Posts Tagged ‘Workshop’

Importance of Continuing Education in Photography

March 29th, 2010

Tags: Conference, Education, Jerry Ghionis, Partner Conference, Photography, Pictage, Skip Summer School, Workshop, Yervant
Posted in: Personal, Workshop

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I am not sure if everyone knows this or not but I have an older sister whom I dearly love & respect. She has always been the “academically smart” one in the family. She always came home with awards and scholarships while I ran around trying to find inspiration in life. As much as I tried, the only award I got earlier in life was a pat on the back saying “nice try.” Sad, I know. Any ways, my sister is now the Director of Surgical Services (they say it’s one of the top positions) at a major hospital in Chicago and is respected by many of her peers. She often travels to speak at major conferences and gives seminars in her topic of expertise (which to this date I do not exactly know). To my eyes, I think she has reached the pinnacle of her career and is doing really well. Yet there is something about her I still do not get. She is still taking classes and continuing to educate herself. I asked her one day why she is still taking classes when she could be just cruise controlling on her success for rest of her career? Her reply was simple: she needs to continue to educate herself to keep up with what is going on in her industry.

I think this is very true for all types of industry – including the one that I stumbled upon in photography. In 2007, my first official year as a full-time photographer, I realized that I needed to educate myself if I was going to survive in this industry. As much as I hate classes (I vowed never to take any more after I graduated from college) I invested $$$$ on educating myself by attending numerous workshops, seminars and conferences. You name it, I probably went to it. The things I learned from there were valuable, practical and inspirational, depending on the ones I attended. All in all they were the directions that I need to get myself in the right direction.

Fast forward to today – it is end of March of 2010 and this is my fourth year in my business now. I am doing relatively okay in my business and my schedule is pretty busy for the rest of this year. I have conducted some workshops & photo trips and have even been asked to speak at some of classes at conventions. I humbly take on these tasks and consider it a privilege to do such things. But the hunger to grow and learn more as a photographer in me has not yet subsided. As much progress as I have made in my journey as a photographer, I look ahead and know that I have way more to go. There are so many forefathers and veterans in this industry that went before me and have paved the way to be where I am today and I need to keep learning and improving my craft. So in this perspective, I understand my sister and realize that I too need to keep improving myself through education.

Speaking of education, here are few educational events/opportunties that I will be attending this year in hopes to grow more as a photographer (In chronological order):

JERRY GHIONIS WORKSHOP (4/19-23): (https://www.theicesociety.com)
This is in Chicago and probably the only 5 day intensive workshop conducted by Jerry. He is probably one of the best in this industry in terms of his craft, business and marketing. Probably one of my favorite wedding photographer out there. Last I checked his workshop is sold out but I would go to the website to get more information.

SKIP’S SUMMER SCHOOL (AUG 8-11): http://www.mei500.com
This is organized by Skip Cohen, the former president of WPPI. It is a valuable time because you have so many diversity of speakers from all different background in photography. You do not need to just take classes taught by wedding photographers to learn about the wedding industry. I am looking forward to hearing from over 15 top-notch speakers all under one roof. I think of this as the mini-version of WPPI since it is located in the same building as where WPPI is hosted except smaller. I love the intimacy and the accessibility of everyone there because of the smaller size. I attended last year and really enjoyed my time there and look forward to attending this again. Come join me – if you register before April 1st I believe it is only $199 for 3 days of solid education and the opportunity to network with other photographers. Check out their site for more information.

YERVANT WORKSHOP (8/23-25) http://www.yervant.info/Chicago10.html
Yervant is another one of my favorite photographers. He is internationally recognized with numerous award-winning images and well-respected by many photographers around the world. He continues to inspire everyone and his personality is full of energy and life. He is someone I truly respect and am looking forward to spending more time with him.

PICTAGE PARTNER CONFERENCE (11/16-18) http://www.pro.pictage.com/community/ppc/neworleans
I am really looking forward to attending this event. I missed out on last year because I was in Tanzania last year but I would have loved to duplicate myself so that I could be at both places. Pictage, my online complete lab solution (which is an understatement because they represent so much more) hosts an annual conference to bring together the community to help each other grow and be inspired from one another. They are still working on this event so more information will be available later this year.

