Saturday, November 13, 2010

Just a thought or two

No pictures to post just yet, but I am off tomorrow and am certain I will come back with quite a bit to look at... just a thought today. When you assume something, you often make an ass of yourself. Sitting here, deep in thought about this and that there is one thought that is lingering around in there and bouncing off the walls of my brain. As we go through life, our experiences mold us into the people that we often become and it seems we are always changing, evolving and learning. HOPEFULLY. But along the way we also pick up baggage, pain and trauma that sometimes stays with us and affects us in ways we dont even recognize. The way we react to a situation or a person, our point of view and even our willingness to open our hearts are all affected. I dont know about you but I want to be the kind of person that still believes in humanity and finds the best in people. The kind of person who sees the cup as half full and the world with eyes wide open, full of optimism and faith in mankind. I always want to be the person who has spare change, for whomever is asking and to never turn the other cheek. I think in all the hustle and bustle we lose ourselves, and get in a rut. The same thing day in and day out, stress and headaches, worries and plans. I challenge you to live in the moment, LOVE, LIVE and LAUGH. Leave the rest behind. This will be my focus.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The bird bird bird, the bird is the word

I love crazy people
I am a crazy person and crazy people are NOT often boring
unless they are being "normal" instead of crazy.
I like their crazy thoughts,
crazy words, crazy habits,
crazy stories , crazy minds
and I like the often crazy things that happen in
their crazy worlds.

To be so full of life
And not care who is watching
Is admirable to me.



She was walking along the street, when I asked to take her picture,
she replied " well sure today is his birthday and this is all he wanted "
just looking at this picture makes me smile


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Sunset on the way from Seal beach

I was recently in California, on Seal beach, it is my mom's favorite beach in California, while we were there, I had this crazy idea that I wanted to go to Huntington beach to catch the sunset,
I having not made that drive before, asked one of the locals who said it was about 15 minutes up the highway 1, which is a highway that runs right along the coast for quite a while, mind you sunset is about 20 minutes away, so we get in the car and book it, down the one, we pass several beaches, and it has definitely been more that 15 minutes, I see a few nice places, but I really want to make it to this little spot right on Huntington beach so I keep going hoping to run into it, I , being the smart person I am, realize that the sun is clearly setting and if I dont pull over and make due with what I have then I'll be on the plane in the morning with no pictures of any sunset and no pictures of any beach, and I wanted at least one good one, anyway... long story less long, I end up turning around before I reach Huntington beach and pulling into a beach called Bolsa Chica Beach. I made it just in time, and ended up having to run about a quarter mile with all my gear down to the beach, afraid to miss the sun setting. I think I will just stop at the first nice place I see next time, and leave myself some time to enjoy my surroundings, you live and you learn. Here are the photos in the order that they were taken

I still cant believe this picture was next, It feels
and looks like it should be close to last,
but it was just so much darker on the other side of the sky

I'm not sure why, but I really like the piece of driftwood
in this picture

The sun is almost all the way gone, I thought the sun
would set on the water... right on the water line...
it didnt
This wasn't taken until after sunset,
when I was walking back
BIG MISTAKE
This was the very last shot of the night,
I still haven't figured out what that is
out there in the water
If you know please educate me
Which one do you like best???


Ive always loved the beach, the sound of the waves crashing, the sand, the breeze and dew on my skin, the violence of the waves, and knowing that there is so much more than what meets the eye just below the surface. Sitting by the ocean silently always helped me find peace, and clarity, the rain has the same effect on me, very calming.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Retro

I love photographing people. I love taking pictures of someone and capturing what I see in them but they may not see in themselves.
Men, Women, Children, I do not do "traditional" photos, but the kind of photos that capture the mood, or your personality and freeze that memory in time that you can treasure for a lifetime.
Black and whites are by far my favorites, I'm not sure what it is about them.

I found this photo, in a folder
of old photos
I took before I got my new camera
Its cool to be able to see
your growth



Last minute trip to San Jose



I was completely unprepared for this trip... went last minute and while I was there I really wanted to capture that old time feel in downtown San Jose. When I look at some of those buildings, I picture a time before my time, when the ladies looked so glamorous and the men opened their doors, I pictured dark lips and finger waves. I pictured old cars, and dim lights, and clubs filled with smoke. It turned out while I was there I only ended up with about 3 hours to myself, where I could take pictures, those three hours happened to be from 9am to noon, so I got what I could on a brisk short walk through the city. I cant wait to go back and get more... the last one of course is from my hotel window :)
Comment below and tell me which one is your favorite.. and why?




























needless to say, I did not get the pictures I was hoping for, but there will always be a next time, and next time I WILL get them















































































Wednesday, September 29, 2010

So glamourous ...





This was a beautiful Glamour shoot. Most of the pictures are very personal, and private... but here is a sneak peak

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Bridals




I took some Bridals recently, I wanted to put them up sooner.. But I also wanted to make sure S got to display them first. I love the way they came out, so elegant and beautiful, then again she is naturally very beautiful and photogenic... Hope you guys like them... please let me know what you think


Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Graduation
















































L was graduating and wanted some original not-your-everyday graduation pictures, she wanted to go with and edgy look and this shy and usually reserved girl really came to life behind the camera, She has a beautiful smile. The two looks are completely different.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Engagements



































































This was one of the funnest shoots I've had yet, this couple is definitely in it for the long haul. They are a fun, genuine and charismatic couple. I love their natural expressions. I asked them to pretend like I wasn't there and they did a great job of being themselves, laughing, talking and sharing moments. I'm so lucky to have captured some of those moments. It's not often you see a couple like these two, so in tune with each other. Thanks S and C, it was a pleasure. Which one is your favorite ??

