If you’re interested in taking an online photography course with NYIP, you’re probably wondering what your relationship with your mentors will be like. In a creative field as hands-on as photography, how will your mentors be able to guide you and provide feedback over the internet?
How Does the Mentorship Work?
When you’re a photography student enrolled at NYIP, you have access to a team of mentors, all NYC-based professional photographers and videographers, by phone and email during all regular business hours.
As an NYIP student, part of the flexibility we provide is that you can communicate with the mentors as frequently or infrequently as you’re comfortable with as you work your way through your course. Some of our students prefer the independence of logging in and working exclusively over the internet, or communicating strictly via the Online Learning Center. This is completely up to you, based on your learning preferences.
If you are a more introverted learner, you do not have to call in and speak to your mentors on the phone. In fact, when you are sent feedback on your photo projects, it actually comes in the form of audio recordings. Every time you submit a project, your mentor will pull up your photos on their screen, and record themselves critiquing your images- what you did well, what you could improve on, what you seem to be getting the hang of, etc. This feedback is then uploaded in your Online Learning Center, and you can play it back as many times as you need to.
However, if you are a social learner and would like more communication with your mentors, they are waiting to hear from you. From Monday-Friday, 10 a.m - 6 p.m EST, the New York Institute of Photography’s mentors are in the school headquarters in NYC, available to speak to you via phone, chat or email if you come across any issues or have any questions.
What If I Need My Mentor On the Weekend?
Think of your photography mentor like a professor or a teaching assistant at a traditional college or university. These individuals typically have office hours during which they can be reached if students need additional help or have any questions about the curriculum. NYIP mentors essentially work the same way.
If you are working on your photography course over the weekend and run into trouble, don’t hesitate to email your mentor (or call and leave a voicemail) describing what went wrong and what you need help with. First thing Monday morning, our mentors comb through all inquiries that came in over the weekend, reaching out via phone and email to help any students who needed help during that time.
Who are the NYIP Mentors?
If you’re interested in learning more about who the NYIP mentors are and the type of professional photography work they do, below you can check out a brief bio of every course mentor and subject matter expert on the New York Institute of Photography’s team.
Frank Beacham
Frank is an NYC-based independent writer, director and producer who works in video, film, photography, radio, television, theater and web. A former staff reporter for United Press International, the Miami Herald, Gannett Newspapers and the Washington Post-Newsweek, Beacham’s articles and stories have appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Village Voice.
Check out Frank Beacham’s website
Illise Benum
Ilise Benun is a business expert for creative professionals. She is the author of 7 business books, a national speaker and the founder of Marketing-Mentor.com. During her 25+ years in business, she has coached thousands of creatives as well as developed and delivered business training tailored for HOW Design Live, CreativeLive and Freelancers Union, among others.
Britt Chudleigh
Following her studies in drawing and painting, Britt became strongly attracted to the storytelling and immediate qualities she found in photography. Film photography held her attention further as it enhanced the timelessness, purity, tangibility and aesthetics of photography. Britt travels the globe documenting weddings but always returns home to the Wasatch Mountains where she lives with her husband and two children.
Check out Britt Chudleigh’s website
Chris Corradino
A successful NYIP graduate with his own travel photography business, Chris Corradino is the lead student advisor and faculty director of NYIP. A licensed photography teacher, Chris provides instruction and guidance to students at all levels of experience. His images have been published in USA Today, National Geographic Online, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press.
Check out Chris Corradino’s website
George Delgado
George Delgado completed the NYIP Pro Course as he transitioned from life as a corporate executive to a successful professional photographer. His fashion photographs have appeared in Women’s Wear Daily and he has captured sporting events at New York’s Madison Square Garden. George also shoots pro bono portraits for The Heart Gallery, a non-profit organization with the mission of finding “forever families” for children in need of adoption.
Check out George Delgado’s website
Patrick Dinkfeld
Patrick Dinkfeld has been making art, music, films and graphic design since 1994, working on projects for clients such as Nestlé, Levi’s, Six Flags and many more. He worked in commercial video for strategic branding giant Siegel+Gale. There, his clients included American Express, Microsoft, Lexus, and Yahoo!, among others. Patrick has lectured at UCLA and CalArts and has taught video at CalArts since 1998.
Check out Patrick Dinkfeld’s website
Patrick Donehue
A photo industry veteran, photographer, consultant and educator, Patrick Donehue is one of the most admired people in the photo industry today. Jonathan Klein, Cofounder and CEO of Getty Images put it best, “Patrick’s love of photography combined with his strong understanding of what is required to succeed in business has added considerable value to Getty Images and others for over 25 years.”
