Any Tips on Mentoring a Photography Student ?

Hey there,
I recently dipped my toe in the waters of offering photography lessons . I was over whelmed by the response. I have been booked steady since the 3 of Jan. and am booked solid up until May right now. I am doing one on one lessons as that is really all my health and shyness can handle for now. During this I have been approached numerous times now about Mentoring. I have mentored others photographers on an informal basics ( not for money ) but not sure what is involved on a more formal side of this program. If you have any insight you would like to share or have mentored a student photographer before I would greatly appreciate your thoughts. Cheers

I'm not clear on what you mean "informal' vs "formal". You mention "program". Are you teaching Photogshop, how to use your camera, what? I used to teach photography in evening classes and I always started with how to choose a camera based on what sort of photography you want to do. I followed that with explanation of camera handling, how the camera works, f/stops/shutter speeds, etc. Then we would move into seeing and composition. There was no Photoshop back then (film days) but I have done one-on-one mentoring of Photoshop and Lightroom. With those I generally sit at the computer and demonstrate something while explaining what I'm doing and why then switch chairs and have the student work on one of his/her own images while I walk them through the process verbally. I hope that helps.

Thanks Jim. I have started offering two types of photo lessons , camera basics and and a practice session in composition and seeing. And an advanced session along the same lines. No PS sessions or development sessions. As that is of very little interest to me and would take all of ten minutes to show someone how I process images. I have been getting a lot of calls from local camera schools asking me to mentor photography students in the art of seeing and just photography in general . When I say informally I mean I never charged a photographer to follow me around and see how I shoot and see the world, this on the other hand would require me setting up a more formal set of sessions for photography students as this is a requirement of their photography schooling. Hope that clears it up a bit better. I am looking for information on fees, ideas on structuring on a set of 5 to 6 sessions ,( camera basics all the way through to selling.) Do you let them job shadow you and how long do you make your mentoring sessions,do you provide assignments,things like that. I don't need all the details just a rough over as to what I am expected to provide .There is a lot of information on-line as to how to find a photography mentor but very little on how to mentor a photography student. Cheers,Lorna