Recently, my Mom and I had the opportunity to attend a workshop by Mike Colon, a high end photographer in California. But it wasn’t only the workshop that was amazing, although that was definitely the highlight of the trip. The entire trip was one amazing adventure after another. Mom and I had a blast and I have to publicly thank Mom for being online and calling me at 4 a.m. to tell me that Mike just posted a new workshop and spots were going quickly. Here’s how it all played out:
We both landed at about 11 am and quickly got our car, checked into our hotel (after doing a few ‘U-ies’ and thanks to Mapquest and my ‘amazing’ navigational skills [I mean, good thing I brought my GPS]. We then headed straight to the coast, which wasn’t far.
Here’s HUNTINGTON, a place I’ve always wanted to go!!! We hit up Newport as well. Here are some pics of both beaches and the surfers and the lifestyle and everything else that I LOVED!!! I could seriously get used to this kind of life: lunch on the beach, watching the surfers, going swimming, feet in the sand, sun, waves…
Here’s the Newport pier.
The waves were 6-7 foot swells that day!!!
Our friend Nigel.
Half the fun for me was taking pictures of my Mom taking pictures. Here she is in her element:
My Mom snagged this one when we traded cameras for a bit.
At Huntington, Mom convinced me to rent a board and go surfing (you wouldn’t think I’d need convincing, but it’s true!) Here are a few surfing shots.
And as our most wonderful day ended…
We hung out around Huntington as the sun went down and just soaked up all the fun energy from that place. It was gorgeous. Perfect weather. Tons of laughing. Goofing around. Lots of photography. Plus, I didn’t die surfing, so that was a plus.
We woke up Tuesday morning, had a quick breakfast and then headed over to Mike Colon’s house in Newport. Check out his work here. He just shot Usher’s and Timberland’s wedding, and his minimum fee’s are 20k per event. He’s an incredibly humble but super succesful person and has built up quite a reputation for himself in the high end wedding photography world.
Now here, I’m not going to talk about the workshop and what I learned there. I did more of a technical post on my photography blog. But here are a few sample images from the shoot he provided for us. He hired professional models in designer gowns and we took them out at sunset. There were seven people in the workshop, including Mom and I.
The workshop ended around 9:30pm and afterwards Mom and I were so full of energy and excitement from the things we had learned that we couldnt go back to the hotel. We drove south down the coast, past Newport, past Laguna until we found a cool little beach that I think was called South Laguna Beach. It was gorgeous. HUGE waves crashed right on the steep sand creating a salty mist in the air. What a great way to end a perfect trip. Great thanks to Mike for wonderful things learned and for being so hospitable and humble. And to Mom, thanks so much for everything! Can’t wait to do it again someday, maybe in St. Lucia with Joe McNally…
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K. Elizabeth - Okay, so Nate – you don't know me, but I know your darling Luisa and i think she's amazing. I just have to tell you, I know a lot of people that call themselves photographers because they have a fancy camera and they take pretty cool pictures sometimes. I was kind of over the whole, "I'm a photographer" thing a while back, but every time I look at your web-site I am amazed at your talent. It's more than just saying, "I'm a photographer." You really have an incredible talent and it shows. Thanks so much for sharing your art and gift. I look forward to more pictures!
Bree - Gorgeous pics Nate!! Glad the workshop was so great!!
Ken and Jen Perkes - HEY! Isn't that my swimsuit you're wearing?!!
I hope it looks half as cool on me!
–Dad