Hey, what are you doing here??

You should go to my NEW blog!! It's fresh and tasty :)
Thanks!!

KCRW Volunteer picnic.

I started volunteering at public radio stations when I was about 16. I now volunteer regularly at KCRW in LA. Their programming is about half music and half public affairs. If you like music, check them out! They have a long history of discovering great artists (Coldplay being just one of many, many examples) and playing music that you will just not hear anywhere else. *ALL* of the DJ's pick what they want to play on air. Really. There are no corporate bean counters telling them what to play. They have put a lot of effort and money into their web site too--lots and lots of uber-groovy content!!

Being a public radio station, they have fund drives twice a year to raise money. As a thank-you to the phone volunteers that came down to the station to answer phones during this months pledge drive, KCRW had a picnic, complete with two giant cakes, KCRW's newest DJ Anthony Valadez spinning tunes, a soft taco buffet, pinatas, and of course CD's and books to give away. Thanks to Connie Alvarez, KCRW's volunteer coordinator (plus she wear's more hats than I can count), and a really cool human being with a great sense of humor :)

Anthony helps people "scratch" to the beats. No vinyl was harmed.


Both of the giant cakes were yummy! :)




First the kids rushed in for the candy..........


Then the adults swarmed in for CD's.....


Then it was time for the second pinata. More candy to come!

Kaitlin and Tyler

I shot Kaitlin and Tyler's wedding on June 7, 2008 with Nicky from Eight20 Photography. They had their wedding at Kaitlin's Mom's ranch in Ojai. It was very rustic; chickens, goats, and horses. Kaitlin rides when she can--when she's not flying helicopters. Really. They're *both* pilots. That might explain why they were so calm: nerves of steel!
You might notice some smoky haze in a few shots--it's from the barbecue....... and no, I don't recall chicken being on the menu :)

Yes, their wedding cake was chocolate, and it was delicious! The beautiful net was to keep flies out.

GLOW in Santa Monica

I went to GLOW in Santa Monica over the weekend. It's a bit hard to explain exactly what GLOW is, but basically it was a collection of free art/multimedia installations, from dusk until dawn (literally) held at the Santa Monica Pier and some of the surrounding beach and nearby park areas.

I didn't stay too long as it was incredibly mobbed with wall-to-wall people. The most interesting thing I shot was a really neat installation where 3D forms were projected on to a sphere (not a flat wall) of water.

As a side note, all of these were shot available light around 1:15 AM. No flash was used for any of these images. (In photog geek-speak, around 1/50 @ f2.8, ISO 3200.)

My own fave is of course the one featuring the dude with the awesome Mohawk. :-)

David and Sam's wedding.

David and Sam had their wedding at their home. They originally booked me for a commitment ceremony, but with the recent California Supreme Court ruling, their commitment ceremony developed into a legal marriage--and they were ecstatic about it :-) Amazing catering by Michael Parise of Canoli Kings.
They've spent about 2 years remodeling their home, and it was beautiful inside and out!
Heres a slideshow with some of my favorite pics :)

Meet Cujo, my incredibly smart sweet little poodle.

Say "Hi" to Bailey. His real name isn't Cujo, but he acts like Cujo when UPS come to the door--not FedEx or the US Postal Service, *only* UPS. Anyway, he is my fur child, e.g., dog.

I love dogs :-)

Bailey was a about a year old when I got him from a local poodle rescue group. He is an apricot mini-poodle, weighing in at about 21 pounds.

He's a realllllly sweet dog........ but um, he's got issues. But hey, who among us doesn't? He doesn't like kids too much, does not like his behind touched, has separation anxiety problems, is afraid of water, and can be territorial. But OMG is he smart! When he doesn't want to do a given command I ask him, it's *not* that he doesn't know what I'm asking, it's that he's not sure he wants to do it--my trainer calls him a "show-me-the-cookie" dog.
He can also spell. He learned what the letters "W A L K" means. Now I have to spell it backwards: "K L A W."
See. Told he was smart :-) Cute, isn't he?

By the way, the top one was taken pre-doggy beauty parlor.



Surveying his domain. On the lookout for other dogs, small humans, the pool guy for the neighbor, and UPS.

What does getting the moment mean?

Just as with our culture as a whole, the issue about what's "real" and what isn't often comes up in the context of Wedding Photojournalism. There is a great article about Capturing the moment at a wedding on WedPix, the online publication of the Wedding Photojournalism Association (yes I'm a member).
If you want to understand what *authentic* Wedding Photojournalism is, this is a great article! I am a self-admitted purist :-) It is extremely important to understand that if you want real wedding photojournalism, you need to get a real wedding photojournalist! There is a huge difference between shooting with a "photo journalistic style" (what is that, exactly??) and making images that capture a genuine moment. It takes hard work, timing, creativity, practice, patience, knowledge, and skill (plus a bunch of other adjectives) just like any craft ;-)
You may not even really want a wedding photojournalist to shoot your wedding, and that's ok! It is *not* for everyone. That's why it is important to understand what real Wedding Photojournalism is all about.
If you decide "Yeah, way cool! That's what I want!" Then ask yourself, "Does my photographer keep it real?"
Michael