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This year has been so fun and experimental for my images. I began applying a lot of textures and roughness to my usually pristine wedding images. I was inspired by the street shooting. I liked them so much I used 2 of these for ads (which I'll show you in another post soon).
"Above all, I craved to seize the whole essence, in the confines of one single photograph, of some situation that was in the process of unrolling itself before my eyes." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
Style appeals to my brides. They have a "passion for fashion" just as I do. Samantha and Bejan were a pleasure to photograph. Their wedding was at the fabulous Montage Resort and Spa in Laguna Beach. Photographers ask me all the time, "how do you get your brides to do the things they do?" I reply "Be enthusiastic and simply ask." Enjoy!
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"I'd go down to the end of my street, to a garage that had a certain feeling about it, or a particular light; I'd take a picture of a friend who needed a head shot. That's how I learned, instead of having school assignments and learning camera techniques." -Herb Ritts
I really enjoy doing something fun and exciting with engagement sessions. I did this one last summer when the water was warmer. Alex & Jeff live in Atlanta and we shot in Santa Monica while they were visiting Santa Barbara to prepare for their wedding. I used David Jay's showit web to show off the images. Wow, what a killer response I got. Happy clients make for great word of mouth advertising! Check out the video.
Merry Christmas to all Friends and Family! God is with us and has a purpose for our lives! May you be filled with His Grace and Peace!
Every Monday I post a new book recommendation. As a kid, I didn't like to read. Actually, I still don't. But Audio Books have changed everything. I've made it a habit to listen to a book a week. I'm amazed at how easy it is to listen to a book on my computer while I'm working or on my iPod as I'm exercising. If you prefer to read, that's great too. The most important thing is to get the knowledge of these great books into you. And then you can share that knowledge with others. Today is the perfect day to recommend "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. In his book, he walks us through the deepest question of our hearts, "What is the purpose of our lives?". Heartwarming, thought provoking, and deeply hopeful, this book is a great resource for this life's journey.
The Purpose-Driven Life will help you understand why you are alive and God's amazing plan for you, both here and now, and for eternity. Rick Warren will guide you through a personal 40-day spiritual journey that will transform your answer to life's most important question: What on earth am I here for? Knowing God's purpose for creating you will reduce your stress, focus your energy, simplify your decisions, give meaning to your life, and, most importantly, prepare you for eternity.This recording offers a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century: a lifestyle based on God's eternal purposes, not cultural values. Using over 1,200 scriptural quotes and references, it challenges the conventional definitions of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. In the tradition of Oswald Chambers, Rick Warren offers distilled wisdom on the essence of what life is all about. Full of hope and challenge, The Purpose-Driven Life will be a classic treasured by generations to come.
It's good to home. The vacation was awesome, but it's good to be home. After two weeks in the Caribbean, I'm completely relaxed and my heart is joyfully ready to celebrate the birth of the Savior.
May the Joy of God fill your life with meaning and purpose this Christmas!
"Joy is prayer - Joy is strength - Joy is love - Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
-Mother Teresa
"Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life, for joy is the emotion which accompanies our fulfilling our natures as human beings. It is based on the experience of one's identity as a being of worth and dignity." -Rollo May
"Joy to the world All the boys and girls Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me" -Three Dog Night
I shot these images on the streets of Tijuana on a photo field trip with Parker J, Becker, and Mike Colon. Four gringos with nice cameras....good times!
"A hundredth of a second here, a hundredth of a second there - even if you put them end to end, they still only add up to one, two, perhaps three seconds, snatched from eternity." -Robert Doisneau
"Tweaking" images is so much fun for me. All of my clients' images are retouched, and many of them get the extra "magic". Parker J has been such a profound influence in the shift in my image making. Enjoy!!
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When I'm ready to make a photograph, I think I quite obviously see in my minds eye something that is not literally there in the true meaning of the word. I'm interested in something which is built up from within, rather than just extracted from without. -Ansel Adams
This was a great wedding day last May! There were two religious ceremonies - Catholic and Hindu which made for a long day, but awesome photos. This wedding was coordinated by Sheryal Rozzelle of Unique Elegance. Sheryal specializes in Indian weddings! The flowers were beautifully arranged by Xavi of Petals by Xavi.
