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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
SSA VI Participants: Your experiences, thoughts and feelings
Clay Begrin, Photographer
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Petaluma | Ca | USA | Posted: 2:57 AM on 04.10.09 |
| ->> Hey everyone, I remember back when I attended SSA III in Nov 2006. I was sooo excited when I recieved that e-mail from Bert stating I had been accepted. I loved the experience. Every event and photo shoot I went to along with every evening's critique discussion was so informative that I soaked up as much information from the staff and fellow photogrpahers as I could. The amount of time sometimes was very tiring, but I wanted to get as much info as I could in such a short amount of time. The staff were so knowdgleable and willing to help. The SSA was about craming in a huge amount of info into a short amount of time. Ever since that incredible week I have used what I learned as tools to help me grow as a person and photogrpaher. It seems the more I learn, the more I relaize there is to learn, but what a great experience the SSA was. The SSA III was such a blast that I hope to attend another SSA academy in the future (all about the time and $$). Take a moment to tell everyone your thought, feeling and experiences during the SSA VI. |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 7:31 PM on 04.12.09 |
->> Enlightening.
Inspiring.
Educational.
Invigorating.
Exhausting.
And just plain COOL!
Congrats to all of the people that participated in Sports Shooter Academy VI! |
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Rafael Agustin Delgado, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Pasadena / Fullerton | Ca | USA | Posted: 8:14 PM on 04.12.09 |
->> I will second Berts post.
The item I love the most is simply the competition each day. Multiple shooters coming into one event and the various results is simply awesome to witness and experience.
Lots of fun and well worth the effort. And many thanks to Bill at Nikon for making SSA VI a reality for me at least. I am for sure addicted to the wonder loaners from Ron and to all who have contributed to my SSA VI experience.
Cheers ! |
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Jordan Murph, Photographer, Assistant
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Carlsbad & Honolulu | CA/HI | USA | Posted: 12:21 AM on 04.13.09 |
->> Rejuvinating.
Mahalo to the participants for working hard and for giving me hope in the future of our industry.
Mahalo to the faculty and staff for the time, critiques, and willingingness to share their experiences with others and for being such great friends.
Mahalo to sponsors Louis Feldman of Samy's Camera and Doug Murdoch of Think Tank Photo for gerlnerously sponsoring prizes and giveaways for the participants.
And mahalo nui loa (very big in Hawaiian) to Ronal Taniwaki and Bill Pekala of Nikon, Inc. for their overwhelming support that made this workshop a reality.
Aloha!
Jordan |
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Michael Chen, Student/Intern, Photo Editor
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Los Angeles | CA | USA | Posted: 12:47 AM on 04.13.09 |
->> I had a great time working with the faculty and all the other students. It was awesome seeing so many different approaches to each event, and to have faculty members available for anything.
I want to thank all of the faculty for sacrificing so much of their time to make SSA VI happen, and the sponsors for providing equipment and free swag. Many of the students like me benefited greatly from Nikon picking up the tuition.
Thanks again to everyone. |
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Matthew Cavanah, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | US | Posted: 1:02 AM on 04.13.09 |
->> Man I don't even know where to start.
From just being there and doing 15 hour days of just shooting and editing, to having the extensive wealth of knowledge and experience of the faculty right at my finger tips, all of it was amazing.
Thanks to all the faculty for just pouring yourselves into this and making yourselves available to us, I will never forget it.
Ron, you crack dealer, thanks for bringing all that amazing gear for us to use.
All the participants, you guys were amazing. To get to take pictures along side you guys and have the kind of support that we had for each other was something that reminds me some of the things that make me do photography in the first place.
Hopefully I'll be able to do it again next year and see some friendly faces. |
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William Guerro, Photographer
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Galloway | NJ | USA | Posted: 1:09 AM on 04.13.09 |
->> My thoughts going into SSAVI was not to focus on the shooting of the events each day. It was to listen and learn from all the talent that Bert had assembled.
Day one of shooting for me was going to Fullerton v East L.A. Baseball and setting up remotes with Matt Brown and Rod Mar. No real great images for me but I spent most of my time listening to what Matt & Rod were explaining to me and the other participants of SSAVI about remotes. "Very Glad I did less shooting and more listening" I now have a game plan on what I want to try and do in placing remotes shooting Baseball this season as well as other events that I cover.
Day two & three were spent at Beach Volleyball Action & Portrait shooting, NCAA Mens Volleyball and Women's Water Polo with Bert Hanashiro, Rod Mar & Jordan Murph. The portrait sessions at Beach Volleyball is were I took away the most from SSAVI. Totally changed my way of thinking with lighting.
