November 17, 2008

Kubota Photo Bootcamp of Infinite Wisdom

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The week I’ve been waiting for eight months has come and gone and all I can say is WOW! I’m speaking about Kevin Kubota’s photo Bootcamp, held twice each year in Bend, Oregon, that works on improving literally every skill for a photographer, with or without intentions of running a small business. Rubbing shoulders with one of the leading authorities regarding image post-production techniques was a lifetime experience that I know will play a major role in my future success as a professional photographer. I had met Kevin several times before but didn’t know the depth of his experience in photography and can say confidently that his reputation is no joke. This workshop overloads and humbles many people, however I feel that within only a week my confidence has grown further than what I could have ever imagined within such a short time. Below are some photos I shot at Bootcamp during a mock wedding photo shoot. Some of the images are shot with only available light and one or two are with one SB900 hand-held behind a circular diffuser. With the Nikon D300, I’m using my pop-up flash to trigger the speedlight through the infrared syncing of Nikon’s (CLS-Creative Lighting System). This is one area (probably the only, other than weight) that the lesser priced cameras have on the D3. Since the D3 doesn’t have a pop-up flash you need either a transmitter or SB800/900 on the shoe as the commander. Ok, really a small price to pay for a camera that set a new benchmark in digital photography. I can’t wait to get one but the D300 is equally amazing in it’s own right.