Cup of Joe Photo

Camacho Muse Wedding

Last Saturday my friend Charlie Samples and I shot a super cool wedding. Priscilla and Josh got ready at The US Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. The ceremony was at the Immaculata Parish on the campus of USD. We then went back to the US Grant for a totally cool reception. Event coordination and floral design were handled by the team at Petals by Xavi.

I feel a sample album here.... I really smoked this wedding. It's so great when all things work together for good. I was smiling all day long. Why not? Beautiful couple in a beautiful location. I'm blessed:)

Enjoy!

How to be a Winner

Although Zig Ziglar has been around for a long time and the picture on the book sleeve is really old, his books contain extraordinary content on being the best you can be. His style reminds me of Dale Carnegie, very easy to understand, with great stories and analogies. I saw him speak at a convention where everyone quietly listened to everything he had to say with an awed reverence. My good friend Brian bought an entire tape series he was selling for over $700. He said it was worth every penny. This book is under $25. You can start here. Enjoy.

You know what it means to be a winner. Now find out how you can become one.
The world's foremost producer of personal development and motivational audio programs now offers master motivator Zig Ziglar's secrets of success.

You have the potential. But you need that powerful lift that can vault you over any obstacle: a winning attitude. Your talents and skills are inert without a winning self-image to activate them. "Attitude is more important than aptitude," asserts Ziglar as he leads you to think and feel like a winner. Winners are not born -- they're made. You can train your mind and body for high performance by applying Zig's success formula to your everyday life. As you gain a winning edge, you'll be able to:

Find the positive in people and situations

Change bad habits

Set goals

Have more rewarding relationships How to Be a Winner is so motivational and inspirational that you'll want to listen to it again and again. This powerful program will revitalize you whenever you are down.

About the Author
Zig Ziglar left a highly successful sales career to sell the things people needed most: self-image, confidence, motivation and success. With more than twenty years speaking experience worldwide, Zig Ziglar has been recognized three times in the Congressional Record of the United States for his activities in "selling" America and the free-enterprise system. Zig Ziglar is the author of many books, including the bestseller See You At The Top. His Dallas-based corporation produces an extensive line of training tools in addition to offering seminars and workshops. Other Zig Ziglar audio programs available include Goals, Five Steps to Successful Selling and Sell Your Way to the Top.

Dead End

I was out on Friday shooting infrared with my friend Charlie. This sign stood out to me. Dead end. There were literally 4 of these Dead End signs very close by. Weird huh?

There are times when I experience a Dead End with an idea, relationship or venture. How about you?

I find that there are times in our lives when doors of opportunity close. But there are also times when new doors open. Happy Sunday.

Walk it out - Happy Feet Remix

My daughter Mikayla showed me this video a few nights ago. She recommended that I share it on my blog. I'm thinking of letting her recommend a few videos from time to time:) Have a lovely day. Now, walk it out....

Flower Power

This weekend may be the perfect time to take a moment to behold the power of a flower. Flowers make people happy! It's interesting to note that there are always flowers at weddings. Flowers are an item of beauty. I had the great pleasure of photographing these flowers a few weeks ago at a time when I was stressed. Watching and shooting these flowers gave me peace of mind, and deep joy. Kinda sappy I know... I hope that you'll enjoy the happiness of flowers this weekend.

Challenge

This weekend, consider shooting some infrared images. You can shoot at a wedding, portrait session or better yet, out in nature. It's a great additional bonus to any coverage. I shot these images with a filter, but my good friend Charlie Samples is bringing his converted D1X out for me to play with this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy these.

Making Cool - Warm

After I tweaked the original, I had a very nice Cool image. Then, I thought, what if I added a warm sunset to the sky. I started by adding a "solid color" fill layer. I selected an orange color and then used the gradient tool so that the top remained solid and the bottom was now clear. I changed the layer mode to Multiply and then used the paint brush to remove any orange layer from the top of the couple. Viola! Warm is the new Cool.

