Happy Mother's Day 2012-05-13

 Happy Mother's Day (and Grandma's Day) to my mom! (more...)

Super Moon 2012-05-07

My contribution to the "super moon" hype.   I just finished an engagement session at the Carlsbad Beach and as I drove toward the east from the beach I could see this glorious moon rising over the hills.  I stopped at a local attraction -- a windmill by the freeway -- and thought it would be a good composition.  However, as the moon rose, I could see that it wasn't lined up the way I thought it would.  So when it appeared between to lamps which was part of the illumination of the windmill, I decided that it would "work."

I used a 70-200 for the image; if I had a larger telephoto I could have made the moon look bigger!  And to think Americans have walked on that real estate and waved back at us... cool.


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Vet 2012-05-02

A veterinarian needed new images for their web site so she contacted me for portraits.  I suggested doing environmental images at the doctor's office but she was a little reluctant to work in the confined space of the office.  So we opted for studio shots instead.  Using a dove gray background we brought the animals in for the session, one at a time.  She was very good controlling them and working with a "look."

The dog had a bit of "wander lust" as he had to check out the space.  I had some dog treats on had to help him get comfortable... but his poses didn't last long!

 
This was one of the ones where both of them were looking at the camera!Next we did one with a kitten... I liked this one with some interaction and decided to make it a black and white for an alternative.
The kitten wasn't too sure of all the lights and equipment, but she tolerated it quite well. (more...)

Medical Mission 2012-04-16

While in Nicaragua in February, I met a medical team working in the local hospital in Puerto Cabezas; the two teams were from Nebraska and California.  They invited our team to come to the hospital to see for ourselves the condition and the work they were doing.  Of course I jumped at the chance, knowing there would be a story there, along with some photo ops.  I decided I would shoot some video to make a story.  When I got there and looked around, I knew immediately that there was a story to tell.

I didn't have the story down so I shot as much footage as I could with the idea that I would assemble it in a documentary.  I also interviewed some of the team later that evening for voice overs.  So here is the finished documentary:  https://vimeo.com/40132359 


This documentary is a tribute to those who freely give of their time and skills to a poor, yet grateful people. (more...)

Sun up 2012-04-09

Easter:  sun up... or sunrise!  I got up at 4:30 am this morning to head to the local beach where I had an assignment to photograph the sunrise service of the North Coast Calvary Chapel.  The beach area this morning was cold (by our standards), about 45 degrees.  The cool thing was that the moon was almost full (I think it is waning) and was setting, and with the sun rising, you could see both!  Too cool.  As the sun rose, it helped warm up the body a bit, but I was still cold-soaked... I guess I didn't dress for the occasion. 





And at the end of the service, the doves of peace were released... and everyone went home to hunt Easter eggs.  I hope they didn't forget the reason for the celebration! (more...)