Reflections

Doggy Modeling

2012-01-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

Well, not quite, but since Mickey, who is about 20 months walks each day with me, if I need a subject, he's there!

For some reason, I was having problems with my D7000... when I returned from Indiana, I noticed that several of my images were corrupted. Thinking that I may have a card issue, I bought two new 16g SD cards from San Disk. When I photographed the Carlsbad Marathon, I had several corrupted images, along with most of my video clips. So, I knew that it wasn't the cards, but the camera???

According to a Nikon forum, the problem might be that the software of the camera wasn't updated, so I did that immediately, then needed to try out the camera because I need it for my trip to Nicaragua coming in late February. So who was available... Mickey!

It looks like the card is working ok... so maybe the update solved the problem. The moral of the story is that when your camera manufacture has an update, you probably should do it... :(

Carlsbad Marathon

2012-01-22T20:26:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year here in SoCal for the Carlsbad Marathon. It seems weird to have a race in January, but the weather usually holds for the event. Yesterday, it rained all day, put today... it was nice, but a bit cool. There is a place I like to go for my photos... in the area of the 17 mile so that I have the ocean as a backdrop.

So around 7:30 the first runner comes into view with the usual fanfare of honks, motorcycles, etc. But out there it was lonely... no one cheering in sight! But there he was... smoke'n down the road on to a first place finish! Congrats Mario.

Here are a few samples of the race photos.

I'm sure they are all happy it's over... resting those sore muscles and looking back on their accomplishments.

Back Home

2012-01-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

Everyone has a "home" place... the place you grew up before growing up. I'm from the Midwest -- Huntington, IN to be exact, the hometown of Vice President Dan Quayle. After New Years, I went back to visit my mom and brothers and sister. It was a bit cold, compared to the SoCal weather, but we made it through without any frost bite!

I didn't have enough time to do any real exploring of the town, but I did come across a cool spot which I don't believe I'd ever seen before. It is on the main street, between the old theater and the local photography studio... it is a passageway between the two buildings which has an old iron staircase going to the balcony area of the theater and graffiti gracing the fading brick walls.

As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to use it in some portraits. So I grabbed my daughter and her friend and set about to make a series of portrait images; I'm sure the local photographer uses it for his senior portraits, or at least he/she should. The location has great character!

We had a fun time but I soon notice a stiff cold breeze swirling about the location... time to head to where it was warm!

Mountain Lions and Happy New Year

2012-01-02T12:35:00.000-08:00

So what do mountain lions and a New Year have to do with each other... probably nothing, except its a New Year and we have a mountain lion warning posted in our neighborhood.

Actually, this warning has been posted in the canyon behind our neighborhood on the hike and bike trail for nine months or so... trail walkers have allegedly sighted a mountain lion around the Cal State San Marcos campus twice in the recent months; the campus is about four miles east of our area. I've occasionally looked for footprints along the trail which might be that of a big cat -- or even "Big Foot," but no such luck. (Hey, have you ever fantasized about making a paw print and "planting" it along the trail... Ok, I admit, I have, but just a couple of times.)

Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, I ride the trails on my Trek mountain bike and when I enter the isolated canyon, I pass the sign dutifully reminding me of the potential hazard. I have become extremely familiar with this canyon: I've watched it change over the course of 10 years. New growth of vegetation, the trail bed has changed location due to a sewer line construction, terrible erosion on the new trail makes it look like how the grand canyon must have been formed, the fluctuation of the bunny population -- depends on how many coyotes are roaming about, and the singing of the morning birds has increased with the dense cover. The trail winds east, down a steep bank to a point where it dead ends, then I reverse course and head to another area which eventually leads to the top of Rancho Dorado. All-in-all, a good work out.

But I digress... This morning, the 2nd of January -- see, sort of New Year's Day -- I found myself trundling along the path, trying to navigate the deep ruts of the trail and then swooping down the muddy slope, around the bend to the spot where I turn around and usually stop to take a swig of water. I rested for a moment, listening to a talk show about new year's resolutions playing in my headset -- the caller had an interesting twist to resolutions -- and looked up, soaking in the bright, warm sun. Moments later, I shoved off and started up the steep slope. It has been warmer than normal lately, the sun directly off my left shoulder laying down a distinct shadow of my form combined with the bike on the ground to my right.

I was concentrating on pedaling up the slope and listening to the discussion when I became aware of another shadow competing with mine! At first I was confused... no one was at the dead end, except for me. The radio noise in my headset prevented me from processing any of the surrounding sounds which might tell me what was happening. I saw the shadow of a leg extended in pursuit; the head emerged, dark and eerie on the ground. I twisted my head to the right and saw the tanish, brown hair: I let out a yell which I heard over the chatter of the talking heads and I jerked the bike to the left in a defensive instinct.

It was at that moment I processed the scene as the Labrador sped past me up the trail. I stopped to catch my breath, looked behind me for signs of another human being... and started calling the dog back to me to assure myself that it was a friendly! A moment later, I saw the top of a head jogging up the trail, then coming into full view.

She said, "Happy New Year" as she came closer. (Yeah, Happy New Year to you too... you just scared the crap out of me.) So I said, "Hi... can I ask you where you came from?"

"Oh, I ran down that big hill up there to get on the trail." (No wonder I didn't see her.)

Then I told her what I just experienced! She was still laughing as she climbed the slope, calling her dog to her.

As I pedaled away, I noticed I was going faster than normal to get out of the canyon.

Happy New Year to all!

Trash Treasures

2011-12-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

After a year long endeavor, I've finally finished my personal photographic project of "Trash Treasures." Trash collection in my neighborhood is every Tuesday morning. Some in the neighborhood place their trash out at the curb on Monday evenings - the efficient and organized neighbors - but most hurry about early Tuesday, trying to get the trash bins and recycle tubs out to the curb before the big trucks noisily announce their appearance.

As I walked the neighborhood on those early mornings, my dog Mickey weaving in and out of the trash cans and recycle bins scattered along the curbs and sidewalks like obstacles to be conquered, I noticed among the trash, treasures that were unceremoniously dumped for collection: toys, vacuums, frames, paintings, recyclables, seasonal decorations… you name it, they showed up on the curb, waiting their fate among all the rest of the refuse of the day.

My late father was a depression-era child. From a humble, Midwestern upbringing, he was resourceful in his care of things which no longer had a value to others. As he moved about his town, he would carefully collect discarded, broken “trash” and turn them into a treasure. Often, he would use that treasure at our home because we didn’t have the money to buy it new or he would sell it to raise some cash. It was the “waste not, want not,” philosophy.

And here I was, years later, seeing the same pattern: other people’s trash waiting to be someone’s treasure. As a photographer, I am always looking for a personal project to express my creativity. So I had an idea: I would walk my neighborhood each Tuesday for one year and photograph the treasures for a pictorial documentary of the by-product our consumer society. I decided I would only concentrate on the neighborhood where I lived and where I normally walked Mickey.

I further decided I would photograph the items in a different way, using the Through-the-Lens, method – digitally photographing through the viewfinder of an old Kodak camera. I built a cardboard box around the antique camera so that I could rest my digital Canon G11 in a way which I could see the viewfinder. One unique aspect of the viewfinder camera is that the view you see in the finder, is reversed, so the images appear backward. Also, the mold, dirt, scratches, etc., seen in the viewfinder of the antique camera, is also seen on the digital image, giving it a natural grunge look.

So each Tuesday morning, I’ve set out, looking for interesting “treasures” among the trash. It has been an interesting experience observing the refuse discarded. I’ve been tempted to carry some of it home, but that isn’t part of the project. In photographing the “treasures,” I don’t touch or arrange them, rather I let their appearance on the street speak for themselves. Early on in the project, I had to make a “mini” book to show what I was doing, since I experienced some hostility in the neighborhood. Now, I’m that guy with the funny camera; some have even told me that they were putting out something interesting on the next collection day, hoping to make the book!

I have presented the images herein as Diptychs - a mini story in two frames. During the course of the year, I’ve taken several hundred images and have edited them down to this collection. I have artistically edited each image.

According to Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces 100 garbage cans full of garbage every year. Every three months we throw away enough aluminum to rebuild every plane in every airline in America. Each year we throw away the equivalent of 30 million trees in newspapers.

And some of the trash is a treasure.

You can view the booklet at: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/317770

Hugs

2011-12-05T23:16:00.000-08:00

A portrait session today with two children, a 2 year old and a 7 year old. They were visiting their grandmother who wanted the photos, since the children lived out-of-town. After doing a series in the house, I took the girls outside and let them play in the yard as I followed them about collecting some fun images.

