Last Thursday I left for a little solo road trip to Seattle to catch a photography seminar from a couple of the best in the industry. Joe McNally and David Hobby were presenting the Flashbus Tour. A 29 stop tour across the USA in just over a month. I can't imagine how exhausting that is going to be!
Since it takes forever to get to Seattle from Duncan, on Vancouver Island, I had to give myself a day for travel time. The seminar was actually on Friday. I lined up at the Duke Point ferry terminal in Nanaimo and waited. So I set up my camera on the tripod and put on a ND4 filter to catch the motion blur shot above. Better than just sitting there zoning out...
Once on the mainland the next stop was the Peace Arch border crossing. I was happy to see a very short line and it only took about 15 minutes to get through. I took at shot of the beach as the sun was creating a pretty nice light and a shot of the border control station because it is so pretty...
After about an hour the weather got a little crazy. Strong winds, insane sideways rain, super darkness and the sun found a little hole to poke through to create this strange scene out the passenger side of my van.
Once in Seattle I located my hotel which was right downtown and very close to the convention center that I'd be visiting on Friday. The wind in Seattle was crazy! I have never seen anything like it. Stoplights were blown completely horizontal and my van was swaying in the gusts. When I checked into the hotel, the clerk said this weather was pretty normal and had been like this all day.
After settling into my room I didn't really feel like watching TV so I played around with my camera and a speedlite and came up with the photo at the very top and this one below. Guess where the speedlite is hiding...
Friday morning I got up early and went to the Washington State Convention Centre to get a good parking spot and walk around. I founds this interesting scene from the convention centre gardens. Looks like a bomb went off and the insurance wouldn't cover it. Really strange to see this urban decay right downtown Seattle next to multi bizillion dollar high rises.
Once inside the convention room I realised this was not going to be the most comfortable place to be for 8 hours. Shoulder to shoulder with 400 other people, mostly men, who all had their own personal smells and I can tell you they didn't smell better as the day went along. I'm sure I didn't either though.
The setup was pretty impressive two large projection screens and a large stage area to display everything nicely.
Maybe I should explain what the seminar was about... The Flashbus Tour is hosted by Joe and David who are considered lighting experts in the realm of speedlites (the small, battery-powered flash you ad the top of the camera). These lights are really great once you take them off the camera and use them remotely. This is when shots start to look professional. And who better to learn from than two of the best?
Joe McNally (below, left) is a photographer for National Geographic, Time, and Sports Illustrated. He has the credentials. He also uses a lot of equipment. But he gets the results!
David Hobby (below, right) was a news photographer for 20 years who is now specializing in portrait work and other high-end photography. He has a knack for innovation and using a small amount of equipment to get big results.
Between the two of these guys I came away with so much information I just can't wait to start shooting! The stuff I learned is definitely going to improve my game and help me take my work to the next level.
I highly recommend taking in some courses from these guys, or other top-end professionals to get your skill-set a little extra boost!
So even though it was a long drive, it was worth it.
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