I Love Teaching

I have a few good opportunities to teach each week. On Mondays I have my Bridgerland Applied Technology College classes from 5-7, then again from 7-9. This week I also taught a portrait lighting class at the Studio on Tuesday (mostly for club members, but all are welcome) and I think that went pretty well. Wednesday I was helping a Student with a shoot--helping her set things up to make the images she wants for her client, and that was very fun, too. Thursdays are always Open Lab Night at the Studio when anyone can come and use the lights and backdrops to learn, or just hang out and find some community answers to questions related to anything photographic, and it's also a good time to use our large format printer to make prints. Some weeks we'll have a workshop on a Friday or Saturday, too. I love it! I love teaching myself, but I love most the shared answers from other photogs talking and working together. It's really a great group of people who surround me.

So, this Monday we had E. along as our model. She's an engaging and proactive young woman, earning her own way for many things, including her pictures, so we were happy to aim a jillion cameras at her during class.

We did the outdoors thing, and I had planned a terrific sunset with sweeping landscapes and wheat fields. I had researched my area and my timing so that when we arrived during class it would be perfect. I had even ordered up some clouds to add drama to the sky. However, someone else must have had a similar order in because we got double clouds and rain to boot. Some times you win, and sometimes you just get by. Still, we fun in the fields and came away with some good images of E., and also one of the students, B.

While in the city, the clouds were treating us pretty good. The light was even, if a bit boring, but that doesn't matter with someone with as much color as E. She brought a guitar along, and that was a good idea because often just holding something can make a client more comfortable in front of the camera.

Then while we were shooting this set up with E., I saw this picture coming down the street and I simply had to go make it happen.

With the cloudy sky, the red of the Coke bottle and the green of the vines was really screaming to be recorded. Juxtaposed with S.'s white shirt, I rather liked the composition. 

Now, you've already met S., and you will probably be seeing more of him, too. I introduced myself, showed him my license, and he agreed to let me fire off a couple of frames. Come to find out, he's a violinist and an actor--a model subject! (hem hem). Anyway, he agreed to make time for us during next Monday's class, and I hope we're able to make the schedule work out so that he can join us for a few more frames. I'm looking forward to it.

'Til then, I hope you enjoy and go make some good pictures fo your own.