BREAK OF DAWN

 

This was a whirlwind weekend. It started off Friday @ 6PM in San Dimas, at an all night photography workshop titled “Dusk to Dawn, taught by one of my favorite award winning instructors Ramiro Gaytan. I had planned on taking a nap earlier in the day, but no luck, had to go Samy’s Camera to check on my tripod, which I admit I had never used, and I needed a quick lesson. After my lesson I stopped by Whole Foods to get a “supersize me” 32 ounce green juice, the excitement was starting to build and all feelings of sleepiness had disappeared. I charged all my batteries, packed my flash, selected my lenses, and stuffed my bag with additional odds and ends. I figured out something to wear, after trying on a few combos settling on a bright orange workout top, my J Brand jeans, army jacket and my runnings shoes,  still trying to figure out that perfect chic photographer “look” that will work and look effortless and still be “cute” and when need be, allow me to lay on the ground and get that shot.

 

My appetite for learning photography is crazy, I am going to bed thinking about it and waking up thinking about it, so much I want to learn and so much information to be processed in my brain, I feel as though I am a laptop with not enough RAM. I knew it was going to be a long night, our workshop was going until 6AM. We were a tribe of 12 armed with equipment, waiting to take it all in by our fearless leader. We started off in the parking lot taking a few shots of our fabulous models, all 5 of them little and cute, making it impossible to get a bad image-almost…Once again learning that a good shot can be taken anywhere if you open your eyes and take notice of your surroundings.

We piled in our cars, so happy my cousin John was driving, and headed west to the beach. We were an eclectic crew with a variety of experience under our belts, everyone there hoping to pick up a trick or two, talking shop about all their events, weddings and portraits they had been shooting. A few I recognized were from Tri-Community, the program I attend.

 

We were like a pack of wolves all huddled together, synchronizing our shutters with the flash, all vying for a good position to get the perfect shot. I was getting frustrated at times due to my inexperience of being quick at changing my settings, combined with having to put on my reading glasses, and it was dark and I had to use a flashlight to see and then I had to strain to figure out if my shot was in focus–I’m sure soon I am going to need botox in my right eye.

This shot reminds me of some of the Dolce Gabbana ad campaigns.

The lighting on this building is so dramatic.

 

We then went to LACMA to shoot at the Chris Burden Urban Light installation, which consists of 202 restored street lamps from the 1920’s. I learned how to use a flashlight to light the model, which worked really well, I will have to try this on my own, and see what I can create.

 

 

About 3 AM we had enough, and headed downtown to the Disney Hall. When my kids were younger, I spent many weeks across the street at the Colburn school, at piano lessons for both Amani and Reggie, I witnessed Disney Hall being built.

This was my favorite place, something about the quiet of the night, until the security guards came to tell us we had to go on the perameter of the sidewalk and could not come close to the building, of course we made the most of it.

We stopped at IHOP for an early breakfast and tryied to absorb as much information as possible from our teacher. About 5am we loaded in to our cars and headed back to our starting point at the Break of Dawn.

What a night, could not help but think of Michael’s song “Break Of Dawn”.  Hope you had an interesting weekend and Happy Monday!

Xoxo,

GiGi