Learning to think like a photographer in Maras, Peru
By Miriam Leuchter | Published Oct 3, 2014 8:50 PM EDT
Jill Mazur, a consultant in the apparel and footwear industry with a nationwide client roster, often jokes that her base is LAX. In reality, her most memorable shoot took place in the narrow workshop of a hatmaker in Maras, Peru, a place where only a handful of photographers can fit at once.
Using a Nikon D7100 paired with an 18–300 mm f/3.5–5.6G Nikkor ED VR lens, she captured the dramatic chiaroscuro with a single beam of light that slipped through the open door. Exposure was 1/1250 s, f/4.5, ISO 800. While other shots included more of the background, she knew this image was the one to keep—a testament to her disciplined compositional approach inherited from a childhood spent shooting film with her photojournalist father.
“Look at every edge and corner in your viewfinder,” she advises. “When I’m shooting, I’m constantly checking to make sure the image matches my vision.”
Even for a seasoned traveling shooter, the Mentor Series offers a chance to tap into a deep well of knowledge. Mazur credits mentor Mark Alberhasky’s adaptation of Louis Pasteur’s dictum: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” She says, “When I’m out shooting, I’m always ready.” Knowing her gear—keeping the power on, the lens cap off—enables her to seize moments she might otherwise miss.
At the end of each shooting day, the trekkers and mentors gather for a slide‑show and critique. “I learn more from these reviews than from any book,” Mazur says. “I love the treks, but the mentors are the real treasure—they’ve taught me so much.”
• Ninth day of Mentor Trek Thailand, early morning at a flower market. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann, 11/9/2013)
Shot with a Nikon D610 set to white balance of SUNNY and ISO 250, shutter speed 1/40 s at f/7, exposure compensation –0.7, lens 50 mm, sharpening and tone settings as indicated.
Jill Mazur, 46, is an L.A.-based consultant. View her portfolio at flickr.com/jillmazur.