Testing video capabilities.

Just a test to see how blogging video works with flickr.

Early last month I saw that Thomas Hawk had posted an entry on the Zooomr blog regarding Photowalking in Santa Monica. Thomas had even used one of my images of the pier on his blog entry. To say the least I was flattered, and I just had to participate in this event..

Normally when I have the time to go shooting I am by myself. I love taking a few hours and walking around an area and capturing images. Santa Monica by the water is a favorite place for me to walk...as is shooting LA nightscapes. I always wanted to go shooting with others...I liken shooting photos alone as to playing a round of golf by myself or surfing on an empty beach. Make a great shot on the golf course alone, or catch a killer wave with no one around...you are simply not sharing the excitement with others in the moment. Surely you walk away from shooting with those images which you captured...and the great ones can be shard with anybody...but...it is not the same as sharing the moment.

So Saturday at 4PM I met a group of people including Thomas Hawk and coordinated by Trevor Carpenter in front of the Apple Store in Santa Monica. As soon as the majority of folks showed up Thomas put me at the wheel to navigate where we should go considering this is my neighborhood. We strolled from Wilshire and 3rd Street to Broadway and Third with a walk in the park on Ocean Avenue. From there we ventured down to the bike path and walked along catching Rollerbladers, cyclists and skateboarders...



At about 6:30 or so we congregated ont he pier for a quick bite to eat before heading on the sand to capture the sunset. My hope was that we had a Sunset so that everyone who participated could capture the background colors of the sky set against the man made beauty of the pier as seen here in a picture taken last October...



Unfortunately mother nature was uncooperative with the fog coverage, however, I did check the lunar and tide schedules in the paper earlier int he day...we were scheduled for a sunset at 7:52PM and low tide was at 9:02PM. If we weren't going to get a sunset opportunity at least we would be able to take advantage of the low tide which enable you to capture the brilliant colors of the pier reflecting off the water...it is truly magical!



I honestly think the low tide was a bigger hit than a gorgeous sunset had we had a sunset. People were encouraged to get in the water with their tripod and most did. It was an awesome sight to see...finally I was sharing something I LOVE to do with others that have the same passion for photography as I!!! Where or when am I going to be hanging out in 70 to 75 degree weather with perfect water temperature with a great group off people taking pictures long after the sun goes down?

It was truly a great experience and I look forward to the next Photowalking opportunity! I am hoping to make Alameda if time permits.

If you would like to see more of the images captured by the Santa Monica photowalking group...

Click here for the Zooomr link

or click here for the flickr link

It has been a while since I blogged. Much has happened over the past several months. My son Jack is growing like a weed...you can track his progress over on flickr in my Project 365 Jack set. I also recently took my little side photography business to the net...you can check out my website here. I am starting to shoot people and events more and more and I feel I am improving with each job...having fun with it too...well, I gotta run, but I promise to post more frequently!

It was only yesterday that my sisters first child Brandon was born...I was there, and have been there every step of the way. Madison came a few years later and has been my favorite photography subject since. Now Jack is here...he's ours and to see him with his cousins is one of the greatest things I have ever witnessed. I can't wait to capture more magic moments between them and there two other cousins Jaclyn and Ryan.

Labels: Brandon, Jack, Madison

Man do I love my son...he is so darn cute!!! My perspective in photography has completely changed over the last three weeks. Prior to his birth it was not uncommon for me to tell my wife that I was going out for an hour or two to shoot...whether it was my favorite subject, The Santa Monica Pier, or a late night walk in Downtown Los Angeles I just liked to get out and shoot different things. Well, with a newborn I have been finding my self shooting my little man every chance I get. As a matter of fact I have made it into a daily ritual and joined the flickr group Project 365 Kids.

This is a group where people have made it a project to take a photo each day of their child and post it to the group...I thought this was a neat idea and began Jack's project eight days after he was born...I could have backtracked and used photos from the first eight days, but decided to just start from day eight forward.

The good thing about this project is that shooting an infant, although he is cute, could become stale fast. Sure there are great moment to capture especially when his mom is giving him kisses after a bath...or he has some cute look on his face (constantly!!!). Taking pictures of him every day has ignited a bit of creativity and hopefully I can keep it going...

To keep up with my project, and Jack's growth you can visit my Project 365 flickr set.

The wife and I took our (almost three weeks old) son for a walk this early evening...of course camera was in tow! I captured this shot which is similar to a shot I captured over a year ago....