the Kooks at House of Blues

Nathan, my neighbor asked yesterday if I could shoot The Kooks last night- what a killer show! The guitarist, Hugh, uses his guitars so we got full access- cool guys for sure. I also wasn't too familiar with their music before the show- I am now:)

Luke, the lead singer, is a great performer, they were rockin' it! The place was packed but I got to sit right in front of the stage for a few songs then went up to the VIP area upstairs. On the way upstairs I swooped right next to the stage, just behind the black curtain- rad vantage point!

Now, you may be thinking "what does this have to do with weddings or portraits". Well, first, this was a fun shoot- a little different than a wedding of course. This work is certainly great training to be a better wedding shooter in that the lighting changed by the second- super tough to get good shots. Also, no flash was allowed- I always welcome more experience in shooting in super low light, like some receptions... Lastly, it was a total blast (did I say that already?)!

Here I was just off stage, the fans were looking right at me!!

Nathan said not to bring a long lens... glad I didn't listen to him:)

From the second floor balcony with the long lens again:

I shot a bunch here, the stobe lights were going so I was trying to get shots when they w

All in all it was great fun: cool music, great company, very exciting. Check them out on iTunes

Accepted to Greener Photography

I submitted an application to Greener Photography after learning of its existance on the Digital Wedding Forum. I was super excited to join a group whose mission it is would bring new ideas to photographers that would help us as a whole be a little (or a lot) gentler to Mother Earth:)

From their site:

Greener Photography was founded by Thea Dodds and Dawn Tacker in 2008. Thea & Dawn met on-line at the Digital Wedding Forum in 2006 upon recognizing their common interest in environmental issues. They immediately began sharing ideas, suppliers, and forum threads on the DWF asking how to green their photography business. In one discussion on the DWF Thea pitched the idea of starting an organization of eco-minded photographers. Dawn ran with it, the scope of the project grew, and Greener Photography was born.

So, for all you photographers out there, check it out, join up (you've got to already be actively working to reduse your footprint), and donate some cash to help this get huge!!

Old Boston Photos

Just wanted to test out the Picassa to Blogger posting method- trying to find an easy way to show larger images on the blog!

I just grabbed these shots from my archives. I made these in Boston about seven years ago with the good ol' Hasselblad on 22o (6cm square) film. Man, I love the look of these.

We used to have these prints up at the house and everytime I look at them I am reminded of my neice Rachel. You see, we were in Boston to support Rachel in her last of 5 or 6 open heart surgeries at the Boston Childrens Hospital. We (Jeni, my wife) were with her and my Brother and sister-in-law in the pre-op room getting ready to go in. Rachel, having been through this so many times in the past, was crying "NO, NO, I don't want another surgery!" ...The worst thing I've experience in all my life. Needless to say, Jeni and I weren't really helping her stress- what with all our sobbing and stuff- so Jer (my brother) kicked us out.

I had to go outside and collect my thoughts. Took the camera of course. It was raining out but I went walking for a couple of hours.
I think I love these images most because everything kinda came together to really express how I was feeling.

This first shot was in a school yard- the kids were all inside due to the rain- just as Rachel was confined to the hospital room. She couldn't go outside to play either.

This shows what she went through all that pain for- She's living in a whole new life. She's 13 now and plays on the Volleyball team, loves riding dirtbikes, and loves playing in the ocean and surfing with Daddy.

I think this tells more about me. When I have tough things to deal with emotionally I like to be alone for awhile- a long while sometimes. I felt alone.

Again, I like the desolate feel of this one too. It's cold and gloomy and feels like the city has been abandoned.

It's very strange that these images popped up on my screen today because we were just talking about this day last night at dinner- Jer was over and so was Rachel. She was complaining about wearing her medical bracelet because it's not cool. I told her to wear it proudly- that she's tougher and has been through more in her life than 95% of the rest of us.
Love you Rache!

Nicole and Ben

Nicole and Ben got married on a beautiful day in So Cal. They chose the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel- beautiful views that day- and most. They also chose Mint Julep to do the coordinating and help with the design- AMAZING! Square Root did the flowers and design- INCREDIBLE! We had a great day shooting and had plenty to photograph!

Not sure what these shoes cost but I heard Mom mention that they were more than the dress= lots! I shot these things all over the place.. and I do not have a foot fetish!! Girls, they're Christian Louboutin in case you're wondering:) Sorry Dad!
Sweet and beautiful!

Shoes again:)

Ben was great too- sharp in that uni!
Square Root kills me!
Their first meeting!!



There were lots of cute kids- I couldn't keep my camera off these two!








Cool, huh, a portable studio to the rescue in low light and to create this drama.
Love the symetry here. The table was so crazy with water and a glass top... amazing!The head table I was talking about:







YUM