Zack Arias’ OneLight Workshop 7.14.2010

Tawaine poses, Zack waxes wise at the workshop

Zack Arias: Sucksessful Commercial Photographer

This week I had the honor of coordinating the St. Louis stop on the 2010 OneLight Workshop tour.  This successful (or would that be sucksessful?) workshop is hosted Zack Arias, a talented photographer and educator from Atlanta.  The basic premise behind Zack’s workshop is that you don’t need a zillion dollars worth of equipment to make a great photo; in fact you can create compelling images with a single light.  Hence the whole “OneLight” thing.  Duh.

Zack’s story is widely known, but the short version is that after a false start in the photo biz he re-entered the game with just a camera and an old flash.  Since it was all he had and he was determined to resist the temptations of debt-financed gear, he adopted an approach of pushing the limits of what little gear he had available.  As his client list has grown he has maintained this approach, learning every capability of every single piece of equipment he uses in order to maximize not only its value but its creative output.

Mixing It Up

The female photogs had Tawaine cracking up all day

The mixer Zack hosted on the night before the St. Louis workshop featured a pair of musical performances from Zack’s wife Meghan and STL’s own  Sleepy Kitty.  Meghan is a gloriously talented singer-songwriter with a fantastic voice and magnetic personality, and you can hear her work at MeghanCoffee.com.

Regular readers of this blog will no doubt recognize the name Sleepy Kitty from past entries featuring their live shows and the Hitchcock-themed promo shoot we did in April, and you may have seen the duo’s name in the press recently when they won the Riverfront Times’ 2010 music award for Best New Artist.  Considering that they sound better every single time I see them perform, I’m not surprised at the award.  Paige and Evan were also kind enough to act as subjects for the workshop, along with our mutual friend Tawaine Noah from Union Tree Review.

Near the end of the evening, Zack took a break from chatting with the dozens of folks in attendance, pulled up a stool and delivered an short address that knocked me on my artistic ass.  I won’t get into details, but hearing his story and the no-BS approach he has to shooting was both revelatory and vindicating.  On top of that, just seeing that someone so genuine and transparent can carve out a career in this volatile industry was hugely inspiring.  I’ve been busting ass to get my own photo biz into orbit since last October and dealing with the emotional toll that such a struggle can impart.  As I told him after the mixer, “everything you said just made the last nine months of my life worth while”.  I’m no gushing fanboy, but when someone can light a candle under your ass like that you have to acknowledge it.

Overall, the mixer was a success.  Studio Altius was packed all night, much networking and mingling went down and a great many snacks and beverages were consumed.  In fact, when we returned to the studio in the morning for the workshop, the overflowing recycling bins at the curb made it look like an Animal House frat party had occurred.  Good times.

Zack sets up a shot in the alley

Getting To Work

The workshop itself was an intense, 15-hour affair that included Zack’s presentation of exposure and lighting principles, hands-on shooting through his lighting setups, and groups shooting through their own setups.  Much of the technical stuff was a little remedial for me, but I did pick up some interesting tricks and techniques from Zack in addition to learning a lot just from watching him work.  However, there were several folks in the class with little or no experience with off-camera flash and by the end of the day they were not only using it but comfortable with it.  Zack’s teaching methods are thorough, well-presented and effective.  If you are serious about learning how to light, his workshops are worth the money.

But for me, the real worth in the workshops was in dealing with Zack, Meghan and Dan (Zack’s studio manager).  As I said, seeing a group of creative folks making a living in this crazy business without being cutthroat or jaded is so inspiring.  Sure, it’s a daily struggle and there’s no guarantee of success but if a guy can quit his job at Kinko’s with only a camera body and a beat-up flash and build a successful photography career, there’s no reason I can’t make a mark in the biz too.  It was just the breath of fresh air/kick in the pants that I needed.

Thank you Zack, Meghan and Dan–for everything.