But the thing that impressed me the most with SSAVI, was the staff. With the diverse and HIGHLY Successful group that Bert assembled you would think that there would be some Big Egos to go along with it. It was the total opposite, they were all available and willing to answer every question that was thrown at them and ready to help you any way they could.
I only came away with a couple of good images from the event, but more important I came away with a lot more knowledge and ideas that will help me to make better images at the events I shoot down the line.
Bert & Matt Great Job in putting this together! |
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Rod Mar, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 2:13 AM on 04.13.09 |
->> Thanks to everyone involved for a fun and invigorating week.
Special thanks to Bert, Matt, Ronal and Bill Pekala for their hard work and commitment to the education of all involved.
While it is always fun for me to interact with people seeking to improve their craft, I always learn so much myself - both from other faculty and students alike.
Thanks to all the participants -- your energy, talents and willingness to learn made it a terrific experience for me. I hope to be involved with the Academy again.
Mahalo! |
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Diego James Robles, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Athens | OH | U.S. | Posted: 10:34 AM on 04.13.09 |
->> What a blast! I had an incredible time and learned a great deal about photography in general. The caliber of instruction was incredible and the whole thing was extremely well organized. Nikon's sponsorship was very helpful as we got to shoot with long glass and had opportunities we otherwise would not have.
I look forward to keeping up with all the friends I made in SSA VI and applying everything I've learned. Thanks to all the faculty, students, sponsors and Mr. Hanashiro especially.
I hope I am lucky enough to do it again next year. |
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Thomas Quinn, Photographer
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Valparaiso | IN | USA | Posted: 11:04 AM on 04.13.09 |
->> The Critiques is where the money is, at least for me.
I went in to learn remotes and lighting as well as get me out of a RUT. I must say thanks to Bert, Dave (Honl and Black) Wally, oh heck all of the Critiquer's/Staff. I had my photos reviewed by at least one of all the staff members and sometimes 3 critiques of the same "Loose Edits" every night. Every one gave me more and more than I could ever want about how to go forward, climb the ladder and gut me onto the "Top of the Pyramid."
The venues were different is their own ways and the challenges I faced were not so much different than the challenges I face outside of the workshop. Boxing had small space and poor lighting that we learned how to work with and even light to our advantage. Also how to make an environmental Portrait and "Think outside the box!"
Beach Volleyball, well how to clean up poor backgrounds and again portrait lighting.
Horse Racing, How to look for features, Natural Portrait Lighting and how to clean up backgrounds. This is where I attempted, and learned about the problems and non-reliability of remotes. Radio interference, is HELL!
Thanks to Ron and Sarah (Sorry if its Sara or another spelling) of Nikon and to Think Tank for their customer service. With Nikon, they set us up with loner gear like you would not believe and Sarah and I talked about never shooting horse racing, ever, and how much fun it was along with techniques about Nikon gear. Kudo's to Nikon. Think Tank, I had a wheel fall off of my Airport International at LAX coming in; ThinkTank FedEx'd me another wheel set to the hotel for the next day at no charge!
Thanks all for the experience.
Tom Quinn |
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James Spiker, Photographer
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Chula Vista | CA | | Posted: 2:26 PM on 04.13.09 |
->> I can't even begin to describe how valuable the workshop was to me. Getting my shots reviewed every night, learning what should be added to them, or taken away, how to position myself for a better shot next time out, and how to anticipate what was going on was great.
Seeing the shots that the other participants captures the next morning, and listening to what the instructors had to say served to motivate me to take batter pictures challenged me to shoot better at the next venue.
Spending three hours with Matt Brown to guide me through my first baseball game and first remote was worth the tuition fee by itself. I can't wait to attend another one.
The Staff and the Instructors were all wonderfull, down to earth and highly approachable and incredibly helpful.
It was like, to quote a movie, "a swift spiritual kick to the [photography] head" |
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Phil Hawkins, Photographer
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Fresno | ca | usa | Posted: 6:41 PM on 04.13.09 |
| ->> WHO won the contest??? |
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Daniel Berman, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | US | Posted: 8:36 PM on 04.13.09 |
->> Jared Wickerham (www.sportsshooter.com/wick) took home Best Portfolio and Picture of the Day for Saturday, for his image of a young boy boxing at the La Habra Boxing Club.
Hannah Foslien (www.sportsshooter.com/photofoslien) won Picture of the Workshop, for her sophisticated and layered image of boxers at the La Habra Boxing Club, which also won for Picture of the Day for Thursday.
Matt Cavanah (www.sportsshooter.com/mcavanah) won Picture of the Day Friday for his image of a free-falling pole vaulter at the Orange Classic track meet.