All in all, regardless of your position in your career, it is always good to have someone to learn from and someone to teach. it is a good form of accountability and will help you become a better photographer. I am really looking forward to attending these events. In between these dates, I will be busy photographing weddings and continuing to improve my business and craft. I hope to see you guys there and connect. If you have any questions feel free to follow me on twitter or facebook – I would love to connect with everyone there. Have a great week!

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

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Italy is Full of Surprises

February 14th, 2010

Tags: Italy, Kenny Kim, Kenny Nakai, Matt Savage, Max Brunelli, PhotoVenture, Rome, St. Valentine's Day, Stevi Savage, Umbria, Workshop
Posted in: Events, Personal, Travel, Workshop

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I love traveling. I love the careful and detailed planning that is required to make the trip possible. But one of the best things about going on a travel is that you do not know what this journey will bring forth. Some can be bad, some can be good and some can be unexpected. This trip so far has been no different. You guys all know by now that I am out in Italy again (this is like my second home) for my next Kenny Kim PhotoVenture w/ friends.. I arrived here few days early to prepare everything that we need for the workshop. I also brought couple of my good friends in Stevi & Matt Savage of Averyhouse & Kenny Nakai of Nakai Photography a few days early to show them some parts of Rome and Umbria that I’ve been wanting to share with the for sometime.

This trip has not even began yet and Italy is welcoming me with many surprises. Let me share a few with you:

1) While I was in air traveling to Italy, another photographer signed up for my workshop and have made it officially SOLD OUT. Praise God. Talk about last minute!

2) When we landed in Rome, it sudden started to snow – I mean major snow, that it took us almost an hour to get to our hotel (which should have taken us less than 30 minutes). The taxi driver, in Italian, told me that this is crazy because it has not snowed in Rome for over 25 years. At first I thought he was exaggerating (b/c of our language barrier) but later on I found out that he was being literal. Wow, it hasn’t snowed in 25 years and we just happened to arrive on the day that it decided to snow. Had I known this earlier, I would not have taken a nap right away when I got to the hotel. I did manage to get couple of shots before I took a quick nap:

Because we all took a little nap, we were wide awake for the evening. So we decided to walk around Rome on a night shoot. I don’t usually do many shoots at night but walking around in Rome (getting lost around Trastevere) made me realize how awesome it is to use different available light to create some amazing shots like this:

Here is a normal view of Colosseum at night:

And here’s an unexpected view of the Colosseum thanks to snow by day that melted into puddle of water by night:

Pantheon is just as breath-taking at night as it is by day. I love Matt Savage’s innocent child-like response to seeing Pantheon for the first time: “This is one of the coolest place on earth!” Matt & Stevi and Kenny Nakai took some unbelievable photos here which I am sure they will share on their blogs in the future.

I almost found out that Kenny Nakai is afraid of heights. I still made him cross over the Tevere river bridge railing and stand on the other side. He’s not smiling in this photo because he is genuinely scared right now:

We walked around Max’s home town in Terni at night. We found out San Valentino (St. Valetine) is the guardian of the city. Because it was close to 2/14, they were having a chocolate festival there. I have never seen so much chocolate in my life. I learned that Nutella is not just a chocolate cream spread – it is a religion. One of amazing things we tasted were these crepes filled with Nutella inside. I think I am not a huge fan of chocolate but I can eat this any day of the week!

Here Stevi & Matt are patiently waiting for their Nutella crepe. Almost too patient that they are getting angry – j/k…maybe..

Now that Stevi got her Nutella, she is a happy camper. Nakai on the other hand did not get one and now wishes he did:

Max had planned another workshop after my PhotoVenture is over with a group of Italian photographers. He told me he reserved a special room for our meeting and when he took me there, I almost gasped. It is deep in the moutains at a monastery where the monks used to live – which now has been converted to a bed and breakfast hotel. This place is unreal and well preserved in time. I cannot wait to do this. Just picture a bald asian who does not know how to speak any Italian teaching these guys about American style of photography. This ought to be interesting:

We also got to visit Assisi again. We went to the Basilica of St. Francis. Normally this place is packed with tourists and St. Francescan followers. Today it was almost empty and perhaps because of that reason, the guards were not there. This church is full of of the gorgeous and breath-taking fresco art. For this reason, they do not allow any photography inside. But since the guards were not there, we decided to be rebels and snapped some shots. Max told us that this is the first time in his life that he did not witness any guards protecting the basilica:

We took a break after Assisi to relax at a nearby café bar as typical Italians would do. We sat next to this couple and I don’t know why but seeing them enjoy a cup of coffee and dessert made me smile. I took a shot of them and it reminded me of how Italians love life and enjoy it to the fullest. It put a smile on my face again.