Try it yourself. Drag the cool image and the warm layer to your desktop. Put the orange layer on top and change the mode to multiply. Enjoy!

Choices

Sometimes I give my clients choices on their wall portraits. I often make more than one version to choose from. In this case, I made two. I'd love to know which you prefer. (remember, there is no wrong answer).
Do you like cool or warm?

Ray Friesz

Yesterday afternoon my friend Ray Friesz left this world for his home in Heaven. He will be dearly missed around town. I have had the great pleasure of getting to know him through the video work I used to do at Capo Beach Calvary. I edited a video piece for an artist friend of his while I was still in film school 14 years ago. Since then, he had talked to me often about editing a retrospective of his life's work. He always said he had so much VHS footage, but he needed an editor to make the movie. I would tell him that I didn't have the equipment to do it, but he never seemed satisfied with that answer. Finally, last February, Ingrid and I were moved to spend an afternoon interviewing him about his Life and his Legacy (on mini DV so I could get it into Final Cut for editing). It was a delightful experience as he told us his story. I photographed him too (of course).

So yesterday morning at church Dan Snipes (a fabulous photographer and one of Ray's long time friends) told me Ray wasn't doing so well and probably didn't have much time left. The service was also dedicated to Ray by his friend and guest speaker, Hyatt Moore.

I was convicted to get his project done and planned to spend the afternoon doing it. While I was editing I get a call from my friend Francesca informing me that Ray had passed away. My heart sank and I felt I had waited to long.

Hyatt had said something I thought was very unusual at the opening of the service. He said that he hoped to have a part of Ray's creative spirit fall upon him after Ray passed. I thought, "that's weird".

Then, while I was editing, I sensed that Ray was with me. Very weird, I know. But I felt relieved that he was there. He was seeing the footage, and his creative spirit was with me.

I still have a long way to go to get it done, so I'll be working on it this week. In the meantime, I tweaked some of the photos I shot of him in February.

May your soul glory in the Lord now Ray:) Your legacy lives on through the lives of those you've touched.

Gregg Turns 40

Last night, Ingrid and I celebrated with one of my long time friends from Chicago as he turned 40. Gregg is an extremely talented guitarist, who now teaches guitar at a Catholic Boys prep school in Anaheim. His program is one of the best in the country. It's amazing to me that as I too approach 40, he and I still continue to "act our shoe size since 1979". Happy Birthday Gregg!

Wedding Cake

Just thought you may like to know....

Sharing the first piece of wedding cake is a wedding tradition with Roman roots. The Romans believed that by eating the wedding cake together a special bond was created between the couple. The wheat used to bake the cake was symbolic of fertility and a "fruitful union", while the cake's sweetness was thought to bring sweetness to all areas of the couple's new life.

The Tradition says nothing about mashing the cake, so I suppose that's ok too. My wife and I mashed when we were married and so did Danielle and Jerod whom I photographed below this past April. Laughter and childish play are equally as sweet.

Barbara Morgan

Light is the shape and play of my thought.... my reason for being a photographer. -Barbara Morgan

U.S. beats Russia:)

I really cannot say it enough. Be childish as often as possible. I pride myself on immaturity, and my life is generally very happy as a result. I'm still processing how being a big kid in Russia has changed my life. Then I got a phone call. My roommate Bill Goodrich from the trip (does video) and he sent me this clip yesterday.

I should begin by stating a few facts.
1. I pretty much suck at sports. Seriously.
2. Russian kids are great at soccer!
3. I have a slight height advantage.

Now, prepare to see one of my proudest soccer moments...ever!

FreeVideoCoding.com

And there it was. Sweet Victory for team USA.

Festival of the Arts

Ingrid and I love to go to The Festival of Arts every year and enjoy the art. We especially love to see the kids art. They start with kindergarten and go up to 12th grade. I photographed some of my favs from little kids to high schoolers. (Talk about inspiration).

