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Exotic Glamour, Beauty & the Nude Virgin Islands Workshop #28

August 2, 2011 By rg sends! Leave a Comment

Date: April 26-May 1, 2012 (Early-Bird Pricing in Effect Right Now, Save $700)
Venue: U.S. Virgin Islands
Details: The first Virigin Islands worskhop sold-out in less than 2-weeks! Most of the VI workshops for the past eight years sold-out almost a year in advance! Here’s your chance if you missed out in the past eight years! Only Ten Photographers and Five Models per workshop. First-come, first-serve!

This a low early-bird price offered! We’re going to give you an economic recovery special price! First four attendees only then it goes up $700 After that we resume regular, early-bird pricing then full price, so save $700 now! First-come, first-serve! This will be year eight in the Virgin Islands and our 14th year conducting workshops! We’ve reduced our photographers from 12 to 10, so there is a slight price increase in 2012 but we feel this will give you a productive environment.

This will be our 28th Virgin Islands workshop. The dates are April 26-May 1, 2012. Fly in on April 26th (Thurs.) to St. Thomas (Airport code STT) then we ferry over to a smaller island where it’s private, camp-style workshop–open to all levels of photography, from beginners to advanced–your departure day is May 1st, (Tuesday) unless you choose to stay longer in St. Thomas on your own. April 23rd is our private shoot day. While not mandatory, we encourage it to work with your favorite models on a “one on one” time hourly basis.

These workshops promise to be better than the best workshops ever done–this is not a foreign country, this is the U.S. Virgin Islands! No currency conversions, no foreign language, no crazy inflated value-added taxes or worries about the food and water or your camera equipment held in customs till you pay the “bribe.” Currently a U.S. passport it not required, provided you present a government issued identification card, such as a driver’s license.

We’ve got a place that rocks! The location was featured on HGTV this year and Brad Pitt filmed parts for one of his movies on this secluded island part of the islands. It’s not your “typical tourist hotel” trap found in other workshops–this is a private paradise 10-minutes from St. Thomas giving us great sunsets, sunrises, private infinity-pool shots with the ocean blue/green waters and golden sunsets in the background.

Complete with bbq’s, outdoor activities and a dinner on the beach after sunset, this workshop will be better than the best workshops ever held! We even had one photographer sign-up for ten Virgin Islands workshops, so all spaces will sell fast! We have a high return of previous attendees!

Limited to ten photographers only! That’s right, we’ll shoot five beautiful models in groups of two photographers one model, the whole time you’re there–you will photograph every model. There is no room for more than ten photographers, period. Prices will eventually go up if not booked early! We’ll be staying on a private island off St. Thomas in a “camp-like” style environment as we enjoy the use of three houses with full facilities including internet connection DSL, refrigerator, stove, satellite TV, and phone plus we’ll have catered breakfast and lunch.

This package includes lodging during the workshop and most drinks and food–there is two optional evening dinners at your expense. Your responsibility, get there! Fly into St. Thomas. From there you’ll have the greatest time photographing without hotel distractions, tourist distractions, etc…total focus on what we’re there for, the glamour, beauty and the nude photography of beautiful women. These are outdoor nudes in a tropical setting!

This is a first-come, first-serve, non-refundable workshop. The workshop attendees will not be staying in a hotel, we’ll be staying in fully equipped houses that are cottage style, complete with satelite TV, DSL, refrigerator, stove, etc.–your house on a private island.

Use this special button to reserve your “Early Bird” price at $1299 today, regular price resumes to $1999 before you know it! Save $700 now! Rates will go up after first four attendees sign-up, so save now Guarantee your slot!

Lighting is provided for sun-overpowering shots, though you may bring your own lighting too. We’ll have some California Sunbounce scrims and reflectors, again, you may bring your own too. Make-up and hair provided for the models too.

Rolando will cover many topics, from basics, fundamentals and concepts that you can use in glamour photography and other genres of photography. Emphasis on lighting, posing, and the ability to see and feel the light. You’ll get hands on instruction and demonstrations. Overpowering the sun with flash will be a big focus along with beach and pool shoots.

Rolando will walk you through, step by step showing you the in’s and out’s of the image, at the same time, every photographer will have his or her time to photograph lovely, photogenic models from sunrise to sunset. The emphasis is to take photographs not pictures. Plus much, much more!

