Steadman Uhlich
This post is written for all those photographers who are amateurs and may feel that being an “amateur” is not “good enough.”
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Steadman’s Sincere Admiration for Amateurs
We don’t all want to be a professional photographer.
Most photographers are amateurs.
All professionals start as amateurs.
I was an amateur before turning Pro and I am still an amateur (see explanation below)!
Amateurs love photography. So do I.
What is an amateur?
Amateur simply means: Someone who does it for love or “lover.”
I like that.
So, I don’t mind being an “amateur” at all.
Neither should you!
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The word is used different ways, but it comes from Latin “amator” meaning “lover” and that from “amare” meaning “to love. ”
Simply put, if you love photography and you make photographs because you love to, and that is your motivation, then you are an amateur.
Of course others may say that amateurs are “less” than a professional. Don’t listen to that.
Even as a professional photographer for years, I am still an amateur in certain areas of photography that I work in merely for my own pleasure (not for pay).
There is nothing wrong with being an amateur.
It simply means you love the activity of photography and love making pictures and you will do it even if you have to do it for no pay.
Professionals don’t have the freedom that amateurs have.
So if you are an amateur, rejoice that you can shoot what you want and when you want and not worry about making a living doing it.
That is freedom!
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Unfortunately, I have heard too many professional photographers deride amateurs.
I have heard too many derogatory comments against amateurs with remarks against the “Mom with Camera” or “Guy with Camera” or “Uncle Bob.”
I don’t feel that way!
I respect, admire, and encourage ALL photographers, whether they pursue photography as a hobby, a pastime, a profession, or because they want to document their lives.
I have seen many more beautiful portraits made by amateurs than I have that were made by most professionals.
In some cases, these photos were made by an amateur with years of experience and the most expensive gear.
In other cases, the better photos were made by a mother or father or teenager using the most basic of gear.
So don’t feel inferior.
Amateurs can even produce superior images!
Amateurs can produce portraits that truly touch the heart.
I can help you learn how to make photos of your family with minimal equipment needed. You don’t have to use expensive studio flash. You don’t have to have a studio. You don’t have to have an expensive camera either.
I am absolutely certain I can help a “mom” or a “dad” or a caring grandpa or grandma create better photographs of their own family.
And it will be a great joy for both of us to see the improvement in your photos. More importantly, you will gain confidence and make many more beautiful images to keep and share with your own family.
It does not take an art school degree.
You don’t need the most expensive camera gear either.
What you do need is an open mind and a desire to improve.
Here is where PhotoMentors and our Tutors, Teachers, or Mentors can help you. You can learn how to do this while the kids are at school or after work without having to attend a class. You can learn and make dramatic improvements by working with a personal mentor who will guide you and help you.
From my Point of View, learning how to make better photos is one of the best things a parent can do for their family.
After all, who else is better positioned to capture those special moments in your family’s life together? Who else knows what is really important in those times you spend together. Kids grow quickly. So act quickly. Learn how to make the best photos you can now. They will really be priceless to you later.
I truly believe in helping others make better photos for themselves.
It is one of my missions for the rest of my life. I emphasize this with everyone I have ever met. Thousands of people came into my art gallery and almost every person left encouraged to make their own photos more meaningful to someone.
The bottom line is very simple: you are welcomed and encouraged and supported and respected at PhotoMentors.
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How can I help you?
My Role as Your Mentor
The most important thing I can do is inspire you to look at your photography differently and to challenge you to consider new ways of making photographs.
From this, you will find new creativity inside yourself and new inspirations in the world around you. When that happens, you will feel the Power of WOW as the world becomes a place full of creative possibilities. That is my ultimate goal.
In addition, I can provide you with valuable advice on how to avoid common mistakes and how to make better photographs.
On this site you will find many pages that will tell you about many more ways I may be able to help you. Look for the blue Related Posts links at the bottom of this page for more information.
Steadman Uhlich
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Insight is the Goal
One of the things I keep in mind when mentoring other people is my goal to make the lesson something that they “own” and understand fully. I want the mentee to understand the reasons and “see” it so clearly that it becomes something they will retain and value. This comes by sharing how I see their images or work and comparing how THEY see the work and THEIR vision. We discuss things. We compare their intent and their preliminary result (such as a raw image).
Then by use of questions the mentee will discover things for themselves. This may then be reinforced by examples and variations.
Choices are discussed.
Options uncovered.
Creativity unlocked.
The result is often an insight for the mentee.
In some cases this takes only a few minutes to “see” and understand a conceptual or visual difference, or to learn a new way of looking at the subject or a new technique.
