Arena Photography

Information may not be reliable

It’s be a long time coming… but I’ve recently announced that two week-long photo workshops will be held in Paso this spring. If the fact that two groups of 15 photographers from around the country will be decending upon Paso is newsworthy, then it’s the instructors who are the headline.
The inaugural workshop will be taught by Joe McNally ?? a longtime contributor to National Geographic, Life, etc. Joe is a master at using multiple small-flashes on location. His book The Moment It Clicks rose to #9 on Amazon (for ALL books) shortly after it was published last year. His new book, The Hot Shoe Diaries, expands on the creative use of small strobes ?? hence the title of the workshop.
David Hobby, worked as a photojournalist for 20 years before “retiring” last year to run his site Strobist full time. Given that Strobist is the most widely read site about photography on the planet (truly) with over 300,000 unique visitors each month, “retiring” is a euphemism for this 40-something whirlwind. David will also be teaching a week-long workshop on small flash photography. This workshop will be the first time that Hobby has every made himself available in a small-group setting for five days.
The difference between the McNally and Hobby workshops is that McNally builds on a foundation of flash skills and focuses on intermediate and advanced techniques. Hobby, on the other hand, starts with the basics of flash photography and quickly builds into intermediate concepts. McNally emphasizes the automatic control of the flashes by the camera (great if you know how to do it). Hobby keeps his lights in manual mode (more reliable under many situations). Details on the McNally workshop are here. Details on the Hobby workshop are here.
Paso Robles Workshops was originally announced last September. Thanks to the October melt-down, it remained dormant until recently. In addition to McNally and Hobby, I will be teaching a series of introductory courses on photography to be held throughout the late spring and summer. Next fall, a series of other headliners will head to Paso when the week-long workshop program resumes.
You can subscribe to announcements about Paso Robles Workshops by clicking here.

I recently rebuilt my portfolio website from end to end. “Rebuilt” might be the wrong word because there is nothing from the old site that was brought forward into the new site. Everything is new. In the process, I’ve pushed my coding skills for web site design to a whole new level. So I am now adding “web designer” behind “photographer” and “publication designer” in the list of services that I offer.
The first thing that you’ll notice about SylArena.com is the huge gallery of photos that rotates. Immediately to the right is a list of recent articles that I’ve published on various blogs. Below are three panes that talk about different types of my commercial work.
I’m also very proud of the drop-down navigation. This is the gateway to the greatest improvement between my old site and my new site. The old site was strictly a portfolio site. You could look at photos and not much else. The new site has enabled me to incorporate many pages of content for the benefit of my clients and those who want to learn about photography or the photo industry.
The contact page has a “captcha” filter that protects my email address from being picked up by spammers. It also features an aerial map (courtesty of Google) that enables visitors to zoom in and out. Changing the map to “satellite” view and zooming way in is incredible. You can see the shadows of cars parked on the streets around town.
The portfolio pages can be viewed as static images that the viewer navigates via thumbnails. Or, they can be activated as a Flash gallery that rotates the images automatically.
If your business is in need of a website overhaul, don’t hesitate to give me a call.

The magic of Cinema e Vino Paradiso turns many Paso Robles wineries into cinemas for a night. During the summer, you’ll snuggle outdoors under the stars. (If the night is chilly, CeVP provides soft blankets). During the winter, you’ll find yourself in a barrel room surrounded by future wine releases. The screen is large. The movies are classics. The wine and food are great.
Whether you’re a longtime Paso resident or just spending a few days here, an evening at Cinema e Vino Paradiso is one of the great entertainment and dining gems on the Central Coast.

The Cinema e Vino Paradiso experience starts (of course) with great Paso wine. Just as the movie is about to start, you’ll be served a Tuscan-style dinner in a lap tray. Be sure to hoard your Ecuadorian popcorn if I’m in the audience. I could not get enough of those roasted and salted Incan corn kernels!

Friends, wine, food and a classic movie. Life in Paso doesn’t get much better. You can find more information about Cinema e Vino Paradiso and their calendar here.

A favicon (”favorite-icon”) is that little symbol that appears at the top of many web browser tabs. It’s just a tiny way to distinguish one website from another. And I do mean tiny. Favicons measure 16 pixels on each side. Your monitor presents 72 pixels to an inch. So a favicon is a bit smaller than 1/4-inch.
Here’s the new favicon for Paso Robles Photographer shown at actual size.
< actual size. Yep. I like it bigger too.
For a really great primer on creating a favicon for your site, check out this post by Jennifer Apple. Turns out that you need a special plug-in for Photoshop CS if you want to export a favicon out in the proper format.

