What could be better than visiting sunny San Diego in March? Trekking on the Photography Mentor Series there!
Our three day whirlwind photo adventure began with a short introduction of our Mentors, Tom Bol and Essedra Suarez while they personally discussed their work during a slide-show of their work. They took the time to let us know what they look for in a shot -- Essdras likes layers and has a beautiful artistic flair to his work (rare in a photo journalist) and Tom likes finding unique moments in his adventure photography.
Then we were off and running. Our first stop, Balboa Park: a visual feast for the eye no matter which way you look with no shortage of subjects to capture. Tom gave us pointers on looking for light in archways, setting apertures, and tips on approaching the public and asking them to pose for shots (he wasted no time before asking a dressed to the nines maid-of-honor awaiting her best friend�s wedding who gladly posed for us, even hamming it up for the camera as if she�d been a model for years, a couple musicians playing for tips, and even a man walking his rabbits through the park. Yes, rabbits!)
A bit of hiking was in order for our next discovery. Down to Torrey Pines State Park, where we had a bit of the Grand Canyon meets the Pacific Ocean. The afternoon and setting sun against the cliffs created saturated colors and shadows. Trekkers were shown how they can slow their shutter speeds and catch the soft wispy look of the Ocean waves gliding in surrounding the glowing sun-kissed rocks. Along the path, Tom also showed us some other useful tips and techniques, such as �zoomies�.
Whisked away from there, we went out for a night shot of San Diego across the harbor from Coronado Island. Giving us an amazing vantage point of the city�s rainbow of lights reflecting on the calm waters.
Early the next morning we were off to the San Diego Wild Animal Park where we got up close and personal with gentle giants: Giraffes. We were able to lure them over to our �safari� truck so we could grab amazing close shots. Essedra encouraged the group to shoot not just the entire animal, but look for patterns or other attention-grabbing compositions of just pieces or parts.
Surf was up next! On to Ocean Beach where three professional surfers modeled for us � as they braved the waves, shooting from both above on the pier and from beach level. Afterwards, we were able to grab some posed shots where Tom demonstrated using fill-flash on our Surfer subjects against the sunlit ocean background to get the most out of our exposures.
We didn�t want it to end, but the last morning came and we were off to Armstrong�s Flower Fields in Carlsbad. Acres and acres of blooming Dahlia�s were there for our taking. And take we did, macros, wide angles, zooms, even fish eye lenses were out - you name it� and I think our group did it! Again, Tom was doing some more demonstrations on fill-flash and interesting settings for the white balance with colored gels to create ethereal shots.
This was a great experience for all levels of photographers. I was impressed by our Mentor�s professionalism and enthusiasm. We were at the right places at the right times to create amazing shots. We were given one-on-one demonstrations and help if we desired it, or were given free reign to go get whatever shots we desired. And the camaraderie of our group was surprising � I�m sure we�ll be keeping in touch with each other going forward, encouraging each other to keep on shooting!
Susanne Updike-Waite
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