APA LA Focus Mentorship Program

Program open to APA LA members only.

Objective

To offer emerging photographers guidance in building their artistic careers by pairing them with established members of the photographic community.

Format

There will be two sessions offered per year – a Winter/Spring session and a Summer/Fall session. Duration of each session will be 6 months. Applications will be for one session. Once accepted there is a guarantee of at least two meetings within the 6 month time period.

Process

Photographers wishing to enroll in the program will fill out an application detailing their qualifications for selection.  Each applicant will be asked to provide:

• A short bio (no more than 500 words) 
• Resume 
• Statement of interest expressing how they view the mentorship program helping them to accomplish their goals (no more than 1500 words)
• Link to Photography Portfolio

Applications to be sent to director@apa-la.com

The gathered submissions will be reviewed by the board of APA Los Angeles to identify those best suited for the program.

Those identified by the board as potential candidates will then be presented to a group of volunteer mentors sourced from within the APA professional community.  These mentors will have the opportunity to select the potential mentee they wish to work with over the course of the program.

No promises or guarantees are made with respect to admission to, the content of, or outcome of the mentorship program, which is provided as a service to the photographic community subject to the limitations stated and the discretion of APA.

Following Selection

Once the pairing of mentors and mentees has occurred, the program will kick off with an introductory zoom call for all participants.  The objective of the initial onboarding zoom call is to welcome the mentees into the program and provide a brief introduction of what to expect.

Following the introductory call, mentors and mentees will be provided with relevant contact information.  The mentors will then reach out to the mentees independently to schedule their first one-on-one conversation.  

As part of the program, mentees are guaranteed at least two mentorship meetings with their mentors over a six month period.  However, mentors are able to interact more frequently with their mentees should they choose to do so.

The form and content of the mentorship meeting is at the discretion of the mentors.  Success in the photographic industry is a matter of one’s own initiative, talent, commitment and diligence in developing their unique vision and building their brand.  As such, one’s acceptance into the program is not a guarantee of future employment or a promise of a specific outcome. The objective is to provide each mentee with a point person for advice and support in learning how to turn their passion for photography into a sustainable career.

Some topics which mentees and mentors are likely to discuss would include such things as:

• Building a business
• How to best connect with clients
• How to best develop your photographic style
• How to execute certain photographic techniques and approaches
• Industry etiquette and how to best position oneself to succeed

Applications accepted starting August 15th, 2022 for enrollment in the Winter/Spring 2023 session and must be received no later than October 15th, 2022.​​

Program open to APA LA members only.

Email applications to:  director@apa-la.com