Creative Vision Mentorship is a focused, one-on-one photography mentorship program for photographers who want to move beyond individual images and develop a cohesive body of work.
Whether your goal is a fine art series, a photo book, or an exhibition, this mentorship gives you both the technical guidance and the critical dialogue needed to shape your vision and bring it to completion.
What This Mentorship Offers
This is not a single-session lesson. Instead, it is a sustained process built around your work, your questions, and your creative goals.
Together, we work to:
- Clarify your creative direction
- Edit and refine your image selections
- Strengthen your visual language
- Develop a body of work with intention and coherenc
As the project develops, I integrate technical instruction as needed — in camera use, Lightroom, and Photoshop — so that you can realize your ideas with clarity and control.
How We Work
Each session builds on the last, creating continuity and momentum.
Our work may include:
- Image review and critical feedback
- Sequencing and narrative development
- Editing workflows in Lightroom and Photoshop
- Exploration of light, composition, and visual relationships
- Guidance toward a finished outcome, such as a book, portfolio, or exhibition
The process remains structured, but responsive. As your work evolves, we shape each session around your goals, your images, and the direction of the project.
Who This Is For
This mentorship is designed for photographers who:
- Want to deepen their way of seeing
- Are ready to move beyond isolated images
- Are developing a project or body of work
- Value thoughtful critique and sustained guidance
A high level of technical experience is not required. What matters is commitment and openness to the process.
For photographers seeking broader instruction in camera use, Lightroom, Photoshop, or foundational photographic practice, my Hamptons Photo Instruction page offers additional ways to study with me.
Structure & Commitment
A minimum commitment of ten sessions is required.
Meaningful work develops over time. For that reason, this structure allows us to move through:
- Exploration
- Refinement
- Completion
For more ambitious or extended projects, longer-term mentorship options are also available.
Availability
Creative Vision Mentorship is a limited offering.
I work with a small number of mentorship clients at a time so that each photographer receives focused attention, thoughtful guidance, and a meaningful experience.
Mentoring Philosophy
My approach to mentoring begins with careful observation and dialogue.
Many photographers come to mentorship drawn to certain subjects, moods, or ways of seeing, but they may not yet know how to name or shape that instinct. Together, we recognize those patterns and develop them into a clearer creative voice.
We look closely — at light, at structure, at what is present in the frame and what is implied. We also explore concepts, awaken ideas, and consider what the work is asking to become.
From there, we begin to shape meaning.
The goal is not simply to improve individual photographs, but to develop a body of work that feels coherent, intentional, and fully realized.
About Cheryl
Professional photographer Cheryl Machat Dorskind is a fine-art photographer, photo artist, handpainter, author, educator, and mentor. She has taught photography at the college level and online for decades, working with students and artists at many stages of creative development.
Her books include The Art of Handpainting Photographs, The Art of Photographing Children, and Photographing Children Naturally. Her fine-art photography and handpainted photographs have been exhibited and reviewed, including coverage in The New York Times.
Her mentorship is shaped by a long practice of looking closely — at light, subject, structure, emotion, and meaning — and helping photographers develop work with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
Next Steps
If this approach resonates with you, you are welcome to get in touch to begin a conversation.
To inquire about Creative Vision Mentorship, please email Cheryl at cheryl@cherylmachatdorskind.com or call or text 515-528-4293. If calling, please leave a detailed message so I may return your call.
