MeAWannaShootaLotta - Day 3

The third day of Creative Photo Workshops MeAWannaShootaLotta was an interesting one. We awoke to the possibility of a sunrise shoot, but with the weather being what it was that week, we could never be sure of what was in store. Nevertheless, we headed for a location along Lake Wakatipu and waited for the light. With the water rising in the lake we were finding opportunities to use the rocks that line the lake as foreground interest diminshing day by day. But, Mike knew where to take us. We were given some opportunities for some moody morning landscapes and we took them. After all, this is not a holiday! This is a photography trip, right? And I must admit, I stand by the statement that there were advantages in the diversity of our situations. There is little point learning how to photograph landscapes in beautiful light again and again. Once you've got it, you've got it. Move on. Learn something else. The week we were offered in beautiful Queenstown certainly provided us all with a learning lesson and the chance to create a greater variety of images.

Our morning light finished, a coffee and breakfast once again awaited us a Joe's Garage, after which we briefly returned to our accommodation to pick up our models, Matt, Danielle, Mel and Carla. Again, many thanks to I-Can models and to the models themselves.

The day to follow was going to be an interesting one. Following the light when it is as playful as it was on that day  and in that week was not an easy task. All you can do is trust your experience and follow your intuition. In this regard I was happy we had Mike Hollman along. He knows the area well and understands how the light will fall on the land and upon some of our key locations. Our first port of call was a small waterfall at Roaring Meg. I must admit to being a little out of the zone and it took me some time to get my mojo workin'. There were things here I just didn't see. As a result, I know that there were many here whose images were far better and more interesting than mine. Kerry Sumner took an overhead portrait of Danielle that was simply beautiful.

Our day ended in a vineyard near Bannockburn. The light was soft and we could feel a storm approaching. There were many opportunities for images of the golden vineyards and the models in them, some of whom had brought some very bright coloured clothing which contrasted beautifully with the context. There were opportunities for portraits, landscapes, macro and detail images of leaves and textures. All you had to do was think - and see.
To me, there is little point running a week-long photography workshop without offering a variety of subjects and techniques. One of those 'techniques' is the ability to see and create images even when your expectations differ from the circumstances you are offered. I have to say, our MeAWannaShootalotta was unpredictable in many ways, but the learning curve was steepened as a result. I know that in my case I returned home with images I had hoped for, and images I never expected. I was reminded of the fact that photography offers that potential, if your mind and creative thirst are in tune with what's on offer and not bound solely by expectation.