The 2 year old was totally sweet... she kept coming to me with outstretched arms wanting me to pick her up. Several times I photographed her sister with one hand and held her with the other.... she didn't want to let go.

But we got through it with some fun images:

And as I left, she blew me a kiss... sweet!

Sunsets

2011-11-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

Worked with Annie and Scott after Thanksgiving in the Ocean Beach area of San Diego the day after Thanksgiving. We had a fun time exploring Sunset Cliffs then down through Ocean Beach to the pier. Since the sun sets so fast and early here, we had time to do a nice sunset photo of them.

After that Scott mentioned that the pier with the sunset would be a cool commercial photo for a wall image; I backed up a bit and took my Nikon D2x, set it on manual and started from left to right taking 8 overlapping images. I stitched them together in PTGui (a panorama software) and came up with this:

It turned out perfect!

Hero Pics

2011-11-17T20:19:00.000-08:00

I was contacted by the Band Directors of the San Marcos High School to photograph several students for promotional pieces as they work on student recruitment at the lower grades. They suggested the session take place during band practice (after school). I did some research on Google looking at what others were doing with instruments, etc. They were the typical poses: mouth piece to the mouth, in a marching mode.

I suggested to the directors that we do something different and maybe with the modern, "grunge" look. They loved the idea. So last night, my neighbor Kkai and I set up using the bleachers and the spotters box with the school logo as a background. Our window of time was between 4:30 and 5:30... the problem is the sun goes down quickly and it becomes dark around the stadium, even with the overhead sodium vapor lights.

I used a ringlight and two rim lights with a Octobox as a large fill for the lighting. I also put a flash down the way focused up on the spotter's box. The light grazed the bleachers which gave it a nice look.

Kkai took some setup photos of me working the session:

You can see from his photo that the fog is moving in and it is really dark.

Because the background went dark pretty quickly, I decided to lay in a sky which I have in my "skies folder". To make the images uniform, I constructed a base background from several of the photos and then laid in each of the band students.

After the session, the band performed a concert for the school officials and band parents as the final for marching season.

Halloween Portraits

2011-11-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I toyed with an idea which I've had for a long time (like each Halloween...); I wanted to set up a portrait studio to photograph the goblins and ghosts which visited the neighborhood. I was a bit worried about how it would be perceived by the "witches" -- which always held me back. Anyway, about 4 pm I decided to go for it, so bust butt I did getting a "studio" set up in my driveway. I decided to light it high-key, using a white background -- simple is better for me.

So by 5:15pm or so, when the little kids were beginning to float about, I had it about ready. My neighbor friend Kai helped and took some photos of me working the session.

The way I handled the invitation to be photographed was simply, "build it and they will come" theory: they just lined up and wanted to be photographed without being asked. I did write down on a big poster board the web site where I would post the images to view: http://www.pbase.com/photobyjdp/halloween Kai's solution to writing it down was to have the parents use their cell phones to photo the info board or write it in their notes (love those cell phones!). The candy was handed out whether or not they were photographed... no bribes!

So here are some of the images!

We had over 250 kids (and adults) come by and I photographed about 180... it was a fun time!

High Life

2011-10-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

Working with a model at the beach this weekend for commercial lifestyle work. The sun was setting and the idea was for her to portray a casual look and enjoying the "high life..." I shot it as a high key and left space to drop in another portrait. The glass still had moisture on it which helped with the cool look.

This is the final image we settled on. Cheers.

Working on a Man

2011-09-26T05:05:00.000-07:00

During the annual Art Splash festival yesterday in our town, I saw this young lady working intently on her masterpiece at the end of the event. It was obvious that she wouldn't finish, but the effort and work she put into her creation was amazing. She is only 17 years old but she obviously has years of talent already. Even after the event announcer closed out the festival, she was still hard at work... knowing that in an hour or so, the fire department would hose the masterpieces into the nearby gutter.

The jacket and little tray of chalk was a wonderful contrast to the monochromatic image she was creating.

A nearby artist had just completed her project and was busy trying to photograph her work: A Lady and a Butterfly. I loved how the long shadows of the day, filtered through a nearby tree dappled the look of her drawing. The intense blue eye was complimented by the colors of the butterfly.

Ah, mankind, so gifted and talented!

The Big Swell

2011-09-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

The Big Swell is pounding southern California. Apparently, a storm or wild ocean activity way down in New Zealand is now arriving around the San Diego area. Of course all the local surfers are ecstatic but with caution because the waves are way above normal in size.

So, it is time to hit the beach with the big lenses to try to capture a cool moment.

Tender Moment

2011-08-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I did a family portrait session at the client's home. They wanted some environmental photos around there ocean front home, so I scouted some locations before the session. After doing some of the formals, they changed clothes for a casual look and I thought the front steps would be a nice location for the rest of the images.

While waiting for the family to ready, the grandfather and grandson sat by themselves on the steps having a bonding moment. I couldn't resist taking a few snaps of their moments together. Tender, indeed.

Rock Walker

2011-07-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today I was doing a family portrait session in Oceanside with a large extended family. There were about 30 in all: children and adults all vacationing in Oceanside at the beach for the week.

While I was doing the session, occasionally, people would walk along the jetty which was behind the group. As a courtesy, I always stopped and encouraged the walkers to pass safely and told them we would wait. At one time, this elderly lady and her companion passed, making their way to a closeup of the ocean.

I was literally on my last image, a group shot of the parents and adults members of their family when I spied this grandmotherly lady hurriedly step into the view. I quickly stopped and urged her to slow down and go ahead and pass... I didn't want to be responsible for her slipping up on those dangerous rocks.

But I also couldn't resist a quick snap!

Italy

2011-07-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Back from two weeks in Italy... always enjoy the old European cities. Lots of tourists and it was hot. The foreign currency exchange rate is extremely unfavorable to the dollar (Thanks, Mr Obama) so be prepared if you are headed to Europe anytime soon. One observation some of the locals made was that very few Americans are traveling; the majority are East Europeans, Russians, and Chinese. ummmm.

A night shot of Vatican City from a bridge over the Tevere.

Selected

2011-06-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

Today, I received an email notifying me that one of my images has been selected for The Art of Photography Show 2011. Ok, here is a bit of that email:

Dear James David Phenicie:

I am delighted to inform you that your work was selected by our judge, Anne

Lyden, to be exhibited in the Art of Photography Show 2011:

"Playing Dead" (JDP_2480Lcomp.jpg)

We received 15,444 entries from 72 countries. 109 pieces were chosen. So it's quite an honor that your work was

selected by Ms. Lyden! The Opening Reception Gala will be on Saturday AUGUST 13th and will truly be a

world-class event. We would love to have you here!

Wow... that is too cool... so here is the image:

"Playing Dead"

I took this image in Nicaragua this year. The story behind it is simple... we were constructing this "hut" and these scraps of wood were laying about. These young boys came over and asked if they could play with them. The next thing I know, they were building a box around this young boy. When they laid down the "cross", the standing lad handed the other a flower: "Dead" he said, and pointed to the reclining kid.

Crazy, ugh?

All that Glitters is Gold

2011-06-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Had the opportunity to photograph the executives for a Gold company in Orange County. Not only did I do the head shots of the company employees, but I photographed some of their product, as well.

I had two set ups: the first was outside on the balcony of their building where we could show the hills in the distance. The problem was that the sun was beating down on the space. So I used a 4x4 "silk" on a stand to put over their heads to shade them from the sun. I used one White Lightning strobe balanced for the sunlight to illuminate the face.

The other set up I used was the gray paper background with studio lighting, so they could have two choices for their informal portraits.

They sell rare gold coins and other gold products for investments. So we did a set up with one of the coin graders, called a Numismatist. He showed me some of the coins, including one worth only $10,000! That's a lot of money for a little piece of gold.

Memorial Day

2011-05-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

Not to date myself, but I can vaguely remember it being called Decoration Day; my grandmother lived next to a cemetery and I remember how families cleaned the winter debris from the grave sites, spruced them up a bit, then set out flags and flowers in remembrance of their loved ones who had passed along.

I remember sneaking over to the cemetery and walking the rows of graves looking at the photographs of military personnel attached to simple headstones and thinking how young they were. I would look at the DOB then DOD; yes, they were young soldiers and sailors who died during the great wars. My war was yet to come.

And now, the Vietnam Memorial Wall carries the names of several pilot and crew friends of mine who were killed during our war...

We remember.

Busy...

