Mike Colon Experience: Day 1

***DISCLAIMER***

[I know, this blog post is a day late! Our internet went out at the house last night so we were disconnected from the world and thus will be getting things too you a day late now :( 

But...our hope is that you will be able to read (and see) a little of what the workshop is like! Ready??? Wait for it.........GO.]

So here we are in gorgeous Lahaina! Everything is just amazing. The sunsets and food alone are enough to make me never want to leave!

Every day we have a professional chef come in from 6-8pm and cook us a constant stream of 5-star cuisine. From freshly caught sushi, to mahi mahi in a pomegranate reduction sauce, we are loving it! (You know how much Erin loves food as it is...so just imagine how giggly she gets here at meal time)

Our first day schedule:

6:30am-10am: Breakfast

7am-10am: Massages

10:00: Introductions

10:30: Discussion: Equipment and Settings

12:30: Lunch Break

1:30: Discussion about Technique and Style

3:30: Engagement Shoot

6:00: Private Portfolio Reviews

6:30: Dinner

Every day follows this type of format; discussion in the morning and afternoon followed by a practical exercise and photo shoot.

So far we are getting pages upon pages of awesome notes as to how we can refine who we are and how we shoot.

Today our shoot consisted of two awesome couples and took place in down town Lahaina on the water and in town. Special thanks to Rosanna *Mike's assistant* and her new fiance Jared! This was their actual engagement shoot, so they'll have a proof book the size of Rhode Island to sift through :)

Also, our second couple Andrew and Joelle were just awesome and had so much fun in front of the cameras; they were naturals!

Here are a handful of our favorites. Aloha!

We all anonymously submitted one photo of each couple for review. This photo was selected by Mike as the best shot of the day of Rosanna and Jared! Nice shot Erin!! You are rockin it! :)

See you all tomorrow for more images and new locations!

Mike Colon Experience: Maui

Here we are on day 1 of the workshop. Today was just hanging out at 
the mansion and meeting everyone as they arrived. The house has a 
lanai that wraps all around with couches and Bali beds, so we all ate 
outside and just chilled as the sun went down. This is the view from 
the lanai (porch?)! iPhone photo can't do it justice! No worries 
though because we are breaking out "big boy" cameras tomorrow as we 
are diving head-first into lecture! Stay tuned everyday this week as 
we will be giving you a tour of the mansion, more shots of the island, 
as well as all of our new friends here at the house! Aloha!

-Gavin & Erin

Aidan went behind the camera and took a picture of himself. ;)

Blown Mind (Courtesy of Dane Sanders)

So tonight started as a Fast Track Photographer get together for a photo shoot in Old Towne Orange, but wound up being a 2.5 hour dinner where Dane Sanders dropped some huge stuff on us about where he is headed in the months to come! He showed up literally beaming from ear to ear and simply could not contain his excitement.

"We need to sit down and talk!" he said, as if he were going to burst if he waited one more second. 

If you know Dane Sanders you know he is the founder/author of Fast Track Photographer, an amazing wedding photographer, a GREAT guy with such a big heart, and enough passion and enthusiasm to put a high school cheerleading squad to shame!

As we sat eating our amazing Cuban food, we listened as he told us about what's on the horizon for the wedding photography world! Not only that, but as he shared these ideas for the first time to a group of his peers, he asked us for our feedback and what we thought about his new upcoming adventures. It blew me away that he, Dane Sanders, was genuinely asking what I thought about his business and the direction it was taking. Having such an awesome approach and humble heart is one of the huge keys to his success so far...no doubt in my mind!

One of the things that really stuck with me tonight was when he was describing what separated the "rock star" photographers from your average joe. It wasn't talent, (because there are tons of talented photographers out there), it wasn't genetics, it wasn't some inane photographical genius mind....it was two things:

"They were presented an opportunity, and they worked their butt off!!"

Without spoiling what Dane shared with us tonight (sorry, no sneak peaks, we were sworn to secrecy!), what I can tell you is that WPPI is going to be INSANE this year thanks to Fast Track Photographer. Also, Dane has the creative literary juices flowing once again and is looking at authoring a couple more books! Tom Cruise has got nothing on Dane....look out Oprah...here he comes!! :)

I had the best time with these great photographers tonight! See you guys soon!

Vu Bui, David from SDOhana, John Loyola, Lisa from ElleGPhoto, and Jack Ratana!