I have gone on photowalks in the past, mainly with just a few friends or even on my own. This was a first though. Meeting fifty other people – most strangers – just to walk around and take pictures. Plus, knowing that there were about 30,000 other photographers around the world doing the same thing. All I can say is that it was incredible.

We met at the ungodly hour of 8am in Chinatown in Los Angeles. It wasn’t actually the 8am, but rather the getting up at 530am to be there on time. I wasn’t sure about getting up that early, but I am so glad we did because it definitely got hot as the day wore on.

Everyone was friendly and introduced themselves, but we didn’t feel the need to stay with the group. We walked through the nearly empty streets, finding what spoke to us. At times, there would be several people shooting the same thing, but it was never the same angle or from the same position. I loved seeing through the eyes of others.

The colors in Chinatown are so vibrant. I think that’s what we were all fascinated with. How do you capture all of this color with the sun streaming in?

When the “official” walk was over a group of us went off to explore more of LA. We made it first to Philippes for French dip sandwiches and beer. We must have sat around talking for an hour and a half (plus chimping photos). Once we had cooled off a bit and felt like we could move we went on to Union Station and then Olvera Street.

The morning shoot turned into an all-day event. By the end we all decided we need to do another one in August. When you are a photographer and you live, eat, and breathe with your camera, sometimes it can wear on you. You lose your vision, your inspiration, why you hold the camera in your hands in the first place. Being around other like-minded people changes all of that in an instant. You find yourself getting excited all over again, shooting just for shooting’s sake. No real purpose in mind except to see what you can capture.  Scott Kelby had a brilliant idea with this.If you missed out on this year’s photowalk, block the date out next year so you can make it. It is worth it.

To read more about our day go to:
Frank Wise Photography
Jeffery Saddoris
Photoinduced Video