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ID Please

In marketing, one of the principal rules, is to identify the product in the eyes of the market. I am often introduced as a surf photographer. It is not that I eschew the title, which truly makes me die inside at the proffering of that description. Someone inevitably must endeavor to communicate what indeed it is, that one shoots. I do shoot surfing. I love the ocean. Surfing professionally was something that I was proud to have done for a substantial portion of my life, as it kept me IN the sea daily. But that is not what I am.

Small Town, Big World

I get a global look at things through my photography business, which has web strands anchored to many countries. I see something first hand, that many do not have the personal luxury of acquiring: a broad economic and cultural perspective. This country is in the single greatest period of change and challenge since the Great Depression. So what to do, as assets dwindle and fiscal potential narrows? For the answer, look to the past. About a year ago, a group of people met in my little town. There were a series of meetings actually. No official city committee was involved.

Earth Angel

angel |ˈānjəl| noun 1. a spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God. “So let the Earth give testimony.” I was raised in Santa Barbara. Most of my earliest and therefore strongest influences, were based on my native Hawaiian Culture’s perception of man’s place in the world, and the catch all of SB culture’s budding eco consciousness, and the science based tenets of our University and College. But one of the most basic of principals, and something upon which my work is founded, came not from my social and cultural mores, it actually was planted

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

Bali Journal 5: Sacrosanct

Just because something is sacred does not mean that it is exempt from entropy and the physical laws of change. In fact, being sacred may mean that every force in this world is immediately set in motion with the express purpose of subverting that consecrated thing. It is the world’s way. Sacred refers to being set apart for a specific purpose. The dictionary defines it as the state of being connected to God. The word is derived from the Latin word sacrare, which is a verb. That means it denotes action, motion, interaction, etc. But if a thing is truly

Organic Reprisal

We leave the troubled shores of the US soon, for the exotic environs of Indonesia where Donna Von Hoesslin’s creative muse lies, on the Isle of Bali. We are a tightly knit crew, who all will donate time and our own efforts in a collaborative endeavor to contribute to something that matters, and in the process, create something beautiful and compelling. The excursion will be a little different than Donna’s usual solo pilgrimage to her mecca of creativity and harmonic bliss. This time she brings along a group of young women whose names have become synonymous with her Ventura based

Our Own Memorial

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 25 in 2009). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action. (From Wikipedia) For communicators, our words, deeds and imagery can be an eternal light. In line with the recent thread, writer, and global

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