Jordan - © Copyright 2010 by William Beem
Last fall, I wrote about a good experience I had attending a workshop put on by my friends John & Susan at Cuba Libre. They run Harmon’s School of Photography and regularly have classes ranging a wide spectrum of photography – basics of photography, courses on Lightroom, small flash lighting to studio lighting courses are all regular staples. The workshops that I enjoy are when they go out in the field. The shot of Jordan (above) is one I took during one of their workshops last year for a swimsuit session. It was hot, muggy and rained on us, but I had a great time.
The Pool Sessions are an annual event for them and I’ve signed up again this year. That means within a few weeks, I’ll be posting more bikini shots here than HDR. The conditions are brutal, but I suffer for my art.
Fortunately, the next workshop after that is a bit more accommodating. They’ve arranged for a September workshop with body-builders and fitness models in a local gym. I’m guessing that it’s the same gym that John and I go to, but I’ll find out soon enough. That means sometime in September I’ll have more portraits of good-looking people to post. One of my objectives for that shoot is to try some edge lighting to illustrate the body’s definition.
When that thought crossed my mind, I realized that it means I’m slightly progressing in my objectives for attending workshops. In the past, I’d hear about something that sounds interesting and show up hoping to get a good shot. That’s not exactly a recipe for success. Others have harped on me to pre-visualize and I’ve shared that advice here on the blog. In fact, it’s something I’ve done on other parts of my photography while wandering around on my own.
It gives me a mild dilemma. too. Scott Kelby recently posted a note on his blog about people who come to workshops intent on showing how much they know (read his post to put that in the right context). I left a comment there essentially stating that I like going to workshops as the dumbest guy in the room. I want to learn. I want to have an open mind to get what the instructor is sharing, rather than try to show how much I know (which is debatable) or hijack the course to get what I want.
In this case, I think the idea of doing some edge lighting is a good fit for the bodybuilder workshop. I’ll discuss it with John & Susan to let them know my interest. It may fit well into what they intend to teach, and I’ll get the shot I’ve envisioned. If they decline, then I’ll learn focus on learning what they have to share. Here’s my point: It’s good to think ahead and have ideas about what you want to get out of a workshop, but don’t disrupt the flow of the instructor’s plans. In other words, don’t be that guy. You know, the one who causes the other attendees to roll their eyes because he just won’t leave something alone. There’s no sense in wasting everyone else’s time just to get what you want. It’s selfish.
I’ve been to workshops with that guy before and it just bugs me. I’ve also been to workshops where everyone got along very well and everything was a joy. Fortunately, that’s the kind of class I usually find with John & Susan. If you’re in the Central Florida area, I’d recommend clicking the link above to check out their training schedule. Maybe I’ll see you at one of the workshops.
by William
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