Outdoor Photo Gear » Workshops

Shooting on a Workshop? Speak up, please!

Rick Sammon — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:41:03 +0000

Photographs © Rick Sammon

Juan Pons and I were recently acting as assistants on the sunset hula shoot at the Maui Photo Festival.

Great fun! Great dancers! Great light.

As usual, something interesting happened. After Juan and I set up the reflectors and diffusers to control the harsh light, I ask the crowd of maybe 40 photographers, “Can you guys see the difference in the light when using these accessories?”

Silence.

I asked again. Silence again.

Photographer Spotlight – Rick Sammon

Chris Klapheke — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:09:26 +0000

From books, to iPhone apps, to podcasts, Facebook and Twitter, Rick Sammon is everywhere. A Canon Explorer of Light, Rick is also everyman’s photographer. One of Rick’s basic photography tenets is that he “Specializes in not specializing”.

When we talked to Rick for this article, his opening comment to us was “I never thought, in 1969, when I was 19 and dancing naked in the mud at Woodstock, I’d have 36 books and a bunch of iPhone and iPad apps”. We knew we were in for a good story.

After Woodstock, Rick attended the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston, receiving his formal education in Arrangement and Composition. He wanted to play jazz, and play he did. Late night shows and jam sessions over the next few years left him plenty of free day time, so to stir his creative juices, he began shooting images and submitting them to publications.

In 1978 Rick submitted an image and article to Studio Photography Magazine. On this first submission, the magazine invited him to be their editor. Rick traded in one keyboard for another, and entered the publication world.

Simply Put: You Must Be Prepared for the Worst

Rick Sammon — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:21:27 +0000

Photographs © Rick Sammon

Canon 15mm lens (above). Canon 24-105mm lens (below).

Both: Canon 5D Mark II.

Last month my photography workshop brought us to the Sister’s Meal Festival in a remote area of China. It’s truly an amazing experience: hundreds of women get dressed in heavy silver and cloth outfits and perform a dance in the hope of attracting a husband.

The outfits weigh more than 40 pounds. Dancing in the hot sun for hours can’t be fun.

Anyway, the light was bad: harsh, direct sunlight. Adding to the challenge, the silver head dresses reflected the bright light, and the subject’s faces were shaded by the headdresses. Aaargh!

Maine Coast Portfolio – The Acadia Region.

Jerry Monkman — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:00:27 +0000

The sun rises above fog as seen from the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Maine's Acadia National Park.

The Maine Coast, including Acadia National Park has been inspiring artists for more than 150 years. In the 19th century, before the area had been designated a national park, Hudson River School painters like Thomas Cole and Frederick Church painted here, bringing back to the cities of the northeast canvases of iconic scenes from Eagle Lake, the Beehive, and the Porcupine Islands. Throngs of tourists followed and the popularity of the area continues to this day. In the 20th century, the park was photographed by America’s best landscape photographers, including Ansel Adams, David Meunch, William Neill, and in the 21st century, the park is still a mecca of sorts for photographers, with numerous photo tours visiting the park each year and plenty of tripods to be seen at popular spots like the summit of Cadillac Mountain and Otter Cliffs.