2011-05-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

with various photo projects; portraits, residential photos, etc. But I've had time to work off and on a video project, "On Presidio Pond." This is a little man-made pond in a neighborhood near my home which has a waterfall, a running brook and then the pond. It sustains a lot of small wildlife, including birds, egrets, ducks, rabbits, and turtles.

You can view the final product here:

http://vimeo.com/24156186

The Big 15...

2011-05-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

Wow... the big 15! Time has gone by fast! Happy B day Rach!

It's the one you have, not the one you don't...

2011-04-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

As a photographer, I have a number of cameras at my disposal -- it's a little like a carpenter having the correct tool -- to do my job. I have a "car" camera which I usually tote about for those moments where I come across an inspiring moment.

The other day, I ran into the mall to exchange an item and I saw a carousel which I thought looked interesting. Darn... I didn't have my "car camera" with me.

But wait, what about the cell phone camera. I hate to admit it but I keep forgetting that I have a camera with me at all times... my 8mp 'droid.

I have seen some portfolios of just cell phone photos and they can be pretty awesome... so it's not the one you aren't carrying, but the one you have in your hands.

So here is to my new found camera (now if I could get it turned on quickly)!

Fire it up!

2011-04-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

I was invited to work with firefighters of the Rancho Santa Fe Fire District at the Poway Station the other day on their photography techniques. We spent some time going over their cameras and working on techniques and ideas for capturing images in various situations.

When I first arrived they told me that if they received a call that I was invited to "ride along." Eventually the bell rang... actually, it was a radio activated signal. So, grabbing my photo equipment, I jumped into the back seat of the truck and held on as we raced to a "suicide attempt" call.

The firefighters were extremely efficient as they worked with the Sheriff's department in dealing with an extremely unruly character. As they were winding down, I took a few images of the crew.

And later, I was rewarded with an excellent "home" cooked meal by the firefighters. I always enjoy an exciting adventure!

Wedding Day

2011-03-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

Just did a small and intimate wedding for Chris and Brenda... A perfect day for the wedding; the rain stayed away and the sun did its magic at the appropriate moments.

Here are a couple images from the wedding:

We wish Chris and Brenda long life and happiness!

Indie Actors

2011-03-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

California is a mecca for Indie Films (independently produced films); lots of Indie film producers abound... not sure what they all do, but the title sounds cool. I digress... anyway, I have been involved with a couple Indie movies that are actually being filmed. As with all films, they need "stills" of some of the actors for posters, publicity, etc. So the other day, I did studio portraits of several of the actors; one actress (and her manager) refused to sign a model release, so she wasn't photo'd (good luck with that!).

I normally do the straight portrait work and then let the producer/director do the photoshop work so they can style the images to their requirements.

However, I take liberty to do my own interpretation on a couple of the images from each batch; so here is my take:

Evil Eyes:

Sniper Eyes:

Giving Back

2011-03-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Dateline Nicaragua:

After photographing 112 children of the Casa Bernabe Orphanage in Puerto Cabazes, I was asked to produce small photos of each child before I left. I had a computer (which was giving me fits in the humidity) but no printer.

I inquired about a local printing service; no one seemed to know of any. However, one person asked, "What about Foto Lampson?" They told me he was the local photographer in town; so we took a cab into the town and found a small storefront with "Foto Lampson" hand written on the wall.

Inside the studio were several chairs lining the right wall, to the rear area was a work station with two computers and an Epson printer, and on the left wall were several curtains, two umbrellas and two hot lights. It was a very modest studio, indeed.

I met the owner and his son: Franklin Lampson and Franklin Jr. They were extremely cordial and when I explained what I needed, they weren't sure they could do it. I suggested that I could make the contact sheets with Photoshop and I would be happy to show them how I did it. They were delighted! I overheard my helper explain that I would do all the work and still pay!

They had Photoshop CS2 version and I took my jump driver, plugged it into the computer, and then showed them how to make the contact sheets. After that was done, they used their Epson printer and printed 11 sheets in all (8x10) with 20 photos per. (We printed extras and a couple with just the boys for baseball season.)

After the printing, they asked me a lot of questions about photography: they were eager to learn and find out anything they could which would help them in their work.

Because I had limited time, I concentrated on their lighting issues. They were using two umbrellas set up with basically flat lighting using "hot lights." (Exp 1). I showed them some examples of how they could use two lights in different setups which would alter the look of their clients. I used a light meter to give them accurate readings for the different setups.

Both Mr. Lampson and his son had an obvious passion for their photography: while I was there, several clients came in to get their photos taken for passports or id cards.

It was fun to watch them work and get the results they needed with what they had available. I wish I had more time to spend with them; both to show them some of my ideas and to learn from them, as well.

BTW, I've posted my still images from the trip here:

http://www.pbase.com/photobyjdp/nica_2011

Nicaragua Video

2011-03-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

Just finished a 2 minute video which was produced for our church to highlight the 10-day mission in Nicaragua.

It is posted here:

http://vimeo.com/20812425

This image shows first graders lining up for the start of their class.

Up a Tree!

2011-03-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

So what heights will you go to get a great photo? That was the question I had to confront today. I was contacted to photograph this beautiful custom home in Del Mar, CA for inclusion in a magazine; the feature which they wanted captured was the back of the home and the terraced back yard. When I arrived, I noticed that the property slopped steeply down hill, so shooting up hill to the home was almost impossible; the terrace and hedges hid the back of the home.

As the property owner showed me about, I casually mentioned that if I were younger, I might shimmy up the tree to get the best shot. She then suggested that they had a 16 ft ladder... (I hate ladders and am a bit height "challenged."). So, being brave, I got the ladder and set it up against this huge tree. I climbed up carefully, turned around, and sure enough, there were... two big dead limbs blocking my view! So, I told her that if she had a hand saw, I'd attempt to cut the limbs.

Precariously clinging to the swaying ladder, I sawed off the limbs and the view was perfect. I assembled a second camera and asked them to take a picture of me up the ladder... just in case!

After wrangling my camera and tripod up the ladder I took several images so I wouldn't have to return!

Back in California

2011-02-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

I just returned about 4 hours ago from Nicaragua, a long 10 trip to Puerto Cabezas, on the east coast of that country. It was a very impoverished area, but for the most part we were treated kindly by the locals.

A team of 14 men (including me) traveled there through the auspices of our church, North Coast Calvary Chapel, and built 2 houses in about 6 days. The American good will, hard work and ingenuity made it happen.

This small home, which we dubbed "Casa del Mar" (because we could see the Caribbean Sea in the distance) has three rooms: two bedrooms and a communal area. We framed it, sided it, roofed it with tin sheets, built the stairs and handrails and the doors and window covers. Inside we sheet-rocked the bedrooms from the communal area. As we finished, we met the family who occupied it as we left.

They were totally thrilled as we yelled, "truck driver: move that truck!" (Our own extreme makeover.)

And as with all giving, we get more out of it often than we give. Fourteen guys came home knowing we accomplished much.

Packing the bags

2011-02-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

Headed to Nicaragua on a Mission trip. Fourteen men will be building two homes in the Puerto Cabezas area. They have raised over $5000 to purchase the material required for the construction. The homes were destroyed in the hurricane which struck the Caribbean several years ago. No real attention is given to the area... Haiti gets more because of the severe earthquake which devastated the capital.

My job will be to film and photo the work the team does for a short documentary. When I get back I'll post a link to the images.

Meanwhile, think Spring!

Blodgett Glass2

2011-02-03T12:02:00.001-08:00

Finally finished the video for Blodgett Glass. You can view it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgZd9APwmCg

Hot Work

2011-01-21T00:02:00.000-08:00

Doing some video and still images for Blodgett Glass' web site. It is always interesting and exciting to see a true craftsman working his trade. The pieces that the artist makes are so beautiful. It's amazing that out of a mixture of chemicals and compounds, sifted through the flames and heat of a fiery furnace that beauty emerges in the form of glass art.

The work is hot and dirty but the splendor that is created is wonderful.

The New Year...

2011-01-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

So the holidays went off without a hitch! (Other than all that rain.)

Beside the usual "headshots", portraits and commercial work, I've been diligently working on video. Some background: when I was in high school, I dreamed of being a cinematographer. While everyone was subscribing to Hotrod Magazine, and the other car mags, my only subscription which I could afford was American Cinematographer. Although I wasn't a movie goer, and we didn't have a TV, I was fascinated with film ( I worked in Audiovisual in high school). When I was in college, I purchased a 16mm Bolex, three lens film camera. For one of my classes, I filmed a "commercial" for Kays Jewelers, using my twin brother and his girlfriend.

