Posts Tagged ‘PhotoVenture’

So it begins… PhotoVenture II to Italy

February 11th, 2010

As I sit in front of this computer writing this blog, it is 7:00am and I have not slept. Part of it is because I have been going crazy trying to get as much things done as I possibly can before tomorrow. I’m also trying to adjust to the European time zone which is 7 [...]
 

As I sit in front of this computer writing this blog, it is 7:00am and I have not slept. Part of it is because I have been going crazy trying to get as much things done as I possibly can before tomorrow. I’m also trying to adjust to the European time zone which is 7 hours ahead from Central Time Zone. But mainly I haven’t slept because I am so excited that what started as my vision has come to reality and is now beginning to bear fruit. Fourteen of us will be traveling in a group down to Campania region in Italy led none other than by Max Brunelli. We’ll be visiting various cities and hidden gems along the coast with planned activities as well as few surprises. We will soak it all in. Let Italy teach us about life, beauty, culture and perspective. I cannot wait to learn more about our fellow travelers to find out where they have been in their walks of life and how their journey has led them to photography.

I can go on and on but I will stop here and do one thing – which is to give a BIG BIG BIG shout out to my sponsors – especially the main ones that believed in what I am doing and have come on board to help me back this trip up in various ways.


A sincerely thank you of gratitude goes out to all the fine staff at Pictage the best online lab solution that any photographer can ask for. But they are more than that. Find out for yourself how Pictage can improve your image and your business. I’ll be talking about them on this trip as well as during my Master Class at WPPI – about the lessons I’ve learned from them.


Another shoutout goes to Roxanne Benton at Pixel2Canvas. Not only do the make amazing canvases that bring your work to life, Roxanne is such a giver. She gives and gives until you can’t take it anymore that you have to do that for others. Her passion for the industry is contagious and I just love her to death!


I was a prisoner to my monitor until I met these guys: Nathan Holritz at Photographer’s Edit – who convinced me that I can let go and delegate! Because of their photo editing services, I have the time to go on trips like this and invest in my business. Thank you. Thank you.

I wish I had the time to list every single one of the sponsors but I just don’t have to time – I still have not even packed my clothes yet. For the full listing of all my sponsors, please visit here. From books, discount codes, prizes, services, memberships, I want to thank all the sponsors for coming on board. I cherish your partnership but more importantly your friendship. Thank you again. See you on the other side.

Arrivederci!

I promise that PhotoVenture II will be a successful one in so many levels – and through you guys it will get even better. Ok, I better go pack my clothes now…

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A Story from the PhotoVenture to Italy…

November 27th, 2009

As many of you know I led a group of photographer across the sea (see my previous post) to Italy this past September on a trip called PhotoVenture w/ Kenny Kim. One of the cool things about the PhotoVenture Trip was that we had a planned schedule which allowed us to visit over 28 different [...]
 

As many of you know I led a group of photographer across the sea (see my previous post) to Italy this past September on a trip called PhotoVenture w/ Kenny Kim. One of the cool things about the PhotoVenture Trip was that we had a planned schedule which allowed us to visit over 28 different locations through out Umbria and Tuscany in 8 days! What was even better was that within that planned schedule, our tour guide Max Brunelli gave us room to be flexible so that we can wander off spontaneously. I want to share with you guys one of these “wandering moments.”

We were in Assisi, Umbria – home of the famous religious patron St. Francis. He is the founding father of the Etruscan religious movement and millions of his followers (to this date) have made a pilgrimage to visit this city. Each day thousands of people flock from all over the world to get a glimpse of this grand cathedral built in his honor (where he is still buried inside). As expected, all of us were in awe by the size and beauty of this church. The walls were decorated with breath-taking fresco art that depicted the life of St. Francis and you couldn’t help but to be mesmerized the sheer size of the place. We were not allowed to take photos inside but I managed to grab a couple so I can share how big this church is with you guys.

San Francis of Assisi Cathedral Umbria, Italy

Outside the building of San Francis of Assisi Cathedral Umbria, Italy

San Francis of Assisi Cathedral Umbria, Italy

Inside the building of San Francis of Assisi Cathedral Umbria, Italy

After our visit, Max had another “surprise” (one of many) for us. We walked through small offbeat pathways in the town of Assisi and were led to a small simple-looking stone building surrounded by fig trees. Max told us that this is one of the oldest church in Assisi (circa 1150-1200 A.D.) called Santo Stefano (St. Stephen – the first martyr in Christian history). This church was a drastic contrast to the previous cathedral we had just visited. Simple walls with very little decoration and small in size. Max told us that this is where St. Francis probably used to attend mass while he lived here (the cathedral was built after his death to honor him) and most likely got baptized here as well. Legend also tells us that Santo Stefano’s bells miraculously rang on October 3, 1226, the day St. Francis died. (How neat is that?!) – Also I believe my friend Simon Anderson (Pictage CMO) got married here as well!

Santo Stefano Umbria, Italy

Inside the building of Santo Stefano - one of the oldest church in Assisi - Umbria, Italy

San Francis of Assisi Cathedral Umbria, Italy

Here are the bells of Santo Stefano that rang miraculous on the day he died on Oct. 3, 1226

Santo Stefano Cathedral Umbria, Italy

Inside the building of Santo Stefano - one of the oldest church in Assisi - Umbria, Italy

Santo

Inside the building of Santo Stefano - one of the oldest church in Assisi - Umbria, Italy

While we were standing outside, we couldn’t help but to hear this beautiful chorus/celtic-like music coming from inside the church. Our immediate thought was: 1) it was a recording that they played constantly or 2) there were group of dedicated nuns/monks having service inside. The sound was so beautiful that we decided to satisfy our curiosity and take a peak inside. To our surprise, we found a group of student choir practicing (Found out later that they were group from Germany). We stood there and watched them in amazement. The acoustic in the room made them sound even more angelic and I thought to myself that this is what choir in heaven must sound like!

