First taste of Chilean humor…

I am getting ready to board the plane from Miami, and I strike a conversation with a lady in the line to board. She is from Argentina, but she looks very Irish — red hair, freckles and all. Anyway, she talks to me about her country, the wine, etc. When we get to the plane, she sits in front of my seat and having the conversation becomes difficult, and eventually it ends.

A short while after the passenger seats next to me, I continue the conversation with him. I mention to him that I was talking to the lady in front of us, and that she was an Argentinian.

“Not every one is perfect” he says.

An accidental tourist in Miami…

AKA how the weather screwed up my vacation start!

My trip to Chile was not supposed to start like this, but then who can predict the mid-west weather in December! The flight from Chicago started almost 1.5 hours late — almost the layover time I had in Miami! Some of the delay was weather, and some I thought was easily remediable. For instance, when we approached the gate at Miami airport, the pilot said there was an equipment blocking the gate. So we waited for about 10 minutes. Come on! When you know the gate is being readied for an aircraft to dock, wouldn’t you clear it first?

Regardless, many in the flight had onward connections to S America — most to Buenos Aires. Most of us ran from our gate to the international departure gates, with less than 10 minutes to spare. I knew I would miss my flight, but ran regardless. All of us were in for a disappointment — the flights had already left, with some ticketed passengers left behind although they made it in time. Apparently, there is a rule in International travel — you and your luggage should travel together. So, even if you made it to the gate, but you had checked luggage, they have to wait for that to get in as well.

So, there begins the drama. Many passengers were rude to the agent at the gate. Understandable, but uncalled for. I stick to one rule when it comes to travel or anything to do with customer service – you attract more flies with honey. I calmly told the agent I missed the connection. Nothing more, nothing less. Another passenger was downright rude and hostile, and the agent had to ask him several times to cut the offensive language and lower his voice. I am sure I came across like an angel (for a change!).

Within minutes, without any prodding, the agent was printing coupons – two nights at a hotel, two dinners, a breakfast and a lunch. He said I was confirmed on a flight the next day, in business class nonetheless – sweet! If there is one thing I like about flying business class, it is the reclining seats. Traveling overnight, I could easily use this perk.

So, there I was in Miami. A place I would want to visit, but not like this. I had about 6 hours to spare, but it is too less to plan anything. Then it came to mind — the one place in Miami I remember from the movies. If you have seen the movie “Scarface,” you probably know what I am talking about. It is the Ocean drive, with art deco hotels lined up the whole street, and where Mr. Pacino’s friend got chopped down in the movie.

 

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” they say. I wish I had more lemons so I could tour Miami at leisure, and I would surely need lemonade to cool off in that hot sun. Soon in the future, perhaps.

Post-workshop blues

Man, was it a great workshop or what! And I am glad it went as smooth as I planned and hoped, but not every time does it happen. All in all, we had a fun time.

First of all, I would like to thank the models and Lauren, our sole makeup artist — without them, we would be shooting the “pretty photographers.” They were full of energy, enthusiasm and humor — something I would mandate every other model I will work with will/should have. It was like shooting with friends — only these were prettier Thanks goes to: Brianna, Lena, Crystal, Tamara and Renata. If we had the second MUA, we could have even shot Cecilia.

Don did a great job with the workshop — but I will let the attendants comment. I wish I could listen to the workshop better, but the job of being a host comes with the duties to attend to other stuff around logistics, arranging, etc.

Finally, the photographers were a great bunch to hang out with — everyone was so cooperative and collaborative. An often missed point at shoots is that you learn best by assisting, and this bunch were all about it.

I would like to hear about your feedback on the workshop. More updates to come, as I am just returning to my place, and haven’t had a chance to unpack my camera, etc.

Don giannatti’s lighting workshop in Chicago

Instead of emailing everyone, I thought this might be the best place to add all the updates to this workshop. Most of the information applies to everyone who will be attending, but I have segmented some information specifically targeted to photographers, models and make up artists.

Date and time

Saturday, June 14, 2008, 7:30AM onwards. Bring your coffee, and we will bring bagels/donuts. There is a Dunkin Donuts not far away at 1535 W. Grand Ave Chicago , IL 60622.

