7/11/2006

Jerry and Bambi rock Orlando!


Wow, what an amazing day! Two of the greats in the wedding photography industry, Jerry Ghionis and Bambi Cantrell teamed up for a tremendous tour, which stopped in Orlando. So I was privilidged to attend their workshop today, along with about 75 other photographers.

Of course we've seen Jerry and Bambi before, but it's always exciting to see them again. They bring so much energy to their work and you can't help but be inspired by being around them.

The seminar was from 9-7, but they were on such a roll that they went until 8, when we were all kicked out of the conference room! A few of us hung around afterwards and visited with Bambi and then joined Jerry for dinner.



They discussed everything from marketing to shooting, and it really made for a high impact day. Both of them did a deomonstration on how they shoot and that was equally inspiring. I find that no matter how many seminars and workshops you attend, there's always something interesting that you can pick up and take home. And Jerry and Bambi challenged us to do just that.



Anyone in the wedding photography industry knows that for the past handful of years the Australian photographers have been leading the way, winning all the major awards at WPPI and really producing phenominal work. It was interesting at dinner and in a much less formal setting to get Jerry's take on that. He talked about the friendly competition between he and Yervant, and how time and again they swap places in the competitions. He said that their competitive spirit is what fuels them to become better photographers. And Bambi added that the Australians are always trying to one-up each other, and that has given them an edge.

It was exciting to hear that acknowledgement because that's how I've been feeling the past few months. Obviously our first goal is to please our clients. But we challenge ourselves to create shots that make people pause, stop, and say "that sure looks amazing." And secondly we want to create images that make other photographers in our market kick themselves in the pants and say, "oh, man, why didn't I think of that first!"

5 comments:

tj cameron said...

sounds like a great experience! wish i could have been there.

competition is good :)

Daniel J. Watkins said...

Garrett -- that sounds like my kind of seminar! :) Some day when the big bucks start rolling in, I'll be able to get back into "student" mode (though not quite like Jimbo!! LOL). Thanks for the comment on DPT...I've been doing that site for over 2 months now...really to challenge myself to learn more (and what better way than to have to teach?...I'm sure YOU know what I mean!!!). Anyway, I've kept the promotion of that site under the radar for awhile, though I kept wondering who would be the first to comment. Of course, I should have figured I could count on you!! \o/ G$ rocks!!!

JeffersonTodd said...

I'm so jealous you were able to attend the seminar, just to spend some time with you guys!

Anonymous said...

oh, man, why didn't I think of that first?

oh, man, why didn't I think of that first?

oh, man, why didn't I think of that first?

stop it already G$

Anonymous said...

you've certainly made me say that before garrett, so congrats on being a phenomenal photographer and keep getting inspired... while inspiring others!