You might know me as the person who has been writing about photography for this website, magazines, and monographs. In addition, over the course of the past decade, I taught photography at a Masters level. Large parts of that teaching consisted of individual coaching of students. This coaching covered the full spectrum, ranging from helping students to develop a completely new photographic voice, all the way to helping students to conceptualize and realize a photobook and/or exhibition. I’m the author of Understanding Photobooks: The Form and Content of the Photographic Book. In addition, I have also been working on my own photography. My first photobook is scheduled to be released in late 2020.
Thus, I have been approaching photography from three different, complementary angles: looking at and engaging with photography as a critic, working with photographers developing their work as a teacher, and developing my own photography. While wearing any one of these three hats, I have always made sure to remember what it’s like to wear another one. I believe that it is this combination that has helped me provide valuable insight into teaching. Please note that the following services are available in English and German.
Have you recently finished a photographic project? Perhaps you are in the middle of one, or simply want another pair of eyes going over your photography to provide some feedback. A portfolio review / one-time consultation is right for you! The set-up is simple: you send me a pdf with your photographs, a description of the work, plus a list of your overall goals or questions, and we meet up online for an hour to talk about your pictures. Knowing about your goals is important — this allows me to make sure you get the most out of the time. If you’re interested, send me an email (jmcolberg@gmail.com). Tell me a little bit about yourself, your photography, and your goals. I’ll then be in touch to arrange the details.
Mentoring is for every photographer who…
Wants to start a new project and has trouble getting it off the ground.
Has been working on a project and feels stuck, not knowing how to proceed.
Has been working on a project and wants to make a photobook.
Isn’t thinking about projects but simply wants to grow as an artist.
Feels like they know what they’re doing and misses new challenges. Getting out of one’s comfort zone is hard.
Wants to broaden their thinking around their work and/or photography in general.
Wants to expand their available tools and methodologies.
In general wants to make new work, with a second critical pair of eyes present.
There is one basic prerequisite: you have to be able to take/make new pictures and/or work on your task at hand regularly.
The mentoring structure is very simple. It’s based on three-month Modules. At the end of every Module, we will discuss your next steps and decide whether another three months makes sense. In a sense, the three-months mark is a little bit arbitrary. Its most basic idea is to find a way to evaluate progress and to adapt to your needs. Another Module can always be added if we both agree that it makes sense to do so. All of our interactions happen online (obviously, given the pandemic, this model has now spread widely — I have been using it for over ten years). For every meetup, you will prepare and share new work based on what was previously discussed. If you’re new to mentoring, before we get started we will meet up online so I can learn about your work, broad ideas, and broad goals. This first consultation is free of charge. Every Module consists of six one-hour meet ups over a three-month period. We essentially will be meeting up every two weeks. Should scheduling conflicts arise, those will be sorted out — flexibility is key. Given the meet ups are online, you can be based anywhere in the world — as long as you have internet access. At the beginning of every Module, we define a set of target goals. We will then evaluate progress at the end of the Module. This structure is not overly rigid: the creative process entails learning new things, running into unexpected difficulties, etc. The idea of setting goals is to make sure that we’re both on the same page, so I get a good feeling for how to help you, and you know what you need to be doing over the following three months.
The following Modules are available. At any given time, you can be signed up for one Module. *Please note that the list will get expanded over time.
This is the most basic Module. It’s centered on making new work and on discussing it every two weeks — based on your specific needs. Depending on where you are with your work and your goals, “making new work” might entail editing, or it might entail writing.
This Module is geared towards photographers who already have part of a project and who want to continue to develop it. While you make new work, you will also work on a series of editing tasks set up by me. We will then talk about your work every two weeks, with a focus on both new pictures and edits. Please note that this Module does not mean that I edit your work. You will learn how to do it yourself.
This Module is for photographers who have a finished or almost finished body of work and want to learn how to turn it into a photobook. The focus of the Module is to develop the concept of the book, to edit/sequence the work for the book, and to become aware of all the other aspects of photobook making that aren’t talked about all that much. Here again I am not going to edit your work for you. You will learn how to do it yourself.
