Recap of 1-on-1 Workshop… Paulie Grugan and his war memorabilia!

It just so happens that some photographers decide to return to my studio to take an advanced One-on-One three day workshop, and because these students are experienced and it’s just the two of us, we can get into more complex compositions. Basically, there is no need to cover light painting theory or for me to do my light painting and post demonstrations, so we can “hit the ground running”. This means that we have lots more time to work. Also, I encourage these photographers to bring their own subject matter. The reasons for this are many… First, I get to see cool things! Second, the photographer can feel the great pleasure of creating a unique image with their things, as opposed to them choosing props from my (albeit quite large) collection. Finally, the challenges of light painting fresh, and perhaps unique objects, is exciting!

Paulie Grugan, an accomplished photographer who works as a firefighter in Philadelphia, collects war memorabilia. He has a lot of it, and it is as interesting as it is historical. Coming from a military family (My father and grandfather were both in the Army, my Uncle Mike was a Green Beret in Vietnam, and my brother Norman was a military policeman), I have a great appreciation for this historical subject matter. Needless to say, I was psyched up to work with Paulie to make a really great photograph of some of his collection. I think we succeeded!

Please take a minute to look at the image in large size (click on the image) to see the details!