and a team in Glasgow. All teams were assigned an "Energy" theme and each photographer was able to interpret the brief in his/her own way. The mentors included award-winning photographers John Wright and Justin Sutcliffe, the Deputy Picture Editor of Sunday Times Style Magazine, Sharon O'Neill, and the Picture Editor of the Independent on Sunday, Sophie Batterbury. The programme ran from July-September 2001.
