The trek started bright and early Friday morning when we were introduced to our Mentors, Reed Hoffman and Rob Van Petten. Both Reed and Rob became successful photographers taking different paths in the photographic field.
Although the weather was not bright and sunny, our photographic spirits would not be let down due to a little bit of precipitation and a grey sky. Off we went with our first stop: the Montauk Yacht Club on the very tip of Long Island, N.Y. There we were free to roam the docks and the small beach. We could shoot the hotel and all the surroundings as well the may boats docked at the piers.
From there we went to the historic Montauk Lighthouse, which was commissioned to be built by President George Washington and completed in 1796. The ground of the lighthouse is really pretty, overlooking the cliffs toward the Atlantic Ocean on both sides of Montauk Point. Many of us chose to climb to the top of the lighthouse and take some shots on the way up and as far up as you could get, looking out through the very top of the lighthouse.
As we walked the grounds of the lighthouse, there was a path leading down to the ocean where a number of fisherman were out off the beach standing on rocks wearing full length wet suits, fishing in the very rough waters. Due to the very high winds that day the ocean was really churning all around, it lent towards some dramatic and interesting photography.
From the Montauk Lighthouse we went to an area once used by the U.S. Army to train anti-aircraft gunnery before and after WWII. The area has long been since abandoned by the Army but the view of the lighthouse from that point is truly dramatic and spectacular. There we all fanned out along the edge, careful not to get to close to it, and shot the view of the lighthouse from that point.
We then headed back to our base in Southampton, N.Y. where we were able to upload our images, have dinner, and prepare for Saturdays first digital review.
Saturday morning started out with a really inspiring digital workflow / Capture NX2 demonstration presented by Rob Van Petten. It was very interesting as Rob took some of his images and transformed them in to some fantastic works of art. He explained to us in detail how he set his models up and how in general a fashion shoot is set up. Then he corrected his transformed the images using Nikon's Capture NX2 software. Watching Rob go through the easy steps in NX2 really made for an extremely captivating hour and a half. He also passed around a trial version that many of us uploaded to our laptops for trial runs.
We then departed for Duck Walk Vineyards for a model shoot and wine tasting. Rob and Reed showed us how to shoot models, and how to work with them. The girls were all very cooperative and nice and were eager to try many different poses and locations throughout the vineyards and around the winery. It was a great deal of fun and a terrific learning experience for us all.
Our next stop was Sag Harbor, where we were went on a nature cruise within the Peconic Estuary System. There was also a street festival in Sag Harbor providing many photo opportunities. The weather had finally improved and the events in town as well as on the boat ride gave us different photographic challenges to capture.
Saturday ended as we went to Cryder Beach in Southampton to shoot surfers as models. Reed worked with a group shooting a surfer using the Nikon SU-800 flash controller with a couple of SB-900 flashes off camera. Rob worked with another group of trekkers shooting two surfers using available light.
The evening was capped off with a delicious BBQ chicken and Lobster feast on the beach with all the trimmings. The Mentor Series even arranged for us to also have a bonfire and smores. It was a first class event.
We returned to the hotel for our first digital review with either Reed or Rob, and most of us worked tirelessly to get our 5 pictures ready for their comments and critiques.
Sunday morning we went to the Greenrose Farm in Manorville, N.Y. to photograph the horses and riders. We then headed back to the hotel for our final digital review and the final slide show.
All in all the weekend in Long Island, N.Y. went by like a snap of the finger. We started early Friday and had many photographic events and opportunities in to a short period of time. Our mentors Reed and Rob were terrific, friendly, and wonderful to talk to and learn from. I always come away from a Mentor Series trek feeling that I have been with great Mentors and terrific people who are eager to take shoot pictures and to learn to be better photographers.
Joel Kleiner
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