Wednesday, May 16, 2012

IPS Recap!

Well, now that it's been about a month since I was at IPS, I guess it's about time I did a recap for you all. Although I posted a lot of photos while I was there, I thought I'd put a few favorites (and some new ones) all together in one post...


Lots of time spent in the classroom! We started with devotions at 8:30 am, and were kicked out at 10:30 pm. (Oh, and notice the photos on the far right...those are from the New Zealand Photo Experience...definitely want to make that trip in the future!)

We got to know these head pretty well during our studio time. :) I actually really enjoyed working with them. It definitely allowed me to take the time necessary to grasp the concepts that were being taught.  

Jocelyn and Benjamin (aka Derks), had the idea of turning in a MEniquin photo. Kinda crazy, but fun too. ;)

Mastering the different types of lighting as well as all the different ratios, kept us working late in our studios...Broad, short, Rembrandt, butterfly, profile...I'm surprised I wasn't dreaming about it by the end of the week!

I was glad I had brought along all the accessories I had...who knew I'd be using them to make my head look a little more personable? ;)


We were the first Portraiture and Lighting class to have black and white backgrounds, and, because our class was so small (there were only four of us), we each got our own studio. If we wouldn't have had so much homework each night, you might almost be able to say we were spoiled. :D

On Wednesday we brought our flashes and softboxes outside. This was an entirely new concept for me, but I've really liked the results. 

Stephanie and I must have looked like quite a sight walking around downtown Manitou with our camera bags and 4 soft boxes on stands!


Speaking of down town Manitou, it's quite the little town...

...filled with an interesting cast of characters

lots of hippies and free spirits walking around ;)



We raided the rooms of the Summit Hotel for props, and we came up with some pretty good ones!



I'd have to say that our studio final was a big highlight, if not the best part, of the week! The girls from PWP II were super enthusiastic and easy to work with. We were all having a.ton.of.fun!

Tiffany and Elizabeth made such lovely bridesmaids for Jocelyn (not our instructor Jocelyn)

Wohoo! She's getting married! hehe





Hannah and Carissa made their own rendition of the American Gothic. I think they pulled it off quite nicely. :)


Lauren pulled off this pose incredibly well!



Hannah and Carissa are sisters and they own a business called Once Upon a Time Photography. Their logo is a typewriter, so they were excited to get some goofy photos with a vintage one!








Carissa took a turn at getting married too. ;)

Mustaches, anyone?

Melissa trying to stop the paparazzi 

Christie, Melissa, and Susan

Madey thrilled with her Alice and Wonderland record

Seriously, all the girls were great to work with. We'd hand them the random-est props, and they'd pull of great poses!


Kelley, Sarah, and Madey

Jocelyn

Tiffany

Christie

Madey - she was our cook for the week, and kept us full with delicious meals! Besides working on writing her own cookbook, she's a great photographer too!

Kelley (side note: we also had lots of fun experimenting with different colors of backgrounds...all that's needed to change a white backdrop blue is a little post-it note! Who knew?)

It felt like Thursday was a really hard day, but the results were very rewarding. In the morning we went to Old Colorado City and had half an hour to find a location and visualize a photo in our heads. Then we each had five minutes to make the mental image a reality.

Despite one of my flashes not working (I had more trouble with batteries dying...seriously, I spent $20 on batteries while I was there...blame it on the altitude), I was really happy with how the photos turned out! 

Hannah made a lovely model

On Thursday we got out and breathed in some good, fresh Mountain air! Because we were in the classroom so much, I almost kept forgetting that we were in the mountains!

The Garden of the Gods is lovely

Thursday was our outdoor final. It was a "real" client shoot at Garden of the Gods. Tosha was my model (look for a post with more photos of her soon), and she was such a good sport....it started pouring about 15 minutes in, and we just kept going. :)

Thursday night most of us took a very much needed break from looking into viewfinders and staring at computer screens to socialize with each other. It was too bad us P&L students didn't get to spend more time with the PWP II girls...they were a fantastic bunch!

Nothing like a little Dutch Blitz to clear the mind!

Izzes...mmmm! 

Carrissa, Me, and Hannah right before heading out to the CO Springs airport. 

Stephanie and me...we look a little sleepy. I guess because we were running on about 4 1/2 hours of sleep everyday.

One final game of Dutch Blitz before saying goodbye. :( Carissa and Hannah, you live too far away! I think I'll just have to fly down to Texas to visit you and Wallis! :)

Heading home!


Wow! What an amazing week. I've really been so blessed by all the IPS workshops I've been at. The students are wonderful, the material is superb, and the instructors are just fabulous. 

2 comments:

  1. Aww loved all the pics, Megan! It was such a fun week and I wish we could have hung out more! :( Hope to see you again sometime! :)

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    1. Lauren! It was so great meeting you! I wish we could have hung out more too. We're not terribly far away though...maybe we can meet up for some shoots sometime? :)

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