To say that we are overwhelmed (and happy) with the response to the ShootLA event held at Smashbox Studios in West Hollywood this past weekend is an understatement. When we opened the doors at 10 AM and saw the line running all the way down to Santa Monica Blvd., we knew that we hit the right combination of community building and education.

ShootLA, the professional photography forum held by industry leaders broncolor and Hasselblad has come to a close.  The event, which started in October of 2009 in New York City, has quickly become one of the premiere photography events in the country.  On Saturday the 28^th, Smashbox Studios in West Hollywood filled with photographers from all walks of life, coming to hear about how to advance their photo business and further their lighting technique. Live photo shoots featured:  fashion, portraiture, still life and art reproduction sets. In addition, the seminars included lectures on topics pertaining to the business of today’s professional photographers.

The response was so huge that two hours into the event the fire marshal would not any allow any additional people into the event until the early afternoon. Special thanks to Kawai Matthews and Andre Rowe, who pulled two guerilla shooting seminars in the two front parking lots, in order to accommodate those who could not get inside the event.

The attendees were just as excited as we were (one photographer professed a diabetic condition, but didn’t want to leave because he was afraid he would not get back into the seminars! Don’t worry. We loaded him up with granola bars to get him through the day). Another woman came up to us crying, asking who to thank for the wonderful event.  And that was just a tidbit of the wonderful pandemonium that happened in West Hollywood.

The event marked the first of many for the fully integrated Hasselblad/Bron team. The US operations for both companies merged together to form Hasselblad Bron Inc. early last week, creating an expanded sales, marketing and customer support system .  Both Hasselblad and Broncolor represent the standard of excellence for the professional photographic market. Having  both companies together as one unit was impressive and is a testament to the seasoned players from both organizations. The combined companies’  knowledge base is something that will be a great resource to the photographic community.

Even something seemingly disastrous turned into a positive. When the original skateboarder we had arranged broke his board on his way over to the event twenty minutes before extreme sports photographer Scott Markewitz was to come on, we called local skate shops, and came into contact with pro skater “Tom Tom” Erik Ryen (@tomerikryen). We knew good karma had come our way.

Photo courtesy of Scott Markewitz

As the event came to a close, everyone enjoyed a relaxing cocktail hour and then headed home for a much needed night of rest.

We would like to thank our team, partners and sponsors: Hasselblad, Smashbox Studios, MOPLA/Lucie Foundation, Calumet, Samy’s Camera, Digital Photo Pro, APA, Resource Magazine, Adobe, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Livebooks, Art of Photography Show, and Hollywood Ducati. With your collaboration, this event was made possible.

We would like to thank Catherine Asanov and her amazing team of stylists, makeup artists, assistants and models for the amazing day-long editorial shoot.

We would also like to thank our speakers: Kawai Matthews, Bryan Hughes, August Bradley, Andy Patrick, Rob Haggart, Allegra Wilde, Jesse Diamond, Tim Hogan, Michael Grecco, Scott Markewitz, and Chris Robinson. Your diverse range of expertise and knowledge is what makes this event.

Andrew Southam on Shoot:

“I was honored to be part of Shoot LA’s Bron Lighting event. I had a chance to discuss my feelings and thoughts about the power of lighting in creating a memorable image, to show some of my work and then, in front of several hundred people, light a photograph of a model as I would on a job. It was a fantastic experience and a great coming together of our professional community. I want to congratulate Bron and Colin King for making it all happen and look forward to my association with Bron in the future. Their equipment is transforming my work and the way I see light.” Andrew’s Blog

Scott Markewitz on his favorite part of Shoot:

“The highlight was the live action lighting demo I put on at the end with Norwegian pro skateboarder, Tom Erik Ryen. We were really lucky to find Tom at a local skate shop, and he did an amazing job in the small space we had to work with, jumping high over a wooden box while I snapped his image.” Scott’s Blog

Future plans for Shoot include branching overseas to Asia, but will continue its tour in the US in New York during October (ShootNYC).  For those who missed it or were not able to get into the event, ShootLA will be returning in one month and will include familiar faces as well as new speakers and set designs.

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