In the Philippines Once

I think im going to have to try the angry whopper.
I am both excited and dissapointed.

Breakneck Speed, In Reverse

Um, excuse me, but do you have any photographs of people?

Rise Up (International)

I did some photographs for the N.G.O Rise Up (International), and their holiday benefit party 08. They turned out sweet.

Echoes of Summer: Echo Park, Los Angeles

Gnar-ture

Red-Tail Hawk in the last one.

Ride A Bike and Clean Your Room aka MLK Was Right

2nd and Colorado

I was invited to "visit" with the occupant of a house I was taking pictures of the other day after the brief conversation had with him after he called to me from his balcony. The house was old, broken, and fading, with the sort of warmth that comes with years of being lived in. His tone was a mixture of cantankerous neighbor and concerned friend. He asked why I was taking pictures and I told him I thought the houses were "interesting."

His tone changed after he decided I was harmless and I went into his house, which smelled of fresh wood, smoked in a rusty iron stove. The house was strewn with anything and everything you might find in a supply/junk shack, and there was even a Triumph motorcycle near the bathroom.

He (Steve, 45ish) talked mostly, of his past, his son, the house, and how he became the tenant of this curious and aged home. It turns out he watches over the 'wood-chip yard' across the small street in front of the house. He's been doing it for about 10 years and from what I gleaned from watching him bark questions and answers across the road to some perspective customers, he's practiced and pretty good at it.

Steve let me take a few quick portraits (I wish I would have asked him to smile; I was pretty nervous after he asked me if I worked for the paper; It was also the first time I can remember asking to take someone's picture while having a full-blown conversation) and then we walked back into the house. He told me more of his working background, most interestingly about some time he spent in Japan building log cabins, and we generally had good conversation. It was easy talking to him because I didn't really have to say much. He sort of led the way, and I could tell that he might not have a lot of friends.

On my way to the door he offered me a slice of pizza, which I thought was pretty cool, made sure to get my e-mail address and give me his phone number, got excited about possibly seeing his picture online, and dropped me a quick fact about how one of his friends slept with a stewardess, coming home from Okinawa, on the food-cart of an airliner.




I also took some pictures of the surrounding area, which is pretty cool too. The first one is of Steve's garage/apartment/spare-bedroom.

Job hunting is rough.

Happy, Slappy, Crappy, Snappy, Clappy New Year

Well, I'm finally taking some time to set up a Portfolio of sorts. I'll be making some headway with this in as far as I will be shadowing a photographer for the local newspaper, get a chance to see what it's all about. I'm a little nervous, because without formal training or classes I feel like I'm pretty behind. Hopefully the dude is cool and doesn't get on my case too bad; I know i'll make mistakes. That's all part of it.

Happy New Year.

Snow on Christmas

My dad and I took Gracie for a walk to the nearby Elementary School, for a day in the snow. I couldn't believe how clear the day was, as if an outstreched arm wiped the sky down with Windex and a paper towel. The air was biting cold and the snow was pure powder.

Vote for me

Shots from the last couple weeks

Thanksgiving and Old Bend High School

This week was Thanksgiving. I was supposed to be on a tropical island in SouthEast Asia. Instead I was with my family and it was 40 degrees. I made the most of it.

uh oh

This is Lj and he was my brother for 4 days