During the mentoring session, the photographers were grouped into teams of five. Veteran photographers Steve Giralt and Andrew Hetherington donated their time and expertise to mentor one of the New York City teams, which included photographers Missy Davis, Alyssa Meadows, Andrew Tomasino, Hsin Wang and Logan Wu, whose images are shown above. “We all met regularly as a group at Steve’s studio over a period of four months or so and worked closely with the mentees, from developing their ideas and interpreting the theme with a unique vision, to its execution, to the edit and all steps in between,” Hetherington told PDN via email. Hetherington and Giralt also invited industry professionals to share their experiences of life in the “real” photo world. A group critique was held at the end of the program to help with the final image selection for the exhibition.

“It is very much a two way street. I found myself being as inspired just as much from the mentees as I hope they were from Steve and I,” Hetherington says. “It is rewarding to see that members of the team forged lasting friendships during the program, and are continuing to help, nurture and motivate one another. That is really invaluable. Worth more than the pictures themselves.”

In addition to the mentoring program, the YPA offers scholarships, an educational lecture series, portfolio reviews, and panel discussions with industry professionals like photo editors, art buyers and photo agents. To learn more, please visit the organization’s website.