Got home a week or so back from a workshop that I attended in Santa Fe, NM at the wonderful Santa Fe Workshops (highly recommended). It was with the absolute genius, Frank Ockenfels 3.. and I do mean a “Genius”. This man is seriously at the top of his game and resides at the absolute top of the heap in the photo world. Check out his website for an amazing experience. Movie posters, celebrities, musicians and everything else in between… extremely awe inspiring.
I routinely attend a workshop a year if possible. Consequently I have been to quite a few over the years. Some excellent.. some so-so. However.. this is the first time that I have ever been SO turned upside down photographically and dropped in an environment that was completely out of my element. All my normal way of doing things was removed. No lighting.. no autofocus.. no exposure.. no post-production.. no enhancement.. no composites.. no nothing. Simply shooting from the gut or the heart.. my choice. I have been in this business a really long time.. and the experience was truly beyond humbling.
First day we were put in a completely dark huge studio with an open door at each end.. steaming in a little daylight. The directive was to stay in the middle of the studio and make photographs of each other with a silver/gold foam core reflector that Frank provided for each of us. You could hardly see.. let alone make a photograph. This process sent me into a serious tailspin.. I believe along with everyone else.. very hard to imagine anyone escaped the feeling. Consequently this day was a disaster from inside my head… along with my dreadful photographic output. I thought maybe the solution to the problem was the next bus home.. but no one bowed out.. not to stick out like a sore thumb as I slinked out the door with my tail between my legs.. I decided to persevere. 
Steadily and starting the process of building from the bottom up.. we.. the participants all make progress over first of the week. Small bits at a time for me! By Wednesday we had made enough progress that it was time for a real test. We traveled south to the vacant “old” New Mexico State Prison. Might not sound interesting.. but a major riot in 1980 turned it into a partially burned out hulk with a lot of great textures.. spaces and perspectives. We would be shooting with a variety of professional models which would make this a little more real world.. instead of the boring process of photographing each other. However the directive from Frank Ockenfels 3 makes the “gig” a tad more interesting.. “I don’t want to see anything that looks like it was shot in a prison”. What you say? Tough of course.. but doable.. certainly. For our tools.. we were allowed a flashlight or two.. plus any lighting gadget we could buy at Home depot.. last but not least the silver/gold foam core reflector.. the present from Mr. Ockenfels. Once again.. NO photographic lighting tools that are the mainstay of my work… yikes!
On Friday night all the workshops presented their photographic week to each other during a nice big dinner at a beautiful downtown Santa Fe hotel. Lots of great and amazing stuff from the other groups.. but I have to say what was pulled off in our workshop group was short of amazing.. even if I say so myself. I sort of had the feeling that everyone was “getting it” (as Frank would say) during the week.. but until you see all the students photographic output married together in one show.. you really can’t imagine that the level of output could have been so high.
The web link to the presentation follows at the bottom of the page. The media show that Frank put together for Friday night is comprised of each participants handful of best photos. The opening is Frank himself with our studio manager, Sara and her assistant, Taylor providing unique appearances. What appears to be a short flick.. is really stills shot in rapid succession on a DSLR and strung together into a movie piece.
I truly hope that you have a look as it is definitely inspiring (from my view) as to what can be accomplished in the right learning environment. Not saying I am special.. just that I turned myself inside out and learned a whole new way to look at a subject.
See.. you really can teach an “ancient dog” new tricks!! I would love to hear any comments. Meanwhile… here is the link.
http://santafeworkshops.com/FridayShow/82k_u56.html
Someday plan on attending the Santa Fe Workshops for at least ONE go-round. It will be the best money you have ever spent on yourself and the improvement of your personal photography.
