Cup of Joe Photo

Disney Hall Images

Disney Hall is a peaceful place for the heart and for the soul. I spent most of Memorial Day on a photo field trip in Los Angeles with a friend from Australia who was in town for the day. The practice of street shooting refocuses my perspective and passion for photography. Though I was just shooting at Disney Hall two weeks ago for our Day Trippin' event, this time there was different and fresh. I suppose you could spend days shooting there and still remain in awe of it's beauty and structure.

Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow's Success

Good morning friends. Happy Memorial Day.

Today, I'm recommending a book that has practical applications that can be easily implemented into your busy lives. John C Maxwell approaches life and business from a pastoral perspective. His daily 12 practices include common sense priorities that we sometimes need to be remind are important to our mind, body and spirit. Topics include insight on attitude, values, health and commitment. At 300 pages, it's an easy read and worth your consideration. Make today matter!

Getting Older

Yesterday I shared with clients the mini-crisis I had when I turned 40. I had an unexpected fit about having a party Ingrid was planning for me, and I made the selfish decision to cancel it. Today I thought I'd share with you some quotes from a humorous email I received on getting older. Some of you may relate. Enjoy.

Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman:   

'And what do you think is the best thing 

 About being 104?' the reporter asked. 

 She simply replied, 'No peer pressure.'

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, 

 So I got my doctor's permission to 

 Join a fitness club and start exercising. 

 I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. 

 I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down,

 and perspired for an hour. But..... 

 By the time I got my leotards on, 

 The class was over.

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. 

 Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

It's scary when you start making the same noises 

 As your coffee maker.

THE SENILITY PRAYER : 

 Grant me the senility to forget the people 

 I never liked anyway, 

The good fortune to run into the ones I do, and 

 The eyesight to tell the difference.

Mountain Gate Country Club Wedding

Kim and James enjoyed a fabulous wedding day at Mountain Gate Country Club in Los Angeles. Their wedding was coordinated by Kary Heimbach of kary h events. Flowers were designed by Sonny Alexander.

Video was captured by my friends at Elysium Productions and Mike Ivey at Pro Audio rocked the Mic and the lighting. Enjoy. 

Kim + James

Lightroom is throwin' my groove. Normally, I'd have my wedding from last week posted with my favorites all tweaked. Today is Saturday already. Since I'm learning (and playing with) Lightroom it's taking a bit longer. I'll be posting a slideshow soon....

Don't ya love these shoes!

Russian Color

How cool is all this paint and texture? I could not imagine traveling without taking my camera. I miss Russia. Our church is over there again right now. I look forward to returning next year. 

Have a great weekend.

Russia Photo Essay/Article

I finished my 2nd Russia article today for RangeFinder and I was pulling images tonight and I realized I hadn't posted all day. So, better late than never:) Enjoy.

True Blood - Inspiration

Inspiration can be found anywhere, and often strikes without warning. This title sequence from True Blood was found on a super cool website called The Art of the Title. I love the True Blood super 8 feel and juxtaposition of images. My brother-in-law is a film maker and turned me on to this site. Oh boy. I've spent a considerable amount of time here. It's perfectly suited for the visual eye candy I crave. Be prepared to be inspired. Check out Sita Sings the Blues. Hooray.

Day Trippin' in Los Angeles (portfolio 5)

Here's the last of the images that I captured in a short 6 hour day of shooting. Sometimes you're hot and sometimes you're not. I'd say I was really, really warm on this Day Trip. Not smokin hot, but very satisfied:) I can't wait to do our next one July 14, 2009 - Venice Beach.

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

At the very top of my short list of "things I love" are photography, movies and music. And my top 3 areas of study are theology, psychology and the the brain. I wondered how exciting it might be to study two of my favorite topics combined. After all there is an abundance of psychological studies of movies, though I have yet to find a book regarding the theology of photography. I did however come across "This is Your Brain on Music". Fascinated by the idea, I gave it a try.

The author, Daniel J Levitin, explains how our brains perceive music. A former musician and producer of rock bands in the 1970s and 80s, Levitin now does research as a cognitive psychologist and neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. However, his musical background creates the foundation for his writing and he commonly refers to examples such as Sting, The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder to keep the reader grounded in references they can understand. The audio book may have a slight edge by playing sound bites of songs to illustrate his points.

Every culture throughout human history has had some type of musical expression. Levitin explores the importance of music to our health, happiness and humanities procreation. Yep, how music may be used in procreation and why guys want to be rockstars.

This was a cool experience for a little diversification in my reading. If you want music theory for the laypeople, this is your read. Enjoy.