Time moves on and my attention shifted to still photography; today, with the advent of video-equipped digital cameras, I'm reconnecting to my original passion in a limited way. Although still photography - weddings, portraits, commercial work - is still my main interest, I'm branching out, offering video production to my services.

I will post links to some of my work here from time-to-time.

On another note: I've tried to keep my business apolitical and leave that to the pundits who make money yelling and hollering that democrats are bad, republicans are bad... blah, blah.

But a Federal Appeals court judge yesterday deemed that the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross violates the Constitution. The cross (or some form thereof ) has been there since 1913 and in 1989, someone became "troubled" about the symbol; consequently, the long vicious struggle to remove it... you know, it violates "church and state."

The cross wasn't a Christian symbol until it was used by the Romans as a method of death for Jesus Christ. It is what flowed from that specific crucifixion that upsets those who don't believe; "... the word of the cross is nonsense to those who don't believe..."

When I see a cross at a memorial, I always think of the ancient scripture which says, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." And the plaques surrounding this memorial depict just that: not an endorsement of a religion but the love of one's country and countrymen.

The most offensive people are those who make claims of being offended by symbols of others' religions.

Merry Christmas to All

2010-12-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Cinq Commercial shoot

2010-12-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

Spent all day with a great crew doing a lifestyle photo shoot at a downtown San Diego boutique hotel this weekend. The crew was part of a marketing team for their new electronic product which they are launching. So we used some of them as models in various settings to convey the usage of their product.

The managers of the bar gave us 20 minutes to do shooting in the bar. We had scouted it ahead of time, so we knew where we wanted to set up the scenes. Jason and Stephanie were the models for the "airport bar" scene.

We were planing to go to a coffee shop for a "look" but I noticed that in the bar area was a nice gray wall with a light fixture which had the look of a coffee shop, so Stephanie and Laurie were the models for that scene.

We had a really productive day shooting the product as well as the lifestyle scenes for the team.

Walking the dog...

2010-11-30T21:13:00.000-08:00

the other day at a park near my home which has some wonderful natural settings while my daughter was taking a flute lesson. I've used it for wedding/engagement/portrait sessions so I know some of the interesting spots. As the sun now sets early, I decided to see if I could capture some of the last light as it set over the pond.

As I framed the shot, I was blessed with some wonderful red flowers still flourishing in this cool California weather for the foreground and a lone lady sitting on a rock feeding the mallards in the distance.

Oh, BTW (Twitter talk) it is tough taking a picture like this, holding the camera with one hand and a pulling puppy dog on the leash with the other.

Black Friday...

2010-11-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

And Happy Thanksgiving....

Ok, I'll admit that I'm not a big shopper. I worked in retail during my college days and part time in my early career days. From that experience I learned that lots of bargains -- aren't! So it shouldn't surprise you that mass hysteria days like today aren't my cup of tea, so to speak. But tonight the ladies decided they needed to hit the mall for a look-see; I accompanied them out of boredom.

What I saw was nothing short of stunning! For example, the shoe section of JCPenney's looked like the aftermath of the North Korean shelling of a couple days ago. The place was trashed! Yes trashed! Shoes and boxes and lining paper was strewn all over. The few remaining customers at this late hour were stepping all over the merchandise as the young workers stood with that "deer-in-the-headlight" look at the task ahead. Some shoes/boots didn't have their companion; others were mismatched from the frenzied dumping.

My cell phone photo doesn't even do justice to the scene! Was there this much pent up demand for cheap "Made in China" (or Mexico, or El Salvador) products or was it just a normal Black Friday happening.

Maybe we've gone mad....

$$$$$

2010-11-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

Do you have 2 million or so laying around? You could be the owner of this 5000 sq ft house in a beautiful section of Encinitas, CA.

As you might know, I do real estate photography, among my commercial work. It is a challenge to make these type homes show in all their splendor and grandeur. There was a big tree in the middle of that circular driveway which I wish I could have removed so the whole house would show from this angle.

So instead, I had to solve it with a series of slices of the house and then stitch them together into a panorama. I stood up against the tree in the driveway to make the 16 individual vertical images which were used in the final. I use a stitching program called PTgui to make the pano.

It is a big house; guess I'll be satisfied with what I have and enjoy just photographing the big ones.

Photoshop

2010-11-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

So I get a call from a client: "hey, do you have a photo of the front of our business which I can use for the web from the recent photo shoot." ( I was hired to do some publicity photos for the company.)

Looking through the images, I found a photo of one of the managers being used as a stand-in for an executive portrait. They liked the look of the building, etc.; however, I didn't have one sans people.

They had done some nice landscaping and the early spring foliage and colors was what they wanted to show in their building image.

So... Photoshop skills were called upon to make this work. Not only did I have to remove the individuals but I had to reconstruct the area directly behind the individuals. Also, I did a bit of color correction to show the color of the building to be a bit truer. Here are the results:

Magic! Now you see'em, not you don't.

Graduation Day

2010-11-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

So with owning a puppy, comes schooling, pooping, scooping... you get the drift. We wanted Mickey to be a good dog at home and in public, so I enrolled him in a 6 weeks training class for him, er... me. My dad was always fond of saying, "if you're going to train a dawg... you got to know more than the dawg." It was really interesting to watch him progress and please during the daily training. Our last class this morning included some agility training. It was fun to watch him negotiate the jumps and other objects. He was a bit hesitant in the tunnel, but with a bit of coaxing, he made it through! Not bad for a 6 month old (him, not me!).

Blue Ribbon

2010-10-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today was the reception for the North Coast Photographic Society at the Encinitas, CA library. It was a well-attended affair where the community and exhibitors had a chance to view the work of the photographers. It seems that every year, the members step it up with the quality of their work.

I was pleased to receive the first place award for the Color-Portrait category with my portrait of Ballerina Princess. The image was taken with a Lensbaby, so it had a great out-of-focus effect on the background etc.

The image posted isn't the best but the room had lots of windows, thus, lots of reflections on the prints/glass.. so I chose this angle to try to minimize the issue. The exhibit will be featured at the Library through November.

Cats and Dogs...

2010-10-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

It's raining "Cats and Dogs" here in San Diego... normally, October is very dry and we don't get any rain until December/Jan... but it is pouring here.

So what does this have to do with "Cats and Dogs..." well, our puppy -- Mickey-- a 5 1/2 month old, won't venture outside and do his "business." So when Rachael came home from school today, I tried to coax Mickey out to go potty... he wouldn't! (He's smarter than me not to go out in the rain.)

Rachael ran upstairs, changed, grabbed her all weather coat and out they went: she gave him "cover" so to speak... You can't tell it, but it is pouring rain!

Oh, he didn't go... we're still waiting!

Who Knew?

2010-10-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

Being a M&M (peanut, please) affectionado, I've consumed my fair share of those little colored bits over the years. When you tear open the bag, the aroma of the candy fills the nose causing anticipation for the first bite. Some love to suck on each bit, melting it down to the peanut; others love to crunch right into the hard shell, bursting open the sugar and chocolate, mixing it with the nut. However you do it, the consistency of the product never fails.

So it was a surprise when I opened the big XXL bag from Costco and bit into the first blue M&M... it didn't quite taste right. It was grainy and didn't have the same flavor as usual. So a few more... they weren't quite right. A couple days of sampling... still the same grittiness.

I decided to call the Mars CO. to make sure that they hadn't messed with the product; you know, with all the do-gooders trying to take sugar out of sodas, substituting natural stuff with chemicals, they may have altered the product without telling anyone.

The nice consumer product lady at M&M heard my complaint and then she asked me to recite the Bar Code and another code on the bag...

Then she told me: The bag of M&M's are too fresh! They need to be cured a bit so they will taste correctly. It is like wine... it needs to be aged! Apparently, Costco put them on the shelves too early.

Who knew... M&Ms are just like fine wine!

And thanks to MARS for the coupons for a free bag of "cured" Peanut M&Ms.

NCPS Member Show

2010-10-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year for the North County Photographic Society's annual member photographic show. This year, the show will be displayed at the Encinitas Library from October 19th through November 28. The last two years, the display was located at the Encinitas City Hall.

Each of the members are allowed to display two images; the choice for the various categories is up to the artist. Each year, I've placed one image in the portrait category, since I love doing portraits. The second category is the wild card. I like Black and White, and last year, my entry won first place.

So this year, I'm entering Ballerina Princes in the portrait category and Rock Star in the nature category.

Giving Back

2010-09-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Part of the fun of being a photographer is that you get to give back to organizations in which your children participate. Each year, whether it is softball, soccer, x-country, and now HS band, I take my camera and lens to each event and photograph it then post the best images on a web site for the parents and other kids to view.

