Mentee Results
Real outcomes from photographers who clarified their vision, strengthened their edit, and brought meaningful projects to life through PhotoDocumentarians.
Photographers join PhotoDocumentarians to bring their projects to life and get their work seen. Here is what they say about the experience and the results.
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Annie Sakkab
Documentary photographer and filmmaker
“Before the mentorship, I felt lost in my ideas
and intentions. Now I’m focused, and I know
exactly what I need to do.”
Djamal Benmokhtar
Documentary photographer and pilot
“There is a clear before and after to my
work since meeting Sebastian and starting
to work together.”
When Annie joined the Mentorship Program, she was carrying a powerful vision and a deep commitment to telling meaningful stories, but felt overwhelmed by the number of ideas she wanted to pursue. Like many photographers working at a serious level, she had no shortage of stories, but lacked clarity on where to begin and how to move one project forward with intention.
“Sebastian’s mentorship provided a safe and supportive space where I could talk through my fears and insecurities. Through our close work on the proposal, his guidance gave me the courage and confidence to pursue and successfully secure the National Geographic Explorer Grant.”
For more than three decades, Djamal Benmokhtar balanced a career as a pilot with a deep commitment to photography. Despite a strong archive and long-term projects, his work lacked structure and direction.
Through the Mentorship Program, he gained clarity, focus, and a strategic framework to develop his stories with intention. His long-term project Le Voyage (The Journey) received international recognition, including finalist status at the LensCulture Awards, publication in Epic, and selection at PhotoEspaña and Visa pour l’Image. Today, Djamal works with confidence, consistency, and clear purpose, transforming years of effort into visible, meaningful work.
Parisa Azadi
Visual journalist and storyteller
“I began my mentorship with Sebastian at a moment of deep burnout. I had a growing
archive, years of work behind me, and no
clear sense of how to move forward.”
Ratika Singh
Visual Artist
“Being part of Sebastian’s mentorship gave
me roots and wings. I found the structure
and confidence to take my work seriously
and share it with the world.”
Parisa Azadi entered the Mentorship Program already established, yet internally disconnected from her work. Together, we returned to the foundations of visual storytelling, focusing on sequencing, narrative coherence, and editorial intention. By working through her archive with clarity and structure, Parisa reconnected with her images and rebuilt confidence in her process.
The mentorship helped her move from doubt to intentional action, leading to tangible outcomes including a solo exhibition at Cortona On The Move, exhibitions at Belfast Photo Festival, and publication in Marie Claire Italy.
When Ratika and I began working together, she was photographing consistently but felt unfulfilled. The themes that would later define her work were present but unresolved, without narrative direction. Through focused editing sessions and long conversations, clarity emerged. Photography shifted from exploration to reflection, and her long-term project Metamorphosis took shape.
Preparation and structure led to her first experience at Les Rencontres d’Arles, where she was invited to exhibit at Galerie JF Robert. Since then, Ratika has exhibited internationally, received the Creative Interruptions Grant, and entered conversations with publishers about her first photo book.
Mirella Frangella
Photographer
“Sebastian taught me how to tell stories
and find connections between images,
which was crucial for creating my first
photo book.”
Marcel Mayer
Documentary photographer
“Working with Sebastian brought clarity
and vision to my photography. I started to
research more, think more conceptually,
and turn my dreams into practice.”
Mirella Frangella joined the Mentorship Program with years of experience, a strong visual sensibility, and a deep commitment to long-term documentary work focused on the relationship between humans and nature. While her archive was rich, she struggled to shape her images into a cohesive narrative.
Through the mentorship, Mirella learned how to slow down, identify the underlying connections in her work, and edit with intention. Rather than adding more material, the process focused on clarity, structure, and authorship. This shift culminated in the publication of Raíces Vivas (Living Roots) by Editorial Planeta in Uruguay and strengthened her confidence to develop and share ambitious long-term projects rooted in collaboration and care.
Before working together, Marcel had completed several smaller projects but felt he was missing structure, clearer goals, and a deeper understanding of his own visual voice.
Marcel continues to pursue documentary photography alongside his demanding professional and family life, supported by his partner and children.
Looking ahead, Marcel is actively engaging with international publications and refining his projects with greater editorial clarity, confidence, and focus. His journey shows how commitment, structure, and sustained mentorship can transform ambition into concrete progress, even within a full and demanding life.
Rafael de la Uz
Photographer and filmmaker
“This mentorship is the space where my fears
were cured, where I put aside my childish
attitude toward photography to grow as a
creator of stories.”
Roland Schmid
Documentary photographer
“Sebastian helps to get to the heart of
complex bodies of work.”
When Rafael and I began working together, he brought years of experience, discipline, and visual strength. What he lacked was structure. His work was driven by image quality, but the stories were not yet fully articulated or shared.
Through the mentorship, we focused on sequencing, narrative clarity, and visibility. The shift was from accumulation to authorship. Rafael learned that photography does not end with making images, but with offering them to the world.
As a result, he completed two strong photo projects, published work in three magazines, and secured long-term funding, including support from the Pulitzer Center.
When Roland and I began working together, he was already an experienced photographer with decades of published and exhibited work. He was carrying two major long-term projects that had grown complex and difficult to shape. Our work focused on editing, structure, and decision-making, helping him distill decades of material into coherent narratives. This process led to a large-scale exhibition of War Without End at Photobastei in Zurich and moved Breathing Borders toward an upcoming photo book. “The path is clearer now.” Roland’s case shows that mentorship is not about speed, but precision, commitment, and learning how to move long-term work forward with confidence.
