We met Friday morning where we had an introduction and met our mentors for the weekend: David Tejada and Lucas Gilman. The Nikon pros presented their work and as is usually the case, both mentors have different photographic backgrounds, but both have amazing ability and talent. Their presentations were magnificent and very inspiring.
We then boarded our motor coach for the short trip to Sweet Berry Farm. At the farm we were allowed to walk freely and photograph pretty much where and whatever we wanted. The day was getting rather overcast and it started to rain slightly, but it did not deter us from shooting away and capturing anything we found interesting. Many of us also had lunch at the farm at their cafe area. We were able to meet the 96 year old owner of the farm who was so proud to take me in his old Jeep and show me the young “white” Christmas tree that they are growing on the farm.
From there we headed for Newport Harbor to shoot in the downtown area. We went straight for a spot that was covered, because by now it was really raining. At the covered pier there were fresh lobster, crabs and fish coming live off the boat to be prepared for sale. The staff there was very friendly and they allowed us to roam freely and take any pictures we wanted to, even holding up the huge lobsters and showing us around.
Erica then invited us for refreshments at The Landing, a restaurant in Newport Harbor where we spent time with the mentors and talked about photography while we waited a little bit for the rain to slow up before we went for a late afternoon sail on the schooner Madeleine.
We then took a 1 ½ hour sail out of the area and in to Newport Harbor. The crew on the boat was very personable and told us all about the rich history of Newport, going back to pre-revolutionary war days. Regardless of the gray weather the trekkers found things on the boat to shoot, and ways to shoot it. The sites were many and the information was greatly appreciated.
We had dinner on our own in the downtown area, where the seafood options were plentiful!
Saturday started out bright and early, and the sun was shining. We headed for Blithewold Mansion and broke into two groups. Two lovely models came for us to photograph. David and Lucas worked very well with the models and trekkers, telling them what to expect and gave the trekkers different ideas on how to approach the situation. We shot with both available light and with flash. David went in to detail about the Nikon flash system and the many uses of the SB-800, SB-900, and the SU-800 commander. Many of us chose to roam the grounds and the mansion and shoot other areas, respecting the beautiful Mansion and its unique belongings.
Our next stop was the Norman Bird Sanctuary where we were able to get up close to a protected Red Tailed Hawk, a protected lizard, some turtles of different species, a white owl and an eagle. The grounds there are full of beautiful flowers that attract bees and many species of butterflies. We walked freely to photograph them as well as the many dragon flies, flying all over the lovely, lily ponds, with its turtle and pretty flowers.
We then headed back to the hotel for our first Mentor reviews, which are always lots of fun and interesting. We went from there to the beach, where we shot surfers that Mentor Series hired to model for us. Lucas and David showed us various ways (ie reflectors) to work the afternoon light. We also used an off camera flash system triggered by either an on camera pop-up flash or a Pocket Wizard. The models were great, cooperative and lots of fun to shoot; it was a great late afternoon treat.
Our last day was an early wake-up as we left the hotel at 4:30 AM for a sunrise shoot from the Newport Cliff Walk. It is amazing how many of the trekkers showed up perfectly on time for this shoot given the early timing! The weather cooperated and it was a great early morning of photography.
Our last photo shoot of the weekend was a couple of handsome horses on the beach. David and Lucas worked with the riders and their horses to set up different shots and scenes for us. It was our final shoot of the weekend and everyone enjoyed the riders, their horses and the terrific photo opportunities. We left to go back for our final reviews and the closing which included a final slideshow to share everyone’s hard work over the weekend.
I had never been to Newport, R.I., but this was a terrific way to experience the area. As always another great, successful Pop Photo Mentor Series trek with terrific mentors, trekkers and once again a great time and learning experience was had by all.
Joel Kleiner
Facebook