Various other awards went to Andrew Villa and Kelly Cox for Spirit of SSA awards; Diego James Robles for the Chris Detrick Hustle award; Megan Elizabeth also received an award for her positive attitude and effort despite a cast on her leg.
Daniel |
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Mike Greener, Photographer
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Fairfield | CA | USA | Posted: 9:07 PM on 04.13.09 |
| ->> It is a funny thing to look back and see how quickly your photography/seeing can evolve over such a short week at the Sportsshooter Academy. I came with the intentions of breaking away completely from my common approaches to my sports shooting. Everything I did was a new approach and a big risk. It was my time to experiment. And between trying out all the new yet unfamiliar toys from Nikon and adjusting to the fast paced schedule I found myself getting my ass kicked the first day of shooting. Being out of college now for a couple years, I'd forgotten what that was like. It was humbling. It forced me to reset and start from the ground up on my overall approach. It was exactly what I needed. Working so close with the instructors and learning to see the game through new eyes, rekindled my love for shooting and made me remember why I started in the first place. Thanks to the instructors for your bluntness and encouragement. I drove away under slept yet refreshed and inspired. Thankyou -M |
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Jared Wickerham, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Pittsburgh | PA | U.S.A. | Posted: 12:48 AM on 04.14.09 |
->> Well being that SSA VI was my second straight year going, I highly recommend that anyone who has gone once, reapply. Like Mike Greener said, your photography changes quite quickly, IF you're willing to "hustle" as my friend and fellower SSAer Rod Leland likes to put it. The great photos just don't come to you at the workshop - you need to work for every single one. You will be frustrated at times but if you keep pushing yourself to become better, it will show in your images. And after winning a Photo of the Day and Best Portfolio, both for the first time, I definitely believe what I say.
More than the workshop itself though are the people you meet. I cannot stress this enough. Rod Leland, Mike Vander Veer, Charles Ludeke, Andrew Villa, Daniel Berman, and William Cooley, are some of the participants who I met last year at SSA V and have maintained great communication with since.
Rod Mar, one of the great faculty from this year's SSA gave me a piece of advice that most would think would be obvious but isn't always. Even though there is friendly competition at the Academy, most of us go back and lose that strive to be better photographers. He said that we need to push ourselves and be self-motivated at all times. And even though this is definitely doable, a lot of us can easily stay in touch with past participants who can also give you critiques, advice, and keep you on your toes with your photography as well.
And after last year's SSA, myself, Rod, and Mike decided to take a pre-workshop trip from San Francisco and drive down the Pacific Coast Highway to SoCal. That in itself was the trip of a lifetime!
Like what was stated at SSA VI this year, we are in a very small tight knit community and the people you meet at SSA will be people who you will come across multiple times in life. Take everything you can from the workshop and don't stop pushing yourself once you leave SoCal and the Academy.
And last but not least I would like to give a final thank you again to the SSA VI faculty as well as Ron and Bill of Nikon for paying for all of the full time student tuitions and loaning us all of the amazing gear for 3 days! It was much appreciated among everybody! Thank you! |
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Renay Johnson, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | | Posted: 1:19 AM on 04.14.09 |
| ->> You guys seem to be having a blast. I really hope I am able to attend next year's Academy. I've heard alot about these even before I was a member. Sounds like quite the learning experience. I've attended one get together where the people like Beck and Mar showed their Beijing images so I know you are in good hands. |
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Mark Malijan, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Bellingham | WA | United States | Posted: 2:55 AM on 04.14.09 |
->> SSAVI was amazing to say the least. It was a waiting game once I received my acceptance e-mail. It seemed like to it was a long time away, but it crept up on me.
I learned more about myself as a photographer; my weaknesses and my strengths. I am not used to shooting with multiple experienced photographers in one venue and expected to get something original. It was an invaluable experience.
The access to top of the line gear and the top professionals is something I will be raving about for quite awhile. I made some really good friends. So much work and soooooo worth it!
Thanks to Nikon, the faculty, and Mr. Hanashiro. |
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Matt Brown, Photographer
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Fullerton | CA | USA | Posted: 6:49 PM on 04.14.09 |
| ->> To everyone who made the trip, thank you. It was a blast putting together number SIX! I wish I could had more time with everyone. I don't forget what you learn and keep in touch. My family thanks you for letting me come home. |
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Phil Hawkins, Photographer
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Fresno | ca | usa | Posted: 7:37 PM on 04.14.09 |
->> OK, I'll bite.