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Maternity Photos



I had an AWESOME shoot with J and A !!! This is my first maternity shoot, they were such good sports. A short time ago during my own pregnancy one of my closest friends shared with me a very important part of her beliefs.  One part of those beliefs was to be VERY VERY nice to pregnant women and treat them well. I have carried that belief system into my own life, to be VERY nice to preggo women, this woman in particular is so easy to be nice to, she is so gracious and well spoken, kind and patient, not to mention easy to photograph. J you are a natural beauty. Thanks again. We got some GREAT pictures. I am just putting up my two favorite from the shoot... 

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Morning light



Driving at 6:30 am, in Palm Springs I stopped to grab some coffee to stay awake. On my way out of the coffee shop I came across these flowers in BEAUTIFUL morning light :) I found them very interesting 

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Capturing the moment






This was so much fun, Wednesday we had a shoot withCece Craner she is BEAUTIFUL and so graceful, Ballet amazes me, it must be so hard on those beautiful feet. I also snuck a picture of her son, such interesting well spoken children she has. Here are my favorite shots from the shoot.. Hope you like them

Friday, April 9, 2010

Shooting flowers


I love this flower shot, but it just made me want a better piece of glass. I mean flowers are already so beautiful on their own, but I would like to capture what my eyes cannot see on their own, every little detail. Or my own reflection in a drop of water. This flower was shot indoors and to get the water droplets I just sprayed some water out of a water bottle ( cheater) I love the colors, But now I would like to zoom in on the flower and catch EVERYTHING.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Lesson Learned




So... Today I decided to go hiking. And get some great shots it snowed all day yesterday and the day before, but only a little this morning. As I head out the door the sun is shinning, I drive about 3 miles up the mountain, pick a spot to park by a snow covered trail and pull over. All I have brought is the clothes on my back (appropriate for a sunny after snow day) and my camera. So I started up the trail and I got a bout a mile up the road before I run into HEAVY HEAVY snow fall... I took cover under a tree a large pine tree and decided to wait it out. It didn't last very long, and before I knew it... the grey clouds were moving and the blue skies were coming... I continued along the hike and kind of lost myself out there, about 3 miles up the way I noticed I could either go straight or to the left, ( which I believed was back towards the main road ) or of course head back the way I came. I was feeling adventurous today, I had already started out on a hike, I had never been on, just me and my trusty camera, in the snow, I had climbed mountains (more like small hills) I had climbed over fallen trees ( more like branches ) I had found bugs (tiny ones) walked past rushing rivers of ice cold water ( only about 2ft at the very deepest )... so I chose the unknown path to the left... thinking I was being adventurous. It led me back to the main road. where my car was about 2 miles down. All day I had been waiting for that perfect shot, the one that always catches my eye when I don't have my camera. The one I see but cant stare at when I am driving, because I am driving. That breath taking, beautiful shot, the one you remember in your mind always. I had a lot of shots by this point, the trail, the water, the moss... ooooo the moss. Plenty of shots to remember the hike by, but not that ONE... that ONE shot. I see the clouds starting to roll in and decide to get some last shots of the sky and the mountain before I call it a day and try to beat the snow back to my car. On the main road. So I put my camera back safely in its bag, and back on my shoulder and cross the street. As I get to the other side I hear a startling sound of a large animal and as I WHIP my head to the left of me, ( towards the trail and the water and away from the road ) I stop DEAD IN MY TRACKS, because not 4 feet away from me a very young, sleepy looking, startled moose is standing about 5 feet tall starring me in the face. I notice the snow under the moose I melted and I see snow stuck to his fur. I stand there starring, trying not to scare the young moose away, with a small fear inside of me, fear of this beautiful wild animal. I slowly reach to my bag to grab my camera, this is "the shot" THEE shot... the one I have been waiting for all day. The moose trots off about 20 to 30 feet in the trees to a distance it feels safe, so of course I missed it. It was a beautiful site, one I will always remember. but LESSON LEARNED... the moral of the story is... never put your camera away... you will miss that breathtaking shot, because it is gone in a second. The only difference between you and everyone else that sees that beautiful site is that YOU have the camera to capture it, so don't miss it.

My journey

My whole Life I have artistically expressed myself. In one way or another. Drawing, oil painting, writing, singing, and photographing. It seems I always had a talent for whatever medium I picked up. And to be quite honest, if I was not expressing myself artistically then I was acting like a craaaaaaaaaaazy person. And the same holds true today. I feel more balanced and in tune with my "true" self when I am expressing myself artistically, in some way or another, and there are times when life gets so overwhelming and chaotic that I cant seem to find the time, or the outlet. And all aspects of my life suffer because of it, I find myself irritable, discontent and restless. It is my addiction. Sometimes it spins out of control and I think " in art ". But I know my world would not be the same without self expression, and I would not be the same either. Unfortunately I have come to what I would call a "painters block" and I am unable to paint how I want. Obviously I have all of my limbs in tact and am perfectly capable of painting, technically speaking. But I am unable to paint what I feel, which is un-fulfilling to me. Its like I am only going through the motions with no real connection to the piece itself. Like a bad relationship... You hang in there hanging on to what once was, but the passion is gone and it is just the motions you are going through. All in All... painting has become like a bad relationship to me. And in not being able to express myself creatively, a crazy person has been cast as the lead role, starring in my life.

So, after experimenting here and there with my regular point and shoot digital camera, I rediscovered myself, my passion and a new way to express it. In doing so I decided to upgrade to a SLR and have been experimenting in using it. I would like to be an artist of professional quality and be able to photograph all day. I love taking pictures and showing the world as I see it. My journey is just beginning and I would love to share it with anyone you cares to be a part of it.....