In many cases this breakthrough can take just a few moments or even seconds!
When that “AHA!” moment occurs, it is stimulating and rewarding for both the mentee and the mentor. This shared discovery moment can be something that helps a photographer or artist break out of a box and make progress in fulfilling THEIR vision.
Steadman’s Simple Truths:
“Gear is easy to replace or change and can be changed in minutes.
Good habits take time and repetition to develop.
Bad habits can stick with you a lifetime IF they are not identified, recognized, and corrected.
Insights can make a difference in seconds!”
Steadman
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How do you value learning?
The value of what you learn may be “priceless.”
Steadman’s guarantee:
If I can not offer a suggestion that could improve your photography or help you avoid image weaknesses in the future then there is no charge for the time we spend together.
In short, if I don’t see something I could improve or if I don’t offer you a suggestion for improvement, I will not charge you for my time!
You won’t find a better guarantee than that.
Steadman
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Imagine.
Imagine how valuable that call will be to YOU if we can uncover a solution to your problems.
Imagine what you might learn from having a highly successful professional photographer and fine artist and successful art gallery owner with 25 years experience look at YOUR photo and give you a private discussion of YOUR photo.
Imagine how proud you will be when YOU learn how to make photos that make people say “WOW!”
Imagine how you will feel when you see YOUR Black & White images look like classic B&W photos you have admired all your life.
Imagine how satisfied you will feel when YOU learn how to make your own images look better using simple steps you will remember and be able to use again and again.
Imagine how you will better enjoy YOUR hobby or profession even more if you find ways to overcome obstacles to your skill improvement or your creativity.
Imagine how much more confident YOU will feel in the future when you learn how make better photographs.
Imagine the time you could save and the frustrations you could avoid if you find ways to make better images with simple solutions.
Imagine how your family or clients will respond when they notice the improvement in YOUR photography!
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Steadman’s Method
1. When I teach or mentor or consult with photographers around the world, I use a method I call a Live Voice+Visual Dialog™ on a phone call.
Some people mistakenly think this is just a phone call. It is far from that!
This service is based on both of us sharing a dialog or conversation at the same time as we view your photos together!
We will use BOTH Voice and Visual communication at the same time!
That is not the full story.
You will need to try it to understand and to experience the great difference for yourself!
All communication is by live voice call (a phone call or Skype call).
In short you must call me and speak with me to use this service. No emails. No chat. No PMs. No text messages. No typing. No writing. It is easier and much better this way for many reasons.
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Why does Steadman use Voice calls instead of email or text messages?
Simply because I can tell you many things in a phone call that I will not type and and things I cannot write as effectively.
It is much easier and better and faster as a means of communicating.
It allows us to have a deeper level of communication.
It is more friendly, more natural, and reduces the anxiety or intimidation you might naturally feel when consulting an expert about your photos.
It is more fluid and more immediate in response, so you don’t have to wait and wonder while waiting for an email or text message.
It is a better way of communicating meaning and subtle comments.
It is much more personal and more “human” than email.
It is much more FUN for both you and me!
It is the BEST way to communicate (aside from a real face to face meeting).
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What if this call is international?
I provide a truly global service via this site.
I have clients or mentees and photographers I am helping who are truly located around the world.
I communicate with them all via my special method of Live Voice+Visual Dialog.™
My method helps them all accelerate their learning and quickly improve their photography!
Please read below in this post.
You will find much more information about how I communicate with other photographers around the world in many languages!
If you speak English fluently, I can tell you more information and more clearly and more quickly than I can type. I can tell you more because I will have a “Live and Real Time” dialog or conversation with you. The difference between writing and speaking is considerable. You will see and understand on your first call why this is much better than a written comment or critique on a forum.
If English is NOT your first language or if you are concerned about using English because your use of English is NOT fluent or you may feel inhibited in any way from using English, please read down below in this post. I provide help in 18+ languages in addition to English, so I may be able to help you.
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2. You will not be called by me!
I do NOT call outbound. You will call me when YOU are ready to speak about your photography.
This is so you can be assured that you will NOT be disturbed at a time that is inconvenient for YOU or your family or your work.
You call me by using your phone or Skype.
You may even make a long-distance or international call for FREE if you use a Skype to Skype (VOIP) call so there would be NO long distance phone charge to you.
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Is English a foreign language for you?
If English is not your native language, but is your second language, then you will find it much easier to communicate using my Live Voice+Visual Dialog™ communication method.
There is no need for you to worry about misspelled words or poor grammar or accent.
I will help you and you will find it easier to express yourself clearly.
