Thank You Don Giannatti
So if you remember, a while back Don Giannatti from Lighting Essentials held a contest titled
‘Winner Gets Me‘.
Well, I won… and I got Don!
This past weekend, Don drove from his home in Phoenix to my micro studio located in Springdale, Utah.
He brought with him Megan (Just Fab on Flickr), also from Phoenix and the three of us moved A LOT of lights around.
Well… Don moved a lot of lights around 
Things were a little cramped, but we managed to get some spectacular photos with a variety of different lighting set ups.
Four models were scheduled each day, for a total shooting time of 6+ hours.
All told, I took 1450 photos… that’s a lot of editing! I’m sure Megan has quite a few herself…
I had so much fun, and even though I was so nervous and sick to my stomach for a week leading up to it, it really was a dream come true. It would take me HOURS to set up my lights prior to a shoot, basically because I had no idea of what I was doing. I wished I had someone in the area (fat chance) that shared the same passion as me, that could come to the studio and together we could experiment with different light set ups.
Well I got my wish, if only for a weekend!
And what better models than Jasmine, Carisa, Brooke, Greg, Adrienne & Riley. They were just amazing and played a HUGE role in making the workshop fun and exciting in addition to all the learning that took place at their expense.
My sincerest ‘Thank You’ to Don & Megan for giving me 2 days I will never forget.
I hope to cross paths with you both in the future
Don wrote two posts about the workshop on his blog ‘Four Umbrella Madness: Shooting with Regina in Utah’ and ‘Greetings from Zion Nat’l Park – Winner’s Workshop‘.
Here are just a few shots of Don with each of the models…
Many more photos to come!
Brooke… I SO love this shot of Brooke!
Carisa & Megan behind Don’s AMAZING ’4 umbrella set up’…
Adrienne & Riley – Double trouble!
The Man, The Myth, The Legend – The Don
Greg – I get freakin’ goosebumps looking at the images taken of Greg that day…
Jasmine – Personality, looks and brains… what more can you ask for?
Here’s some of Don’s footage
Part One:
Part Two:
Photos by Regina Pagles
5 Responses to “Thank You Don Giannatti”
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- Four Umbrella Madness: Shooting with Regina in Utah | ESSENTIALS For Photographers - [...] contest winner) in her Utah studio that I decided to do a bunch of videos of a few of ...
My husband Fred & I own Zion Cycles, a bicycle shop in Springdale, Utah - just outside of Zion National Park.
I live, eat, breath, sleep & dream about Photoshop. Sick...I know. 
Hey Regina,
I had a blast working with you this past weekend. Absolutely love your little studio, and the talent you brought in for the shoot was way above expectations.
Springdale is a charming little town, and you were a charming host.
I was able to get a few good shots as I left through Zion. The weather provided some great backdrop to those amazing cliffs, rocks and mountains.
I look forward to seeing you again, and will be a Zion fan forever now.
Very cool, Regina. What an awesome opportunity to have Don for two days. I look forward to seeing your future posts on what you learned from your “intensive” session. Great shots!
Regina,
Thank you so much for inviting me. Springdale and is such a beautiful place. I am so jealous of your home studio. I glad we got to use it to the full potential with Don. Now I have about 1400 shots to sort and edit…gulp..
So glad you came, Megan!
I took about 1450 shots, so we’re in the same boat!
I look forward to seeing yours as you post them. The one of Carisa is spectacular!
Wow, Regina so awesome! That must have been a BLAST!!! congratulations! Those shots all looked so great, and I love your retouching, you are a great inspiration. When I get stressed out, I just remind myself, hey this isn’t work, this is FUN! Cause I too just do it for enjoyment and not a paycheck.. Thanks for all your thoughts and inspirations!