Congrats to Troy and Lucy

Shot a super rad wedding on the 21st, really nice and casual down at moonlight beach. The weather was beautiful albeit we had super harsh sun teh whole time. But i dropped kicked the crappy lighting in the head and made it submit, the whole day was awesome. Troy is actually Shelleys older brother and Shelley (whom i have know for years and years) is Josh's wife......so basically we all know each other well. It was great to be there with close friends and see some that i had not seen in a while, Troy and Lucy where so laid back about everything it made the day fly by and easy to shoot. Thanks both of you for letting us share your special day, you guys are awesome. Heres a few of my favorites......Enjoy!!!














and of course no wedding would be complete without a healthy dose of cute babies. heres one of the cutest ones around........it just happens to be my buddies little girl Rebecca.

The amazing Thad Nakao...

Very few times in life do you get to meet a true artist, not just someone who has incredible talent but someone who is always in the constant pursuit of perfecting their craft. Thad is one of those few people who i would consider true artist, hes a tattoo artist that i met on Kauai a few years ago. At that time it was just a chance meeting as i was looking at getting a tattoo done and Thad came highly recommended. I had no idea at the time that over the years we would develop an ongoing friendship, Thad also loves photography, but the bond we share goes beyond similar interest in photography. I came to find that made us good friends was our similar views when it comes to our work. We both relentlessly pursue more knowledge in our fields, are never satisfied by what we do, are constantly experimenting and devote enormous amounts of time to what we do. This last trip to the island was great because i got to spend a lot more time talking with Thad and getting to know him and what drives him and came to appreciate his artwork all the more. I could go on and on like this, but i will say this, by far he is one of the most talented tattooist that i have met. His devotion to his work and the quality of it is uncanny, if you want someone who will not just give you a tattoo then i highly recommend that you go and see him if youre ever on the island. Truly what makes Thads work special though is that he makes you feel like you are special and unique and truly makes getting the tattoo a memorable experience. Check him out, I guarantee that you wont be disappointed. These few images are quite dark and in black and white, as we both enjoy the simplicity of B&W and love making things dark. Enjoy!!!

P.S.
Check out Thads MySpace to see more of his work.

The return.....

Yes as you already know (if you read the previous blogs) i returned to Kauai for a week, while it was still fun this trip was more oriented towards shooting more images for my portfolio. I spent a lot of time driving around looking for places to shoot, made some connections that will hopefully prove to be advantageous, shot some photos for the resort we were staying at and got a free week there (that one is thanks to dad and his never ending and amazing networking skills). On top of that i had a blast in the process, got to hang out with many local people, hung out with my buddy (and tattoo artist guru) Thad Nakao and i went scuba diving for the 1st time.........i think i might have found another expensive hobby....hahahahaha. So basically it all means i went to bed very late and got up early for some morning light........the latter part of that sentence didnt happen all to ofen but when i did it was extremely difficult. My wife was unable to join me on this trip, this proved to be much more difficult to endure than i had anticipated, so this time i got to go with my mom and dad. Had a nice time shooting with my dad at a botanical garden close by, he made a joke that i would probably only move 5 feet and find something cool to shoot for the next half hour.......i proved him dead wrong when i moved 20 feet and spent the next 45 minutes there. All in all it was a very productive trip, and as always it was very difficult to leave. Now im back and looking the mountain of editing that i have to finish square in the face........BRING IT!!!!

A little backwards....

ok so i know that i still havent posted any pictures from the week that Jen adn I were on Kauai, and i already went back to the island and am back. So this is going to be a little backwards as i have already posted pictures from my most recent trip there, but i still wanted to post the other ones. So basically jen and i were on Kauai for a week a little over a month ago, it was an amazing time. Rented a jeep to drive around the island and drove that thing around with the top down almost constantly, the funnest thing though was driving around and getting rained on with the top down. This was one of my goals while we were there, i know its not a very difficult to achieve since it rains all the time but still something fun to experience, plus i can now cross that off my list of things to do before i die. Snorkeled a ton, went i a short and very muddy hike, ate a mango that fell off of a tree and much much more. This time around we decided to explore more of the west side of the island which was awesome as it provides a different color palette than what we had captured before. Our week there was super relaxing and fun beyond words, as always our time came to a close and it was very hard to leave. I know i did a day by day breakdown for our week on the Big Island, and i was planning on doing that for this one too......but to be honest i just write to much and its just way to much work to do it that way. So this way works out a lot better, less reading for you and tons more photos. Enjoy!!