Three years ago, my buddy Brian Davis took me to a Leadership Conference that changed my life. It was there that I was first introduced to an impressive array of talented public speakers. As a result of attending the program, I was privileged to receive monthly cd's from Leadership Today (leaders in business). The very first issue was an interview with a terrific guy. His name is Tim Sanders and he had been the CSO (Chief Solutions Officer) at Yahoo. In that interview, I was immediately attracted to his sincerity and positive message of unselfishness in the workplace. Team building in every relationship we are in, for the sole purpose of helping others. Many of you may have already read his first book "Love is the Killer App". It's a highly recommended book by me and by others. However, it's his 2nd book I wish to bless you with today. The Like Ability Factor argues that likable people win. In life and in business. Likable people have better relationships as well as better health and greater satisfaction and contentment. Is this something you could use more of? Learn how to boost your Like Ability Factor today.
Are you wondering how you can improve your relationships with your friends and family?Are you curious how to get or keep the job of your dreams?
Do you want to become a more popular person?
This book will show you how to do all that by raising your likeability factor, or how much other people like you.
After all, life is a series of popularity contests. The choices other people make about you determine your health, wealth, and happiness. And decades of research prove that people choose who they like. They vote for them, they buy from them, they marry them, and they spend precious time with them.
The good news is that you can arm yourself for the contest and win life's battles for preference. How? By being likeable.
The more you are liked, or the higher your likeability factor, the happier your life will be. This audiobook will show you how to raise that likeability factor by teaching you how to boost four critical elements of your personality:
Friendliness: your ability to communicate liking and openness to others
Relevance: your capacity to connect with others' interests, wants, and needs
Empathy: your ability to recognize, acknowledge, and experience other people's feelings
Realness: the integrity that stands behind your likeability and guarantees its authenticity
Join Tim Sanders for a few hours and he'll share the results of hundreds of thousands of pages of research, numerous seminars, and hundreds of interviews with people just like you! Together you can build your likeability factor and improve your life!
Every January the same thing happens. People that have not been to the gym for 11 months start pouring back in again. That's ok. I'm not really concerned about having to wait to use the equipment, I know that most won't last too long. The promise of weight loss and improved health is one of the resolutions that health clubs capitalize on. It's true. Regular exercise will improve your health and help you lose weight. Many people start, but few hang in there for the long haul. If you do hang in there, you'll find additional benefits you may not have even expected (better sleep, alertness, frequent compliments, ect.). Start today, to think about how you feel and if you could benefit from regular exercise. Let's all get healthy together, for 2007. Feeling better starts with the choice to feel better!
"The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results." -Tony Robbins
"You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action." -Tony Robbins
I shot these images in Lincoln Park while assisting (more like hanging out with) Parker J on a wedding in May of 2005. Sometimes the student gets a a decent landscape shot, eh grasshopper?
"I just think it's important to be direct and honest with people about why you're photographing them and what you're doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul." -Mary Ellen Mark
The style of my images is one of the most important reasons my clients hire me to photograph their weddings. I challenge myself to continue to learn and evolve in my image making. That ensures that it's always fresh and always fun. Enjoy!
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"I do not object to retouching, dodging. or accentuation as long as they do not interfere with the natural qualities of photographic technique." -Alfred Stieglitz
This was a totally fun wedding last July. The bride and groom were married in Manhattan Beach and we took the wedding party to the beach after the ceremony. The reception was at The Los Angeles Country Club. (Who knew men had to wear a tie there, I thought the Versace suit would be enough). I am Joe Photo after all...
This weeks book is Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. I read this book a few years ago. It was time for me to get out of the "rat race". Around that time Mike Colon, Becker, Tom Baker and his wife Lisa Renee (all photographers) came over to our house to play "Cashflow". It's a game to help you break free from our imbedded thoughts about money and to how to win in life and literally "get out of the rat race". Since then, it's amazing to see how we've all grown financially successful! Let Mr. Kiyosaki teach you what his "rich dad" taught him. Get the book and make the choice to change your life!
