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These images were shot while Ingrid and I were visiting her sister in Phoenix. My brother in law is a trail guide and offered to be my "shirpa" on a hike. What a great offer. A guided tour and help carrying my camera bag. Awesome.
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"I had known poverty firsthand, but there I learned how to fight its evil - along with the evil of racism - with a camera." -Gordon Parks
Last weekend I was back at the lovely Montage Resort and Spa. This wedding was coordinated to perfection by Barbara Wallace and her team. The gorgeous floral design was was done by Nisie at The Enchanted Florist.
What do you really get exited about in your career? Focus your energy on that. When you are passionate about what you are doing, you're happy and your clients get excited. Everybody wins! That is when you've achieved success. When you make a living doing what you love! I'm blessed to make a great living photographing weddings. Determine what makes you enthusiastic, today!
"Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success." -Dale Carnegie
A long time ago, I had a photo instructor give a critic of a landscape assignment I shot. While standing in front of the class holding my image, he said "Why would I want to look at that for more than point three seconds?" My heart was crushed and I was embarrassed. His comment confirmed the direction of "people photography" for me, and I didn't shoot any landscape stuff for 15 years. Well, I'm doin' it now.
It's crazy how we hold on to our teachers words.
"Technically, I have not changed very much. Ask my assistants. They'll tell you, I am the easiest photographer to work with. I don't have heavy equipment. I work out of one bag." -Helmut Newton
We all have so much to be thankful for today. I have a healthy family and I have my dream job, working as a wedding photographer. I make it a practice to be grateful everyday. I just heard an inspirational woman speak about "Thanks - living". Being thankful everyday. What a lovely concept. If you are having a hard time being thankful, I find that often an image can put things into perspective. I shot this after hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
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"I think you have to have a real point of view that's your own. You have to tell it your way. And, I think that it's a mistake to shoot for a specific magazine's point of view because it's never going to be as good. You have to shoot for yourself and photograph the way you believe it." -Mary Ellen Mark
Last weekend I was in Santa Barbara for this awesome wedding. I love this couple and we had a lot of fun together. The wedding was coordinated by Carol and Christa at Make My Day Weddings.
A few weeks ago, I recommended The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This week I'm delighted to refer you to Stephen Covey's hugely important follow up "The 8TH Habit". The message of this book is simple. It teaches it's readers how to find their "voice" (or purpose) and help others find theirs. I'm coming to realize that nothing in life is more important or rewarding than recognizing our "true self" and our efforts in helping others realize theirs. In this small way, I'm helping you find your voice by encouraging you to read and discover your beauty within. Let it shine!!
In the more than 15 years since its publication, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has become an international phenomenon. Tens of millions of people in business, government, schools, and families have dramatically improved their lives and organizations by applying the principles of Stephen R. Covey's classic book.The world, though, is a vastly changed place. The challenges we all face in our relationships, families, professional lives, and communities are of an entirely new order of magnitude.
Being effective as individuals and organizations is no longer merely an option. But in order to thrive, innovate, excel, and lead in what Covey calls the new Knowledge Worker Age, we must build on and move beyond effectiveness. The call of this new era in human history is for greatness; it's for fulfillment, passionate execution, and significant contribution.
Accessing the higher levels of human genius and motivation in today's new reality requires a sea change in thinking. The crucial challenge of our world today is this: to find our voice and inspire others to find theirs. It is what Covey calls the 8th Habit.
So many people feel frustrated, discouraged, unappreciated, and undervalued, with little or no sense of voice of unique contribution. The 8th Habit is the answer to the soul's yearning for greatness, the organization's imperative for significance and superior results, and humanity's search for its "voice". Profound, compelling, and stunningly timely, this groundbreaking new audiobook of next level thinking gives a clear way to finally tap the limitless value-creation promise of the Knowledge Worker Age.
Covey's new audiobook will transform the way we think about ourselves and our purpose in life, about our organizations, and about humankind. Just as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People helped us focus on effectiveness, The 8th Habit shows us the way to greatness.
I was in Santa Barbara this past weekend for a wedding. While I was there, I got to hang with David Jay and Tim Halberg. We had a sweet time talking about so many ideas for our businesses. DJ said my enthusiasm reminded him of Anthony Robbins and sent me home with this weeks book recommendation, Live With Passion! What an awesome book! Tony is one of the world's premiere life coaches for a reason. He's effective, and he wants to change your life to empower you to reach your potential. You'll never be the same.
Are you tired of settling for less than you can be, less than you can achieve, less than you deserve? Would you like to learn to live with passion so that you can turn your everyday experiences into extraordinary, life-changing events? It's time to stop wishing and start living, because you are about to acquire the vital life tools that will help you tap into the power of your own passion.Let's face it, you want certain things out of life -- financial rewards, personal fulfillment, and satisfying relationships. And now, with Anthony Robbins' groundbreaking program Live with Passion!, you can master your behavior, your emotions, your finances, your business, and your career.
In Live with Passion!, you'll learn how to:
-Use 'Quality Quantifiers' to increase your desire for living
-Use the power of paradox to launch your plans with confidence and certainty
-Replace dormant resources with new assets that will improve the quality of your life
-Infuse your life with meaning and purposeAnthony Robbins will be there to help push you past your obstacles, achieve your goals, take consistent action on your ideas, and ultimately help you redefine and improve the quality of your entire life. So get started now and learn how to start living your life with more passion, more happiness, and more fulfillment than ever before!