Three full-days of shooting and one optional day to book a private shoot! Our fourth day is reserved for private shoots. Private shoots are optional and will be scheduled reasonably for a small additional charge–this money goes straight to the model–first come, first serve. Shooting will be from sunrise to sunset–just like if you’re on assignment for publication. The workshop attendees will stay in three beautiful “home-style” cottages with kitchens, baths, refrigerators, etc., on an exotic island. DSL internet connection is available too along with satellite TV–though who will have time to watch TV? (grin) Time will be allocated to enjoy the hot tub and swimming pool during non workshop hours–yes, have fun in the sun, work hard, and capture great images!

All proceeds are non-refundable, but we will allow you to transfer your seat should you have to change your plans with at least 90-day notice. You must do the transfer on your own as we will not refund anyone due to the small size of this workshop.

Over 6,000 students have attended Rolando’s workshops and speaking engagements in the past thirteen years–Rolando is the only current glamour workshop instructor with national speaking credentials, a glamour DVD, photography book author, photo magazine staff writer with national and international tearsheets. Rolando also discovered the April 2006 Playboy Playmate for Playboy–she attended the April 2006 VI workshop as an actual model too! This workshop is open to all levels of photographers, from beginners to advanced–Rolando will take time to work with new photographers and will answer your questions before, during and after the workshop. No one is leaving the island until it’s over!

The workshop is intense, but designed for everyone. Breakfast and lunch are available every day upon arrival. Evening supper will be furnished two of the five days. Three days of supper will be your responsibility as we’re giving you the choice of staying on the island or going to St. Thomas. Refreshments will be provided.

The price is for workshop and lodging costs and most meals, you are responsible for all travel. The price includes three solid days of shooting with models. We break the ten photographers in teams of two, so you always work with a partner but never have to wait in line. Models are rotated daily to allow for major shoots with one model at a time per day–you will photograph all five models. We reserve the fourth shooting day for private shooting for a small additional fee, this is an optional day after your three solid days of shooting, for your favorite models. This system works so good we’ve had many repeat customers to the VI workshops.

Make-up will be provided and images may be used in off-line, personal and web portfolios, however, you can, for an additional $80 (paid to the model by the photographer, only once and covers all three days), secure an unrestricted release (except for adult pay-sites or membership sites), full use, including nudity. Release will be provided, this is optional and not mandatory but highly encouraged.

First Come, First Serve Basis–limited seating–Reserve Your Slot Now!

A minimum of seven people must attend otherwise the workshop will be canceled and refunds will be immediately provided. Rolando has never canceled a Virgin Islands or exotic photography workshop in the past 13 years. Feel Free to email Rolando Gomez should you have any questions at rolando(at)rolandogomez.com with a CC copy to gophotog(at)gmail(dot)com and include your contact information and best time to call.

Filed Under: Exotic Workshops, | Workshops Tagged With: beauty, glamour, instruction, lighting, Models, nude, photography workshop, Sunsets, Virgin Islands

Monte Zucker Had Some Great Advice

October 9, 2009 By rg sends! Leave a Comment

Playboy Playmate Holley Dorrough illuminated from the side. Lighting is the sun during the Golden Hour in the Moab.

Earlier this year at a photography event my seminar on “The Art of Lighting for Impact” followed Clay Blackmore’s spectacular lighting demonstration. Clay, a Canon Explorer of Light, and I were using the same studio, so we assisted each other. While listening to Clay and observing his demonstration, he said something that stuck to me to this day that he learned from our mutual friend, the late Monte Zucker, known in the photo industry as the “Prince of Portraiture.”

Clay reminisced how Monte, who held the Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees from the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), always taught him that the greatest photos are the ones where the main light comes from the back, or the side, not necessarily the front. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since, especially since Monte and a few other photographers and I were involved with an old business so I knew Monte well.

Photographers around the world miss Monte who earned the 2002 Photographer of the Year Award from the United Nations. He was one of the greats and before his death “initiated the Zucker Institute for Photographic Inspiration, a charitable organization dedicated to inspiring at-risk youths through photography.”

Often I think about the conversations with Monte, but the day Clay spoke, I thought about some of my photos and sure enough, my better photos have a strong light from the side or back. I also remembered Monte making a similar statement to me at Photo Plus Expo one year about light from the back or sides and it seems like every time I pick up the camera to photograph someone, I immediately look at the light in a different manner than I did before.

