Workshop feedback - lessons learned

[srwatters]

First I want to thank all of the attendees for coming out despite the threat of nasty weather. Obviously without you guys (and gals) there would be no reason for me to organize these events.

Now for the hard stuff.

My apologies to those in the group who were short changed one set. A few of you have emailed me and I really wish I would have tossed the schedule for the morning once it was obvious that we were that late getting the third model ready. I needed to remove the blinders and go with the flow a little more. In addition to getting shorted one set you ended up with less of a variety in the models. Again my sincerest apologies to you. My main reason for trying to be a little more structured was to give every one the opportunity to shoot different models in new sets for each group. That way you all didn't end up with cookie cutter images that were all the same. I will have to rethink this and come up with an alternative that will give you the variety yet guarantee a smooth operation.

I should have been a little more strict with the one shooter per set rule. Some of the offenders have apologized to me which is fine, but it still is MY responsibility to enforce the rules that I put forth at the start. I promise to be much more strict with this rule at my future events. Just as an FYI, there are other workshop organizers that will toss you for a first offense at their events, so my softness on this rule doesn't help you either.

Aside from those two issues and the weather preventing most folks from getting lunch other than pizza, I think the day was a big success. You got to shoot with four excellent models in wildly different wardrobe and multiple sets. There were no equipment issues that I was aware of, so that was a HUGE relief and bonus. If you have any other issues, please feel free to comment here, in PM, or email.

Once again my thanks to all those involved. I had a great day!

One more of Jessie from my after workshop session

[Detonate]

Good times, good times!

[PeteQ]

Well, I know I can fess up to one of those who jumped over the "one shooter" rule. Heck for a while it seemed like it was papparazzi time and everyone was shooting at once. The only thing missing was somone being run over by an SUV! If any of those girls ever make it to the red carpet they will have already had a taste of what it's like.... That being said, it's still not an excuse and I sincerely apologize to those who may feel I stole a shot from them.

It's hard enough trying to coordinate 20+ shooters and 4 models along with the myriad of other things without us making it any tougher. Kind of like trying to herd cats in the rain.... I think we all learned a few lessons, and more than just the lighting.

Scott did a great job under some trying circumstances. He even managed not to whack anyone with a light stand. Nicely done...

[CaptainTom]

Originally Posted by PeteQ

Well, I know I can fess up to one of those who jumped over the "one shooter" rule. Heck for a while it seemed like it was papparazzi time and everyone was shooting at once. The only thing missing was somone being run over by an SUV! If any of those girls ever make it to the red carpet they will have already had a taste of what it's like.... That being said, it's still not an excuse and I sincerely apologize to those who may feel I stole a shot from them.

It's hard enough trying to coordinate 20+ shooters and 4 models along with the myriad of other things without us making it any tougher. Kind of like trying to herd cats in the rain.... I think we all learned a few lessons, and more than just the lighting.

Scott did a great job under some trying circumstances. He even managed not to whack anyone with a light stand. Nicely done...

Yeah, me too !

[Joe_Lorenzini]

I think we all know who Scott is talking about and I can assure you that person still feels embarrassed and remorseful about their behavior, especially in front of shooters he considers friends.

[jchooper12]

It did get messy at times but it was a lot fun and I cannot wait until the next shoot. Scott, make sure you just write my name on the list when you decide to host another shoot.

Thanks again to you and Greg, I am sure next time will be as fun as this shoot was.

[bullsparade]

Wow, you guys got out of control with Scott? You make those of us from the previous class look like wimps.

Scott does a great job conducting these classes. He has stated his reason for putting them on I know he has his hands full during the shoots assisting everyone with questions, setups, and explainations.

He stated it in his post, which was very sincere...but at other classes a person would be asked to leave with no refund. For future reference, it is in bad form to snap off shots while a person is working with the model. It is a distraction to the person shooting and a distraction to the model. In short no one will get the image they are trying to capture with multiple cameras going off. It also tends to create a mob mentality where others feel they can do it also. We were lucky our classes were smaller and Scott emphasized the one shooter rule several times before we started shooting.

I guess in this case its a lesson learned by all. For those of you attending future workshops now you know. By the images posted I would have to say this workshop was a great success and I will definately attend another of Scott's workshops, unless its called "How to Shoot Like a Papparazzi"

[bullsparade]

P.S. the next workshop along with Scott's usual lighting gear he will also be implementing this device:
http://www.taser.com/self_defense/index2.htm