Thursday, April 19, 2007

Beep, beep, beeeeep... my alarm clock blared, quickly bringing me out of a deep sleep. I jumped out of bed and remembered that this was the day that I had been looking forward to the most, Portraiture and Group photography at the beautiful Dallas Arboretum.

After breakfast and morning devotions I grabbed my gear along with every one else and headed to the vans. Upon our arrival at the Arboretum, we were assigned to one of three rotating workshops, Family, Bridal and Senior portraiture. Will, Katie, and Christina each did a fantastic job of demonstrating the practical and nitty-gritty aspects of photography, each in their respective areas of expertise.

At noon we all met back together for a group photo. Once everyone had been put in place, Rowan started the self-timer on the camera and sauntered to his place, adding a final degree of polish to the already fine image.

Creative ideas for images floated through my mind as I hastily consumed my lunch. In a few short hours I needed to capture at least six images that embodied the principles of prizewinning photography. Additionally, we were challenged to capture the concepts of "Happy" and "Intricate".

At the appointed time, everyone rendezvoused and returned to the Dallas Training Center with their images safely captured. After the prints are returned, my fellow students and I will be responsible to thin down to the best six and submit them for critique.

The evening was finished out with time of fellowship, laughter, and portfolio sharing. This was a great day, but I have sneaking suspicion that tomorrow will be even greater...

—Prizewinning Photography Student Peter Serven