After each posting, it never fails, parents send e-notes thanking me after seeing their child in action. And if they want a print, I provide it! It is a way of "giving back" to the community for the opportunity that we have.

Click on the Header to see additional images of this year's La Costa White soccer.

1149 Countrywood Ln

2010-09-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at a commercial video.... I know I have some "work to do" on some of the technical issues. Steven Spielberg can keep his day job! :) Click on the header above to view the re-edited version.

Battle Scars

2010-09-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

Our "puppy" is 21 wks old and he has been accompanying us on our walks; he loves everyone he sees, looking for the pet and affection. He can't wait to sniff the other dogs and socialize a bit.

Today, he met his match: a large Siberian Husky! We asked the owner if it was ok for "Mickey" to come close. Yeah, it's ok. But after the first sniff, the Husky turned on him, grabbed his head and crunched down. I had to reach in and put a choke on the Husky to get him to drop the screaming puppy.

So to the vet hospital I had to go, since the puncture wound was pretty deep and also a tear in his mouth.

Before I left, a neighbor came running up and told us that the Husky had attacked other dogs in the neighborhood. So we now know.

He'll be fine... just a couple battle scars to prove that life is tough, even for a dog.

Chris and Laurie

2010-09-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

Chris and Laurie were married about seven years ago and they didn't have an engagement session. With some health issues they are facing, they wanted to do an "engagement" session to commemorate their union. They wanted to do some beach photos, but wouldn't you know, our Labor Day Weekend was cloudy, windy and quite cool.

So I took them to some places along the 101 which I like to use for portrait imagery. We ended up in Encinitas, CA doing some street photos at several places they knew when they were dating. Click on the heading above to view additional images.

Sad News

2010-09-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, our daughter made up a Missing Cat Poster and placed it about the neighborhood to hopefully help in finding our Candy. She was a free spirit; she still had her claws so she could easily jump up on the 5 foot privacy fence and walk about looking for geckos when we let her out in the evening. She loved being brushed and stretching on the warm concrete patio.

The poster worked, in the sense that someone with information called to inform us that the neighbors behind our house had found remnants of our cat. The coyote struck again. Several weeks ago, our neighbor lost a small dog and another, a cat. The circle of life, I guess... but it isn't great when it's your pet.

So now all that's left are the cute memories of her antics, a few pictures and a lot of cat food for our old 18 year old cat.

Hectic Week

2010-09-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

So our freshman started school on Monday... wow time flys! All that is associated with getting a teen ready for school, we've experienced. And to boot, she's in marching band and so that has consumed a lot of her time so far. To top it off, her horse was moved to a new riding school... so we'll be dealing with all that.

And now, our cat is missing. Since we introduced our new puppy, she's been hiding and isolating herself from us. I'm wondering if she had a bad experience with a dog before we adopted her because she hasn't warmed up to him at all.

Last night, she scared me! I needed to use the scanner, and when I lifted the lid, I noticed some finger prints on the glass. I went over to a cabinet and got the glass spray, walked over to the scanner and gave it a squirt. Out of the bottom shelf jumped Candy! Scared me! And off she ran, down the hall.

Funny thing, she sort of turned out to be my cat (go figure); she would jump up each night and sleep by me. But last night, she didn't show... I assumed she was hiding. This morning she didn't respond to the opening of the cat food tin... and she hasn't been around all day.

Across the street is a canyon active with coyotes. I'm hoping she didn't meet a hungry one. Come home.

Pirates and Wenches

2010-08-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

Had fun on Saturday on the set of an "indie" film with some pirates and wenches. This group of actors obviously love doing the pirate thing! My role was to do portraits and help in some of the filming.

So between the sound of "action" and "cut," I managed to do some fun portraits with the group.
(Click on the title above and it will take you to some additional images.)

Band

2010-08-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

She's a freshman! And two weeks before school starts, our daughter is starting band camp. It goes from 1 - 9 pm, with a dinner break. Wow, that's some serious practice time! Thank goodness she plays a flute... it's a small case to carry about.

So last night when I picked her up from the first practice, I noticed a sheriff's car in the lot. It seems that a local neighbor called in a noise complaint -- against the band! (What a hoot!) The schools been in the same location for 50 years, including the football field. So, I guess if you move next to a school, you get the "noise" benefits.

I was in band in high school, playing the beautiful, mellow trombone! I completed three years; the fourth year came to a quick end when I got into it with my assistant band leader. I was a hero for 15 seconds as I stood my ground and then walked off the field! Of course he got the last laugh when I received my report card: a nice "F". (Boy I showed him!)

So it has begun: band practice, band performances, fall football, etc... school is open!

Hard Times

2010-08-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, I mean hard times --- as opposed to high times :)... anyway, pun aside, trying to figure out if it is "hard times" or if it is just the sign of the times.

Anyway, yesterday I was on a photo assignment and was using sand bags to hold down my tripod. The bright red sand bag -- the color is for safety and so absent minded photographers won't forget them -- doesn't seem like it would be something anyone would really want. I had loaded all of them (I thought) and when I arrived at my unit to unload them, I was missing one. I immediately returned to the secluded site (it was dusk), and whola, it was missing! Since I was the last one there, I was surprised that someone would find it, let alone take a bag full of sand.

Then today I went to my local neighborhood Chase Bank to make a deposit. I had my new Ray Bans which I deftly set down on the stand while I filled out my deposit slip. There were only two other customers in the bank -- hard times, I guess. As I walked up to the teller who engaged me in a conversation about business, I suddenly turned to get my glasses when I realized I didn't have them in my hand. I walked over to the kiosk and sure enough... they were gone! And so were the two other customers.

So, I guess it must be the sign of the times... why buy it when you can hock it!

Warmbloods

2010-08-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

One cool thing about being a photographer is the diversity of subjects one can be exposed to if you are interested in expanding your client base.

I received a call from a horse breeder in Temecula, CA asking if I could photograph a horse inspection. They wanted to see my "horse book" for samples. Fortunately, I have photographed a number of horses over the years, so I was able to direct them to a web site which has a lot of horse images: http://www.pbase.com/photobyjdp/horse

They liked my work and hired me over the phone. On Friday I showed up at their ranch and was briefed about the inspection of their Warmblood horses and the types of images they needed. So for three hours, as they paraded the beautiful animals about the corral, I photographed them at various stages of the inspection.

Each horse was groomed beautifully, including the braiding of their manes. Spectacular!

And for the kicker... two of the mares had foals which they turned lose in the corral... what a show they put on!

It was fun watching and photographing the "show."

Dog (Puppy) Days

2010-07-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

So after two weeks, the puppy, now named "Mickey"" (I wanted to name him Nikon or Nicky for short...but was over ruled) is getting used to his surroundings. He is the star of the house -- everything revolves around him -- and he appears to understand. Instead of getting an extra hour of sleep, I find myself walking the back yard at 6 am say things like: "Good Mickey, good boy, that's it you peeeed." Or, "Good boy, that was a good poooo..." Geeee....

But it is interesting to observe how he catches on quickly. You can probably tell I've never had a puppy.

I took this image using three sb800 flashes on a blue paper background in case he decided to "pee!"

A new family member

2010-07-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we got a new member of the family. His name is Mickey and he's a 9 week old Golden Retriever/Husky mix. It's been an interesting experience!

Just like a newborn !

Fitness Model

2010-07-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

Had a commercial shoot this week with a local fitness equipment distributor, Lifecore Fitness. They have awesome products, such as rowers, bikes, elliptical machines, etc.

For this shoot, they needed a model to demonstrate some of their products for some upcoming packaging. Chelsea was wonderful to work with, she was pleasant, easy to work with and took direction well. It was a breath of fresh air to work with someone down to earth, not stuck on their physical beauty, but willing to make the session work.

After doing the client's images, I had a few minutes to work on different lighting to show a sort of grunge look. I used two strip soft boxes on either side of her to rim light her and then a large Octo box soft light for fill in front. I did post production for this look.

Blue Screen 2

2010-07-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

I think I've written about this before: this isn't sexy or cute or even cuddly. It's just the plain ole fact: you will get the Blue Screen of Death sooner or later.

In my case, I decided to update my memory on my computer. I followed the instructions to the "t" and after the installation... nothing but warnings and the like. I had all types of thoughts go through the gray matter... including some which aren't printable. But the bottom line is, it was my fault for not taking the computer to a reliable service to have it done.

