Contestant's Case to Win

In order to pursue a field that I’ve always been passionate about, this past year I started teaching travel photography in conjunction with the local City of Newport Beach adult education department. My first offering sold out very quickly, and we actually had to increase the class size to meet demand, so immediately I knew I was on to something.

Although my students enjoyed the classes very much, as evidenced by the surveys I asked them to complete after each session, in those same surveys they told me they wanted to get out in the field for some hands-on experience and actually shoot with me, so I developed a series of Photo Walking Tours where I guide people One on One or in small groups to some of the most idyllic scenery in Southern California. Starting with just one tour of Newport Harbor last fall, I now have over 20 different offerings spanning from San Diego to Los Angeles, and even out to Joshua Tree National Park and Catalina Island (more tours are in development). I even lead tours in Chicago, my hometown. Also, I'm now teaching at more than a dozen different locations, including Saddleback College, the Irvine Fine Arts Center, UC Irvine Extension and Calumet Photo (a high-end, international chain of camera stores).

In an attempt to keep expenses to a minimum, my administrative work and planning is done out of my home, however, my “workplace” is outdoors, and my clients and I both enjoy the fresh air, exercise and “green” nature of a Photo Walking Tour, where we discuss the person’s camera and its settings, talk about composition, lighting, the Rule of Thirds, and much more.

Additionally, for a long time now I’ve had in my mind that there is a need for a quality series of team building exercises based on photography, and so I’ve established an umbrella company called PhotoEnrichment Programs that oversees my Photo Team Building division which develops and administers Scavenger Photo Hunts, Photo Pub Crawls and Photo Skills Challenges, amongst other events and exercises. Not only do clients get the benefits of boosting morale and building team spirit by delving into time honored team building skills such as communication, networking, time management and leadership, but because the exercises test and push their creativity, the additional take away is an improvement in their photographic skills. They can then immediately put these new skills into practice whether taking pictures of their family at the beach, traveling around the world or shooting in their own back yard. Everyone agrees that in this tough economic climate there's no better time then now for companies to be investing in their human capital, and team building is the perfect solution.

PhotoEnrichment Programs also oversees my Photo Walking Tours and a third division called Custom Photo Classes, where I teach photography classes directly to corporations and other organizations onsite at their offices, at their hotel (if visiting from out of town for a conference), or at a variety of other venues that we can arrange. These make a great addition to spousal incentive programs. Any of these programs can be customized and administered nationwide, or even internationally, so we're not just limited to Southern California. In order to facilitate expansion, I'm in the early stages of researching how to license the concept to qualified photographers/entrepreneurs, as well. It's taken a lot of planning, research and trial and error, but I'm confident that I can provide a proven and viable business model and support system that will help my licensees hit the ground running and guide them towards success in their territory.

The economic downturn has actually been the best thing that could have happened to me. It’s forced me to adapt and really hone in with laser focus on my photography business. I couldn't imagine a more ideal calling, at least not for me. It's just not work, I enjoy it that much. I continually marvel that I finally found a "job" where I'm being paid for doing what I love, which is teaching, mentoring, talking about photography and shooting in some of the most beautiful places on earth (and where everyday the dress code is what I like to call "artist casual"!). Before, when I had my restaurants, I dreaded working nights and weekends, but now I can't wait to work every chance I get, whatever time of day or week it is. As of late I've been filling in the little free time I have by writing my first book, which will be titled "On Travel Photography," and I continue to work on at least two products that I've developed for photographers and that I hope to bring to market in the next 6 months, or so.

Currently, in order to give back to a fantastic organization that encouraged me in my youth back in Chicago, I'm beginning to do volunteer work with the Boys and Girls Club of the Harbor Area by developing a program that will introduce kids to the wonderful world of photography. The "big picture," so to speak, is to encourage them to develop and pursue their artistic talents at an early age, as well as to introduce them to geography through the images of the many places I've been lucky enough to have traveled. The program will include basic photography classes, field trips and Photo Walking Tours for small groups of aspiring visual artists. With the decrease in funding, and outright elimination, of the artistic programs at all levels of education, I thought this would be a great way to help keep the arts alive.

Oh, and last but not least, towards the end of 2009 I'll be leading a number of photography tours to Europe (Eastern Europe and Italy), and I just announced an incredible humanitarian trip to Cuba that I'll be leading in March/April of 2010. On this trip, which is completely sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury, we'll be delivering much needed supplies to the Cuban people, offering us an incredible opportunity to not only meet and understand the people of this fascinating island nation, but to do some really good work, as well....talk about "slacker friendly"!

NEWSFLASH!

This is a last minute addition to my profile, but I'm extremely excited to announce the pending release of my very first book: "Ralph Velasco On Travel Photography: 101 Tips & Hints for Developing Your Photographic Eye." It's the culmination of a lot of long hours and hard work, but it's going to be very satisfying to see the images and information distilled from my travels and classes in book format. The release date is scheduled for December 1, 2009, and so just in time for the holiday season. http://www.OnTravelPhotography.com