If there are any questions, it is easier to get clarity because we will be talking in a dialog. If you ever need to ask me a question to clarify something you may not understand, it is very easy because we are in a dialog, with real-time live communication connecting us.
I have Global Operating Hours (Hours of Availability) that fit YOUR schedule around the globe!
You may also call within a wide window of hours. My Global Operating Hours are 9:00AM (0900 hours) to 9:00PM (2100 hours) SEVEN Days a week. Those hours are based on Eastern Standard Time (New York City’s time zone).
I frequently speak with photographers living on the opposite side of the earth from me. It is not unusual nor is it inconvenient for me to speak with photographers in Japan, Australia, Pacific Islands, China, India, Europe, etc. I do this every week and even on weekends!
Don’t let long distances inhibit you from accessing the expertise that can help you improve your photography!
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Global Communications in English or Your Language (when possible)
What if English is not your first language?
What if your use of English is infrequent or limited?
What if you are not fluent in English?
What if your accent is strong?
You must speak some English to communicate with me, but you do NOT have to be fluent or your English could be “limited.”
English does not have to be your first language and you do not need a perfect accent. You do NOT have to be fluent in English. (see the testimonial letter down below).
I have studied 12+ languages other than English (my native language). I truly enjoy speaking with people from other countries, other cultures, and those who speak other languages.
I am accustomed to communicating with people who are using English as a second language. I regularly communicate with people who are from: Europe, the Middle East, Russia, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
I may be able to help you even IF your use of English is limited or IF you do not consider yourself fluent in speaking English.
Many people understand more English than they feel comfortable speaking. I understand that and why.
Many people who do NOT speak English frequently or fluently may feel inhibited about calling to speak using English.
Do not feel that way.
I am an expert in cross-cultural communication.
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I can help you and will do my best to communicate effectively with you in your language!
I may be able to help you by speaking to you in:
French
Spanish
Portuguese (Brazilian)
German
Dutch
Italian
Japanese
Russian
Swahili
Mandarin Chinese
Catalan
Norwegian
Swedish
Danish
Polish
Romanian
Finnish (coming soon)
Bahasa Malaysia (coming soon)
Bahasa Indonesia (coming soon)
Croatian (coming soon)
Serbian (coming soon)
Slovenian (coming soon)
Tagalog (coming soon)
So if you speak or understand one of those languages and some English or if you speak English fluently, we should talk!
I do not claim to be fluent in those languages (except English) and my accent in those languages may make you wince or laugh at times too. But I will try to help you in YOUR language as much as possible. I may be able to tell you (while speaking in one of those languages above) what I see that could be improved in your images/photos and how you could do it.
If you understand one of those languages and speak some English (even if not fluently), OR if you do speak English, you should be able to understand me and what I will be able to tell you about your photos that may help you improve your photography.
I will keep my comments simple, my speaking pace in English at a pace comfortable for you, and I will make Simple Suggestions™ you should be able to understand and apply even IF your use of English is limited. Read more about how this works on the Six Minute Solution page .
Steadman
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Please tell others about this site.
That will help us help and inspire more photographers.
Just click this share button below.
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If this is your first visit to this site,
I encourage you to visit and read the following page
as it will help orient you to this site and some
very special opportunities for you.
Start Here
You should. It could help you.
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If you are outside of the USA,
I encourage you to read the
Global Visitors Page
You should. It could help you.
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Learn About Steadman’s
Six Minute Solution™
You should. It could help you.
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Seven ways you can help other photographers and yourself too!
Have you heard of Karma? Do you believe in the Golden Rule?
Karma is the belief that all deeds can shape the past, present, and future experiences. In the West, this is sometimes expressed by the Christian concept of “you reap what you sow.” In short, do good to others and good may come to you. I truly believe that helping others helps not only them, but also ourselves in ways we often cannot anticipate. Each action of good you do, can make the world a nicer place. Do you believe in the Golden Rule?
1. Tell others about this site.
If you frequent photography forums and see a good opportunity to let people there know about this site, please do. Others who read your favorite forums or blogs may be looking for free lessons and inspiring photographs from which they can learn. Or they may be new to photography forum posting and need some guidance on how to learn more from getting critiques of their photos. Just direct them to www.photomentors.com.
This site is written to inspire photographers of all levels and help them have a better experience in photography.
We even have ten pages devoted to tips on how to have a better experience on a photography forum and those tips may help your favorite forum have better posts and more participation.
