Photography Mentors & Lifelong Learning, with Reid Callanan and Craig Stevens

Today we chat with Reid Callanan, founder and director of the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and renowned photo educator Craig Stevens, formerly of Maine Media Workshops and Savannah College of Art & Design, about photography mentors, lifelong learning, and the role photo workshops play in cultivating community. Craig and Reid share plenty of insight, not just on the requisite trust that’s required in a successful mentor and student relationship, but other topics such as what it means to be truly passionate about photography, collaboration, as well as how to critique the work of others without being “critical.” Whether you’re just getting started as a photographer or you’re a seasoned vet, you’re sure to walk away from today’s podcast with a nugget or two of wisdom.  Photo caption: Double portrait of Reid Callanan and Craig Stevens  Photo credit: Above Image © Joyce Tenneson

Episode Timeline:

4:44: Reid Callanan on first recognizing Craig Stevens as his mentor.

12:20: Craig’s early impressions of Reid.

16:25: How the concept of mentorship has changed over time and across generations.

19:56: Craig on the “workshop method” and past history as it applies to photography.

26:23: Online workshops versus intensive in-person learning opportunities.

31:38: Differences between an international photo workshop and a destination photo tour, and questions prospective students should ask.

36:38: Discussing the Santa Fe Photographic Workshop’s online mentorship program.

39:20: Making distinctions between mentorship and coaching relationships.

43:03: Episode Break

44:12: On the concept of lifelong learning.

50:52: Discussing the challenges in trying to learn photography as a vocation today.

55:38: The art of critique, what makes a photograph “good,” and dealing with personal tastes and biases when discussing photographs.

1:07:38: How motivation and inspiration factor into working with students.

1:11:01: Questions of cropping, aspect ratios, and Craig’s panoramic landscape photographs.

1:16:36: Photographic style and the idea of helping a student to differentiate themselves.

1:22:42: The evolution from traditional photographic printmaking to digital inkjet prints.

Guests: Reid Callanan & Craig Stevens Guest Bios: Reid Callanan is the founder and director of the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. In addition to all the responsibilities involved in leading the workshops for the past 32 years, Reid is also an accomplished photographer in his own right who jumps on the opportunity to teach workshops whenever he can.  Reid’s journey in photography started in 1974 during a semester abroad at Richmond College in London. He’s been making images ever since using a variety of photographic processes. After spending 14 years at the Maine Photographic Workshops, Reid headed west in 1990, where he founded the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and the non-profit Santa Fe Center for Photography, now known as CENTER.  In addition to serving as CENTER’s Vice-President of the Board of Directors, he serves on the President’s Council of the Texas Photographic Society; he’s a Board member for the American Society of Media Photographers Foundation; and The National Center for The Photograph.

Craig Stevens is a photographer, printmaker and photographic educator.  He has taught, written about, and lectured extensively on art and education since 1975 when he received his MFA from Ohio University. 

For 12 years he was associate director of the Maine Photographic Workshops, where he was also involved in the creation and development of the Workshops’ Resident Program. In 1994, he was workshops director for the 25th anniversary of Les Rencontres Internationale de la Photographie in Arles, France. 

Additionally, Craig has served on the faculties of the Santa Fe Workshops, the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and Les Ateliers de l’Image in France. In 2013, he was the first recipient