It’s a sign of the times when a photographer can hang his shingle out as someone who will photograph houses owned by banks and other lenders. Honestly, I wish there was not a need for this type of photography. Anytime a home is foreclosed upon, both sides are negatively impacted ?? the family that lived there and the people who were looking for a systematic return on the money they loaned.
I’ve photographed a lot of beautiful homes in and around Paso Robles. [Check out my galleries for: Call-Booth House, Casa de Via, Emily's House and the Oak Street House.]
Photographing a house that’s been foreclosed upon is different. First, it’s no longer a home. It’s just a house. Second, the condition is often very rough - stains on the carpet, holes in the walls, and a landscape the needs help are common. Still, with the right eye and a bit of experience, a professional photographer can create photographs that will help the house become a home again. Here’s a gallery of an REO house that I recently photographed. Simple, utilitarian photography.
If you have real esate in Central California that you need photographed, give me a call. I’ll be happy to discuss your needs and suggest some solutions.

For Immediate Release
Syl Arena, a commercial photographer and blogger, officially pulled the covers off his newest project - a workshop program that will offer courses in and around Paso Robles on photography, food and wine. ??Thanks to the national attention that our wineries have earned, Paso Robles has become a popular destination for wine enthusiasts. Likewise, we have so many amazing restaurants and charming places to stay.? Syl said. ??It??s only natural that there??s a growing interest in educational-tourism on the central coast.?

There’s now another great reason to head down to Main Street in Templeton. Griff’s Pizzeria & Bistro is serving up hand-crafted pizzas seven nights a week. You’ll find an amazing selection of toppings, including: Black Forest ham, roasted chicken, artichoke hearts, blue cheese crumbles, dried cranberries…

My long-time friend, Jim Griffin opened Griff’s in July. Prior to that, he served as Director of Hospitality at Edna Valley Vineyard. So, you can rest assured that you’ll also find a great list of wines and beers from around the world.
Beyond pizza, Griff’s serves up garden-fresh salads (literally… the herbs come from Jim’s garden), pastas and more. If you’re an early-bird, you’ll find Jim cruising the Templeton Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings looking for farm-fresh ingredients that he can use in daily specials. I taste-tested several entrees recently and can vouch that beautiful and tasty new dinner items are headed for the menu soon.

You’ll find Griff’s at 105 S. Main Street on the same side of the road as Templeton Feed, about two blocks north of McPhee’s Grill. Griff’s is open for dinner seven nights a week and lunch on weekdays. Give them a call on 434-1760.
My involvement (beyond loving great pizza) was to design the Griff’s menu, website, business cards, table markers…

Several years ago, Amy and I sold our 27-acres on 46 West (across the street from Summerwood) to Edward Sellers. Ed is a great guy and a valuable addition to the circle of Paso winemakers. The old planting of zin was phylloxerated. Ed rightfully pulled out the old vines and replanted a collection of Rhone varietals.

This afternoon, while working on an article about food photography for my main blog, PixSylated, I came upon an interesting web video. Cottage Living magazine came to Paso to do a vineyard food and wine shoot with Ed. Although I had nothing to do with the shoot, it’s too good not to share.

I had the good fortune to photograph The Cottage at Paradise Ranch recently. It’s the perfect place for a quiet stay in Paso Robles. Located just 10 minutes or so east of town, near Creston and Geneseo, The Cottage is country living with the near-by convenience of Paso’s great restaurants, wineries and shopping. Paradise Ranch is the home of Robert and Nancy Woodrum. The Cottage is a separate, 2-bedroom house that’s available through Paso Robles Vacation Rentals. To inquire about a short- or long-term booking, call Robert or Nancy on 237-8885.

Those who are familiar with my work know that I have photographed a number of homes for members of the Paso Robles Vacation Rental group. For Paradise Ranch, the commission was to create a series of magazine-quality images that capture the beautiful spaces that Nancy has created in The Cottage. The shoot took place over three days with the exterior and pool shots happening at dusk. [Read more →]

There are still a few spaces left in my Rose Photography Workshop to be held at The Huntington Library on May 18. Although not exactly a local event (The Huntington is a 3-hour drive south of Paso Robles), a trip to Pasadena can be a memorable spring event. Not surprisingly, you’ll find a large number of Paso wines in the many great restaurants throughout Old Pasadena.

The ‘Temple of Love’ in The Huntington Rose Garden
As a horticultural photographer, I’ve enjoyed the great fortune of having complete access to The Huntington’s extensive collection of roses for more than 15 years. I’m honored that my good friend Clair Martin, the curator of roses at The Huntington, asked for some pay back and scheduled my workshop as the May event in the year-long Rose Garden Centennial Lecture Series.

Syl Arena photographs the people, lifestyles and events of California's central coast for advertising, editorial, corporate and private clients.

Syl's specialties include: architecture, environmental portraits, food, wine, event and wedding photography.

In addition to commercial photography, Syl designs publications for use in print and on the web.

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