So Long Folks... I'm Moving!

That's right, I'm going to "officially" stop posting to this blog starting today. Ye shouldn't fret though, I'm not done with my feeble attempts at blogging, I'm just moving this operation to a new link which is listed below, at right, and on the top banner. With the new link I'm hoping to do a better job by posting more often and hopefully adding some content that is actually interesting to attract more of you fine readers out there. Imagine that, a blog that is actually interesting to read! What will the world think of next?

Ok, back to my rambling explanation for why I'm going to continue this failed experiment I call a blog. You see, I've got a big website update in the works and I'm moving this little online diary in an attempt to make it more accessible to my potential clients. Hopefully, I'll also be able to turn it into a more useful tool in promoting my business. Though I'm sure I'll still be posting the occasional blabbering rant at 3 am, my goal is to make my posts a little more informative and, in turn, make my blog less of an online dump for random imagery. Who knows, I may actually post something of substance before it's all over.

Now, I'm sure your next question is, "Why not delete this ode to patheticism?" (sure it's a word) Well, I've decided not to delete this blog because whether I become a wildly successful (and famous) photographer or not, one day, I think it'll be interesting to look back on these thoughtless ramblings and chuckle at myself.
Alright, enough babbling. I'm off to a new blog, wish me luck!

"The Man" directs you to visit: Circles of Confusion

Not Quite Good Enough.

Ahh, I'm at a loss for how to explain my current posting frenzy. Sufice it to say; I didn't decide to post these last few images until I'd already finished the last post! I can't believe how easy and quickly I can create images to post on here with Lightroom!

Alright. I promise I will stop kissing Adobe's ass right after this post. But, until then, let me lay it on thick! This program is amazing. I think Apple's aperture is pretty similar, in case your an anti-Adobe freak. The thing that impresses me the most isn't the fact that Adobe came out with Lightroom, it's the idea that this is pretty much the standard now for image editing. From now on, things can only get better! I'm really digging the time I'm livinging in right now.

I have to admit, this is sort of new ground for me. Usually, I look at the world with biting sarcasm, but lately I've been trying to be a little more open minded about things. I've had a few good friends point out that, despite the fact that I'm actually pretty optimistic about the world of professional image-making, my sarcastic cynicism is not always received as a humorous musing like I intend it. So, I'm trying to be a little more "honest" in my postings about the current state of photography as a business. I don't want to get too deep into philosophical discussion right now, but rest assured, I've got more posts on this subject coming soon.

Until then, here are a few of the images I was considering as a header for this blog. I ultimately chose the image that's up there now, because it just jumped out at me while I was picking them. I really liked a few of these though, so I've decided to post them for your amusement. As always, any thoughts or opinions regarding which alternate I should have chosen are very welcome.






Yes, I did consider putting a self-portrait as the main banner for my blog. Then I realized how insanely self-centered that made me look. Hence, it didn't make it into the finals. Still, I actually like this shot of myself... which is a rarity in-and-of-itself.

I'm Back....

Hello folks. I know it's been awhile, but I think I'm in a much better position now than I was a few months ago. To start with, I've officially quit my former job as a studio manager, which leaves me with a lot more time to post on here. I've also just finished a huge reorganization of my image archive. That project ended up being a much larger undertaking than I'd originally thought it would be. It didn't help that I'd already started a "reorganization" project when I first purchased my new laptop, Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom. I quickly realized that, thanks to advances in digital asset management, my previous attempt to organize my archive was completely flawed. So, I started over. What had originally taken a couple of months to only partially complete, was completely scrapped and reorganized in a couple of weeks. Thanks to Lightroom and Bridge CS3. Granted, I haven't done much else for the last couple of weeks. But, my obsessive-compulsive needs have been fulfilled, and I'm now completely confident in my ability to shoot, catalog, and process a job without any concern about losing images or delaying the process. This whole experience acted as a really good learning opportunity for me as well. I have to say, after working with CS3 and Lightroom, I'm really impressed and excited about the potential for the future of digital imaging software. Okay, enough rambling! Time for a few of the first images I've tweaked with Lightroom instead of Photoshop CS. I know... I was living in the past!

Below, I've posted a few images I recently toned in Lightroom, a few older, a few newer. I'm still a little wary about my new laptop's LCD screen. I think it's a little blueish, even though I've calibrated it, I just don't trust it. I don't think it's too far off, but I'm a perfectionist, and I'm pretty sure (in the past) I've spent way too much time trying to keep a specific "feel" in an image while maintaining detail in the shadows. I have a feeling, that these subtle details don't read very well when images are viewed online where each person's monitor and "viewing environment" are very different. My old CRT was easy to adjust for, it was a little dark and a little warm. I still haven't figured out exactly how to adjust images for accuracy on this one. So, any thoughts, good or bad, are greatly appreciated.

Photographer's Mate 1st Class, U. S. Navy

Morning Muster in the Photo-Lab

Mattress-Ticking Man ties one on at a local pub

Club Characters

Do your part, block-a-razzi

Finally... The Last Post is Here

No, this isn't what it sounds like. Despite your cheers and pleas for "the end" this thing I call a blog, the "last post" line actually refers to the fact that this will be my last post with images that weren't processed in Adobe Lightroom. I bought a Mac, Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom back in October and I haven't looked back since. From now on, my posts will consist of mostly lightroom converted images. Yay for me! Okay, now you can go back to being completely board and irritated with my whiny little sales pitch for Lightroom.