Ingrid's Uncle Herb is a fabulous jeweler and sculptor. He hooks us up every year with tickets. This year we came with friends....again. It was a blast. Enjoy.

Full of Grace

I've had a morning full of grace. God is extraordinary, working all things together for good. I really want to tell all of my blog followers how much I appreciate you and your kinds words, thoughts, and prayers on my behalf. You exercise your power to make the world a blessed place. I am grateful for your support.

Andrea & Benn's Wedding

Andrea and Benn are in love and there's no denying it. They look at each other with wide-eyed wonder and joy. Benn arranged for a skywriter to draw two intertwined hearts in the sky just prior to the ceremony. How cool is that?! They celebrated their wedding vows at The Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel last weekend. The lovely Susan MacDonald coordinated the event and the floral design was created by White Lilac. Ashley Video Productions captured the moving pictures. Enjoy.

Getting Things Done

Happy Monday:)
I just finished this book by David Allen and I must admit...I dream of being more organized. I hope that by implementing a personal system based on my patterns it will help me to plan in advance, rather than wait until the last minute to do things. I'll need to go through this book a second time to begin my program, and I'm excited about David's approach. Check back in a month and I'll give you an update on my progress. Enjoy

Featured in Fortune, and labeled by Fast Company as “the guru of personal productivity,”
David Allen has over 20 years experience as a management consultant, productivity coach,
and educator. In his bestselling book, GETTING THINGS DONE: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Allen shares with readers the proven productivity strategies that he has developed consulting at such top organizations as New York Life, the World Bank, Microsoft, the Ford Foundation and the U.S. Navy.

Part I of GETTING THINGS DONE, describes Allen’s whole system, Part II coaches you through implementing the system, and Part III explores the subtler and more profound benefits you will experience when you incorporate these core principles into your work and your life. Allen’s program is instantly accessible and requires no new skills at all—just a new way of approaching things that enter the threshold of your work and life.

"You need to do something about what you are thinking and you need to think about the things that you are doing."

-David Allen

Moments in Life

Happy Sunday:)
I found this story on several inspirational sites (without an author credit given). I pass it along to you and hope that these words bless your day. Enjoy.

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real! When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don’t see the one which has been opened for us.

Don’t go for looks; they can deceive. Don’t go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go onward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

-Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!

Diane Arbus

Some pictures are tentative forays without your even knowing it. They become methods. It's important to take bad pictures. It's the bad ones that have to do with what you've never done before. They can make you recognize something you hadn't seen in a way that will make you recognize it when you see it again. -Diane Arbus

Check out the movie Fur for more on Diane Arbus

Textures for FREE:)

Textures are all around us. Start shooting them for yourself. Be ORIGINAL! Do you want your stuff to look like other photographers?! While in Venice Beach on Tuesday, I shot 21 textures in about 3 minutes. I shot graffiti on walls, stained windows, and paint on the sidewalk. These are some of the images I captured to gritty up my images.

The original shot of the man's hand and foot.

I added this texture in "overlay" mode at 50% opacity, then flattened it.

Then double the layer and change the mode to "multiply". Viola! "Gritty original image".
Drag the above two images to your desktop and try it for yourself. Textures for free:) Do we live in a great country or what? Express yourself.

Day in LA

I spent Tuesday in Santa Monica and Venice Beach with my friends Joey, Valerie and Francesca from the Russia Trip. We were in LA because Lena, was visiting from Russia and hadn't seen Venice Beach. Here's some of the fun we had.

The actual Joey himself

The actual Joey himself took these of me in action.

Always a kid:)

7-7-07 Continued

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all of the awesome response to yesterdays images. Though today's cup of joe is being served late, it's still hot. Enjoy!

Seema and Karan's wedding took place at The Ritz Carlton in Pasadena and was coordinated by the fabulous Kelly Meyer of Kelly Michelle Weddings. Floral decor was designed by Square Root (the best in the business), video by Bryan Geddes of Guava Street, and hair and makeup by Jeannie Jeffries and Madeeha Kibriya of Couture Beauty.

