When a family is willing to have real fun in portraits
Earlier in my photography career, I regularly booked family portrait shoots specializing in my own signature candid style. Now I very rarely have family portrait shoots, and typically only for clients I have done other commercial photography work for, like Barb and Dr. Norm. When they asked me if I could do a Christmas Day shoot because that was the only time their entire family would be together, I said yes mostly because I really like them and knew it would be a fun time and I could push the envelope with getting some great candids. The photos in this collection are my own personal favorites from the shoot. The siblings in particular had fun with each other! We made very good use of Highland Park from top to bottom to climbing bars to the merry-go-round!
For me, the phrase joshua tree has always been associated with the famous U2 album from 1987 and its iconic cover art. There is actually no joshua tree in the photo. I finally got a chance to visit Joshua Tree National Park and soon realized that the eponymous trees are not the stars of the park by a long shot. The real attraction are the rock formations. Some tower, some are piles, they are all sitting there challenging you to climb them. This photo story presents a set of black and white photos of a lone climber on a rock face and a series of color photos one of which is made up of silhouettes of me, Jessica, Kiki and Artie!
After a year of flying my Mavic Pro drone over the deserts in New Mexico, I had the chance to return to California with my much improved piloting skills and fly over the ocean. In particular, the Sunset Cliffs are of San Diego. As you can see in the drone video, cars line Sunset Cliffs Blvd the entire length showing how popular of a sunset viewing area it is. You basically can park anywhere and get access to the cliffs and a great view. Some people scramble down a cliff level or two, while others remain planted safely on the roadside.
I have renewed my end of the year custom of choosing my Favorite Five Photographs of the past year. I first did this back in 2009, my first full year as a professional photographer spanning time in Tokyo and Florida. I kept up this custom until 2013. Then there was an absence as things meandered in my life and my business. However, I have reemerged in 2018 with my photo business having had its best year ever, and with a diversity of photos that once again made it very hard to choose just five.
My criteria for choosing are simple:
photos made in the 2018 calendar year (so some great Malibu shots just missed the cut that would have made it otherwise
Only one photo per category
There is something about the photo that appeals to me in a unique way
Below I will post links to all past Favorite Five years. I would really be interested in feedback in the comments on what you think of my 2018 selections, and as compared to my past years’ selections
My latest UberEatsprofessional food photography assignment took me to Yasmine’s Cafe near the University of New Mexico. The shoot began with a very well plated vegetarian platter including hummus, falafel, and wrapped dates. While I waited for the other dishes I enjoyed the view out onto Route 66 through the large floor to ceiling windows that provided great natural light for all the photos, as UberEats requires using only natural light (I supplement that with a silver reflector).
This was the second year in a row I had a vendor table at the ABQWest Chamber of Commerce Holiday Celebration and Donation Drive event. My setup was much more professional this year compared to last where I just had my logo printed on an 8x10 piece of paper! This year I had a table runner with my logo and contact information on it, plus two easels with 30”x40” canvas prints on display. This is in addition to a 27” 4K monitor showing 4K drone video highlights from the past year, and Jessica’s MacBook showing a photo highlights slideshow. I also donated a print to the raffle.
I have been to a fair few holiday Christmas light displays, but never one quite like what the ABQ BIoPark puts on with its River of Lights. This is not just a bunch of lights strung up on trees. These are lights come to life in the form of dinosaurs, zebras, and much more!
