Discovery Workshop • Two

Our second day of the Discovery Workshop took us on the very winding Panoramic Highway, filled with heavy fog, to the charming community of Stinson Beach, Rick Chapman’s stomping grounds.

We spent the morning around a warm fire at the community center, as the rain drizzled outside the huge windows. Rick shared with us the stories behind the beautiful portraits of athletes and celebrities, and his process to crafting breathtaking portraits and capturing the mystery of his subject. He’s photographed people from Mohammed Ali to Justin Timberlake, and often, these people are sick of having another camera shoved in their face. But Rick’s warmth and conversations (and maybe his awesome voice, yum) invites people to open up and share themselves. He takes time to get to know his subject before photographing them, and draws out their truest self based on that conversation.

Rick demonstrated his process by inviting local resident and chef Lesly Robinson to have her portrait made as we watched and learned. (Lesly is an amazing chef, and made our evening’s dinner, which was incredible!) Lesly was admittedly nervous but willing to share her warm smile and love of cooking with us.

With nearly twenty-five photographers watching, Rick captured her royal presence and love of cooking. (Photos via GB Photographers)

And, with all of us watching, she opened herself up to us, sharing her laughter and free spirit. Isn’t this image so fun, of all of us capturing her? (I’m in the green sweater, BTW)

With all this knowledge we had gained so far, Rick had arranged for 12 people from the community to be photographed that afternoon. This honestly struck fear into the hearts of myself and many others among our group. Photograph someone we had never met, at a location we had never seen? Let’s talk about being pulled out of my comfort zone. But that’s why I was here—to be challenged to discover new things. So, with the newfound confidence gained from our earlier sessions, we forged ahead.

Another photographer and I visited the home of a middle school instructor. She was a kind woman, with beautiful silver hair and made us a rich, warming cup of coffee. Her home and garden were engulfed with light, and it was apparent she spends so much time caring and tending for her home. Her son had given her a gorgeous Bird of Paradise plant, and I had never seen it other than as a cut flower. So gorgeous:

We walked around her home, and then ventured down to the beach and took in the cool, salty air. We talked about how she loves to sit and watch the seals and seagulls. She loved breathing in the ocean breeze. While I was making her picture, I kept thinking back to the previous day’s statement: I am filled with life-giving breath on the journey. It was like a gift to capture images that so closely reflected my discoveries from day one. And in those moments, she too felt the same way. It was pretty powerful. I hope to share the images at a later time.

We strolled the beach a bit more and captured more beautiful moments. After our amazing dinner by Lesly, we had great discussions by the fire about life, photography, and what fuels us.

As the sun set, we ventured down to the beach as a group and shared stories with Rick about life in the small beach community. And we took time to let ourselves breathe, do cartwheels in the sand, laugh and run.