But here I was with this:

Now the question: What to do. Fortunately, my neighbor is an IT person. After doing some diagnostic work, he suggested a new hard drive. So to Frye's we went... and $50 dollars later, it was installed and it booted up.

Then the aggravation of loading all the software I need for my photo business... not to mention some cool programs for my images. It has taken hours to do this... did I say hours? :(

Is there a silver lining? Well, yes... I had backed up my computer on Sunday, so I was only missing about three days of work... most of it was recovered from my bad hard drive. So that's good. But the aggravating issue is the missing "actions" and special things saved in PhotoShop... they are gone. Also, all my "favorites" ... websites I visited routinely for information and inspiration. I'll just have to try to remember them and get them back.

But the bottom line is this: BACK UP your computer!!!! I do it routinely -- usually, every Sunday evening. I even go further and go into the some areas which I know aren't routinely backed up automatically.

Remember, it is only time till yours crashes.... Think of all those photos and stuff you don't want to loose.... that might be inspiration enough!

The 4th

2010-07-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

Just returned from a trip to Indiana (where I grew up) to visit my mother and some of my family. Took a ride out in to the northern part of Fort Wayne (in Amish country) and in the village of Grabill, they still have a grain elevator next to the railroad tracks. On the side was a large American flag made out of -- it looked like corn cobs -- some type of natural material. I thought it would be the perfect middle-America, 4th of July image.

So whatever you're doing this weekend, lift your hand and heart to the red, white and blue!

Out here in SoCal, Caltrans just painted over a large American flag which artists painted after 9/11 -- "too distracting to the motorists"... hopefully, in Indiana and other parts of the country the flag will be revered for a while longer.

Charles

2010-06-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Charles called and needed a portrait session for his 50th high school reunion. So after working with him, I asked if he would set for some additional images with some dramatic lighting. I lit either side of his face with small flashes, and a background light was added for separation. At one point he raised his head and it reminded me of a mafia don.... ok, maybe a stretch. I told him my thoughts and he got a kick out of it. So here it is....

During the first portion of the session, where I interviewed him, I noticed wonderful expressions, so I began tripping the shutter. Here, I've posted some of them: http://www.pbase.com/studio11/charles

Yahoooo...

2010-06-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Summer's here!

Why... because school is out!!!! And it is eighth grade "graduation." Or maybe promotion, is a better phrase. Of course they like to call it graduation here because some of these kids won't graduate from high school; they'll be finding themselves in other ways.

So congratulation are in order to my daughter and her friends for their young accomplishments and the middle school drama they're leaving behind. And now the anticipation of being the new gal in high school... and all its drama.

Dragon Slayer

2010-06-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

Can I indulge you with one more image I dreamed up from a recent photo shoot. One of the characters in the indie film White Fire is this lady who looks like "Little Black Riding Hood" (you know, as opposed to "Little Red Riding Hood" :) who wields a mean double machete weapon. Every time I worked on her image I imaged her as some kind of medieval "dragon slayer" or modern day Comic-con figure... go figure.

Anyway, I had some images from a wedding we did a couple years ago up in Fallbrook at a wedding-themed location with a castle, gate and moat. I decided to use some outtakes from that wedding and incorporate them in the image. Also, last year I visited one of the museums in San Diego when they had the Dead Sea Scrolls on display and I noticed they had some dinosaurs bones on the first floor... I took a photo of them, you know, just in case I ever needed something like that.

So, I had fun incorporating the nine images into one piece of work called "Dragon Slayer."

It is artistically fun to challenge ones' self to go beyond what you're used to doing and come up with a piece which requires imagination and technical manipulation to fulfill your vision.

Ace

2010-06-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

Ace is a beautiful, one year old Australian Shepherd: I was commissioned to photograph him at his owner's home. As with any type photography, you need to meet with your subject and get acquainted, find out the just how the subject will react to you. And a dog is no different.

Ace was full of "puppy" and wouldn't hold still. He leaped about, sniffed, smelled, licked and ran about. So I just sat down on a foot stool and let him check me out. I received a tongue bath -- that's why I carry baby wipes in the car -- and then he settled down for a bit while I quickly took his portrait on the stuffed chair. I used a flash bounced off the ceiling for the lighting and to get a catch light in his eyes. He was slightly startled at the first flash, but then it didn't bother him.

Ace is going to be an awesome pet when he has completed his obedience training!

Memorial Day

2010-05-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

Each year, around Memorial Day, I try to come up with a photo theme remembering the service of your military -- which I was a proud member. One of the fun things I like to do is find some images I took at various times and then re-use them in a composite. So here is my contribution to Memorial Day:

Ghosts in the Moon Light

Dress

2010-05-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

A bride's dress is like the icing on the proverbial wedding cake, as she walks down the aisle; she's the sweetness and light which causes all eyes to focus on her. Everyone wants to see the bride, especially what's she's wearing. It's like a runway fashion show, really: the dresses and gowns of the bridal party as they make their processional march. And as the commercial says, "everyone will be looking at me, and I'll be looking at you..." (the bride reminding the groom that it matters what he's wearing, so rent that tux!) :)

So it's my responsibility as a wedding photographer to capture the bride in all her glowing aura. This image shows her beautiful gown and veil as she walks the aisle. A fashion statement for sure: a beautiful bride.

Senior Portraits

2010-05-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

A recent call from a local mother inquiring about senior portraits led me to this young man. He is ready to graduate and they wanted some images which reflect who he is, not a straight studio session. My idea about senior portraits is to go to their home, do some work in a familiar setting, then go to some locations which reflect the senior's interests.

JT loves playing a guitar and skateboarding. So after doing some "formal" portraits in his home -- including with his pet dog -- JT suggested a cool park near his home where he likes to go to play music and skate. So here are some of the images from the session - something meaningful to him, showing him in his environment with the things he's interested in.

First Comes Love....

2010-05-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Then comes marriage... then comes Briel with a baby carriage! Remember that little ditty!

Four years ago, we photographed Tom and Briel's wedding and engagement session. So the other day, Tom called and told me that they were finally expecting their first baby and he wanted to give Briel a "Mother's Day" gift of a maternity photo session.

So I traveled to their house last Sunday and did their photo session. We had a real fun time coming up with some ideas about their house and then a park nearby. So with about two weeks to go, they'll be parents! Congratulations!

Derby Day

2010-05-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was the Kentucky Derby and it was the theme for a reception for the newly weds, Andrea and Mike, at their home in La Costa. The guests all arrived sporting their "Derby" finest! Men sported various caps and hats and the women went all-out with some interesting creations. Some of the hats were hand-made, adorned with fresh flowers and other artistic accouterments.

While photographing the arrival of the bride and groom, I quickly snapped images as many of the hats that I could... I knew that it would make a nice record of the guests and their efforts to be a part of the derby party! Unlike the wet and sloppy day at the track in Kentucky, it was a sunny, beautiful day for Carlsbad!

Comic-com

2010-04-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I had "Comic-Com" in my studio! All these wild characters invaded my site so I could photograph them for future use on movie posters, cd covers, etc.

Michael Mason, an "Indie" film maker, is working on the filming of his fantasy flick and needed images of his characters for future promotional purposes. They were a nice group of young people who we worked with to get various poses to fit his need. I photographed them on a white background so that we could cut them out and place them on various backgrounds.

So, I took four of the characters and made a mock-up movie poster. Notice, there is no official title yet, so you'll have to use your imagination... as I did. We had a fun day and look forward to working with them again.

Portraits

2010-04-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Portraits come in all shapes and ways: often we think of the formal portrait or the executive setting. But what about having fun?

Mark called me about doing an environmental portrait session. I asked him what his hobbies were and what he has that he wanted to be photographed with. He mentioned that he had a motorcycle which he likes to ride. So armed with that, I met him at his home, scouted his surroundings and came up with some interesting ways to portray Mark. I kept an eye on the sky as the sun began to set and knew that in the right location, a photo of him with his motorcycle lit appropriately, would be great.

I set up two Nikon sb800 flashes for the illumination and away we worked. Here is a result of one of the images:

Destination Weddings

2010-04-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hawaii, as you know, is a destination wedding location for many couples from the mainland and other parts of the world. While I was in Oahu, I saw a number of weddings along the beach area of Waikiki.

Talking with some of the photographers, they were hired only to do the "beach" images, and not the ceremony -- since those were done at other locations. However, I did see several at the hotels, using their chapels or wedding areas. And they weren't just the weekends, but each day of the week.