7-7-07

Wow, the biggest wedding day of the year, I got to spend with two of my favorite clients. While spending the previous 3 days with them as well as the fabulous time we had in New York, I've really grown to love them and their families. I'm not even close to finishing editing this wedding, but I pulled a few of my favorite pre ceremony images and I'll post more tomorrow with all the vendor info and links. Enjoy!

Curse of the Golden Flower

Inspiration comes in many forms. This weeks "book of the week" is a movie. I often look to films for visual inspiration. Yesterday, I watched "Curse of the Golden Flower". This movie is another perfectly gorgeous masterpiece from director Zhang Yimou. Two of his previous films have been just as inspiring to me (Hero and House Of Flying Daggers). I can relate my vision for wedding photography to his idealism and lavish beauty in the scenes. His meticulous work as a director (and cinematographer) are extraordinary.

View the movie trailer here. Enjoy!

IMITATE THE BALLOON

Now this is what I'm talking about! However, it's said better by Fola than I could have said it. Enjoy!

by: Fola Daniel Adelesi

At first the balloon is flat. You could have it in your pocket or in the middle of your book and nobody has an idea of what you are keeping in your book. Sometimes you could hold it in your hands without anybody noticing that you’re holding unto a balloon. But the moment you pick the balloon to blow air into it steadily, it becomes impossible for you to put it in the middle of your book like you did earlier! Once you start blowing the balloon you cannot fold it in your hands as you did before! Everybody around you begins to notice the balloon. They begin to pay attention to its colours and its size.

This is how the life of a man is supposed to be. When you have an idea it is first in your book. It can be on a sheet of paper in your palms and not seen by anybody. But when you begin with your idea, people now see it. It also becomes impossible for you, the visionary, to hide the idea. The idea attracts attention itself. Just like all the balloon needs to begin to receive attention is consistent air, all your idea needs is consistent creativity blown into it. Blow creativity into your idea like air is blown into the balloon.

Air sustains the balloon so long as there is no space for air to escape. Your business also thrives so long as creativity is not allowed to escape.

Your next line of action is to shoot up. The balloon traps air inside to be able to able to exhibit its real size and at the same time takes advantage of the air to move up. The breeze does not often favour the balloon but the balloon still takes advantage of the breeze to dance in the air. You and I know so well that the balloon might be fully blown but it does not move if there is no breeze to carry it.

You do not have to start with money. Start with what’s on your mind. There are people who have ideas and are waiting to get money to start. This is why it amazes me that there are people who also have money who are waiting for ideas so that they can invest their money! If money really gets things started, the people who have money should not look for ideas.

You may as well be interested in the fact that the balloon lasts longer because of its flexibility. When it hits anything its direction changes. When you hit a hard rock while sailing through life, don’t stay put. Don’t say it’s the end of the road. There’s a long way to travel behind the rock. When the balloon is pressed it bends and flips out of pressure. Learn to endure, for sometime, bend and flip out of pressure to the next level. It’s sure isn’t going to be straight because when you have the alphabet written on a straight line, you would have to go zigzag before picking the letters that form success.

You are a success!

JPG Magazine

My friend Joey brought this website(jpgmag.com) to my attention. It's super cool. Photographers contribute photos and stories to be published. It's filled with talent. I plan to submit some fine art street images and perhaps landscape stuff too. Maybe you should submit your work too.
Happy 7-7-07!

Mendhi

Yesterday I photographed a Mendhi celebration for my lucky 7-7-07 clients Seema and Karan. I've been looking forward to their wedding for months. I had a blast shooting their engagement images in New York, and last night was an equally great opportunity to capture extraordinary images. I love my job! Enjoy.

The beautiful bride to be, Seema.

Karan and the boys making their entrance.

Karan has a great fashion sense:)

Henna being applied to Seema's hand. Talk about great skills!