Send me an email (jmcolberg@gmail.com). Ideally, in that email you’ll tell me a little bit about yourself, your photography, your goals, which Module you’re interested in, and your location (time zone). I’ll then be in touch to set up a meet up so we can talk about things. Also, email any questions you might have.
You said there is only one prerequisite — to be able to make work. But what about my type of camera? As long as you can make and share new work every two weeks, you can work with any camera or photographic process you like. Working digitally will make the process easier. But if you work with film, then work with film. In the case of film, you have to make sure you can get your film developed and scanned in time. This is very much doable, but it entails a bit of scheduling. What happens if I have to re-schedule a meet up? Life always gets in the way, and you might have to re-schedule a meet up. That’s no problem. You will want to communicate this as early as you can, so we can work something out. And if you miss a session because you lose power or there is some emergency, we’ll reschedule that as well. I have a job so I can only meet up in the evenings. Would that work? Yes, that would work — as long as you have enough time to work on your photography. Remember, that’s the key: to be able to make new work. I live in a different time zone. How would that work? While some time zones might get a bit iffy, we should be able to schedule meet ups. I’m pretty flexible. If there’s a huge time difference, this would be something to bring up when we meet for the first time. Can I get in touch in between our meetups? Yes, within reason you can. You can email me with (follow-up) questions etc. But the meetups really are designed to discuss things. So keep that in mind.
The mentorship I received from Jörg came at a critical moment and played a huge role in where I am at with my work today. After our first meeting, I immediately found myself on a clearer trajectory in my photographic art practice. At the end of the mentorship, my art writing had taken leaps and bounds and I was able to more clearly verbalize, write about and execute my ideas. Now as I prepare to apply to graduate school, I see a transformation that has occurred with how I engage with my own work and further develop my art practice. Jörgs diverse background as a teacher, artist and former physicist gives a unique perspective that is hard to find in photographic education. His insight and guidance have been and continue to be invaluable. -- Erin Hoffstetter I approached Jörg because I was stuck in a project. Working with him for a couple of months allowed me to revisit my work from a much more complete perspective and in phase with my conceptual intentions. Through many discussions and very instructive activities, Jörg helped me to better understand my photographs, their meanings and their relationships to each other. I really enjoyed this great experience and I highly recommend working with him. -- Guillaume Tomasi Jörg is an extremely knowledgeable sparring partner, and has many years of experience in looking, writing and working with photography. He is especially good when it comes to combining images and text. He is friendly, supportive and easygoing, but also tough when it was needed. He broke down the project into manageable steps, by giving small writing assignments as a way to bring the work forward. In my case, I found this methodology particularly useful, as one can often be overwhelmed by the amount of material when working on larger projects. Our conversations really broadened my horizons and helped me with my work in so many ways – I would highly recommend working with Jörg! -- Terje Abusdal Though I initially approached Jörg to help with a specific project, it has developed into an ongoing mentorship. Even after a year of working together, Jörg continues to enlarge my aesthetic and intellectual toolboxes in ways that allow me to be more expansive with my work. I face fewer roadblocks because I am continually developing more methods for overcoming them. Jörg is a thoughtful and deeply curious mentor. Not only is he exceptionally informed in his chosen field from multiple perspectives as an artist, critic and teacher, but his knowledge across disciplines is extensive. His interdisciplinary perspective allows him to make connections from a significantly broader context. This enhances his understanding of how to be, not just a photographer, but an artist connecting with the world in meaningful ways. -- Lisa Mahar Even though I had basically been doing photography for twenty years, Jörg opened me up to the various sides of the medium: to photography, which I was never interested in before, but, with his help, came to appreciate. I have even tried to broaden my practice. Furthermore, he exposes you to critical thought regarding the problematic nature of the medium, which most photographers and photography lovers are not aware of, but really should be in this day and age. -- Patrick Tsai