The Studio Safari Bunch

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On Saturday, six students spent six hours in our Digital Studio Safari Class. It was truly one of the best groups we've ever hosted. I did this little class composite in their honor. Left column, top to bottom: cousins Nina and Terra Baccam, of Des Moines and Greg Punelli, also of Des Moines. Right column: Chrystal Bower, of Urbandale, Pam Bair of Ankeny and Tracy Elings, of Des Moines. They were energetic, smart and very engaged.

They spent the afternoon learning primarily about light, outdoor, indoor and in the studio. They learned to recognize what types of light, indirect, back and so on, appealed to them. This photo is by Pam, a beautiful example of stepping the model into indirect light and using the positive and negative fields of the background to provide balance. A real pro move.

The photo below is by Chrystal. A very nice example of seeing window light and using dynamic composition. She really captures a moment and makes a run-down middle aged guy look like he's interesting. Well done.

Nina uses Terra as her model also. Here she finds that perfect light that makes her cousin look like a fashion model — which is not a stretch. Look how sharp and well composed, how natural Nina is with a camera in her hand.

Terra turned the camera on Nina and made use of an aluminum foil reflector to be able to photograph her in a deep dark area of a nearby alley. She sparkles in an urban setting. A quality portrait.

Tracy made possibly the moodiest portrait of the class. In the ever-changing shadows of a pine tree near the Madison County Courthouse, she found a moment. It makes the instructor look like he's either contemplating a bank heist or world domination. By looking at her take I could see she has the "knack" for photography. With some luck and hard work she will succeed. You can see it in her eyes.

And finally, the funniest picture of the day goes to Greg. He really caught a great moment of me and Gordon on the walk just off the square. Photography is about rescuing moments from eternity. Greg seems to be at ease with the camera in his hands. He is truly a photographer and I look forward to seeing more of his work. Maybe he'll e-mail the blog and share with us in the future.