How is asking "who won the contest" Off Topic if the judging for it was going to be done at the beginning of SSA? I went to a lot of trouble to prepare about 5 images, jumped all the hoops to submit, now I'm just curious who won. Since everyone on this thread is so breathless on a high after the workshop, I just figured the judging had been completed. However, as of this writing, search though I may to find some word, none has so far been forthcoming, one way or the other. There's been no word from anyone about when it's going to be announced, or if it was even done at all. I found out through my little birdies that it was indeed done, and apparently there was a preliminary "weeding out" process that occurred before the main judging, which means some did not get their work seen except by whomever did the weeding (thus rendering it not worthy). Of course, some word from Those On High would be very informative in order to dispel any inaccurate rumors floating around about how this all went down. And who won.
You know, I'm just curious... as are many others, I would assume. |
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Joe Morahan, Photographer
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Denver | Co | USA | Posted: 7:52 PM on 04.14.09 |
| ->> Phil....I want to know just as bad as you!!!! |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 9:04 PM on 04.14.09 |
->> Phil --- i think this thread is supppose to be about participants' experiences at the Sports Shooter Academy.
The winners of the Annual Newsletter Contest really does not relate directly to this message board topic.
I guess you'll have to wait for the official announcement Fresno Phil... |
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Timothy Martin, Student/Intern
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Flagstaff | AZ | USA | Posted: 6:26 PM on 04.15.09 |
->> The Sports Shooter Academy was one of the best experiences I've had since starting college. Not only were the fellow students and participants great shooters, but also great people.
The faculty at SSA VI was simply amazing. They were incredibly helpful on-location and also at the classes and critiques. I learned more from them in five days than I have in all of my classes at college.
Dave Black did an awesome presentation about freelancing and business practices on the first day of the workshop and it was incredibly helpful and opened my eyes to how the business of freelancing really works.
David Honl's sessions about lighting at the boxing complex were great. He showed us how to properly light a shot with a combination of speedlights, portable studio lights and snoots, which I had never used before.
Thanks to the unprecidented generousity of Nikon's Bill Pekala and Ron Taniwaki. They brought a staggering amount of top-end Nikon camera equipment for participants to check out and use. It was great to be able to use the equipment and have the opportunity to try new things with their equipment. In addition to the generousity with equipment, Nikon also paid the tuition for all students attending the workshop. Not only that, but Ron was a great guy to talk to; he was very personable and had some great stories and insight that I won't forget.
Also, a special thanks goes out to Rod Mar, Michael Goulding, Jared Dort, Matt Brown, Jordan Murph, Wally Skalij, Myung J. Chun and most of all, Robert Hanashiro.
(Sorry if I forgot any names, the entire staff was great and deserves a huge thank you)
Hanashiro poured his heart into the Academy and it really showed. Without him, none of this would have been possible and he made it one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
Thanks to all of the participants who attended as well. You really made this experience even more memorable. It was so good to meet all of you. |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 11:23 AM on 04.17.09 |
->> Thanks again to Ronal Taniwaki, Bill Pekala and Nikon for their support of Sports Shooter Academy VI and making it as accessible as possible for students and working photographers.
Also thanks to Doug Murdoch and Think Tank Photo for the cool give-aways that everyone received ... and to Louis Feldman and Samy's Camera for sponsoring the award prizes.
Mahalo! |
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Andrew Scott, Student/Intern
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London | ON | Canada | Posted: 7:14 PM on 04.18.09 |
->> I have to say that was exactly what I needed! You could tell right from the early bird sessions what the tone for the week was going to be. The opening talks were all so inspiring, added to that was the atmosphere/attitude of those attending the academy.
There was so much information coming from every direction that I am still trying to sort through and remember things that were said, information overload. I simply can't say enough about the time and effort that all of the faculty, sponsors and anyone else involved have put in! It is only because of their effort and willingness to share information that we see the improvements and changes in our shooting styles that we do from such a short period of time. Having the opportunity to have so many amazing photographers each critique your work and provide their unique insight really helps you to see so many more possibilities for images you are going to make in the future.
I can't thank the following enough: Robert Hanashiro, Matt Brown, Ron Taniwaki, Bill Pekala (can't say enough to thank Nikon for providing an absolutely ridiculous selection of gear exceeding anything I could have imagined!, apparently rivalling what they would normally bring to the Super Bowl) Dave Black, Rod Mar, Mike Goulding, Wally Skalij, Myung Chun, Jordan Murph, Jared Dort, Lucas Gilman, Dave Honl, I know I am forgetting at least a few people and for that I apologize.
It was truly an amazing experience and I hope to have the means to attend again in the future. It is safe to say we all have a better understanding of the effort, personal and professional sacrifice that is required by the faculty to pull off an event of this magnitude. |
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