Gaining Confidence and Knowledge: A Mentee’s Perspective
Image by Photo Opp mentee, Hailey Hardel
On October 12, Photo Opp’s On the Job Mentorship Program helped to photograph another local nonprofit, The Monthlies Project’s An Event, Period event. Our On the Job Mentorship program pairs local school-aged students with professional photographers to mentor on a job photographing a community event. This program allows us to not only give students a hands-on real photography experience, it also helps them see more of the business side of photography.
Our event mentee, Hailey, a high school senior at Oshkosh West High School shared her experience photographing the event alongside local professional photographer Kim Thiel;
“A fabulous comedian, delicious food, and important words from powerful women were all featured at this event and were well cherished by my camera and me. I'm super grateful for my first experience of event photography to be for an event that's purpose was tremendously important to the community and whose organizers' passion was felt by everyone who attended. I can confidently say it greatly helped me. Aside from the information I learned, this opportunity boosted my confidence and motivation for my future in photography. By gaining knowledge of the photography field from a professional photographer and getting hands-on experience, this mentorship experience helped me believe that I can absolutely achieve this career and do what I love because I was able to get a glimpse of what my future could look like.”
A few of Hailey’s favorite images that she captured at the event.
“I would definitely recommend Photo Opp's Mentorship Program to others who are passionate about a career in photography! I would love to participate in future events and programs with Photo Opp and love what the Photo Opp is doing for our community,”Hailey, Photo Opp mentee.
We look forward to expanding opportunities for more students, like Hailey in 2024. We hope you'll consider making a donation to Photo Opp, so more students can experience support and encouragement to pursue their interest or passion for photography.