2. Please tell at least three of your friends in your community or social network about this site.
If you are on Facebook for example, you could tell your friends.They could be at any level of photography. Anybody who likes photography can benefit from the free lessons or from seeing the thousands of inspiring photographs from some of the world’s best photographers. PhotoMentors has things designed to be of interest to ALL levels of photographers from Beginners to Advanced Professionals.
3. Click on one of the social bookmarking links in this page and let others know about this post or page or this new site.
Tweet your friends. Tell others you DIGG this site. Tell your Facebook friends. Look in the right column of this page and almost all pages on the site for the link that says “SHARE” and click on it to go a pop up list of bookmarking links. It is easy and fast. Or you can send an email to a friend through that link too. Here is another link so you can bookmark this page right now in two clicks of your mouse in three seconds.
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Please take three seconds now to tell others about this site. That will help us help and inspire more photographers.
Just click this share button below.
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4. Add a link to PhotoMentors site to your blog or site.
Or write a post on your blog about what you saw on this site. Did you see a photo that inspired you when you viewed a Masters of Photography Gallery here? Did you learn something about a photographer you had not known about before? Tell others about the thousands of photos by Masters of Photography found here. Remember, our focus is on providing free access to all kinds of photographs and information that will inspire photographers of all levels.
5. Save yourself time while also helping other photographers.
In the future you might come across a newbie or someone new to photography. They may be looking for inspiring examples of great photography or they may want some guidance. This site may help them have a better experience with photography too. You won’t have to type much to help them, all you have to do is simply post a link to this site and that may solve their problem with a couple of clicks of your mouse. Simply tell them to look for the section on Free Lessons and Tips. That helps them, saves you time, and helps me help other photographer learn. So, that is a Win+ Win+ Win.
6. Subscribe to the PhotoMentors mailing list for our FREE Newsletter.
Why? First because the newsletter will be used to tell you about Special Opportunities that may be very valuable to you. Some opportunities may involve substantial discounts on things photographers use. These will be “un-advertised” exclusive offers that may be as much as 50% – 70% OFF retail. Other opportunities are related to activities that may be for publishing images and other opportunities to learn or participate. The more subscribers the newsletter has will help us negotiate special offers and discounts from vendors that can then be passed on to you our readers.
It will only take a moment to add your email to the list. Simply fill in the simple Subscribe Form found on the right column of all pages here on the site. Look in the lower right column. The newsletter will keep you informed when we have special offers and opportunities for our friends around the world. You will also learn about exclusive discounts and other nice things.
Don’t worry about receiving too many newsletters or emails from us. We only send out the newsletter infrequently, but when we do, there will be something of value in it for you. There will be many valuable and exclusive things coming in the future, including great opportunities for photographers, so don’t miss this easy way to hear about it first.
7. Look around this site. Soak it in. Imagine. Be inspired!
You might find something else that interests you or helps you. In 2011 I plan to have hundreds of pages of freely accessible educational content, and 5,000+ inspiring photos by Masters of Photography, and dozens of free educational videos.
I recommend seeing the Site Map (Table of Contents) so you can easily see the long list of articles, posts, and pages listed by topics.
If you would like to see if I can help you as a mentor, then just give me a call using the Skype button or the phone number at the bottom of each Page.
Finally, do what you can to help others post their photos and also get comments and have a good time doing so. That makes the world a nicer place and gives us all more nice photography to see on the net.
Thank you for your help.
Steadman
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Your First Introductory Call is free, but what you might learn later is priceless!™
If you have Skype, simply click on the “Call Me” button below to make a free Skype-to-Skype call. Before you do, make sure the top button says “I’m Online” and is green.
If you don’t have Skype yet, you can download the free Skype software in minutes via the link below the buttons below.
Or, if you want to call using your own land-line phone or cellular phone, simply dial our Direct Dial number:
(646) 233-1511
Our phones are generally answered during our flexible Global Operating hours of 9:00AM (0900) to 9:00PM (2100) EST (New York City Time Zone). Feel free to call anytime within that 12 hour window, 7 days a week.
Call now. It is the first step to a new way of learning and growing in photography.
You will find our service begins with a friendly hello.
If we are not on a call with another photographer, we will be happy to speak with you. If you get our voicemail it means we are on a call with another photographer. In that case, simply leave a detailed message on our voicemail with instructions on how we should contact you. Most voicemail messages receive a call back within two hours, whenever possible. All emails are answered the same day, whenever possible.
If you prefer to send an email you may do that by visiting our Contact Page. Or by using the following email address:
steadman@photomentors.com
Most voicemail messages receive a call back within two hours, whenever possible. All emails are answered the same day, whenever possible.
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