We spend the most time on the things that we most value. Or do we? Often times, I've discovered that the things that I really value, take a back seat to those things that consume my time. I once did an amazing exercise with a list of values. Some of the values I recall were Health, Integrity, Love, Commitment, Success, Loyalty, Family, Money, Perseverance, Intelligence, Humor, Faith, Beauty, Peace, Fame, Joy, Contentment, Honesty, Intelligence, Trust, Creativity, and Balance. There were more, but we were asked to narrow these values to our top 5. Then to remove one, then another, then another, until we had two remaining. My top 2 were Faith and Family. That was actually a shocker when I realized how much time I was spending on my pursuit of fame and fortune. It was a lesson I've never forgotten. Take time today to determine your top 2 priorities for your life. Then spend your time accordingly.
I had the great opportunity to shoot the Fashion spread for OC and LA Ceremony Magazine last year. At that shoot, I met the publisher of another Magazine that I've been shooting a lot of editorial for this past year. You never know who you may meet, so be yourself, do extraordinary work and look fabulous!
These are two of my favorite images from that shoot.
"Nature is so powerful, so strong. Capturing its essence is not easy - your work becomes a dance with light and the weather. It takes you to a place within yourself." -Annie Leibovitz
Many times people on the streets are just hanging out. My method of shooting these people really depends on how quickly I see them or they see me. The first guy was actually looking at Becker while were in Mexico. I choose to shoot him from the side. He never noticed me. The second guy, Parker and I met in New Orleans and we hung out with him for a while to do images. There's not just one way to do it. Sometimes, developing a relationship works best and sometimes not. Pratice, and you decide!
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"I dream that someday the step between my mind and my finger will no longer be needed. And that simply by blinking my eyes, I shall make pictures. Then, I think, I shall really have become a photographer." -Alfred Eisenstaedt
I love weddings, they're all so different. Last weekend I shot at The St. Regis Hotel in Monarch Beach. This wedding was meticulously coordinated by Gail Garceau. Square Root provided the floral elements.
Ok, how many of you have never read the Bible? You're really missing out if you fail to spend time in this Book. This is the original life transforming read! I really like listening to this NIV audio Bible because it's done with a full cast of actors and music and sound effects. It's entertaining and Inspiring! I like to listen while I'm exercising in the morning. It's a great way to start or end your day. You'll be blessed. Guaranteed.
The NIV Audio Bible is more than a Bible you listen to. It's an experience that helps you enter into God's Word...so God's Word can enter into you.Features:
New International Version, today's most read, most trusted translation
Multiple-voice dramatization brings the Bible to life with world-class narration and colorful, true-to-the-text character renderings
Fully orchestrated background with sound effects provides maximum enhancement of the text reading
Digital engineering from start to finish delivers the ultimate in clarity and listening enjoyment
Brief book introductions give you a quick, preparatory overview of each book of the Bible
Hopefully, today you will be taking some time to rest from the long week behind you. Today, I'd like to recommend that you invest some time in a wonderful movie called Born Into Brothels. It's the story of how one photographer is making a difference in the lives of the lowest cast of children in India through the expression of photography. This is a powerful testimony to the impact each of us can make in the lives of others by using the talent we posses in photography. This movie makes a great gift for Christmas too! Enjoy!
Check the movie clips.
Before I moved to California in 1985, I lived in a suburb of Chicago. I was there for a wedding last year and my friend Souk hooked us up with a killer room at The Ritz Carlton downtown for a week. These images were taken while cruising around the city. I also bought two pairs of amazing shoes there, but that's another story...
"Notebook. No photographer should be without one!" -Ansel Adams
Mardi Gras was killer for street shooting. Amazing actually! For these images, I used Parker's "James Brown Color" action. It's one of my favorites for the streets! Enjoy.
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"The most difficult thing for me is a portrait. You have to try and put your camera between the skin of a person and his shirt." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
I really dig Holidays. They're all visually exciting (ground hog day being an exception). I thought these images were a lot of fun to shoot. Enjoy the 4th of July images I shoot for a job in Aspen and Celebrate our Freedom everyday.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey is a must read book! This is not an optional read. Dr. Covey is a brilliant and compassionate observer of human behavior. He empowers his readers with insights and techniques to change their their lives from the inside-out. Do yourself a huge favor and devour this book!
Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has been a top seller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology for proven principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity. Celebrating its 15th year of helping people solve personal and professional problems, this special anniversary edition includes a new forward and afterword written by Covey that explore whether the 7 Habits are still relevant and answer some of the most common questions he has received over the past 15 years.
This has been a very reflective year for me. I’ve been implementing so many new thoughts and habits in my life I sometimes wonder who I am. For years I’d been stuck in shallow thinking that had really hindered my personal development. This last year has been an incredible personal break through year for me inter-personally and spiritually. I’ve reexamined relationships, goals and motives. I’ve devoured personal development books, started journaling, and most importantly, honed my listening skills. It is not easy to do the work necessary for change, but it is so rewarding!
A friend who is also doing the work in his life recently told me to “be comfortable being uncomfortable.” Then you know you’re always growing.
"If we keep doing what we're doing, we're going to keep getting what we're getting." -Stephen Covey
Last November, I was on the Island of Nevis of the coast of St. Kitts in the Caribbean for a wedding. The first image is the pool at The Four Seasons where we stayed. The second image was shot after we hired a taxi to give us a tour of the Island. This is one of the remains of a sugar plantation.
"Think about the photo before and after, never during. The secret is to take your time. You mustn't go too fast. The subject must forget about you. Then, however, you must be very quick." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
Photographing in the streets is one of the most challenging assignments for me because of the human misery element. It's the 180 degree opposite of the beautiful weddings I shoot. In the streets, I'm really careful as not to offend the dignity of the individual. Any big city is going to have plenty of people in the streets. I plan to continue to stretch my comfort zone through my art.
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"We must remember that a photograph can hold just as much as we put into it, and no one has ever approached the full possibilities of the medium." -Ansel Adams