Back Home....

No not California but the beautiful island of Kauai. I feel more at home here then I do anywhere else, yes im sure everyone is thinking “of course you do, who wouldn’t want to live there” I think its more than that though, theres just something about this place that I really connect with. I feel it even more this trip as I have gotten to hang out an talk with some of the locals which has been a lot of fun. Every time that I come back I always get that great feeling as if im about to see a really close friend that you haven’t seen I n a long time, it just lifts your spirit. Despite all of the great things about being here there is a big down side to it, my lovely wife was not able to come with me this time. No I am not just saying that because it is the thing to say, but I genuinely miss her presence and all of the wity things that she says. Driving around just isn’t as fun without her here to share it, being by myself does afford me a benefit though as I get the opportunity to shoot until im tired basically. So that brings us to photos, these are all from the past 2 days, I know that usually I have a ton to post but this trip I have tried to be a lot more methodical about how I shoot. It has been really cool to really concentrate on the quality of the shots as opposed to trying to get as much as I possibly can. Hopefully that will come across clearly in the photos when you see them. So for now heres some photos for you to enjoy

The surface of the sun....(a taste)

We werent on it, but sure felt like we might as well have been on it. Photo nerds young and old gathered for a day of photolicious awesomeness at the Salton Sea........it was broughten!!!! More pictures and details to come.......for now let your eyes feast on this.

The full scoop:

Ok so by now you know that i got together with some homies and we dumped an awesome bomb on the Salton Sea. It was a sweet time out there, with Jack and Jamie (who i have known since we were wee ones) and then a few of Jamies photo nerd friends Sly the photo guy (super funny and apparently paranoid of mosquitos and west nile virus) Cindy ( who if im correct is one of Jamies brookie friends) and then 2 young ones Chad ( who jamie did a family portrait for his fam) and Jordan.........i hope i got that right. Seriously this is how dumb i am with names, poor Jordan i kept calling him Jason ALL DAY LONG!!!! Anywho, the whole group of us went out to the Salton Sea for some phototastic shooting. The place was well.......like walking on the surface of the sun, it was ridiculously hot and we went through a ton of water. Im actually surprised we lasted all day, because we were all getting dizzy cus of the heat oh and did i mention the smell? yeah. i know the salton sea is a rank place but dang, this time took the cake!! Just imagine the worst fart youve smelled in your whole life, yeah the one that smells like rotten eggs and throwup. ok take that, times it by like a billion oh and add the fact of it baking in stagnant air in 108 degree heat and you have a fraction of what it smelled like out there. There was dead fish EVERYWHERE and dead birds and probably dead people out there too, but it was all good because the place had lost none of its creepy charm. Not a cloud in the sky which was a bummer but it just added to the challenge of shooting, i really want to go out there when its cooler and take some sweet engagement photos or do a trash the dress sesh out there. The place just lends itself to portraiture its flippin awesome, this trip was really cool because i got to see more of the area. Sly had been out there before with his GPS and tagged some sweet locations. I could go on and on, but ill stop here since ive written to much already. Heres some photos.



























i have a few more that i will post up tomorrow so stay tuned!!

An afternoon of realization...

I recently had an assignment to shoot the Self Realization Fellowship (SRF) center in Encinitas. Ive always wondered about this place as ive driven by it many times so i was excited to get the opportunity to photograph it. I was very surprised when i arrived as it was not at all what i expected. As you drive by it on coast highway you see this really big cool looking building surrounded by a wall covered in vegetation. I had expected to see some really big temple on the other side of the wall or something like that, but as it turns out its just a couple of buildings and a big open field.........i was a little confused and a little disappointed. Soon i found out though that the open field is used for big meetings and that part of the big draw to the place was the meditation gardens which was just a little ways up the road. The gardens are truly beautiful, and the monks work very hard to keep it a quiet and serene place where people can come and meditate. As a result of these efforts the gardens are not open to commercial photography, its a real shame for other people who want to shoot there........but lucky me i was shooting for an article and got to shoot a little. I was also taken to some private areas that had some AMAZING views of the coast. It was a real fun experience but the biggest highlight was talking with one of the monks as he showed me the gardens. We got into a nice conversation on the importance of family and started to talk about God and the importance of spirituality and faith........i wont get into details but will say that it was a nice talk. The sun set and the light began to dim so i ended my afternoon there with a short shooting session of the front building at dusk. Heres some photos. Enjoy!!

