How to Make the Most of a Mentor

by Stanley LearyPhotography

Don Rutledge is editing a coverage.

“I have three treasures which I hold and keep. The first is mercy, for from mercy comes courage. The second is frugality, from which comes generosity to others. The third is humility, for from it comes leadership.” — Master Po

“Strange treasures. How shall I hold them and keep them? Memory?” — Caine

“No, Grasshopper, not in memory, but your deeds.” — Master Po

What makes a great mentor is an interested student. I often think of the old TV series Kung Fu, where the main character has flashbacks to his childhood, asking many questions of his master. We do not see the master pressing the boy so much as the young boy seeking out the master’s wisdom. If you genuinely want to learn and are open to criticism, you can learn much from a mentor.

I watched one of my mentors, Don Rutledge, mentor many people. Working with Don and down the hall from his office was privileged. Don Rutledge was a staff photographer for Black Star and later worked covering missionaries around the world for Christian magazines. He traveled throughout the United States and in more than 150 countries.

Shortly after coming to the Home Mission Board, Don spent six weeks photographing inside the Artic Circle, Alaska in 1967. This photo was taken as Don, with two volunteer workers, visited an Eskimo house. So happy was the family to see their friends, everyone ignored Don’s click-click-click.

I watched, noticing that no matter who came by, Don made the time to sit down with the person and talk. They would bring their portfolios and mostly wanted a job doing what he was doing. Most were using Don; some were so bold as to go to Black Star trying to take his job. Many went on to prosperous careers but failed to thank Don for his wise counsel or generosity in providing industry contacts.

Like everyone else, I sat down with Don and had him review my work. But I gained the most valuable insight when Don invited me to come along on some of his shoots. We took trips together where I would watch him work and occasionally hand him a lens. Observing Don is where I learned from a master of the craft.

John Howard Griffin changed his skin color to black for the research for his book Black Like Me. (Photo by Don Rutledge)

I watched as Don got out of the car and introduced himself to the subject. He would talk for a while with the person in a casual conversation, which was an interview. He was listening and learning all he could. What would make a good photograph? What would be good quotes for the story? And by the way — his cameras were either in the car or in his bag during this time.

After each story, during our car ride back, I would ask lots of questions and learn even more about what Don thought as he worked. Then, we would review the photos when the contact sheets came back from the lab. I only knew of a few photographers who sat down and looked through Don’s contact sheets and learned from him how he worked. Most were only interested in guidance about their work; they didn’t know what they were missing.

While legislators around the nation were debating the need for rat-control laws–and disputing their funding–Don discovered these two youngsters who proudly displayed the results of their morning hunt. In that section of Cincinnati, Ohio in 1968, rats were not a particularly difficult quarry to locate.

When looking for a mentor, find someone at the top of the industry with a personality and work you admire. Please show them your work regularly and ask for advice. Ask if you can watch them work, and ask to help them. Most importantly, become friends with them for a lifetime; don’t just use people for your career development. And finally — give back by mentoring someone yourself.

Left to Right: Stanley, Dorie, Lucy, and Don Rutledge in front of their home in Midlothian, Va. Photo was taken by Chelle We stopped by Don and Lucy Rutledge’s house on the way back from Sparta, New Jersey.

“But Master, how do I not contend with a man that would contend with me?” — Caine

“In a heart that is one with nature, though the body contends, there is no violence, and in the heart that is not one with nature, though the body is at rest, there is always violence. Be, therefore, like the prow of a boat. It cleaves water, yet it leaves in its wake water unbroken.” — Master Po

How did I learn about Don? My uncle Knolan Benfield worked with him from 1969 to 1979. Knolan told me so much about Don that I thought I already knew him when I met him. Don had impacted Knolan’s work and improved his photography.

My master’s thesis was on Don Rutledge; you can read it here. It will take a minute to load.

What I learned from Don changed my life. Today I teach at colleges and workshops, and, like Don, I am willing to help anyone because Don showed me it was necessary. Ultimately, I learned why Don had given so much. It was because, in giving, we receive so much ourselves.