And this last shot is pretty amazing – not only is Terni guarded by San Valentino, he also has a church there and is buried there as well. We drove by the church as they were finishing their mass and noticed these heart shaped lights leading them into the church. We couldn’t help but to take this photos for Matt & Stevi. How many couples can say that they celebrated their Valentine’s Day in front of San Valetino’s Church where he is buried? These guys are so cute together they make me sick.

Anyways, I need to hit the sack soon. We are heading back to Rome to meet all the attendees tomorrow. I cannot wait for this PhotoVenture to start and to see what surprises are waiting for us around the corner. Are you ready? Andiamo & arrivederci!

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

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So it begins… PhotoVenture II to Italy

February 11th, 2010

Tags: Italy, Photographers Edit, PhotoVenture, Pictage, Pixel2Canvas, Sponsors, Workshop
Posted in: Personal, Travel, Workshop

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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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Portfolio+Workshop II Recap

January 30th, 2010

Tags: Biltmore Hotel, Educational, Miami, Portfolio, Wedding Photography, Workshop
Posted in: Events, Wedding, Workshop

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In Hollywood, most production companies will attempt to make a sequel film if the first one ends up being successful. But we all know that in most cases, the sequel is never as good as the first one. One might have expected the same result when Ray Santana and I decided to do another Portfolio+Workshop down in Miami, FL – in just three months after launching our first one back in September 2009. But when we factored in the warm weather, gorgeous models, amazing sponsors, great teaching and enthusiastic students, we knew it was going to be another hit. The Biltmore Hotel agreed and love the idea so much that they allowed us to use their facilities again during one of their busiest time of the year (week before the Super Bowl).

I just returned from Miami few hours ago back to the cold tundra of Chicago. My normal reaction would have been to cuddle up in a warm blanket and watch some TV or sleep to catch up on rest. However I think the adrenaline from returning from such a fun/successful workshop still has not worn off. So I decided to use that energy to blog about the experience.

We had attendees that flew from various locations throughout the US and Canada. It was so refreshing to see many photographers passionate about wanting to take their craft to a new level. From the starters to the seasoned pros, they all came to learn something new – not just from the instructors but also from one another as they shared and networked. The first half of the day was filled with classroom style teaching by Ray Santana, Jim Garner, Dave Cross and yours truly. I loved how each of us brought different elements to the table. But when combined together it became useful and practical things that we can all take away. When we were not instructing, we became like one of the students all learning from one another as well. Then the second half of the day was filled with portfolio shoot. Ray, Jim and I all each took our models and spent our time photographing them in separate groups while the attendees got to jump around from different instructors to another to capture all the models. In my group I allowed each of the attendees to have a few minutes to take time to lead our group in posing the models while we helped and shared with each other our camera settings and posing ideas. We shot until it got dark and to be honest, unless the darkness stopped us, we could have gone all night long.

I can go on and on talking about this but I wanted to share with you guys some of the photos that I captured during the shoot. I cannot wait to see what the others have come up with. I mainly worked with Lucy – who flew in from Utah the night before to join us. Even she gave us some good advice on how to pose and work with models.

I got to take a few shots of another model Barbie

I got to take a few shots of another model Barbara

Here is our group - So thankful for everyone that came to the workshop.

I think we made a pretty good team

We would like to thank everyone that came to the workshop – instructors and the attendees. Please leave a comment here with links to your blog and twitter so that we can follow up with what you guys have done. Follow us on twitter @PP_Workshop as we will keep you posted on more events and news in the near future.

We also would like to thank ALL our sponsors that believed in what Ray & I are doing. We could not have done this without your help! Big thanks to: Our models Lucy, Thalita, Ken and Barbara for doing an awesome job in helping us capture some amazing images. To Ines Di Santo for sending us incredible wedding gowns. To Xquisit Events for providing us with amazing flowers. To the Biltmore Hotel for allowing us to use their beautiful venue again despite their busy season. To all our friends that gave us a hand before, during and after the workshop. By the way, check out Kenny Nakai’s blog for some behind the scene coverage of this workshop. Thanks Kenny for helping us out.

