I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun!  What an incredibly fulfilling day, and I owe it all to my dear friend and brother in Christ, Bill Fortney.  He invited me to this workshop a few weeks ago, and as much as I wanted to attend, I wasn’t 100% convinced I would be able to make it.  The store manager and my friend Terry Wyatt was able to give me the time off so I could come and play.  (Terry by the way is a great photographer too, go take a look at his work, you will like it)

So, we are in the “world’s largest known old car junk yard.”  That’s what the sign says anyway.  I don’t know if it is or isn’t, what I do know is it is truly a photographers playground!

So, here is my first image, out of the camera with just a few tweaks.  I like it a lot and the sharpness of my Fuji X Pro 1 is blowing the other attendees away!  It rivals much larger, more expensive, full frame sensor cameras.  In fact, it looks even better that some of them.  Not my words, theirs.

I really like this image a lot.  In fact, if this is all I came away with I would be very happy.  One of the incredible workshop staff team members is Jim Begley. Like all of them, he is an incredible photographer!  He shoots unbelievable HDR images all over the world.  Some of the very best I’ve seen.  He offered to show me how he works an image from start to finish using one of my files.  He uses Photomechanic as a starting place, and it was pretty slick.  I just looked and it is a $150.00 program so I’m not sure I’ll be getting it right away.  Here is the altered file after Jim showed me some of the ropes.

This is the final tweaked image, Thanks Jim!

If you are looking for a “photographic refuel” I can totally endorse and recommend you do one of these workshops.  The staff is top notch and makes it so easy to understand the process!  Here are links to a few of the other guys that help with the workshop.  Each of them could easily do this on their own, but as a team they are incredible!  R.C. Concepcion works on Scott Kelby’s staff, enough said about him, right?  “Snake” is an incredible outdoor shooter who produces drop dead images with ease. Like all “staff members” they do the behind the scenes stuff that often goes unnoticed.  Since I am often that person, I appreciate so much all the attention to detail for smooth days.  Thanks to all of you for all that you did!

After shooting all day we went to dinner and then came back for some classroom time.  Bill shared an excellent, challenging devotional with us.  That may sound very simple but it is what separates this workshop from any other I’ve ever been to in 40 years of photography.  As photographers it is all about the light.  In our lives, it centers around “His” light to make it from day, to day and into an eternity with Christ!

I’ve met many incredible people this weekend.  We have a common love for photography and enjoy sharing what we know.  This has been a breath of fresh air to me, and very relaxing.  Tomorrow we are off to a Railroad Museum where more HDR imaging will take place.  Aaron is meeting us there and we will get to hang out together shooting some great scenes.  I’m anxious to see how he “sees” the same subjects I do, I know it will be different and I will probably like his images better than mine.  He has such a great compositional eye, plus I’m excited about he and Bill finally meeting in person.

Off to bed, early morning breakfast.  Kick stands up at 8:30!  I hope I can sleep, it’s just like Christmas eve!