Seema's parents and the hosts of the evening, Ben and Vina.

My happy brides:) I just photographed Amita's extraordinary wedding at the end of May!

Irving Penn

A good photograph is one that communicate a fact, touches the heart, leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective. -Irving Penn

Freedom To Vlog

On this July 4th holiday I'm so excited about my newfound freedom.... to Vlog. I really believe that this may be the best way for me to communicate my thoughts to the world. (It also helps that I have experience with video and I'm not exactly shy in front of the camera).

May you celebrate the freedoms that you enjoy today, and everyday in our abundantly blessed country!!

Update

We'll be sending out our monthly newsletter for July soon (after Independence day) and if you are interested in receiving it, simply sign up to become a Caffeinated Addict. I've got some sweet Before and After images from Russia and an article on "Stepping outside of your comfort zone".

Also, a huge THANK YOU to all of you who had pre-ordered Show and Tell 2. We received the DVD's last week and shipped them on the 28th. Enjoy them! I'm totally stoked with how the final product looks and sounds. It took twice as long to create as my first one, but it's got twice as much content and options. I can't wait to get all your feedback!

Finally, I feel as though I've really dropped the ball with planning the workshops. I definitely have a heart for teaching, I just haven't decided on the most effective format to share my passion and enthusiasm for creating images and attaining our goals. The DVD is an awesome starting place and now that it's ready, I plan to focus my energy on creating a workshop that inspires creativity and challenges our comfort zones. Stay tuned:)

You, Inc.

This is the latest book in the Beckwith arsenal. I'm about half way through it, but it's so well written I thought it best to share it with you now. I'm a big fan of Mr. Beckwith. If you read the book, you'll see why.
Enjoy.

Book Description As founder of Beckwith Advertising and Marketing, Harry Beckwith learned early on in his career that no matter what product is being sold, the most important component of the sale is you. Here Beckwith teams up with his wife, motivational speaker and former sales executive Christine Clifford Beckwith, to provide tips, anecdotes, and insights based on their 30 years of selling experience. Written in a traditional homespun style, the Beckwiths offer doses of humor and practical knowledge to anyone who wants to learn how to seal the deal and thrive in business.

Excerpt from You, Inc.
Living Is Selling
It's easy to dislike selling, or even the very idea of it.

From childhood, you are conditioned to dislike it. In frontier tales of snake oil salesmen, plays like Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross, and movies like Boiler Room, the images of salespeople radiate gloom. Selling is dishonest, dehumanizing, and cruel, and only the slick survive.

For a time, some do. But let?s skip that momentarily. Let's deal, instead, with an easily overlooked fact:

Living is selling.

Start from childhood, and remember all the sales calls you made. You worked up a sales pitch to get your parents to take you to Disney World, raise your allowance, and extend your curfew. You pitched them on sleepovers, a nicer bike, perhaps your first car. For that matter, you sold them on the accident that "Wasn't really my fault" and on a report card that seemed to suggest some backsliding. And on and on.

Your childhood sales career prepared you for adulthood, when you tried to sell your college on admitting you, an employer on hiring you, and the car dealer on dropping $500 from the sticker price. You sell your friends on going to your favorite restaurant. A husband and wife sell constantly: What movie shall we go to? Who takes the dog to the vet? Who?s going to get the groceries?

And on and on.

The question is not, are you a salesperson? The question is, how might you become more effective? Just as important, how might you make your life richer?

As it turns out, the answer to each question answers the other.

Russia Reunion Party

This afternoon I'm getting together with many of the team that went to Russia. I'm really looking forward to reliving the great experience I had there, with the people who experienced it with me. Exchanging stories and memories of the kids there. They touched my life deeply and I will always remember them.

I know though that there are people all around us who need our love and attention. I often feel as though I have failed to help those closest to me. My challenge is to pay attention and be tuned into the needs around me and then pour myself out for them. Slowly, I'm becoming more aware.

What is your challenge?

It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start. Mother Teresa