The Anti-Workshop!!!!!

Most of you are probably wondering where I've been. I try and post about once or twice a week, and haven't posted in a while. Well, I've been hanging out in Vegas with the Boutwells and the Coopers at the Anti-Workshop. I was out there for 5 days, slept for maybe 13 hours the whole trip, and totally missed my wife and kids every minute I was out there. It was actually the first time I've ever been away from my family for an extended amount of time.

So, I tried to take as many pictures as possible, but so much was going on so fast
that I couldn't capture everything I wanted to. Anyway, here are my favorite shots from my few days in Vegas. Enjoy!


Fremont St.

Any time this stupid tv thing came on, everyone would stop and stare. They were mesmerized by the giant, loud television.


One of the things I love about Vegas is all the neon lights. They make for nice pictures.






I can't remember what this guys name was, but he was awesome, and he had a bitchin' mullet!


These artists painted all night.


These crazy people got in this cage as 2 motorcyclists were driving at the same time. Insane!


No trip is complete without some bowling! Go Daniel, Go!



The Workshop

The workshop was held at The Brass Lounge, the world's tallest pint glass.


How many other photography workshops give you drink tickets?


And teach you how to use giant reflectors and tripods at 2pm when you're hiding your subject in the shade:) Actually, this was the exact opposite of what we learned in Vegas.


How many other photography workshops make you carry around cardboard cutouts of Elvis Presley and take pictures of it all with a Polaroid camera? By the way, these dudes were some of the coolest people I met (that weren't photogs, of course) on my trip to Vegas.


Doug was kind enough to let me play with his strobe setup. Side note for photogs, these were taken at 11:30 am in bright, harsh sunlight. Amazing!!





The Jedis at work

Here is John Michael Cooper, a truly inspiring artist.




Next is Doug Boutwell, the most brilliant Photoshop master you'll ever meet, and a kick-ass photographer to boot!


He's also good at teaching models how to scratch their backs and look good at the same time:)


And, last but not least, Chenin Boutwell. Chenin is great at making sure the lights don't fall over...


But she's a great photographer as well!


And I didn't get a shot of Dalisa, John's wife, but she did a wonderful job of organizing the whole thing.

My Classmates

One of my favorite things about workshops is meeting the other photographers. There is so much to learn in this business, and other photographers are the best resource. It gives us a chance to see how other photogs interact with their clients. While I met most of you, and built a lot of great relationships, I only got to take pictures of some of you, so here they are.

Greg Bumatay
I've been following Greg's work for a while now. He's an amazing photographer from Orange County.


Sorry, Greg, I had to post this one:)


Toni "Tarny" Snell
Toni came all the way from Australia. I learned a lot in the short time I was with Toni. I learned about "fannies," that it's possible to shoot 66 weddings in one year by yourself, what it means to "show the world your breakfast" and that a "cock suckin' cowboy" tastes pretty good (an Australian drink), which was later Americanized as a "Brokeback Mountain."


Here's me, Toni, and Heather Owens enjoying a "Cock Suckin' Cowboy"


You never forget the words to that damn Aerosmith song, I Don't Want to Miss a Thing. Toni and Emily DeWan couldn't help but sing along.


Crystal Goss
I never saw Crystal without a smile, and she does amazing things with a video light, even at 3:30 in the morning while she's freezing cold and falling asleep:)


Apparently when you fall asleep on the Strip, people assume you're homeless:)


Claire Wilson
Claire is a great photographer from Ireland. Thanks for comin' out and shooting with us Saturday afternoon!


Anna Guziak


And to all the other photogs that I had the pleasure of shooting with this week, good luck to you all!

My Polaroid Team
Jen Lowe
Michelle Ocampo
Eliesa
Abby Rose

My Scavenger Hunt Team
Denise Hoogland
Troy Schneider

My Ed Pingol Team
Greg Bumatay
Karey Michelle
David Baxter
Crystal Goss

My Off-Camera Flash Team
Karie McLain
Sarah Huffman
Leon Li

Finally, a random shot to end it all:)


And, be on the lookout for photos from my 3 shoots I did out in Vegas that will be coming in the next few days.

Sorry for the long post, but it's been a while:)