Thanks for emailing and bugging me to put up our recent award-winning prints at WPPI 2009 competition. Here are the 7 winning prints. I am please that I have done well in the hotly contested “Bride & Groom” category and the “Wedding Photojournalism” category. “Spotlight” scored 91 points. That’s a personal high for my work.
“Misty”
“Spiral”
“Spotlight”
“Running to him”
“Mirrors”
“What an audience”
“Down the Aisle with Daddy”
I am loving every minute of my class at Santa Fe Photographic Workshop. I took the advice to “play” and “have fun” by taking a Nikon PC-E 85mm tilt shift lens on loan. I am in love with this lens. This is a fully manual lens. You change the aperture by rotating the aperture ring, a feature that does not exist anymore in new lenses. You have to shoot in manual mode because when it is tilted or shifted, the metering does not reflect the true exposure value. It produces a wicked out-of-focus look & vignette that I have not seen in any lenses I’ve used in the last 7 years. With this lens I bring an illustrative and abstract interpretation to my images where the rules are broken and reinvented.
I am so inspired that I’ve started to work on a photo series I called “Dreams”, a compilation of work I’ve done around Santa Fe. It is still very much work in progress. Let me know what your thoughts of the series.
(Note: 99% of the out of focus effect here are created on camera with the PC-E 85mm tilt shift lens)
After WPPI in Las Vegas, we headed to Flagstaff, Arizona for two nights before we moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a very scenic drive. CLICK HERE to see our journey on Google Map.
We were surprised to find snow in Flagstaff. Our windscreen was frozen the next morning. No problem. The survival instinct I acquired from my 5-year stay in Toronto kicked in and rescued the day 
We visited the Grand Canyon for the second time. In our maiden visit two years ago, we flew from Las Vegas to Arizona and were bused around by an unfriendly guide. This time, we took a 2-hour drive from Flagstaff. The view on the ground is very different & more enjoyable as we paced the trip leisurely.
On Sunday, we left Flagstff for Santa Fe. We made an unplanned detour to the Meteor Crater. The 45-minute museum tour, video presentation and walk around the crater was time & money well-spent. Apparently NASA still conducts tests and training at the crater, which is of the size of 20 football fields!
More pictures of Santa Fe coming soon…
Jasmine ordered a mini taco. This is anything but MINI!
Road to the Grand Canyon.
It’s pretty cold up in the Canyon, especially when strong winds sweep into the area.
Meteor Crater…it is a sight to behold.
For the last 3 days, I’ve been recharging my creative juice at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops at Santa Fe, New Mexico. After spending 10 days in the smokey, polluted and overrated Las Vegas, Jasmine and I had a splendid time at Flagstaff, Arizona, checking out the Grand Canyon and the Meteor Crater. I’ll save our Arizona trip for another post.
We’ve known the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops for 4 years. We’ve always wanted to come and we made it this year. The fact that the Workshop is running in the winter (right between the WPPI convention) works out perfectly for us.
So what am I doing here? I am taking Marcia Reifman’s “Digital Photography: The Next Step”, which is a beginner’s level workshop. Yup, you’ve heard me right.
I’ve been getting a lot of request to run workshops for beginners, a direction that I’m staying clear off because I know I am not very effective in teaching beginners. It’s been too long since I was a beginner. That’s why I am here: to learn from Marcia how to be a good teacher & get familiar with the needs of beginner photographers. She is patient, articulate and funny. I love her heart. My classmates taught me tons too! Their questions help me understand their concerns. Did I mention I was the only male in the 15-person class? Feels like I am in an extended bridal shower!
Workshop Director, Reid Callanan, gave all the week-long participants a fantastic advice: let’s play and have fun! It’s something I’ve almost forgotten about. As a professional, I am always busy creating work for my clients & running the business. For a change, a very nice change this week, I am just here to play & experiment with new techniques, subject matters & lenses. I have no expectations to meet, no deadlines & no pressure. Phew!
Here are some of the pictures I’ve taken…most of them with the Nikon PC-E 85mm f/2.8 tilt shift lens that I signed out on loan from the Workshop. This lens has given me a new lease of life. I LOVE IT! (note: all the out-of-focus effect in these pictures were created by the lens, not in post production)
This is Marcia, our instructor. Isn’t she cool?
A lot of you have asked about the WPPI print competition. I thought I should blog about it so we can understand the process better. Close to 3000 prints were submitted from around the world. About 700 scored above 80 points and were awarded the Accolades of Excellence. I’ll explain the process with some pictures…
75 judges went through the 3000 submissions. The prints are displayed with 2 tungsten lights in front of a panel of 6 judges and a chairperson. Points are accorded with an electronic system, taking the average from the 6 judges.
Pictures that are scored above 80 points are awarded the Accolades of Excellence (AOE) and entered into the final round of selection where the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & Grand Awards are chosen. These prints are hung & exhibited in 3 halls or “halls of fame”. I have a greater appreciation for AOE when I realized how many great prints didn’t make the cut. My print, “Running to Him” on display. I have a 7 prints awarded AOE, that’s 1% of the total AOE. I am honoured.
The freakiest thing happened. Goeff Chesman and his friends walked into the hall, pointed at “Running to him” and said, “You should check out this guy, Louis Pang. I love his work.” That was my first minute of fame. LOL. Unaware that I was the photographer he was talking about, I introduced myself and we took a picture together. Geoff is a silent reader of this blog. Blogging can bring many surprises and new friends
The most coveted prize of our industry on display during the Awards Reception. That’s our Oscars!
We were early so we got some nice seats before this hall was packed.
The emcees of the night, Bambi Cantrell & Jim Garner, both extremely talented photographer.
Rangerfinder chief editor, Bill Hurter (right) receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from WPPI President, Skip Cohen.
Cliff Mautner collects the Grand Award for the Photojournalism category. Only the Grand Award recipients get a chance to speak. He won it with a hell of a shot.
Marc Aviles who moved from Philippines to California won the first place. He collects his crystal award from Arlene Evans, WPPI director of operations.
Marc’s wife, Phoebe, shares the joy & pride of this proud moment. I was please to be there to capture the moment for them. This award-winning husband-and-wife team is humble, warm and passionate. I am humbled, blessed and inspired by them. Phoebe and I took Yervant’s class together. Check out what Rangefinder magazine has to say about them. Check out their uber cool website too!
I walked away from WPPI 2009 very much humbled, blessed, & inspired. The level of work is so high. Everyone on the top of their game are absolutely dedicated to the artistry and business, pushing the bar higher and higher. I’ve forged new friendship. Learning happens not only inside the classroom but often in the cafes and the hallways where we share openly. I am very proud to participate in an organization that is absolutely committed to excellence and helping photographers around the world to push the bar higher each year.