About the instructor and the workshop

Don Giannatti (AKA WizWow) is a regular in the Strobist group on Flickr, and dispenses a ton of advice to beginners and pros alike. He also runs a web site with free lighting tutorials at http://www.lighting-essentials.com/

It is great to have Don in Chicago to teach us. More information on the Chicago workshop is at http://www.dongiannatti.com/workshops/chicago.html.

The workshop will feature 12 photographers, 3-5 models and 2-3 make up artists. This is a great way for all those involved to learn and get their talent captured.

Here is some general information about the workshop, if you didn’t know what you signed up for!

Place, getting there, parking, etc.

The studio is located at:

1740 W Carroll Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612

Your directions coming to this location might vary, but this is a very accessible place from I-90/94. Thanks to Doug Sperling of ProGear Rental, we could get this studio that just opened in May. This is what the studio looks like:

More info on the studio here. The studio is in a great industrial location, so we can shoot both indoors and out. There is a music system, so bring any CDs that you want to be played as we shoot. There is also free Wi-fi on location.

There will be plenty of street parking in the area, so don’t worry about it. If you are taking public transport to the place, please consult the CTA Trip Planner on how to get here. If you live outside of CTA reach, you can also consult the RTA Trip Planner. The Ashland-Lake CTA station is about 4 blocks from the studio.

Tip: While not the most fuel-efficient plan, driving to the location is most practical as you will save a lot of time.

Schedule

We have the studio for 8AM – 1PM (roughly), but we will meet in front of the studio around 7:30AM. Please make sure that you are on location by then so that we can go straight into the workshop. Please bring your own coffee, and we will bring bagels/donuts.

We will get into the studio when it opens, we will shoot outdoors once we are thrown out of the studio (or we are done, whichever happens first) — we will shoot around the studio until Don is frustrated with us and wants to leave for his flight later that evening. He has a 7:30PM flight to catch, so we should wrap up by 5PM.

We will have a lunch break around 1PM — there are several restaurants in the area that we can visit, but I am thinking “Pizza Ria” — about 2 blocks from the studio. If you have other suggestions, please email me or leave a feedback.

Etiquette

Please make sure you take care of the studio and any equipment lying around with care.

Info for Models

If you haven’t already done so, please visit the model info page I sent you via email. Please plan on reaching the studio by 10AM as well, so that we can get you made up asap and ready for shoots. Some models preferred to come in later, and that’s fine. There is a changing room at the studio, so bring as many outfits as you would like to be shot in. Please note that the pictures will be “G Rated” — so choose accordingly.

More info on what models can expect on the day of the workshop: http://www.dongiannatti.com/workshops/studio.html

Depending on your schedule, you might want to stay the whole duration of the shoot (until around 5PM, including outdoor shoot). But plan to be available at least until 2PM.

This is your chance to get a lot of pictures taken by at least 12 photographers, so bring your energy, wardrobe and ideas!

We will move outdoor after lunch, so wardrobe change might be difficult. If you plan on arriving for post-lunch sessions, please plan on being at the studio by 1AM, so that you can use the studio for at least some time before we are booted out.

Model Releases: You will be required to sign a standard model release.

Info for Make Up Artists

Please plan on being at the studio by 10AM as well. Since this is a instructional workshop, you might feel a need for quicker turnaround in making up the models.

Info for photographers

What to bring:

• Camera
• Memory Cards (bring a ton of these!)
• Flashes
• Lenses
• Light Meter (if you have one)
• Remote Triggers (we will have PWs to pass around, but bring your triggers if you want help with them)
• Notebook — to note any info (MUA, Model, etc.) as you shoot.

Essentially, bring anything that you want help with. Since you will be using your own equipment post-workshop, it might be a good idea to bring those. However, avoid anything bulky as we will be shooting outdoors about half the time.

Meet and Greet with Don

This is for photographers only, and is purely an optional event. Since Don is here the day before the shoot, you can come and meet him at Marriott O’Hare, 7PM onwards at the Champions Sports bar.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/chiap-chicago-marriott-ohare/

This would cut down on intros on the day of the workshop, and will also give Don ideas on what to teach next day.

Contact me

I have sent you my information via email, so please call me if you need help getting to the shoot, etc. or simply email me with any questions.