Ring in 2010...

Happy, Happy new year to all!

My Holiday

5 days of high fever.

Strep throat.

Urgent care clinic on Christmas day.

Bed ridden.

medicine, medicine and... I forget.

Sorry to anyone/everyone that I flaked on. Currently looking for the road to recovery...

When Cameron was in Egypt land...

More Pola fun...

Sofia/Next

SEARS family portrait day...

My roommate Dave recently came home from being on tour & we thought what better way to celebrate than head off to Sears for a Holiday card portrait sitting. Do you remember doing that as a kid? I do... I hated it! But... not this time. We were all so excited. Dave brought us some Christmas sweaters he picked up in North Dakota, very fine threads... and we were off to have photo magic done. We all decided to play roles during the photo shoot. I was the oblivious, always on the road, traveling salesman father. Dave was the overly sedated house wife & Christian was a child with a lot of issues. I think the talented people of Sears really captured this. The official Christmas card will be coming soon...

Dave's arrival @ LAX. Off to Sears we go...

Sears happiness

The american dream...

Battle with a Droid...

My brick of a cell phone finally crashed on me and yesterday I had to buy a new one. Too tired to fight off the salesman's attack, I was talked into the new "Droid" phone. This phone is crazy. It's a Hi-tech robot. I can't figure out how to make calls on it. I struggle to navigate the message center to read any texts. I'm actually afraid that it may attack me in my sleep. Droid, you think your smarter than me. Maybe you are. You think your sexier... and that certainly is a possibility. BUT... i shall not be intimidated by you. Tonight, while having a cup of tea, you made a strange noise. I walked over to you... your lights lit up as I got closer. I know you saw what happened next... me diving behind a corner and hiding from you. You probably thought it was out of fear. I assure you, Droid, it was not. It was merely a moment of confusion. Since the beginning of story telling we've all heard the rumors & predictions of robots taking over the earth. Well, not now. Not in my house, Droid. I will patiently, quietly study you. I will show no fear. Soon, I will know you better than you know yourself. After all that, if you still have the upper hand, I'll just toss you into the pacific.

You may be smarter, faster, sleeker & prettier, but I can survive mother ocean... you can't.

Until then, I'll sleep with one eye open...

Polaroids are for cool kids...

some recent ones...

Hannah/Click

Sidney/Next

Amazing person of the week...

Let me introduce you to my old friend, Kate Franco... the quilter!

Many moons ago I was living in San Francisco, spending my days & nights writing in coffee shops. It's also the place where my curiosity for photography was born. This is where Kate & I first met. The quintessential SF girl, Kate is creative, fashionable, fun & sweet... not to mention very talented. Forgive me, but when I think of someone quilting I think of an old, frumpy woman sitting next to a fire in a mountain cabin. That would not be Kate... and that is why I was so shocked to see her work.

I LOVE quilts. As a little boy that's all I'd ever cuddle up with (we had many in our family). If you share the same affinity you should contact her for a custom made one. I just ordered one from her myself, so exciting! Sorry... I get emotional about quilts. ;) It's cold in NY right now... it's cold in LA (no, seriously!)... it's cold everywhere. Get yourself a quilt.

Check out Kate's blog... http://www.katefranco.com/

She's also a bit of a fashionista and has a blog along those lines as well... http://www.undeniablestyle.com/

I wasn't able to photograph Kate myself because I haven't had time to get back up to San Fran, but hopefully soon!

Sea Walk

I recently shot professional surfer Christian Wach. It was his first shoot & he pretty much kicked ass. Christian is one of the best longboarder's in the world & he's now decided to tackle the modeling world. We went surfing after the shoot and i have to say... it was the first time a model has blown me out of the water. haha. I wasn't even surfing really. I was just sitting on my board watching him rip apart my local break on a twin fin.

"Twinny! No one rides a twinny anymore!"

Here's some samples...

Just some samples...

We finished a bit early on our last Delia's shoot so, everyone decided to stick around and let me shoot some film. Thanks to the whole team for helping out. So happy with how they turned out. Yeeeow!! :)

Hurricanes a comin'!!

That's right, Hurricane Delia hit the Florida Keys. The wrath was too much for most of the local folk so, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. There was lots of picture taking, plenty of rain (but, of course!), hot hot heat, nasty humidity, uncontrollable laughter, pool parties, swim meets, and one single night of painting the town red. Here's some candids for you...

shooting under a palm tree umbrella

I just realized i have some serious sideburn action. Radical!

Jordy: Makeup artist and aquatic wizard

Wizardry in motion...

The girls being professional... their smiles don't tell the truth of the temperature

Paradise production

Ali G & I in a dessert coma

There's a lot of love in the Delia's Fam...

Adelmo. All shoots need a Brazilian God and he is ours. This is how he stands all day...

New Images...

Here's a sample from our 7 For All Mankind shoot. Big thanks again to Alexis Rouse for such an amazing time!

Zanerobe

Excited how this turned out...

Welcome to my crazy family...

My sister & I... an impromptu photo shoot down in Mexico.

My new thing/Amazing person of the week

The other day while flipping thru old photography books, I started thinking about all of the talented friends I have... surfers, photographers, bookers, painters, etc. and how lucky I am to be surrounded by such amazing people. I've decided that each week I'm going to photograph, write and post about every one of these people (well, time permitting!). So, without further delay let me introduce you to my first entry, my friend Roxy...

the mysterious Roxy

Roxanne Saffaie is a super talented makeup artist and a damn good surfer, too. We met a couple years ago and I am soooo glad we did. We've already done some amazing shoots together and have since become great friends. Without Roxy, I wouldn't have met my friends Rochelle & Keala and experienced all of the aloha that the North shore offered me.

There's a warmth to Roxy that only a Hawaii girl can posses. But... she's also an LA girl, a New Yorker & a Euro all rolled into one. Ask any of the other photographers she works with and they'd agree... she knows makeup. She also has some unique tricks up her sleeve (oxygen treatments, etc.).

check out her website when you have time...

www.RoxyLook.net

Roxy with full Aloha...