Birthday Video

Created for my sister-in-law's 50th birthday party.

This is just like making a word doc.

Getty 2010

SunFlower Patch 2009

LaSalle-Jackson

Taken 5/5/07 while on a business trip to Chicago while walking from The Hilton Chicago to The Sears Tower at intersetion of La Salle and Jackson in the financial district (I think) of Chicago. This is color photo converted to B&W. Due to street construction I was able to stand behind a barrior and get a good perspective without endangering my life.

Yosemite Half-Dome

Half Domes

Okay here is the story....I was riding my bike around 7:00 pm and noticed a photographer in a meadow across from Curry village. I went over to see what he was shooting and saw this great view of Half-Dome so I started shooting like crazy, but the other guy was just hanging around waiting. Whatever...I just kept shooting. Then I noticed about 10 people in chairs and sitting on blankets having a picnic. Hum. Nice spot for sure. Great idea. So this is just on of about 20 shots. Not your normal view of half dome and to me it kinda looks like a dog.

Then I went back to camp and about a hour later I took a walk along Merced river (without my camera) . Walking along I looked up and had a clear view of half-dome and now with a beautiful golden tone. Damn no camera. I ran back to our camp, grabbed my camera and started shooting as fast as possible. Now I know what everyone was waiting for in meadow. However I was able to capture this view. I really liked how the tree tops slope in the frame.

Unfortunately that was our last day and I couldn't go back the next evening. Now I have something to look forward to the next time we go. I just have remember to bring food for the picnic.

Sky Shots

Yosemite Sky

July 28, 2005 - taken while riding my bike in a meadow near the Merced River with Canon Powershot S1 IS. The wind was blowing the flowers from the cottonwood trees (I call them that because I have no idea what they are) in the air and it almost looked like snow. I couldn't figure out a way to capture it because I couldn't really focus on them so I just pointed up to the sky. You look hard you can kind of see the while spots but I like the clouds and the sun rays.

? SKY

For the life of me I can't remember when or where this was taken but pretty sure it was taken years ago. I would really have to dig through hundreds of pictures to find this. I believe this is a scanned print taken on film possibly slides but again not really sure. Pretty interesting how similar this shot is to the Yosemite shot.

Fog and Flag

FOG

Late 1980's or early 1990's - not exactly sure. Driving home late, fog was thick in the San Fernando Valley. Around 11:00 pm I went out front on to Victory blvd and was overwhelmed on how the light shone through the fog. Across the street was an apartment with a light, a stop sign, shopping cart and semi-truck. Probably shot with a Minolta X370, this is a digital scan of a black and white negative.

FLAG

2004. Took a trip to San Juan Capristrano mission for my daughter's school project and was interested on how these flags hung in this corridor. This is digital shot using at the time my new Canon Powershot S1 IS, and with Picassa converted to grey scan and isolated the color of the flag. It really seemed to pop.

Bell Tower

Bell Tower

This is a scan of a print I made in 1986. The print is a bit over contrasty (kinda my style back then. I didn't know that perhaps I should keep the detail inside the highlights.) This bell tower is at a church in North Hollywood, CA near Riverside and Tujunga. This print hangs in my house to this day. During this period I became instructed in photographing churches and the like. I was hoping to post more but my scanner has a hard time isolating frames when everything is black.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Yes they do look like what you think they look like.

Becki 1986

Becki 1986

Taken spring of 1986 at the City Hall tower of Santa Barbara as an assignment for a photography class. This is a scanned verison of a print I made back in 1986. This is in honor of her 40th birthday on Saturday.

Wrigley Field

A panoramic picture composed of 6 or 7 vertical shots taken while watching a Cubs game from the rooftop of a building across the street on 5/5/07. Not a great exposure. Sky is blown out but it was a pretty overcast that day. A little chilly for a boy born and raised in Los Angeles.

Taken today 4/30/07 at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, CA. Although done prior by the masters of photography, I just consider this my crack at it. Very little manipulation. I look the photograph with the dark background on purpose. I did however darken the background. The print looks awesome as well.

No Water

Taken 1986 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. I was doing interviews at the college radio station KXLU for a story I was writing on radio stations that played blues music. I got to the school early and had time to kill. I noticed this courtyard area and wanted to shoot it but didn't have a tripod. So I placed the camera on a table used in classroom with shiny surface which afterward looked like water in the print.

Inside Tree

INSIDE TREE

Taken during the 1986 period as well of the underside of a tree looking upward at Northridge Mall. This is my one and only shot. Unfortunately a bit off center but still I feel a compelling image. I always wanted to shoot this again but never did. I think a few years ago I looked at these trees but they weren't cut like this any more. This a scan of a B&W negative with the contrast pumped up.

Freeway

FREEWAY

Another from my 1986 batch. This is the transition ramp from 405 north to 118 east and west. If I remember correctly I was standing on my car with my tripod to get this shot. I really like the way the light just slightly peeks out from the left ramp. For being my early days of photography this is a pretty good composition. This a scanned from black and white negative that I developed myself. I developed all of the early B&W film and made my own prints. I really miss the printing but boy did it get expensive and a hassle without a darkroom.

Rainbow

End of the Rainbow

Taken 10/15/05 form my backyard after a sudden rainstorm. Not the greatest compostion but how often does one get the opportunity to capture a so well defined rainbow. Although this was the end of the rainbow, there were no reports of gold.

Yosemite Rafters

Yosemite Rafters

Because of my training in both fine art photography and photojournalism, I tend to bounce back and forth while shooting. This picture of rafters cruising down the Merced River in Yosemite is my attempt to tell the story of Yosemite. I'm not sure if this contains any "fine art" qualities but I think this captures the heart of Yosemite. Taken from Swinging bridge.

Tunnel

Tunnel

This is another 1986 batch taking for the photography class, yada, yada, yada. This is a shot of a tunnel that ran underneath the 405 freeway from the Sherman Oaks Galleria to the other side. Not sure if it is still there. 20 years is a long time. This is a digital scan of a black and white negative.

Hotel View San Diego

Hotel View

This was taken 1/31/06 at 6:57 pm with my Canon Powershot during a business trip to San Diego. This was the view from my hotel room at the Hilton in the Gas Lamp district in downtown San Diego. Once again I didn't bring a tripod so fortunately that camera is small and I placed it on the window ledge and took a bunch of shots by using the timer, bracketed or carefully pushing the shutter button. If this picture was enlarged you would probably be able to see the spots on the hotel window. The streak of light is the San Diego trolley. Was taken at f/2.8 shutter speed .6 sec