"The main reason people struggle financially is because they have spent years in school but learned nothing about money. The result is that people learn to work for money...but never to have money work for them." So says Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad in this New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and USA Today best seller. Rich Dad, Poor Dad will: explode the myth that you need to earn a high income to become rich; challenge the belief that your house is an asset; show parents why they can't rely on the school system to teach their kids about money; define once and for all an asset and a liability; and teach you what to teach your kids about money for their future financial success.
My rich dad taught me early that real estate is the fastest way to build wealth. Real estate investing has created more millionaires than any other form of investing because of its many advantages. Whether you’re investing for cash flow or capital gains, your success is dependant on your education. Investing is only risky if you don’t know what you’re doing. The rich know the many advantages that investing in real estate offers and how they can benefit from them. If you were raised poor or middle-class, chances are that you were not taught the fundamentals you need to leverage the power of real estate and become financially free for life. By having a personal coach, you can take these principles and quickly apply them in your life. You’ll have the feedback and encouragement you need to get out of the rat race—just like my rich dad did for me.
Occasionally, I'll watch a movie that just rocks me. This is one of those movies. Al Gore makes a stand on which he is passionate about. He presents the information in an easy to understand presentation with plenty of visual support. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie. Check out the movie trailer today.
"In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"Modern Society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyles." -Pope John Paul II
July 2nd - 4th 2006 I was photographing the multi-day birthday celebration of my client. These are the images of his group of friends fishing in the Roaring Fork River in Aspen, CO.
"Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk." -Edward Weston
I've got a fun idea. I'll show you some wedding images before and after "the magic". My buddy Parker always says "You can't polish a turd." It's true. You have to start with good images, then you can make them great.
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"I spend a lot of time preparing. I think a lot about what I want to do. I have prep books, little notebooks in which I write everything down before a sitting. Otherwise I would forget my ideas." -Helmut Newton
I photographed this fabulous wedding at The Ritz Carlton - Laguna Niguel last July. Paula Laskelle of Champagne Taste coordinated the Event and the beautiful flowers were done by Square Root.
Learning is fun! There is so much great information in books. I've been devouring audio books this year on a journey of self discovery. The theme that keeps emerging for me is the concept of living on the road less travelled. Years ago, I read the book of the same title by M. Scott Peck. It begins with the statement "Life is difficult." If we start with this premise, then doing the hard work of growth is a given. Nothing worth achieving is easy. Let's make the journey together - on the road less travelled.
Perhaps no book in this generation has had a more profound impact on our intellectual and spiritual lives than The Road Less Traveled. With sales of more than 7 million copies in the United States and Canada, and translation into more than 23 languages, it has made publishing history, with more than 10 years on The New York Times best seller list.Told in a voice that is timeless in its message of understanding, The Road Less Traveled continues to enable us to explore the nature of loving relationships and leads us toward a new serenity and fullness of life. It helps us determine how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become a more sensitive parent; and ultimately how to become one's own true self.
Recognizing that "Life is difficult" and that the journey to spiritual growth is a long one, Dr. Peck never bullies his listeners, but gently guides them through the hard and often painful process of change toward a higher level of self-understanding.
Combining profound psychological insight and deep spirituality, this is an audiobook that provides inspiration and understanding.
We all have the the same amount of time in a day to use as we choose. No one gets more than 24 hours a day. So, how do you use your day? I often find myself using my day to fill my life with things that I enjoy. Images, music, movies, conversations, design and beauty. I am energized by these experiences, and my enthusiasm is channeled into inspiring people to "pursue their passion". I'm happy because I choose to fill my life with people and experiences that I enjoy. Life is too short to be sucked down by negative people or experiences. If you want your life to be different, change it!
"Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it." - M. Scott Peck
July 2nd - 4th 2006 I was photographing the multi-day birthday celebration of my client. These are the images of his group of friends playing golf at The Roaring Fork Club in Aspen.
"I began to realize that film sees the world differently than the human eye, and that sometimes those differences can make a photograph more powerful than what you actually observed." -Galen Rowell
