Playing Pro!

A couple years back Rick and I attended a meeting of the Tacoma Photographic Society.  They meet on Thursdays and share pictures and then critique.  It was enjoyable and educational, I wish I could attend more often and get some of my stuff critiqued as well.  But Thursday is my meeting night...

Having attended a meeting got us on a mailing list which hasn't resulted in many benefits.  Until last week!

Digital Days Photography was planning to have a 2 day workshop here in Seattle and everyone getting the necessary promo code could attend for FREE!  So I quickly jumped on line and got us signed up.

We had plans to go to Tacoma and shoot some urban photography with Sarah so we couldn't make the Saturday session.  That was fine because the description showed that to be the fundamentals, which, after having our cameras for 4+ years now, we have figured out pretty well.  But Sunday was gonna be the hands-on day.  An all day session with models to be photographed inside and then a walk around Seattle with more model shots.  Fun!

So we got signed in and listened to the brief lessons on mastering ISO, exposure, shutter speed, white balance, etc. then the fun began.  There were about 8 models with a variety of outfits and about 6 areas to shoot indoors, the majority with lights, a backdrop and some kind of flooring.  One area was next to a window with a reflector and one was at a table with candles backed by a dark backdrop and rope lights.

There were at least 50 of us so every location was crowded with some laying on the floor, some sitting, kneeling, holding their cameras high to shoot downward, etc.  We shot for I think at least an hour inside, then turned our memory cards over to the instructors while we broke for lunch.

Rick and I wandered down to the Westlake area and found a hot dog stand called "Dog in the Park". A little pricey but fit in with what we needed, simplicity and speed.  We both enjoyed our dogs (although they were a bit heavy on the greasy side), enjoyed the ambiance of the area, the live music, the trees painted vivid blue, the statues planted around, the beautiful day and doing something completely different from our usual Sunday.

Returning to "class" we reviewed some of the best shots and examples of what not to do.  Then we headed back outside, to the Harbor Steps which were just a few blocks away.  It was an odd thing to be doing and created a lot of curiosity in people going about their normal business.  A model would pick a spot and begin posing while the assistants would use reflectors or diffusers to create the correct lighting.  Then there would be a mob of photographers jockeying for the best position.  Onlookers were convinced the models were celebrities and some even joined in on the photography, not wanting to miss out on getting the shot of "whoever she is"!

The Digital Days folks aren't from this area so depended on us locals to lead them to interesting shooting spots.  We helped a group find the infamous "gum wall" of Post Alley while others headed toward the waterfront and our brand-new ferris wheel.  We managed to get ourselves included with both groups.  But that involved a lot of walking and hill- and stair-climbing.  The day turned quite a bit warmer than we expected so it was quite a workout!

We went back to the classroom for a few last pointers then headed for our cars.  The parking garage that we'd been directed to use for its $6 fee for the day turned out to be wrong - our parking bill was $26!  Yikes!  Oh well, the class was free so we spent $13 each for a fun day in the city doing something we'll probably never do again!  Hopefully we learned something as well - I know!  Check the parking rates for yourself!