Year End Review - 2010 Photographers

During the past year, I've had the opportunity and the pleasure to work with and learn from a variety of photographers. It's always nice to spend time with other photographers, not only because of all the tips and tricks that you pick up, but also because they're always ready to talk about cameras and photography.  They're usually a pretty good bunch of people, too! This outlet for geeking out about cameras saves Belinda from countless conversations like this one.

I want to publicly thank a handfull of photographers who I spent time with this past year. Whether it was in a classroom environment, at a photo shoot or over a beer, I've enjoyed the time I've spent with these colleagues:



Jay Kilgore (sometimes NSFW) - Jay puts on classes in Denver and also set up the Meeting of the Masters. He's always good for a laugh, but he has the experience to get the shot, even while he's goofing around.

Carl Marx and Brad Wicks - Carl and Brad run North Denver Photographer's Studio, which is the studio that I use. I usually end up chatting with Carl about studio issues and logistics, which is always interesting. I always seem to catch Brad on a smoke break, which is a great time to just hang out and shoot the bull.

Gary Barnhart - Gary tracked me down after I worked with a model who he'd also worked with. We ended up doing two shoots together (see here and here) and getting some great images. Unfortunately, he had to move back to Maryland, so our acquaintance was short but sweet!

Joe Edelman, Kirk Voclain, Art Ketchum, Ivan Otis, David Hickey - I got to meet all of these guys at the Meeting of the Masters. They were the Masters! What a great bunch of guys! Even after 10 hours of class, they were always up for a beer in the evening and more photography talk. If you haven't already, you've got to read all about my experience here (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3)

Alexandra Sheremet - I ended up sitting next to Alexandra at the Meeting of the Masters. Talk about serendipity! Although our styles are very different, our attitudes matched very well. We ended up teaming up for a photo shoot with great results.

Demetrius Austin - Demetrius started out as one of my contacts on Flickr. Then I met him one day at the studio. One day he gave me a call and asked if I'd be willing to help him out with a shoot that he had planned. I'm always happy to help out a fellow photographer (and pick up a few tricks in the process). Demetrius was a great guy to spend an afternoon with!

Souders Studios (Rick) - Through a friend of a friend, I managed to arrange a personal tour of award winning food photographer Rick Souders' studio. He's been in the industry for quite a while and just having a conversation with him was like going to a class. He was more generous with his time and knowledge and I ever could have asked for.

Cameron Redwine - Cameron and I went to high school together. As it happens, we're now both living in Denver and are both photographers! Cameron is a photojournalist, so I called on him for some help when I was asked to do a little photojournalism for the City of Westminster. We had a great time and, thanks to Cameron (and a little 300mm f/2.8 lens he borrowed), I came away with some great shots!

Mahal Bella (Annabelle) - I think I commented on one of her forum posts first. Then she commented on one of mine. Then we tracked each other down on Facebook. Then we decided to meet up for a drink and a little conversation. Now we're discussing future projects together! I'm looking forward to working with Bella many times in the next year.

Love n Joy Photography (Kimothy and Tess) - I met Kimothy and Tess at a networking event for CRAVE. We're both doing photography for the book, so we already had a few things in common. We ended up talking for a while and it turns out they're looking for someone to help them shoot weddings in 2011. After meeting for a quick photo shoot, some chai and some good conversation, I can't think of two people who I'd rather spend a long day working with more than either Tess or Kimothy!

Marina Lower - I actually met Marina in the same forums where I met Bella (although she wasn't stalking me like Bella was). She noticed that we lived very close to each other and suggested that we meet up for coffee. Since that first meeting, we've become, for lack of a better phrase, "business buddies". Instead of going to the gym and working out together, we go to coffee shops and figure out ways to improve our work practices, customer management and profitability. Together, we're both hoping to improve upon every aspect of our businesses!

Well, there you have it. These are some of the photographers who I've enjoyed meeting over the past year. There are many more wonderful photographers who I've met, but haven't really gotten to know yet. If you're one of them, or if we've never met but you want to meet up and talk shop, get in touch! Maybe you'll end up in this post next year.