Day 1 of Click Away

Last month I went to a photography conference called Click Away which took place over a 3 day period and is hosted by the group ClickinMoms. This year it was in Dana Point so it was a perfect excuse to attend. Each day you built your schedule full of classes and boutiques taught by the most amazing photographers. There was also two keynote speeches on the two opening days.

The Friday keynote speaker was Amanda Lucidon, author of the book “Chasing Light: Michelle Obama Through the Lens of a White House Photographer". I loved seeing all of her images on a big screen and hearing the stories behind her documentary style of photography. It was amazing what she was able to capture when she would have just moments to set up as Michelle Obama exited a car or stepped through a room. It was great hearing about her career journey to becoming the first woman on staff as a White House photographer. I definitely related to her as another woman in a male dominated career. At the end of her speech, we all got the opportunity to have our books signed by her.

I had a bit of a break that afternoon so I dropped off my camera to get a complimentary cleaning by Nikon. I also went to the Tamron booth to borrow a lens for my class that evening. Per the instructor's recommendation, I got a 15-30 mm f/2.8 lens which was a beast! I have never used a lens like that and it made my camera look tiny.

My boutique class for Day 1 was The Toolbox to Beach Photography with Marcie Reif. We walked down to Doheny State Beach from the conference hotel along with 7 adorable kids who were there to model for us. We first stopped near the entrance to snap some posed photos near the greenery and then headed for the water.

Marcie talked about her typical camera settings for the beach and we got set up for the kids. She shoots wide open at the beach with an aperture of f/2.8 and tends to keep her shutter speed really high at around 1/4000s. It was great shooting alongside her and I absolutely love the photos I took. She also provided a link to download a workbook with even more tips and tricks for shooting at the beach. The sunset was beautiful and it was a perfect way to start the weekend. I can’t wait to practice on my own family! And that monster lens went on my wish list!