Annie Sakkab
Documentary photographer
and filmmaker
“Before the mentorship, I felt lost in my ideas and intentions. Now I’m focused, and I know exactly what I need to do.”
When Annie joined the Mentorship Program, she was carrying a powerful vision and a deep commitment to telling meaningful stories, but felt overwhelmed by the number of ideas she wanted to pursue. Like many photographers working at a serious level, she had no shortage of stories, but lacked clarity on where to begin and how to move one project forward with intention.
“Sebastian’s mentorship provided a safe and supportive space where I could talk through my fears and insecurities. Through our close work on the proposal, his guidance gave me the courage and confidence to pursue and successfully secure the National Geographic Explorer Grant.”
Djamal Benmokhtar
Documentary photographer
and pilot
“There is a clear before and after to my work since meeting Sebastian and starting to work together.”
For more than three decades, Djamal Benmokhtar balanced a career as a pilot with a deep commitment to photography. Despite a strong archive and long-term projects, his work lacked structure and direction.
Through the Mentorship Program, he gained clarity, focus, and a strategic framework to develop his stories with intention. His long-term project Le Voyage (The Journey) received international recognition, including finalist status at the LensCulture Awards, publication in Epic, and selection at PhotoEspaña and Visa pour l’Image. Today, Djamal works with confidence, consistency, and clear purpose, transforming years of effort into visible, meaningful work.
Parisa Azadi
Visual journalist and storyteller
“I began my mentorship with Sebastian at a moment of deep burnout. I had a growing archive, years of work behind me, and no clear sense of how to move forward.”
Parisa Azadi entered the Mentorship Program already established, yet internally disconnected from her work. Together, we returned to the foundations of visual storytelling, focusing on sequencing, narrative coherence, and editorial intention. By working through her archive with clarity and structure, Parisa reconnected with her images and rebuilt confidence in her process.
The mentorship helped her move from doubt to intentional action, leading to tangible outcomes including a solo exhibition at Cortona On The Move, exhibitions at Belfast Photo Festival, and publication in Marie Claire Italy.
Ratika Singh
Visual Artist
“Being part of Sebastian’s mentorship gave me roots and wings. I found the structure and confidence to take my work seriously and share it with the world.”
When Ratika and I began working together, she was photographing consistently but felt unfulfilled. The themes that would later define her work were present but unresolved, without narrative direction. Through focused editing sessions and long conversations, clarity emerged. Photography shifted from exploration to reflection, and her long-term project Metamorphosis took shape.
Preparation and structure led to her first experience at Les Rencontres d’Arles, where she was invited to exhibit at Galerie JF Robert. Since then, Ratika has exhibited internationally, received the Creative Interruptions Grant, and entered conversations with publishers about her first photo book.
Mirella Frangella
Photographer
“Sebastian taught me how to tell stories and find connections between images, which was crucial for creating my first photo book.”
Mirella Frangella joined the Mentorship Program with years of experience, a strong visual sensibility, and a deep commitment to long-term documentary work focused on the relationship between humans and nature. While her archive was rich, she struggled to shape her images into a cohesive narrative.
Through the mentorship, Mirella learned how to slow down, identify the underlying connections in her work, and edit with intention. Rather than adding more material, the process focused on clarity, structure, and authorship. This shift culminated in the publication of Raíces Vivas (Living Roots) by Editorial Planeta in Uruguay and strengthened her confidence to develop and share ambitious long-term projects rooted in collaboration and care.
Marcel Mayer
Documentary photographer
“Working with Sebastian brought clarity and vision to my photography. I started to research more, think more conceptually, and turn my dreams into practice.”
Before working together, Marcel had completed several smaller projects but felt he was missing structure, clearer goals, and a deeper understanding of his own visual voice.
Marcel continues to pursue documentary photography alongside his demanding professional and family life, supported by his partner and children.
Looking ahead, Marcel is actively engaging with international publications and refining his projects with greater editorial clarity, confidence, and focus. His journey shows how commitment, structure, and sustained mentorship can transform ambition into concrete progress, even within a full and demanding life.
Rafael de la Uz
Photographer and filmmaker
“This mentorship is the space where my fears were cured, where I put aside my childish attitude toward photography to grow as a creator of stories.”
When Rafael and I began working together, he brought years of experience, discipline, and visual strength. What he lacked was structure. His work was driven by image quality, but the stories were not yet fully articulated or shared.
Through the mentorship, we focused on sequencing, narrative clarity, and visibility. The shift was from accumulation to authorship. Rafael learned that photography does not end with making images, but with offering them to the world.
As a result, he completed two strong photo projects, published work in three magazines, and secured long-term funding, including support from the Pulitzer Center.
Roland Schmid
Documentary photographer
“Sebastian helps to get to the heart of complex bodies of work.”
When Roland and I began working together, he was already an experienced photographer with decades of published and exhibited work. He was carrying two major long-term projects that had grown complex and difficult to shape. Our work focused on editing, structure, and decision-making, helping him distill decades of material into coherent narratives. This process led to a large-scale exhibition of War Without End at Photobastei in Zurich and moved Breathing Borders toward an upcoming photo book. “The path is clearer now.” Roland’s case shows that mentorship is not about speed, but precision, commitment, and learning how to move long-term work forward with confidence.
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