Monday, June 9, 2008
Last night we successfully arrived and went to dinner at a local pizza place. We were instantly exposed to the ever so unique locals. For those of you who have not ventured to Olympia the town is one of a kind. Almost every corner is filled with dimly lit semi-grungy coffee shops. Unlike typical state capitals, Olympia is more like a small town which just happens to have a capitol building. Words like tofu, organic, rock gardens and a weird obsession with Yoda summarize this uniquely artsy location. Almost as colorful as the town are its eccentrically dressed people. The streets are accented with dread locked individuals, as well as a fair share of people who seemingly are talking on a blue tooth...only to find out there is no blue tooth to be found.
Dreary and dismal, the kind of morning where there's no such thing as to much coffee. Sporadic drizzles dot the day. For many of us, today started much to early, awaking at un-sun-lit hours due to some rather intense time changes. Classes began post-breakfast at 9 a.m., located in the uniquely named "Urban Onion".
We kicked it off with a time of prayer and worship. The general pattern is a class, followed by a photo shoot which applies the principles just learned. Topics covered were basic camera function, purpose in pictures, and considering the audience. For our first shoot we were required to return with a single picture demonstrating the Rule of 3rd's. (Note to parent: When it comes time for the infamous parental question "What did you learn this week" your child should know this!) After some more time in class, we ventured out for about 2 hrs to implement more of what we just learned. For this time period we were allowed a maximum of 24 pictures and had to capture themes "orange" and "wet." We returned wet from the rain and full of interesting stories from this diverse town. After a sizzling dinner at a local Mexican restaurant we split into groups and critiqued pictures. Each group met at a different coffee shop a nd we are far from exhausting our options. So far everyone is having a blast and looking forward to what we are going to continue to gain from this week. Please pray that we maximize our learning, have a fantastic time together and take some fabulous pictures which allow us to see "what God's favorite color is each day."
—Prizewinning Photography Student Jordan Whilden