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Collateral Damage

I was 23 years old and saying a tearful goodbye to my wife of one month in LAX departures. As I slunk back in my seat moments later, and heard the soft thunk of the cabin door closing, I noticed Shaun Tomson sitting a few seats away. Dane Kealoha was nearby, and behind him I saw Mark Richards. We were all headed for Hawaii and what would be my first travel leg of the then IPS world tour. The next ten years or so of my life consisted of moments like that: traveling alone, or with some

Wonder

It has been a very busy year. So busy in fact, that I have needed to learn how to recharge my creative battery while on the fly. Fashion, Video projects, TV projects, motion pictures, my penchant for documenting beautiful things, travel, new tech, literary projects, commercial imaging, social projects, community, and hopefully some of me for my wonderful girlfriend and family. All of these things have beat a tempo never experienced in the realm of my career as an image maker. It comes at a time when the economy is without a doubt at one if its worst places in

Texture

I like to listen to things. Sound is life. People think that because I am a photographer, I am all about light. But light and color are merely indicators of a signature flowing through creation that is sound. So I listen and try to decipher, to hear, comprehend, move forward. Certain things that I hear create textures that eventually comprise threads which in turn weave the tapestry of life. You all get to see that, as I photograph those instants. It is Fall here in Ventura California. The voices in my life burst forth in a timbre that in turn,

New, Bigger: Better?

I just spent the better part of the past week bouncing back and forth between post production and producing a richly diverse amount of new imagery. Multiple subjects, 7 days, in both motion picture and stills. I truly redlined my Canon 5D Mark 2, and utilized every facet of the camera learned from the last six months usage. Throttling back, yesterday I pondered my Google alerts. I set alerts on Google for new technology. So I get e mails which carry the keywords that I am concerned with. Here is the deal. For the first time ever, tech is working,

Touch

It is not something I have any complete understanding of, but for some reason I recognize the touch of my friends and what may be affecting them. It often comes in the form of a subtle whisper. I have found that if I shut the heck up and just listen, the process applies quite dramatically in my work. I will experience new things as a result. That affects what I communicate to the world. It changes my perception, as the imprint broadens who and what I am. I need that. My life would be cold porridge without it. Last night

Vulnerability

Everyone must learn to deal with issues involving trust. In our craft, or art, because a certain aspect of photography is subjective and it’s validity may be cheered or denigrated by a viewer, depending on where that viewer hails from morally, spiritually, or sociologically, it is des rigeur to put ourselves out on an emotional limb so to speak, when we share our work. So there is risk involved. On many levels. Is my subject valid, am I good enough technically, am I going to be accepted by enough of the commercial market to get a return on all my

While the World Shakes

The Rim Of Fire collapses and expands and it is in upheaval right now. I could feel it coming while we were on Bali. Daily messages came in the form of little tremors, groans and bumpy vertiginous moments. A larger quake hit as we left Depassar. Now pain reigns in may places in the Rim. It is something I am cognizant of, but cannot focus on. I am just very sorry for them all right at the moment. I am in the most polar opposite of places right now as Tyler Swain, Rob Dafoe and I work on content acquisition

The Artist as Asset

Well, I am home again. Sort of. Bali, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Central Coast California for a half day. It has been a long last month or so of being “on the road” building assets, which basically means creating content in stills and motion picture to be used in roughly a dozen ongoing projects. The Canon 5D Mark 2 established itself as a ground breaking piece of equipment for someone like me. The things that a creative operator can do with it will prove to re define cinematography as time passes. Here is a great link that details some of

Bali Journal 7: Gianyar

Today saw a visit to a Balinese market place, where once again, we appeared to be the only foreigners. Monday night we are hosting a party at our Villa, so we went out shopping for the odds and ends that we would need. Gusti’s wife has generously offered to prepare food for 20, and bring it over. We are excited to see what she makes. Cooking is her forte. This should be an interesting party. The marketplace was colorful, as many are. Gusti ran across a few people that he knew. Sarongs hemmed on the spot flawlessly by a skilled

Bali Journal 6: Gusti Gathering

I am sitting roadside in a wood carvers village clattering away on my Macbook Pro while Bali rushes by around me. Time to journal yesterday while Donna, Ketut and Aaron shop. Yesterday was a long roll day. One time lapse of a rice field being harvested, ran for 9 hours and ended in a carefully designed motion move. In between, was a lot of writing and motion picture review, while the 5DM2 snapped a frame every 60 seconds or so. At 8pm we shut the camera down and headed out for the evening, and what was the last part of

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