monkeying around...

Here's something you don't see everyday at your local shopping mall. I shot this at an outdoor kinda antique strip mall called The Corridor. There are all kinds of cool and whacky artsy-fartsy stuff everywhere. Hell, it's Palm Springs, dontcha know?

Pink Dot

This is a shot from last summer on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. I think I am unconsciously in the process of building an archive of store fronts and marquees.

I have been lying low since the holidays. I have this sciatic nerve condition which has flared up again recently. I have just begun the old therapy regimen of core exercises and cardio... because I have also gotten too fat again... which contributes to the condition. I believe I fall into the thirty-percentile group of men between 30-50 who are afflicted with degenerative disc disease, which causes the pinching of the sciatic nerve in the hollow of the hip joint. At any rate, it's a pain in the back and hip that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, if I had any.

So, between work and a bad back, I haven't had much time or energy to do much shooting. Pretty ironic when you consider my new years resolution of getting out there and shooting more.... figures!

Bob Hope Chrysler Classic

Not a great shot with the camera phone, but I just wanted to share my day at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic... Hosted by George Lopez. It was fun wandering around the course, watching the celebs carry-on, getting autographs, and having a few laughs. The studio I work for handled all the advertising for the event and I actually met George a few weeks back when he came to the studio to work with us. I know George will do a great job as ambassador to the long-standing tradition of golf's season opener in the desert. It was fun being a small part of it and I look forward to more opportunities in the future!

I spent a good five minutes chatting with Alice Cooper about the demise of radio because of corporate interests. I had a chance to hear Alice's radio program as I traveled through northern Arizona over the holidays. Alice is an awesome dude! Very, very personable. Check out Nights with Alice Cooper! You can hear all the old rock you wish you could hear on radio. Thank you Alice!

I also met Oscar de la Hoya, Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Pesci, Tom Johnson, Taylor Hicks, Scott Hamilton, and Cheech Marin. Everyone was great and pretty crowd friendly. I was disappointed that I couldn't get a hello in with another of my favs, Clint Eastwood. Security was pretty tight around him and he "wasn't signing."

Unfortunately, I didn't get a media pass and cameras weren't allowed in, and I only got a few shots with the camera phone. The 60-degree weather was a bit chilly on the links, and the wind gave me a pretty good burn. But, all-in-all, it was a fun day.

firescape

Haven't posted in awhile... soo busy! Here's a past shot from a building in the Minneapolis Warehouse District. I love the building overall... it has a lot of character. But I shot most of this north-facing wall and there's just too much information, so it needs a crop. This is one of those situations where I get indecisive about how to crop, because there are really so many options. I think I kinda dig this crop... it creates some dynamic lines, angles, and shapes. You be the judge...

Scout

Today I went out to Painted Canyon to scout for a client. Actually, it was the second visit I made this week to the popular hiking area. I had to return because the client originally chose to shoot on part of an Indian Reservation and was unable to obtain the necessary permits. Unfortunately, I wasn’t made aware of this, or else I could’ve saved everyone some time.

Near the end of the afternoon, I came across a large wash and decided to take a few last shots, even though was I confident I had more than enough options for the client to get his permit. I even thought I might be on reservation land again, but something was urging me to get out of the truck just one last time. I had seen a small coyote earlier, crossing the road ahead of my path, so maybe I was unconsciously hoping to see something cool before I set off for home. It was neat seeing the canyons and learning that I was actually right on the San Andreas Fault (and kinda creepy, too!), but I guess I was just looking for something a little more. The desert has a way of being kinda blah, especially if you breathe a lot of dust.

So I wandered off the road and into the wash, and I found this old, abandoned, weathered, and mud-crusted couch half buried in the mud-caked floor. I sat there wondering about the history of this couch... who sat in it last, who was the first family to buy it, where it was abandoned, how far it traveled in the torrent of water which brought it to its current resting place. Then I took this shot.

street musician

This street musician had a a tough go of it performing outside Starbucks on UCLA campus in Westwood.