Tag Archives: mike colon workshop

Hawaii Day Four: Kona Storm

On the final day of the Mike Colon Workshop we didn’t do any shooting, just some learning and the end of the day was tied in a bow with a party! We originally were going to do some shots of each other but a massive Kona Storm rolled in and it was a downpour all day so we didn’t get to do that. At the end of the night I played my first poker game and did fairly well considering I had NO clue what I was doing. I think Mike was probably going batty playing with all us beginners but in the end Carla, whom had also never played before, won!!!! Scarlett also put up a pretty good fight, amazing us all by being down to her last chip and then winning it all! She made third place which was pretty darn impressive especially after all her near losses!

I have to mention here two things. First is that the personal chef, Phil, was amazing!!! Although there was some stuff I don’t eat (being from Ohio you don’t really get GOOD seafood here so after a couple bad experiences as a kid I swore it off) it all LOOKED incredible and what I would eat was awesome. My favorite was his amazing salads. He made a dressing that was to die for and the recipe is simple!!! It was Italian dressing, feta cheese and roasted garlic thrown into a blender and mixed. SO GOOD!!! He fed us so well all week and ended the week with a phenominal spread for the party. Second is David Hessemer, whom came and spoke to us about his project, Through Their Eyes, which is essentially about introducing photography to people that have never worked with or seen a camera before and showing them the power of being able to document their lives for future generations to look back on. He came and spoke to us about his project and showed some amazing images that the children took. He also stayed with us for the party and I got to speak with him a lot more. A wonderful person whom has had some amazing adventures!

Due to the storm, I didn’t get many pics this day but I did take a couple videos at the hotel so I’ll share those along with the pics I did take.



Sunrise view from our amazing balcony at the Hyatt Regency Resort on Maui. Have I gone on about how much I LOVED this resort? It was amazing.


View of the ocean as the storm came rolling in from our balcony. Again, the views were just astounding!

The storm rolling in, seen from our room.

The chandelier in the Hyatt – about 100 or so feet from the courtyard – showing how strong the winds are!

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Hawaii Day Three: Kapaula Sights

The final day of shooting I not only loved shooting Rosanna and Jared but the class as well as the gorgeous scenery around me! We started off at the top of a hill with a field and row of trees and ended down at the beach where there were plenty of surfers enjoying the waves.


Rosanna, Mike Colon, Jared and Mike Mijangos head to the first spot for shooting for the day.


Natalie Norton goes into the fields for the perfect shot.


Scarlett Lillian showing off her perfect photography posture!


Mike Mijangos gets creative and uses a plaque to help steady the shot.


Just another day of shooting the gorgeous Rosanna and handsome Jared! (L to R) Mike Colon, Mike Mijangos, Sommer Holden, Erin Kline, Johanna Tano and Gavin Wade.


Natalie Norton has the craziest poses of anyone I know but she gets awesome shots for going the distance! She’s in the pic above but Mike Colon is blocking her in my shot.


It wasn’t easy getting a clear shot of Rosanna and Jared (as you can see from the shot above) so I looked up and loved the pattern of the branches of the tree and shot that instead. Kind of bizarre but I like it!


After the third or fourth car got us off the road with the trees, we decided to head down to the beach and continue shooting there. I am a beach girl so I had to take a few shots of the gorgeous landscape that my eyes beheld!!!


This is the first time I’ve ever seen serious surfers in action so I had to take a shot of someone hangin’ ten!


Mike borrowed my shorter lens to work with the off camera lighting so I got to play with his monster 200 2.0 lens for a bit. Again, I couldn’t get a clear shot of Rosanna and Jared so I went for Mike but he caught me!


Scarlett makes the BEST faces for the camera!!!! She’s too fun to shoot!


Scarlett getting her winning shot of the day of Rosanna and Jared on the beach after sunset. Mike Mijangos is assisting by holding the light off to the side of the frame.


Final shot of the gorgeous beach after sunset – again, I love moon shots over the ocean!!!

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Hawaii Day Three: Rosanna and Jared

The final day of shooting was done with Rosanna and Jared in Kapalua near the Four Seasons hotel. We started up a bit from the beach on a hill with a field and trees and then ended up at sunset on the beach. This was by far my favorite of the three sessions! Again, a million thanks to Rosanna and Jared (are they not the most adorable couple), to Mike Colon for being such a wonderful teacher and the rest of the class for being there with me!



I believe Jared had licked her cheek!


Not the best technically but the sequence made me giggle, wonder what she told him???


This shot of Rosanna and Jared in the field won me one of the top pic choices of the day of the class! Scarlett Lillian won but gave up her spot since she’d won already (aww) so this is technically the runner up but it still made me giddy!


The other choice for the top pic after Scarlett’s two and the other one above! Made for a great ending to my week!


I love the look of this shot, reminds me of a cologne ad.


Shot with Mike Adrian’s one-light setup with pocket wizards.


Shot with onboard flash unit using settings that Mike Colon taught me while others were taking their turns with the off camera lighting setup. I really love this shot, probably due to the moon! I have a thing with moon shots over the ocean…

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Hawaii Day Two: The Sights

First I want to mention that my blog will be undergoing some construction in the next couple weeks so if things look wonky at times, I apologize!

Now… the post! Day two of shooting in Maui – this time around the area where the house was located at where the workshop was held. The house was in Lahaina but in the foothills of the West Maui Mountain. There was an interesting forest behind it which made for some unique pictures and the skies were really interesting that day changing light constantly. Enjoy the shots!



View from the house towards the mountain.


The class heading to the shoot location.


Mike instructs Chris and Katie on what to do next.


(L to R) Rosanna, Sommer Holden, Joanna Tano, Scarlett Lillian, Gavin Wade, Mike Colon and Erin Kline.


Crazy Maui skies.


Luke Edmonson and his monster lens.


Mike shooting Chris and Katie.


Luke shows that photographers will get into some crazy positions to get the right shot!


Shot of the houses Mike & the gang were staying at. The workshop/photog house is the one with the white peak. SUCH a great house!!

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