How would I find someone who could be a good advisor?
There are lots of ways - none of them guaranteed. But one way would be to participate in portfolio reviews. Look carefully at who the reviewers are at a given portfolio review, and then do some google searching on their track record. Find out if folks have been reviewed by them and how they felt about the feedback. Classes at colleges are another way - take a photography course at a community college or a local art school through their continuing education program. Get to know the instructor, then arrange a sit-down to look at your overall portfolio even if it doesn't jive with the overall theme of the course. See if there is an option near you of an art center that offers instruction - the art center where I teach has a monthly, free, "Coffee and Critique" where participants can bring in portfolios of work to share and request feedback. Because we're open to the public, we have participants at all skill levels, so we ask the participants what degree of feedback are they looking for. Some just want basic "how can I compose better" or "what am I missing with my camera features to take better pictures of X", and some are looking for "this image doesn't belong in this sequence because..." or "you have some interesting abstract images here - I want you to push that further" or even "why are you using alternative processes to print these images? it doesn't seem to add anything... these would work better as color pigment prints". Or you could even just reach out to some select individuals you know through here or elsewhere and ask them if they would be willing to provide you with feedback. Don't be afraid to let them know exactly what kind of feedback you're looking for - if you don't, there's a good chance you'll get a lot of vague positive commentary like what your mom would offer, or you'll get unexpectedly savaged.
