San Diego and the West Coast School

San Diego at Night from Seaport Village

I spent a glorious week in June 2014 with the West Coast School of Professional Photography on the campus of the University of San Diego.  The West Coast School is affiliated with the Professional Photographers of California. 

Marcus

I worked with instructor/photographer and pretty darn good quad-copter pilot Eddie Tapp.  I want to be Eddie when I grow up.  Go ahead and click his link and look at his work.  Eddie’s assignment for me during the week was to concentrate on my backgrounds.  So I shot a few goofy pictures of palm trees sticking out of models heads, haha.  It actually helped me. 

We worked with a great group of volunteers that quickly made me, an outsider from Arizona, feel very welcome.  Lorenzo, Art, Adale, and everybody with the school made me feel a part of their group. 

The Amazing Clare posing as Betty Grable

The models were terrific and very easy to work with.  Clare was a natural model, 16 and going to be a high school junior, which is hard to believe because she acted like a professional and was a very nice young lady.  I had a running chat with her during the shoot about life and college.  I guess I must have used my teacher voice, ha!  She didn’t need much direction, but one I did ask her to pose was what I called a “Betty Grable” which is what I call a pinup pose made famous in World War II.  She said, “who’s that?”  Yup, she is 16.  Anyway, I showed her… then she did this ===à  NOT BAD!!!

Zoe Marie

After the school ended on Friday, Marni came out and we spent the next few days as photographing tourists.  We hit Seaport Village, SeaWorld, Old Town, and Little Italy before returning to Phoenix. 

Sea Lions in the harbor

As typical desert rats, any chance on the water is welcome and the sea lions didn’t mind.

Until My Next Adventure, 

See You On Down The Road!

Jim Patterson

Dolphins and friends at Sea World


See all of my photos from this adventure on Flickr!