Interview with Photo Mentor, Lee Love
Feb 25, 2022
If you're a member of the Photo Mentor community, you know that Lee Love spends an awful lot of time helping PMA students, photography learners, group members, and even friends and colleagues.
He's about educating, encouraging, and mentoring on all topics, photography, and he's walking the talk every day. Even if you are just attempting to take your first shot EVER, Lee is willing to help you out. He's on a mission, after all, to help you be a better photographer.
Anyway, in doing all he does to help and serve all of us, Lee doesn't let too much about his mega massive accomplishments and illustrious years of hard-earned experiences sneak out.
So watch Jeff Fitzgerald's recent interview and learn more about Lee's vast background in an array of business, technical, and most definitely professional photography and videography positions. You'll see his numerous roles are both impressive and varied, giving him a well-rounded pool of relevant experiences to pull from for consultation, stories, and sage advice.
Enjoy finding out the surprising scoop on how Lee became a photographer in the first place!
Meet Lee and Jeff!
Jeff Fitzgerald (aka Emmy-Award winning, JeffinHighDef) spotlighted Lee for his Pro Files Show, and besides learning more about Lee, it's a fun visit with your photo mentor.
In this interview, get a little closer look at Lee's unique ideas, personality, background, and some of his many accomplishments.
FULL DISCLOSURE:
Jeff and Lee are longtime friends who, between them, have enough video equipment, cameras, lenses, lighting, and sound equipment for a full-length feature film! They love to challenge each other to new creative heights, and both inspire and serve others graciously and often with their online efforts.
Collaborations like these two represent on and offline demonstrate the higher power of people-driven digital.
I met Jeff doing a LIVE experiment on video with my friend Ross Brand of Livestreaming Universe. Later, Ross interviews Jeffrey Fitzgerald, solidifying my appreciation for the creativity, technical prowess, and intricate attention to detail Jeff puts into his projects and productions.
In a big way, creativity is the intersection that connects us, each in different arts. Plus creativity is at the core of Lee's STEP Method for photographers.
Lee's STEP Methodology
Understanding photography from the ground floor up, Lee's unique STEP formula is his unique way to teach students at every level how to improve their photography. Progressing up to be a better photographer, it turns out, is about a lot more than merely snapping better pics, but it certainly starts there.
So much more important than the "mechanics" of photography is the ability to bring creativity and originality to your work.
Artistry flows from how you experience the world, but it also includes how you bring that understanding out to others by what you capture in the frame. Therefore, giving your photography more artistic direction starts by learning to SEE like an artist. Can you inspire? Ignite emotion? Make a person chuckle? Offer a viewpoint? All with no words?
Lee so strongly advises you to learn to SEE that the S step is not only first but emphasizes the importance of the photographer over the equipment in the equation for finding success as a photographer!
Next is the T, as in "telling." Storytelling seems like a stretch to accomplish in just taking a photograph. It feels like a daunting task, but Lee breaks down the tactics and techniques to allow you to do just that with examples using the seven elements of art, specific lighting techniques, staging tricks, understanding composition, and so much more.
Now for the E, Lee promises to demystify the jibber-jabber techno talk into easily understandable concepts. The idea is to EXPOSE you to what you need to learn and know to grasp the mechanics of your camera, (no matter what kind) equipment, and accessories for the business of photography.
Finally, P is for PROCESS, and this is not only how you "develop" your photography, but how you design, enhance, highlight, edit, and present it as well.
Learning With Lee
Whether Lee talks about PhotoShop or Lightroom, lighting techniques, or whatever, you'll notice he brings conviction to his thoughtful advice. He's been there and done that (all of it)!
But luckily, Lee Love wants to share what he knows with you in your journey to improve your photography, increase your knowledge, and level up your skills.
When you learn with Lee, you work with him, and he with you. So, bring your questions, struggles, or concerns in leveling up your craft.
Lee makes you a better photographer because everyone he touches thinks so...