We cannot wait to do this again. We have some awesome ideas in the works so stay tuned for more! Portfolio+Workshop

In the mean time, I have another workshop coming up in two weeks in Italy. If you are interested in traveling with a group of photographers around one of the most beautiful place on earth (Italy) on a PhotoVenture of a lifetime, visit this site.

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

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Travel Mishap That Turned Into a Blessing

November 30th, 2009

“Travel snafus can throw upside down the most thought-out of vacation plans. But what the mishaps lead to, and how people deal with them, can be blessings in globe-trotting disguise.” – Anonymous One thing I like to share about myself is that I can get rigid when it comes to planning and scheduling things. I [...]

Tags: Italy, Spain, Travel, Workshop
Posted in: Events, Travel, Wedding, Workshop

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“Travel snafus can throw upside down the most thought-out of vacation plans. But what the mishaps lead to, and how people deal with them, can be blessings in globe-trotting disguise.” – Anonymous

One thing I like to share about myself is that I can get rigid when it comes to planning and scheduling things. I tend to be open minded about many things but when it comes to schedule planning, I like things to be precise and accurate. And when something like that happens to me, I tend to get narrow-minded, stubborn and easily irritated. But a quote like the one above reminded me that we need to learn to relax and see the positive things in all situation. Let me share an example of how this came true to me on my recent trip to Italy.

On one of my recent trip back from Italy, I had a connecting flight that took me from Rome to Madrid to Chicago via Iberia Airlines. In Madrid, I would have to wait 3 hrs before connecting to my next flight out to Chicago. I arrived at the Rome airport around midnight and spent the night at there since my flight was departing around 7am. 6am rolled around and all of sudden the power went out at the airport (at least the terminal I was waiting at). There were bunch of people waiting at the check in counter waiting to get our boarding passes but because there was no power, the attendants could not issue us any tickets. So we waited patiently for next 2 hours until the power came back on. I get my boarding pass and sprint towards my gate. By then since the flight was already two hours late so I knew the plane had to fly faster to arrive in Madrid Spain on time. They arrived with about 30 mins left before my next connecting flight. But I also knew I had to switch terminals to get to my next flight (because I came the same way when I flew into Italy) so I knew it was going to take me about 45 mins to actually get to the next gate. Using my gazelle-like running skills, I sped to my connecting gate with 6 minutes left before departure. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack from running so fast with my camera gear on my back and rolling case.

Once I arrived with 6 minutes to spare, the personal at that boarding gate looked at my pass and told me that my flight took off 5 minutes ago. How can this be? I thought airlines don’t actually leave earlier than their scheduled time. Are you serious? They felt bad because they thought there was no way I was going to make the flight also since they knew I was coming from a flight that was delayed in Rome. Ok fine. So I asked them if they could put me a the next flight. Unfortunately there was only one flight daily that went from Madrid to Chicago – which meant that I had to wait 24 hours. I so wish I was back in the States because I would demand some kind of a monetary refund for this mistake. But because of my language barrier I couldn’t express my frustration. Instead the service center looked at me and told me that because they felt bad about what happened, they offered to put me up at a hotel over night with all expenses paid. At first I was still upset because I was already on the road for two weeks so I was itching to get back home. i had no more clean clothes and was on my last pair of underwear and socks. I just wanted to go home. But this was a moment where I could have made the situation worse and demanded more or another solution to get me back home on time. Instead, I accepted what they gave me graciously and decided to use that opportunity to visit Madrid.

I have never visited Madrid before and was not sure what to expect. Using the little Spanish that I knew from studying it in high school, I wandered around aimlessly throughout the city and was delighted to find a wonderful city full of its own treasures and unique culture. In about 5 hours, I was able to cover most of the city on foot and took some fun photos. Even the hotel and the meal that they provided was actually pretty nice and it was good to get a quick tour of Madrid – for FREE!

Any ways, I learned a lesson there which I mentioned briefly in the quote above. Life can bring unexpected things. I have the tendency to react a certain way to it and miss out on the opportunity that it brings. This was another lesson that I learned on my trip to Italy and I look forward to applying it to my life & my business. Here are just a few shots I captured while I was in Madrid. I hope you guys enjoy it as you ponder about what opportunities wait around the corner for you. Make most out of your circumstances. Carpe Diem!