In Adobe We Trust!... later peeps.

Long Time, No Blog

So, it's only been about 48 Go-zillian years since I last updated. I'm sure the three of you out there who actually read this crap are "soooo" releaved to find out that I'm still breathing. Well, rest assured folks, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Well, I mightt be going to work again in several hours, but that's being a little knit-picky about things now isn't it?

Okay, the point of this already rambling and off track, "stream of consciousness" style post is to vocalize... No, better yet, verbalize my intentions for this little blog experiment. It's become apparent to me, for about the nine-hundredth time now, that I completely suck at this whole blog, journal, log, or whatever the hell you call it, thing. I've tried the traditional way with pen and notebook, but I sucked at that too. However, for some reason I just can't give up on this one yet. (Probably because it satisfies some ego-centric need to feel important) So, I've decided to give up on over-thinking every single post I put on here. Hence, this is now going to become my own personal photo journal. I'm not aiming for any particular theme or message in my posts. In fact, some of them will probably be nothing more than a few photos with maybe a line or two of text. Others, like this one, will be long rambling diatribes; in which I'll misuse punctuation, grammar, and fancy words in a feeble attempt to impress you, the week minded reader, with my literary prowess. Oh come on, if you weren't week minded you'd have already moved on to something worth reading. Occasionally, I may actually drop a little photographic knowledge on you. But, rest assured, such knowledge will most likely be accompanied by a sense of biting sarcasm and will almost, always be complete bull that I'm making up as I go. Fortunately for you, my fair readers, this is the internet and everything you read can be taken as gospel; more accurate than TV even! So, rest assured your in good hands here. Now, look at my pictures damnit! :-)

Getting My "Photo"- Nerd On!

Here I am... it's two in the morning, I'm half blitzed and all I can think about is, "damn I need to post some images to my blog, myspace, model mayhem, lightstalkers, JPGmag..." and the list goes on and on. Of course, there's also the list of sites I haven't joined yet too! "When am I gonna stop procrastinating and setup a flickr account or upload images to my ASMP-LA profile?" Naturally, my current excuse revolves around my desire to design/create a logo and figure out what I'd like to shoot for a living before I start posting random images all over the place. Aggghhh! Why can't becoming a "successful creative professional" (industry mumbo jumbo) be simpler?

Alright, now that I'm finished whining I'll leave you with a few more from the trip to N. C. back in July. I still have quite a few images from that trip, so don't get tired of 'em just yet.

This was the first time my girlfriend had ever been to a Waffle House! All I can say is; "mmm, mmm, good."

My Aunt has a thing for Shelties, so she volunteers to keep rescues when they're found and don't have anywhere else to go.

My two Nephews!

More Genetics...

A slightly different perspective on my visit home.

My sister Amanda and her "baby's Daddy" in her room.

Amanda

Carrie, the other sister... on the phone of course.

Amanda's shoulder, hair, and nose.

Dylan leaving my room.

Genetically Speaking...

These are all photos of my family back in North Carolina. It's amazing how much people change yet stay the same over the years.

This is my GranJene. She goes by GranJene because when I was born she told my mom that she fealt "too young" to be a grandmother, so she'd be GranJene instead! In case, you haven't noticed, she collects Pandas. She currently has 3,008 panda bears in her collection. Ahhh relatives, aren't they just barrels of fun?!

This is my youngest sister Amanda. She plays momma to the youngest of my two nephews.

This is my youngest nephew, Dylan. He's got a thing for stealing "big people's" shoes!

This is my other nephew, Aaron, scarfing down some ice cream.

Dylan, giving me his best GQ look!

Neglected!

Holy poop I've been neglecting this thing! Let's see, I've been working 10 to 12 hour days 5 days a week at my new job. Then, when I get off, I work on sorting and reworking the image archive for a few hours until I start falling asleep at my keyboard. I also spent about ten days back home in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago. Then, the weekend after I returned, me and the lady friend went on a rafting/beer drinking trip up near Fresno. So, I've been a little short on time lately! However, I'm gonna do my best to get caught up with my backlog of images, so
stay tuned!

First up, a few straggler images from a couple of shows I shot back in the winter. The first one is from a little gig at Safari Sams in Hollywood, and the rest are leftovers from the She Wants Revenge show at the Avalon. More to come soon.

Go-Go Dance...

This was really a great show, I was diggin' the music, the vibe, and the light... all night long! DJ Steve Aoki laid down the beats before and after each set, the Brazilian Girls opened, and then She Wants Revenge hit the stage with there Depeche Mode 'esque sound. I got to say, the Avalon is a top notch venue. I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking to shoot some live music or anyone who's just looking to have a good time.

I've got a few more from this series; so stay tuned, cause after these messages we'll be riiight back!

Distraction

Gangsta Lean

Raise your hand if you're sure!

Body Movin'

Shrug

The Brazillian Girls at the Avalon in Hollywood.