So being in Hawaii, I had my opportunity at a destination wedding! Travis and Carrie are from Minnesota and they traveled to Hawaii for their special day. So out at the water's edge, along the breaker, they and their two friends witnessed the quick ceremony which officially made them a married couple. So here are some images from the wedding:

Headed Home

2010-04-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd tempt you with a view from the beach in Waikiki as I head home to beautiful Carlsbad. I'll share some of the stories and pics from Hawaii in up-coming blogs.

This weekend....

2010-04-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

Wishing you a Happy Easter!

More on Spring

2010-03-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Nothing speaks "Spring" more than new babies... and this 4 month old I photographed in La Jolla yesterday was a sunny example! It was so warm (ok hot at 12 noon), so I looked for some shade around the park to keep her cool. This nice area is by the Bridge Club; I love those twisted old trees surrounding the club house.

Mother and daughter were in La Jolla with all the family to celebrate her parent's 50th wedding anniversary.

Congrats to them as well!

SPRING

2010-03-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

First day of Spring here in sunny, beautiful San Diego!

A minor confession: I've lived here 10 years and I've never been to Mount Soledad! So yesterday, after a photo shoot in La Jolla, I drove to the top and visited the war memorial at the top of Mount Soledad. Wow, what a view!!!

So in honor of the first day of Spring, here is an image of La Jolla and the ocean below!

So, get out and enjoy the beautiful weather... and enjoy the first day of SPRING.

Going Green!

2010-03-12T22:54:00.000-08:00

The wedding season is beginning and we're going "greener!"

Some of the ways we are contributing to a "greener" photographic experience:

Digital vs Film:
As you know, "film" in our digital cameras is reusable media. No chemicals are required to develop our film. We bring a number of CF cards for each of our cameras and we don't erase them until we are confident that we have all the images saved to our hard drives. Afterward, we reformat them and use them again. Also, we use rechargeable batteries to power our cameras... all good for the environment.

Packaging:
The custom labs we use deliver our beautiful prints and albums in recycled boxes and packing material. We try to send the prints and albums directly to our clients so we can reduce additional transportation of the product and eliminate double mailings... a direct impact on reducing the handling footprint of our products.

Our individual print folios are made from 100% recycled material.

Proofs/Online Viewing:
The "old" way of doing things was to print out proofs of all the images from the session. Photographic paper and chemicals were used in the process. The proofs were unstable due to the chemical process and weren't archival. By using online proofing, we are not wasting paper or using chemicals needlessly. Now, you can view your images online at your convenience. Plus, you can share them with family and friends by directing them to a site which has your images.

Virtual Office:
With the internet and modern communications, we can now email contracts, brochures, information kits and newsletters to our clients instead of snail mail. Texting, emails, and phone calls are great ways to quickly pass information. I still need to meet my clients in person so we get to know each other; however, some of the preliminary work can be accomplished using the "virtual office."

These are just some of the ways we are going "greener." Have any additional suggestions or ideas... let me know.

Evil

2010-03-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Tonight are the academy awards up in L.A., but my nomination for the most evil in a special category is:

John Gardner III

You deserve the award for your portrayal of evil-in-the-flesh. Your alleged brutal killing of Chelsea King last week in Escondido/Rancho Bernardo was particularly heinous; you grabbed this young lady who was totally innocent and through your creative desires and wicked ability you allegedly brutally murdered her and left her in the cold, wet dirt of Lake Hodges.

And before that, you caught and elbow in your snoot by an alert young lady during Christmas, when you grabbed her and threw her to the ground in the same area. I hope your eyes burned and your nose hurt for a bit; too bad she didn't have a shiv to stick in your lusty heart. Such a lady's man you are... a leading man!

Oh, and this afternoon, the body of the 14 year old Amber Dubois was discovered... She was headed to school last February the day before Valentine's Day and she mysteriously disappeared. You, John are suspected in her kidnapping and death. Oh, what a inglorious bastard you are.

Two young lives gone... how many more before these guys are put away... for good.

DuaFlex Camera Images

2010-02-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of antique and old cameras which adorn my office. Some of them I've used; others are so old that the film isn't available any more. One of the old camera types I have are the twin-lens reflex: you look down through a sight glass to frame the image (which is backward) and then a second lens takes the image.

Anyway, I recently saw that a group of ingenious camera buffs used one of these type cameras and modified it so that you could use a digital camera to capture the image which was on the viewing screen. Their images were of a fine art style.

So, I took an old Kodak Brownie twin-lens and built a housing out of card board so I could use my P&S and photograph the image that I was viewing on the screen. The charm of this is that there is dust and mold in the old camera which shows up on the viewing screen. Also there is vignetting on the corners and it is a little out of focus.

So here are some of the samples I took around the yard. Fun with photography!

Poster

2010-02-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd design a travel poster out of some of the images from my recent trip to Nicaragua. So here it is:

Great...

2010-02-18T20:59:00.000-08:00

weather this week in SoCal. Had some time to photograph surfers near the Oceanside Pier today; the sets weren't that great, but from the pier with a long lens, well, its like being right out there as they jumped just about any wave that came along.

The thing about the short board is that you get to see some really cool tricks and acrobatics if the surfer is experienced. And some of these guys/gals love to put on a show... especially, if there is a long lens looking at them.

Fun...

2010-02-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

Fun with Photoshop; ok, so I went to see Avatar the other day ( I know everyone has seen it already) but I like to go when the crowds die down a bit. Other than the 2.5 hours of sitting, the 3D was pretty cool. As a visual person I really didn't care for the story line but effects rocked.

So, after seeing a tutorial in one of my favorite mags about making an Avatar creature, here's the before and after. Ok, so it isn't staggering or a wonder of the world, but it was fun transforming one of the portraits into my Avatar creature.

I wonder...

2010-02-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

I wonder what she's thinking?
I wonder what her life's been like?
I wonder how old she is?
I wonder if she's had a good life?
I wonder if she's content?
I wonder if the little boy can even image what's ahead for him.

Done!

2010-02-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

Wow... four solid days of editing all my images which I took in Nicaragua is finished! It was a large project to travel to a foreign country, carrying light stands, flashes, softbox, umbrella, three lens, two cameras and a laptop... along with some clothes. But photography was the talent I had to offer to the group; others had different talents which they contributed to make the trip a success.

If you would like to see the various galleries, here is a link:

http://www.pbase.com/photobyjdp/ncccc

Home!

2010-02-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

Back home again after a week in Nicaragua! Enjoyed visiting the country again; much has changed since I was there in 1995. In '95, the people seemed to be tenuous, careful, lots of tanks and soldiers, etc. This time, commerce was evident, the people seemed friendly and more open, I saw two or three policemen during the whole trip, and no obvious military presence. The Sandinista signs were painted everywhere and through the election process, Sr. Daniel Ortega is currently the president with little or no obvious political opposition.

I enjoyed working with the Casa Bernabe orphanage; the children enjoyed the visiting team and loved having their images taken. Tthe digital age is a blessing and curse: a blessing because I knew what I had before I left; the downside was every image I took, there was someone standing nearby who wanted to see it on the camera's view screen.

I will be posting some of the images from my trip over the next week or so. This image is of me in a small boat; I hired this kid to take me along the shore to photo white herons. The water was a bit rough and the craft was very tippy! (That's what I'll blame the blurred heron pics on!)

Catching a plane in the morning

2010-01-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

I was hoping to keep you updated with blog entries from Nicaragua; however, it looks like the orphanage where I'll be photographing doesn't have wi-fi... so I may be out of luck. When I return next week, I'll share some images and stories of the trip!

Meanwhile, I'm sure that the spammers will fill my email with more... just 53 emails alone today; it used to be Nigerians telling me I won a fortune... now it's all about viagra! Now, if they were pushing peanut M&Ms I might go for it!

Here comes the sun...

2010-01-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, after forty days and forty nights, the sun finally came out!

Ok, so it's not that bad -- living in SoCal, were used to sunny weather so a week of heavy rain was really crazy. We received a call from the stable where our horse is housed and they thought we should put down shavings because the horse was walking in mud.

Aw, poor baby. I mean, think of all those horses in the mid west who are standing in snow, rain and sleet. Ok, so it is a California horse. So in the rain, bags of shaving and pine pellets were spread about. I'm sure he's happy now.

This photo is one of the horses at the stable... he is an inside horse... wouldn't you know, our's hates being inside!

Not fit for a Gull!

2010-01-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

Pouring rain in San Diego... we're supposed to get 5 to 10 inches, along with howling wind. Good thing it isn't cold... that would be a lot of snow!!!

So, I'm sure the seagulls are hunkered down on the beach waiting for it to blow over!

