asilomar, monterey california, sony kando

In early 2018, my good friend and Sony Artisan, Caroline Jensen, shared that she would be teaching at Sony Kando, a brand new photography event. Acceptance to the trip was by application only, so I figured why not! and immediately applied. When I got my invitation, I was thrilled. I couldn't wait to surround myself with other photographers as passionate about Sony as I am. As I packed my bags for Monterey, California, I had no idea what to expect, but I knew it was going to be good.

The word Kando roughly translates into the power of emotion connection. Using that as their core philosophy, the incredible team at Sony Alpha gathered together a group of photographers to connect and share, learn and teach, inspire and encourage each other. I won’t lie, I was nervous leaving my comfort zone and going to an event where I would be surrounded by so many I admire. I figured I would cling close to the wall, absorbing what I could by blending in. But each moment was filled with emotions so intense that you couldn’t help but jump right in. The workshops were collaborative, idea sharing, and interactive. The meals were filled with soul sharing, story telling, and dreaming. The parties were fueled by fire (literally) and made you feel like you were right where you belonged. You couldn’t go to bed because you were afraid you’d miss too much. So many new friends came into my life during Kando and I can’t thank Sony enough for creating a community so welcoming, so humble, and so incredibly inspiring. Attending Kando 2.0 was the hugest honor. I can only hope to be invited back to 3.0!⠀

Kando was held at Asilomar, a beautiful state park and historic hotel. The grounds were beautiful, with long boardwalks leading you directly to the rocky California beach. The first workshop that I attended was Thibault Roland's extreme long exposure class. In his workshop, Thibault guided us through using multiple minute exposures to create complete stillness in the motion of the water. Unfortunately, with the bright conditions, my 10 stop ND filter was only strong enough to allow for about 30 second exposures, but I was still able to get an idea of the effect Thibault creates in his beautiful black and white imagery.

sony kando, long exposure, monterey, california

My second workshop of the day was Caroline's Peaceful Worlds macro workshop. Sony brought in the awesome Olive and Coyote flower truck and we had our choice of incredible flowers! Caroline showed us how to shoot through copper pipes, prisms, and use glycerin to add detail to our macro images. I grabbed a few fun macro shots and shared my macro lens with a classmate who hadn't thought to borrow one from the gear shop.

sony kando, olive and coyote flower truck

After lunch, I attended a super informative panel on social media by Colby Brown and Chris Burkard. Colby and Chris expressed the importance of authenticity and connection in social media and reaffirmed everything that I believe in. They discussed celebrating the successes of other photographers and lifting up the industry by inspiring and encouraging.

The night ended with a trip to the Bixby Bridge in hopes of shooting astro photography with Andy Best. Sadly the marine layer rolled in heavily and the stars were immediately covered. Andy didn't disappoint, though, as he demonstrated light painting techniques and discussed how to shoot if the stars were actually there.

sony kando, night photography, bixby bridge

Friday morning dawned grey and heavy with marine layer so I took the time to attempt catch up on some rest. But, the Kando life kept calling and I dressed and headed out to breakfast to catch up with friends. My morning was spent observing as studio portraits were created, listening to the incredible National Geographic photographer Bob Krist speak on travel photography and videography, and being introduced to timelapse photography by Drew Geraci. Late in the afternoon, I boarded a bus with Don Smith and Gary Hart for an sunset pilgrimage through Big Sur along the incredible California central coast.

sony kando, big sur california, point sur

Without a doubt, Sony Kando was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The information gathered from so many incredible Artisans willing to share their valuable knowledge was just as important as the inspiration gained from my fellow classmates and friends. Sony has proven that it isn't just a brand, it's a lifestyle. And I'm incredibly proud to live the Kando life.