I stopped the truck to talk to a neighbor who was busy preparing his driveway for a pour of new concrete. During the conversation I mentioned that I'd arrived home from San Diego at 1:30am and was ready for a nap. He of course wanted to know what I was doing in San Diego so I explained to him I had attended a week-long course on photography. His answer to that was, "I thought you already knew how to take a picture!" Of course I know how to "take a picture", but I'm more interested in creating a photograph and that is why I went to San Diego for West Coast School. I had had an opportunity to listen to a presentation by Tim Meyer on lighting and portraiture. The things he taught validated many of the techniques and philosophies I believed in as well as taught me knew ideas. Having been inspired I signed up for Meyer's class in San Diego. The week was expensive plus it involved making the long drive so I could carry my equipment with me. It also involved being away from home at a time I was very busy, having a lot of things I needed to do. So why did I go? It was a no brainer! It was an opportunity to gain more insight into creating art pieces through lighting and posing. Much of what we covered during the week involved the study of Rembrandt along with other artist and art that went back to 100AD. We looked at their portraiture and the representation of light painted into their artwork. The study was to realize the importance of light in portraying the individual and how to recreate that lighting. It was a marvelous week. While I was bushed and ready to head home by the end of the week, I'd go back tomorrow for more! Yes, I can take a picture, but being able to create an art piece is a life time study. I will continue to study until I can no longer push the shutter button on the camera. I don't ever want to stop learning.