Venues

2010-01-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

At almost each bridal interview, I'm asked by the future bride if I've ever photographed at her planned venue. With hundreds of venues in and around San Diego alone, it is almost impossible to have photographed in every one.

So what does one do? First, I'm very honest: yes I have, or no I haven't. But I always have a plan. Two weeks prior to each wedding I personally visit the venue, speak with the coordinator, walk the area looking for ideas to make that perfect photo and I always take photos while I'm there so that I can refer to them before the event.

I recently had several wedding interviews for the Sheraton Hotel and Spa in Carlsbad. It is a new venue which is quite lovely. Both young ladies asked me if I have photo'd a wedding there... not yet! And I didn't get either wedding.

So, next time I'm asked, the answer will be yes: I was recently asked by the Sheraton to photograph their two ceremony sites. They had it set up nicely with beautiful floral arrangements. So, yes, I've photographed at the Sheraton!

Overseas Trip

2010-01-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

Looking for a chance to do pro bono work for a good cause, at the end of January, I plan to travel to Managua, Nicaragua to photograph children of Casa Bernabe. Casa Bernabe is an orphanage for children ages 4-18, just outside of Managua, Nicaragua. It is home for about 80 children who have been victims of extreme poverty, neglect, abuse or abandonment.

I will be accompanying a team of individuals from our church, North Coast Cavalry Chapel, who will be working with the children and leaders of the orphanage. The plan for me is two-fold: one is to do portraits of each child which will be used by the orphanage; and secondly, to professionally document the activities and services of the orphanage for their editorial use. So, I'm brushing up on my Spanish (I lived a couple years in El Salvador), getting shots and planning on how to carry my equipment to Nicaragua.

I'm looking forward to traveling again; I've had the privilege to visit 33 countries seeing the diversity of this world, yet seeing that we all have a lot in common.

Holiday Times

2009-12-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

The holidays are a great time to do family photos. When everyone gets together, it is a perfect time to take that family photograph. Usually, everyone is happy and in a good mood - or at least willing to go along with the plan to make that family memory.

Besides photographing the whole family together, individual families were photographed about the park as well. They were an enjoyable group to work with.

This family did their session the day after Christmas at a local park while everyone was still in town. And after the session, they went to breakfast at McDonalds, then headed to the San Diego Zoo for the rest of the day.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T19:14:00.000-08:00

Just a note to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. We feel blessed in spite of the ups and downs of this year. So here's wishing you the best!

Five Days till Christmas...

2009-12-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

and what am I doing? A 40 mile bike ride. My neighborhood guys have formed a little bike pack to keep in shape and to enjoy what a California coastal community has to offer. Being a biker from way back (paperboy days), I decided to go along today. We did a forty miler... oh, the hamstrings are a talk'in.

Anyway, as it always happens, someone has a flat! We had been discussing "coffee" and as we came up along a McDonalds on the Camp Pendleton base, down goes his tire. A shard of glass was the culprit. So, out came a new tube a small canister of air, and in no time we were back on the ride. We waited for the coffee break close to home!

Of course I carry a camera with me and here was a perfect moment for a shot!

Biking

2009-12-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

More biking stories: Ok, I know I'm boring, but riding a bike is a big exercise option for me. I used to ride a "roadie": you know, thin tires, bike shorts with padded seat, bent over for miles at a time. Then I bought a mountain bike and started tackling the hills around San Marcos and Carlsbad area. Good cardio plus I didn't have to worry about being run over in the bike lane.

The other day the neighbor guys asked me to ride with them on Saturday mornings: they all get together and hit the bike lanes early on Saturdays. They stop at a couple of Starbucks along the way -- the California experience.

So I had to get the Trek 1220 down from the hanger in the garage and dust it off. Along the way to getting it ready, I snapped the gear shifter, so I took it down to the Trek dealer to get it repaired and tuned up. Whoa... "that's an old bike!" (12 years old) "They don't have the parts!" "You'll have to make it an 8 or 9 speed on the back ring!" "Maybe a new bike would be the way to go."

So after they told me it would cost a bunch (over 200), I started looking at the bikes. Oh, they were sweet -- the one I liked was only $1300. Of course, the better ones were in the 4s. Finally, I took my old bike home.

Then I remembered the little ma and pop bike shop up in Vista... Sure they could fix it: A new shifter would cost $69.99. Ugh?

So now, if the rain would let up, I'll be doing a practice run so I can make sure I can keep up with the boys.

Stock...

2009-12-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

Stock photography is the supply of photographs licensed for specific use by photographers for various stock companies. Most images are made not on assignment, but rather by inspiration and vision by the individual photographer.

I contribute stock photography to two companies. So I am constantly looking for images which I think would make could stock images. Of course, holiday images are always usable. So for this season, I went back to some of my original images taken over the last couple years and using my Photoshop skills tried to make some interesting images for the season. Here are two examples:

I used lights from my neighbors, images of our Christmas ornaments and selective pieces from the nativity set to work my vision. It is fun coming up with some of these images. Hopefully someone likes them!

Alright,

2009-11-29T16:18:00.000-08:00

I know it's no big deal to everyone else, but yesterday, we had a nice rain shower, some wind, and high surf. We just went 164 days without any rain, so a bit of rain is welcome. Currently, we are about 7 inches down from normal rainfall -- ok, you in Texas sometimes get 7 inches in a day; everything is bigger in Texas.

And some of you get 7 inches of snow at one time -- some places have to have bragging rights; oh, and you get the cold to go along with it.

Speaking of cold, it dropped to the low 60's during the day here in the San Diego area! A real cold snap.

Hopefully, we will receive our rain allotment during December (and you'll get your snow).

And He took bread....

2009-11-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

broke it, and gave Thanks!

So in abundance or the simplicity of what we face, we can still give thanks for what we have. We hope you have a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving...

And don't forget to pause and give thanks for your blessings this year.

The Harbor

2009-11-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was doing some commercial work in Oceanside and once again, I am reminded of the visual opportunities that surround us in our own back yard as I passed the harbor. The Oceanside Harbor is a quaint little area with a light house with a couple of tourist shops and eateries. There is a decent fishing trade that takes people out for day fishing, as well.

The sunsets have been beautiful, so I spent about 45 minutes doing some photos around the harbor area. I use the HDR method of capturing about 6 or seven images at different exposures of the same scene and then blend them together for the final. On my Flickr site (on the right side just click on the Flickr site button) I've started posting a "Harbor Series" of these images.

The Machine

2009-11-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

I've been a biker (bicycle rider) since the days when the training wheels came off! As a kid, our only mode of transportation was Schwinn bikes which we cobbled together with spare parts from various junks we came across in the old neighborhood (we were poor kids, but didn't know it). We boys (my three brothers and I) were all paper carriers in northeastern Indiana, so the bicycle was the mode of choice for getting those papers delivered. Bikes were the mode of transportation to high school for the first couple of years, purchased new from saving our after school work.

Today, I still ride 3 or 4 days a week; we have a good "hill" near our house which I tackle as my physical fitness regimen. I use a Trek mountain bike which is now about 5 years old; a couple of new tires and tune-ups keeps it going.

But two weeks ago, I met my match: the asphalt pavement! A nice lady turned in front of me and I went down. No broken bones, but man-oh-man, the pain of it! A quad injury and tear of the sheath surrounding the upper quad muscle. Talk about pain.

Two weeks off the bike and maybe a couple more... bummer. But she was a nice lady!

In Remembrance

2009-11-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

A Sad Day.

Family Fun

2009-11-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

It's always fun to photograph a family gathering, especially when they are honoring a parent. Three families gathered this weekend in Laguna Beach to celebrate their father's 80th birthday with a weekend of sun and fun along the beach. They all stayed at the same hotel so they could be together during the weekend to honor Leonard who turned 80.

I was referred to the family through another photographer and I drove up to meet with them on the beach at 9:30 am. They were all ready to go, so we spent time working with the group, then individual families. As I was about to leave, two of the families wanted to frolick in the water with the patriarch -- and he was game to get wet!

So I had them do a birthday cheer! The celebration of family was a delight!

1st Place

2009-10-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

As you know from a previous post, the North County Photographic Society held their annual member showcase at the Encinitas City Hall during the month of October. Tomorrow is the last day for viewing the almost 100 works by the members.

This year I submitted two images; one in the Portrait Division, and the second in the Black and White open category. I was delighted to learn that my image, seen below, won First Place in the Black and White category. The title, "Refreshing Moment," is an image from a photo session at my studio. I was photographing a band and during a break, one of the band members grabbed a refreshment. I knew it would be a great black and white image.

Congratulations to all the winners and exhibitors for a successful show.