Santo

German student choir practicing Inside the building of Santo Stefano - Umbria, Italy

Fortunately I had my Canon Mark 5D II (which Canon graciously loaned me for this trip) with me so I immediately flipped on the video so that I could capture their audio and share it with others. I have posted the video of this on Vimeo. Please excuse my video skills (lack of) – you might even want to close your eyes and just listen to them. The video doesn’t do justice to how awesome this experience was but hopefully you will get the idea (1 minute video clip – the clicks you hear are from me trying to adjust the settings):

San Stefano Church in Assisi from Kenny Kim on Vimeo.

I hope you enjoyed this story. Our PhotoVenture Trip to Italy was filled with numerous moments like this. I hope to share more of them with you in person. Delightful surprises waiting around the corner. Good food & conversation. Learning and being inspired by one another and from our surrounding. Rekindling our passion for photography and falling in love again with what we do…and on and on.

I cannot wait for our next PhotoVenture Trip. This time we are going to a different region in the south called Campania Felix (region which includes cities like: Amalfi, Capri, Napoli, Pompeii, Sorrento, plus many more) from Feb 15-22, 2010. I am delighted that my friend & successful wedding photographer & businessmen Kevin Swan is joining us on this trip. We have 2 seats out of 15 available left. We’d love to have you join us. For more information, checkout: http://photoventure.kennykim.com. So what are you waiting for? Andiamo! (Let’s go!)

For more, visit: My Portfolio | Resources For Photographers | Twitter: KennyKim | Facebook Page
contact@kennykim.com | 800-539-1294

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PhotoVenture with Kenny Kim & Friends

November 18th, 2009

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller I have always entertained the idea of hosting my own workshop someday and I did not want my very first one [...]
 

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine


“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

I have always entertained the idea of hosting my own workshop someday and I did not want my very first one to be here in the States. I wanted something different – something where people can put them outside their everyday life and experience the world from a different perspective. One of the reasons that I loved about and chose photography as my profession is that it allows me to pull all of my life experiences together and put them into one bowl – a bowl which can then be used to offer and to share with others. There are many wonderful workshops out there for photographers that want to better themselves technically but I felt that there was a need for something that will allow them to discover themselves as a photographer WITHIN them. And sometimes you don’t have the opportunity to do this unless you step out of your ordinary life and do something extra ordinary.

For this reason, two months ago, I organized a workshop (calling it PhotoVenture) where a group of photographers traveled across the pond to Europe with one mssion: To discover and explore the best secret part of Italy in Umbria & Tuscany region. Guided by a local tour expert Max Brunelli, we arrived with sponge-life open minds, ready to soak in everything that this trip had to offer to us. Boy, what a trip it was! In a span of one week, we traveled to over 28 different locations all throughout Tuscany & Umbria. Some parts were filled with tourists and adventurers like us and other parts were tucked away hidden from outside visitors. But we left each place changed and inspired as a person and as a photographer. My words will not do justice to what we experienced there, so I will share what others have said about this workshop as well as share the images that I have captured there.

“I am so thankful to have been a part of the first launch of this one-of-a-kind workshop.  My life has been enriched by new lasting friendships, and through embracing life’s lessons and partaking in Italian culture, I have truly been changed. I cannot wait until the next PhotoVenture!”Jenn Gaudreau (http://www.jenniferkathryn.com/)

“Memories of my trip to Italy in September will always be a part of me and I hope to only add more in the future. It has been a little over a month since I returned and I am realizing this was so much more than a photographic experience, it was an experience that was life changing…” Lisa Carpenter (Check out Lisa’s blog post about her experience here: http://www.lisacarpenterblog.com/?p=1367)

“As a new photographer I was somewhat nervous about going on my first workshop until I was met at the airport by Kenny and everything fell into place. The way PhotoVenture immersed me into their culture and location immediately & is a wonderful and stress-free way to learn new techniques and gain life long friendships.”
Trace Johnson (http://extremefocusphoto.com/)

If you have 6 minutes to spare, let me take you on a journey to Italy with me. Sit back and enjoy. Let the photos pull you in. There are two ways to experience the show. You can 1) click to play the sideshow or 2) click on each image one at a time – there are 103 total. I recommend you doing option 1. (Big thanks to Triple Scoop Music for this amazing instrumental song & David Jay’s ShowIt ShowItFast and BlogStomp for the making this slideshow possible) Be patient and let the slideshow download all the way before playing.

I hope you enjoyed the slideshow. We are going on another PhotoVenture in February 15-22, 2010. This time we will be explore the region called Campania Felix (affectionately named by the natives). Some of the cities will include: Amalfi Coast, Positano, Rovello, Capri, Pompeii, Sorrento, Napoli and more. We have model engagement shoots and various surprise tours lined up for our attendees. If you are interested, please visit: http://photoventure.kennykim.com
Hurry, there is only 1 seat left (out of 15)!
PhotoVenture

For more, visit: My Portfolio | Resources For Photographers | Twitter: KennyKim | Facebook Page
contact@kennykim.com | 800-539-1294

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