Instant BFF?

Last week i did a sweet engagement shoot with Tiffany Duffy and her fiance Sam, coincidentally Tiffany is the sister of one of the coolest people i know, the man the myth the legend Scott Duffy aka Fluffy Duffy. That could be a post all unto itself so well skip the details, anywho this shoot took quite a while to get done since we would pick a date and something would always come up on the date that we had to shot. We finally were able to get together to shoot these photos and it was ridiculously fun, we shot at the old Bonsall Bridge and got some sweet stuff. Im always blown away at the adventurous spirit of couples especially when i ask them to follow me to a place that overgrown with weeds and what not. So the title, well while we were shooting there was a point were Tiffany had to get something out of the car. So while went to get that Sam and i had a chance to talk and we started to talk comic books and movies, we got to the subject of spider man and somehow we were comparing those movies to the new batman movies and the difference in styles. I said "well its not that surprising since it is Sam Ramie who directed them and coming out of the evil dead series its not surprise" sam says " oh yeah army of darkness is one of my favorite movies" WHAT?!?!?!?! DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS!!!! hahahahahahaha it was a lot of fun, and found we had just a few things in common. I think Tiffany was scared........thank you guys for a fun afternoon and for being so patient. Heres some photos.

The fires of creation.....

Being a photographer affords one a unique perspective of the world we live in, we train our eyes to see what most would pass up. In so doing we are treated to some incredible glimpses of the beauty and complexity of our planet and the incredible creativity of its creator. We see the immense power and energy that the planet wields through the winds the can be slow breezes or turn into pillars of destruction, or by watching the ever pounding surf which can turn from calm soothing waves to incredible surges of surf pounding into coastlines. Such events are incredible to watch and experience and yet incredibly difficult to capture in a photograph. A 2 dimensional representation can only take you far, but to be there and experience it yourself is something that is truly beyond words. having lived in central america i have witnessed 1st hand the immense power of a hurricane, the frightening beauty of lightning storms and the destructive power of surging rivers after heavy rains. Yet even with these unique perspectives in hand none of them prepared me for the spectacular display that i was about to witness. As we drew ever closer to the parking lot we could see the fiery red glow off in the distance, it was like a beacon of amazing things to come. My excitement grew in leaps and bounds as the glow grew bigger, the moon out we could see the volcanic plume of smoke that we had seen earlier. This time it took on a whole different dimension though, the moons blue light was an incredible contrast to the lavas crimson red, it just seemed to hug the edges of the plume giving it incredible depth. The 3/4 mile hike from the parking lot to the the viewpoint was even longer and more arduous in the dark but we finally made it. We were finally able to see the spectacle in full view, and a spectacle it was........my very breath was stolen away and a chill overtakes me. It was one of the most beautiful things that i had ever seen. The view is truly indescribable, the visible power that is there presenting itself in violent eruptions as two extremes meet one another. Some of the eruptions as the hot lava collided with the cold water were truly spectacular and at one point the explosions were truly amazing and so much energy had built up in the plume that there were lightning bolts in the cloud. To be there and witness it 1st hand has been one of the greatest highlights of my life, to see it and hear it. To witness a force so powerful and destructive that all man can do is get out of its way when it moves against him and yet simultaneously it creates, truly something incomprehensible. We were witnessing the birth of new land, much destroyed and yet in time renewed.........WOW!!! It was cool to hear some of the locals say that they had not seen it this active in a long time........yes i will admit that it made me feel very special to be there. Now if youre reading this and thinking that i am being overdramatic and trying to sound cool with the words i write let me say this. My image is something i care very little about, yes i may sound dramatic but that is truly what i experienced emotionally. Whether these feeling come about from being a photographer i dont know. All i know if that we live i an incredible world, filled with endless beauty and wonder. I have a deep love and respect for its beauty and complexity and the incredible diversity of life that is contained within our world that yes at times i have been brought to tears at the sight of incredible beauty. I think that what brings these emotions about is not just the love i have for our planet but for its incredible creator, whose immense creativity has surrounded us with such great beauty. I feel blessed beyond all measure to have been given a gift that allows me to enjoy and appreciate these things and to have the opportunity to attempt to capture them in a photograph.......truly our is an amazing God. I will admit that i rode home with a grin on my face as i reflected back on it. These photos can do little but show what was there and can never really represent the event, but enjoy them nonetheless.

