fototazo Begins Mentorship Program

© Natalia Lopera

fototazo is launching a mentorship program as we start the new year. The program matches young, emerging Colombian photographers with mentors from across the spectrum of the photographic world - gallery owners, bloggers, academics, art directors, and working photographers. The goal is to provide the mentorship photographers with commentary and advice on their work from professionals in the field and to expand their network and knowledge of resources beyond Colombia.

The process will be a semi-public one. Images from the photographers will occasionally be posted on this site along with commentary from the mentors under the belief that their advice and insight will frequently be useful to other photographers and seeing how they look at and talk about photographs will be of public interest.

© Oscar Ulloa

The program will begin with four photographers, each matched with two mentors:

Photographer: Oscar Ulloa
Mentors: Matt Johnston co-runs The Photo Book Club as well as Phonar; he is a Professor at the University of Coventry in England; Kevin Thrasher is a photographer based in Richmond, Virginia

Photographer: Natalia Lopera 
Mentors: Julia Schiller co-runs the site Actual colors may vary; Oliver Schneider co-runs the site Actual colors may vary

Photographer: Daniela Serna 
Mentors: John Edwin Mason runs the blog John Edwin Mason: Documentary, Motorsports, Photo History and is a Professor at the University of Virginia; Wayne Ford runs Wayne Ford's Posterous and co-runs The Photo Book Club

Photographer: Aura Lambertinez
Mentors: Charles Guice is Founder of Charles Guice Contemporary; Gwen Lafage is Founder of Gallery Carte Blanche

Bryan Formhals, Founding and Managing Editor of LPV Magazine, will be serving as a floating mentor and guest critic, periodically reviewing work from all four program photographers.

© Daniela Serna

The mentorship program photographers will be delivering new work to the mentors in roughly a month at which point some of the work and comments will begin to appear in subsequent posts.

© Aura Lambertinez

November Equipment Delivery

© Natalia Lópera

Equipment prices in the United States are frequently cheaper than in other parts of the world and many international photographers can be helped by being given access to US market prices. In response, fototazo launched its equipment delivery program in June to complement its microgrant program, organizing the purchase and delivery of equipment from the US for young, emerging Colombian photographers. More information about the program can be found in the post on our first delivery here.

fototazo would like to extend a huge thank you to photographer Juan Posada for his help in bringing equipment from Los Angeles to Medellín for Natalia Lópera, Aura Lambertinez and Oscar Ulloa. All three of these young Colombian photographers purchased LCD screen protective films for their Nikon cameras. Natalia and Oscar received cameras through the microgrant program; Aura received her camera through the equipment delivery program. Juan's willingness to bring the equipment to Colombia allowed these three photographers to purchase the items at US market prices, saving them money that they can reinvest in more equipment or that they can use for tuition fees to continue their photographic educations.

Statistics on the money saved by photographers through this program will be tracked on the donate page. If any of our readers will be coming to Colombia and would be interested and able to bring equipment, please email us.

fototazo 38: Aura Lambertinez

Aura Lambertinez

Niña
2011

[Editor's note: This image was made with the camera acquired for Aura Lambertinez thorugh fototazo's equipment delivery program.]

For information about submitting your work to the fototazo gallery project, click here.

October Equipment Delivery

© Daniela Serna

fototazo launched its equipment delivery program in June to complement its microgrant program. Information about the first delivery can be found here.

Equipment prices in the United States are frequently cheaper than in other parts of the world and many international photographers can be helped by being given access to US market prices.

In response, fototazo has begun to purchase, pick up and hand-deliver equipment from the United States to young, emerging Colombian photographers on trips between the two countries. In this program the full price of the equipment is covered by the photographer.

This month fototazo made its second equipment delivery, purchasing and importing a Nikon d7100 for Rossana Orozco as well as a Nikon d3100 LCD Protection Film for microgrant recipient Daniela Serna and a 52mm Hoya UV Filter for Aura Lambertinez whose Nikon d5100 was delivered to her through this program in June.

Statistics on the money saved by these photographers through this program, money that they can reinvest in more equipment purchases or towards their tuition fees to continue their photographic educations, will be posted when firm local market values for the equipment are established.

If members of our network of readers will be coming to Colombia and would be interested in carrying a piece of equipment to help a photographer here, please email fototazo@gmail.com.

fototazo Equipment Delivery Program

fototazo has begun a new service to complement its microgrant program.

Equipment prices in the United States are frequently cheaper than in other parts of the world (and average wages generally higher). Many international photographers can be helped by being given access to US market prices.

In response, fototazo has begun to purchase, pick up and hand-deliver equipment from the United States to young, emerging Colombian photographers on trips between the two countries. In this program, the full price of the equipment is covered by the photographer.

The first delivery was made in June, a Nikon d5100 purchased for Aura Lambertinez. One of her photographs from a project on Medellín's Barrio Triste is above. With a kit lens through B&H Photo in New York, the camera cost $895. The street price in Medellín for a Nikon d5100 with a kit lens is 2.390.000 pesos or $1,328. By being given access to the price of the camera in the US, she saved $433, money she can invest in more equipment or put towards her tuition fees to continue her photographic education at the Universidad de Antioquia.

If members of our network of readers will be coming to Colombia and would be interested in carrying a piece of equipment to help a photographer here, please email fototazo@gmail.com. fototazo is looking to expand the program to Mexico City soon through friends in the photography community there.