Check out Patrick Donehue’s website
Peter Guttman
Peter Guttman is a professional travel photographer and two-time recipient of the Gold Medal Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Journalist of the Year. He’s been published in numerous books and magazines including Condé Nast Traveler and National Geographic Publications. He’s the author of five hardcover travel books. He’s traveled on assignment to all seven continents and 210 countries.
Check out Peter Guttman’s website
Walter Karling
Walter Karling is a professional photographer who specializes in spot news, celebrity and PR images. Working as a stringer for Associated Press and UPI, his pictures appear regularly in the New York Daily News, the New York Post, the National Enquirer and the Star. Additionally, he has done PR assignments for firms such as Anheuser-Busch, the Italian Trade Commission and the Museum of Modern Art.
Deborah Matlack
Deborah Matlack is a commercial photographer who photographs architectural interiors and exteriors as well as corporate and business events. In addition, she has had two one-person exhibits entitled “Waterways of Brooklyn” and “Infrastructure: Bridges of New York City,” and is currently a member of Brooklyn Streetcar Artists Group.
Check out Deborah Matlack’s website
Philip Mauro
Brooklyn-based photographer Philip Mauro specializes in portraits for corporate, ad and editorial clients. His clients include Chanel, Apple, Carolina Herrera and the artist Damien Hirst, among others.
Check out Philip Mauro’s website
Tim Pannell
Photographer Tim Pannell has enjoyed a non-stop career in advertising and stock photography. Tim contributes to curriculum by sharing his experience in sports, portrait and lifestyle shooting. Tim’s clients include Adidas, Aetna, AT&T, Citibank, Costco, Gatorade, Reebok, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Wells Fargo.
Check out Tim Pannell’s website
Maria Piscopo
Maria Piscopo has taught marketing and business classes at numerous universities and has presented professional workshops and seminars for a wide-range of associations. Maria also writes articles and columns for an extensive list of industry publications. She is the author of The Graphic Designer’s and Illustrator’s Guide to Marketing and Promotion as well as The Photographer’s Guide to Marketing and Self-Promotion.
Check out Maria Piscopo’s website
Reuben Radding
Reuben Radding is a photographer, musician and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Best known for his street photography in New York City as well as portraits and documentary essays, his work has appeared in the SF Bay Guardian, NPR.org, Gothamist and the Huffington Post, among other publications. His work has been shown in galleries in California, Calgary, Oregon and New York City.
Check out Reuben Radding’s website
Robyn Selman
Robyn Selman brings years of experience in commercial, stock and editorial photography to our staff. As director of photography at Corbis and current director of photography at Forbes Media, Robyn understands both the vital financial aspects of photography as a career or as a passion and the creative and technical challenges involved in the creation of highly successful images.
Franco Vogt
Franco is a successful portrait photographer. He has made images for countless clients around the world utilizing a very simple and sensitive approach. Franco has the ability to capture images that feel fresh and spontaneous. His work never feels forced or pretentious and the viewer will often feel as if they were right there next to the camera watching it happen.
Check out Franco Vogt’s website
Adam Waltner
Adam Waltner is a New York City based photographer and filmmaker. After going to school for writing he became obsessed with cinema, often watching several films a day. At the age of twenty-two he made his first feature and has remained a prolific filmmaker ever since. Usually dark in nature, his work explores the world through lavish cinematography and a calculating, sinister mind.
Check out Adam Waltner’s website
Elinor Stecker-Orel
Elinor has written eight books on photography. Her photographs and articles about her have appeared in many publications, including such notable ones as Rangefinder, Time , and National Geographic Traveler. She has appeared as a guest authority on CNN, Fox, and local radio. Although she photographs a wide range of subjects, her passion is fine-art photography, both in-camera and in Photoshop.
Check out Elinor Stecker-Orel’s website
Neville Elder
Neville Elder is an award-winning British-born photographer based in New York. Neville began shooting for UK broadsheets and tabloids and the last 15 years in New York City, he's shot US stories for clients including The Times, The Independent Magazine, Stern, The Globe and Mail, Newsweek, Time, VSD.
Check out Neville Elder’s website
Alina Oswald
Alina Oswald is a photographer and writer based in NYC area. Her latest book is Journeys Through Darkness: A Biography of Kurt Weston. Her photography has appeared in national and international publications, as well as in New York City art shows and galleries. She has worked with small businesses, covering portraits, editorials, ad campaigns, engagements and weddings.
Check out Alina Oswald’s website
Want to Chat with an NYIP Mentor Before You Enroll?
If you’d like to talk on the phone with one of the NYIP mentors before you make the decision to enroll in a course, you are welcome to reach out and have a conversation- they may even be able to help steer you in the right direction if you’re not sure which course is the best fit for your professional or creative goals. If this is something you’re interested in, feel free to call 1 800-583-1736 for more information.