It’s funny how I’d forgotten those words and how Clay’s spreading of the gospel of photography reminded me—obviously the best way to become a photographer is by practicing your craft, but also be hearing things in repetition and over time. That’s why events like Photo Plus Expo are worth attending, perhaps you’ll see me there this year as I’m a speaker there once again.

Shelby illuminated from sun filtering light through a window in the Virgin Islands.

Hence, I’ll repeat it today, if you want to capture some great photos, look at the direction of the light, then ask yourself, “Where is it coming from?” If you see light coming from a nearby window, reposition your subject if you’re taking a portrait and place them near that light source and try to use that natural, diffused window light as the main light, but have it come from the side.

If you’re outdoors and you place your subject underneath a tree to take advantage of the open shade, turn their back toward the sun and have your subject move back far enough where the sun falls on their hair and shoulders, perhaps providing some nice accent or rim lighting, then fill your subject’s face in with light reflected from a California Sunbounce reflector or perhaps from the light of your on-camera flash or if you’re fortunate enough, from the flash of a portable studio power pack like a Hensel Porty Premium or a Broncolor Mobile A2R.

One of the greatest photography accessories for digital cameras today that I also like to carry, especially when working outdoors (though I use it in the studio too as my eyes aren’t as young as they used to be) is a HoodmanUSA, HoodLoupe 3.0. While many photographers have loupes leftover from the film days of viewing slides on a light table, these are not the same as the HoodLoupe which doesn’t magnify pixels, as it uses three German glass lenses that give a true 1:1 viewing ratio. This viewing ratio is important because when you “chimp” (view your images on your LCD screen while shooting), your pixels aren’t magnified. Magnified pixels from cheaper loupes create large dots from your screen’s pixels and it will throw you into a loop as you’ll misjudge your focusing.

And for those that claim to be more purest and don’t chimp but only use their LCD screens to verify their image histograms, these Hoodman loupes provide a glare free environment and come with an adjustable diopter of +/- 3, which comes in handy with eyeglass wearers like myself. When I’m looking for that sidelight outdoors, I usually have that HoodLoupe attached securely around my neck with the comfortable lanyard it comes with and I never worry about it banging around as it’s made of a user friendly rubber.

If you’re not fortunate to find that big mesquite or oak tree, like the kind we have in South Texas, then hopefully you can capture a great sunset shot with the subject’s back toward the sunset and by simply dragging your shutter (slow your shutter-speed down as the flash duration is the actual shutter-speed for your subject and the camera shutter-speed controls the ambient light) and increasing your aperture value (F/Stop) to match or by closing your lens aperture down another half to full stop and compensating with fill-flash to match (think overpowering the sun with flash). Your sunset should back light your subject, thus your image should be amazingly appealing to any audience if done correctly.

During one of my Virgin Islands, Glamour, Beauty and the Nude photography workshops, I captured this image of Playboy model Ashly with the sun from behind.

Well that’s a photo tip for you today on lighting and the use of a proper loupe for previewing your images and histograms. Hopefully Monte’s method of using side and back lighting will stick in the back of your head like it does to mine since Clay reminded me. While Monte, also a Canon Explorer of Light, is resting in a better place, his words of photography wisdom are not forgotten. I wish everyone the best, and don’t forget our service members, their families and friends, without them we’d have no freedoms and we’d certainly miss a lot of light. Thanks, Rolando

Filed Under: Blog, Photography Tagged With: back light, Broncolor, chimp, Clay Blackmore, diopter, histogram, HoodLoupe, Hoodman, LCD, lighting, loupe, Moab, Monte Zucker, PPA, seminar, side light, Sunsets, workshop

Virgin Islands-Nov 09′ (SOLD-OUT)

September 30, 2008 By rg sends!

Date: 11/5-10/2009 (SOLD OUT)
Venue: U.S. Virgin Islands
Details: The first Virigin Islands worskhop sold-out in less than 2-weeks! All of the VI workshops for 2008 sold-out, most sold-out a year in advance! All of the 2008 workshops are sold-out! Here’s your chance if you missed out to book early for 2009! Only Twelve Photographers and Six Models per workshop. First-come, first-serve!

This will be our 20th Virgin Islands workshop. The dates are Nov. 5th-10th, 2009. Fly in on Nov. 5th (Thurs.) to St. Thomas (Airport code STT) then we ferry over to a smaller island where it’s private, camp-style workshop–open to all levels of photography, from beginners to advanced–your departure day is Nov.10th (Tuesday) unless you choose to stay longer in St. Thomas on your own.