Day 7.........

Day 7 on the Big Island will forever be a day that holds a special place in my heart, little did i know that this would be the day that i would witness one of the most incredible sights i have seen thus far. It was so incredible in fact that i will do a separate post of it even though it was part of day 7. It began early in the morning, if you know me at all this is a very rare occurrence for me as i am NOT a morning person. Amazingly i was in good spirits for having to get up early, per has it was the prospect of good photos ahead. Jen had wanted to visit a place called black sand beach, we had put it off for a while and finally decided to go to it. Also on the itinerary was the return to the other side of the volcano to see if we could get a better view, so off we went just jen and i. We were to meet up with the rest of the fam later to head to the volcano. The drive to black sad was long and windy but it was fun, just cruisin listening to music as the rain came down. We had not eaten breakfast yet so we stopped a long the way at a little restaurant called Hana Hou. It was a cool little place, not seeing a lot on the menu that appealed to me i decided to be brave and try something called the "Loco Moco". Basically it was a bed of rice topped with spam gravy and eggs.......so basically spam and eggs. I was a little apprehensive when the waitress put it in front of me and almost changed my mind, but i had ordered it and so i charged forward. It passed the 1st test........i didnt go blind......actually it wasnt bad at all albeit it was incredibly salty. I couldn't finish the whole thing though, but got through most of it, bellies full and me feeling more Hawaiian than ever having now tried spam and eggs we hit the road. Soon we reached Black Sand Beach and yep you guessed it the sand was all black. We soon were ready for some snorkeling and hit the water, few fish were to be seen and the water was kind of murky, iwas about to call it quits but soon found a nice clear area and some turtles that were more curious about me that any i had photographed before. This beach would provide some of the best shots i had gotten so far, satisfied and tired i got out of the water to wait for the rest of the crew. My wife ever vigilant had spotted some kids fishing on this old bridge that was there, it was seriously like something out of the book, i only wish that the light had been better. Still i came away with a shot that i was happy with. The fam arrived and William told me they had passed a turtle that was on the sand sleeping. So off i went to get some shots. I can honestly say that i now understand (at least partially) why so many locals detest tourist. I think that these people come here and are either alliterate or stupid or both, i say this because there were signs clearly posted saying to stay at least 15 ft way from a sleeping turtle. So what do people do? they go up to it, poke it, pet it, get real close to take pictures with it. The animal was clearly agitated but people are to idiotic to understand i guess and keep doing it. At any rate i know hate tourist........ ok so off to the volcano we went. After a long drive we arrived and could see a huge plume of smoke so we were all excited. In the end we were a little disappointed though since the lookout was further away than we thought, it was for safety reasons of course but hey a photographer always wants to be closer. Since it was daylight there really wasnt much to see except for the occasional explosion of water when the lava met the water. I shot what i could and soon left, many of the locals had told us to come back at night so get a much better view. So jen and i committed to coming back later at night despite the long drive back home. We made our way to some other sites in the mean time including a natural steam room, and a geothermal pool that was right by the beach. With all the volcanic activity in the area there were some of these sweet places like the steam room that were naturally heated. In fact the steam room was crazy, cus its just a hole in the earth but you go in there an its easily 100 degrees in there. You can feel the heat even at the rim of the cave, i was covered in sweat by the time we left. The pool was pretty neat too as it was also naturally heated, i didnt go in though as im not a fan of hot water and by this time i had realized that i had shot almost everything underwater so i was trying to get as much cool landscape stuff as i could. I wanted to be back to the volcano by sunset, and as the sun was ever closer to the horizon i knew that we would not make it in time. That drive back was a painful one for me, as the light was just beautiful and we passed so many cool spots to take photos, but it was one or the other at this point and i was placing my hopes on a good show at the volcano................i was not disappointed.