Thirty seven trekkers from different parts of the country met for our orientation at the Sheraton Hotel in the heart of downtown Seattle and six blocks away from Pike Place Market. We were informed with our itinerary and what was expected of us and most of all to take advantage of the opportunity to ask as many questions to our mentors - Rosanne Pennella and Tom Bol.
Rosanne and Tom showed enthusiasm and passion about their work. They offered insightful information in regards to camera questions - menu settings, histograms, white balance, etc., and how they would photograph a night scene, waterfalls, sun stars, and making a three dimensional photograph out of two dimensional image. Needless to say, our three-day photography adventure was jam-packed.
The trip was very well organized by Erica. We were on schedule the whole time. How great was that!!! We were able to catch the places we scheduled to go to with the right light and thanks to all the participants who made the trip and arrived ten to fifteen minutes early so we were able to depart on time.
Thursday, we started with Seattle skyline sunset shoot.... Our trip will not be complete without the skyline shoot. We went to Kerry Park at Upper Queen Anne to capture the shot. Even though it rained that evening, we were out and braved the rain. Most of us were covered with raincoats and umbrellas, while our cameras braved the rain with raincoats and plastic covers.
Friday, we traveled on foot to Pike Place Market where we photographed the famous fish tossing at Pike Place Fish Market, flower vendors, fresh fruits and vegetables, and street performers. Tom gave us insights on how to use off-camera flash and to see first hand how it gives a dramatic effect on the subject. Rosanne shared how she communicates to the vendors to be able to get the shot. By noon, we headed out to the Olympic Peninsula - home of the Pacific Ocean beaches, rainforests, glacier valleys and various plants and animals.
For our sunset shoot - Hurricane Ridge. The view from Hurricane Ridge was phenomenal! We were able to catch the picturesque snow covered Olympic mountains and the panoramic views of Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Saturday, our schedule was filled with action-packed activities. We started off with our review session where we showed five images to our mentors for critique. The critiques were helpful on how we can capture better images and to see other trekker’s photographs. We all looked forward to see how each trekker have a different perspective on the same image. ;-) Next, off to Lake Crescent. We photographed models with kayaks on Lake Crescent, wild flowers, adirondack chairs, and the spectacular view of the mountains of the National Park. Next, Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort where we had a wonderful lunch followed by a short hike to Sol Duc Falls. The short hike to the falls, gave us a taste of the lush rain forest with old-growth Douglas fir trees, maples, and Sitka spruce. When we arrived at the falls, we were greeted by a rainbow surrounding the cascading waters. You should have seen most of us, we were all happy clicking our cameras away... most of us wanting to capture the falls with a silky look, different angles from the side, on the bridge, and tripods being held up high to get a wider angle. For our last event of the day - La Push, Washington, home of the Twilight movie series. We captured the stunning sunset at First Beach with its rugged coastline. And no, there was no vampire to sweep us off our feet.
Sunday, our last day was reserved for our eco-life cruise. We were in awe with the salmon farms, eagles, seals, Dungeness Spit and Lighthouse. For the final show, we had to narrow all our images to our top ten and everyone looked forward to all the wonderful images we captured. New friendships were made and we all walked away with new techniques to apply to our next adventure.
- Regina Eco
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