Early into my conversation with Lauren about shooting her wedding in downtown Manhattan (specifically in gorgeous Soho), she made it clear that she was very interested in my shooting some quirky Holga photography for her.
I just about fell off my chair when she asked for it…
I’d never had anyone ask me to shoot with my beloved Holga before, so after a quick warning about its unpredictability, I absolutely jumped at the opportunity!
Day 310/365
Anthony & Rose:
Day 311/365
The sun casts interesting shadows on the ground sometimes (iPhone photo)
Day 312/365
My little boy Mason playing in the puddle by the snow. He doesn’t care much for coats… He gets that from me I think… (iPhone photo)
Day 313/365
A growing section of my wall with random memorabilia. I have an autographed comedy show ticket I went to in Vegas to put up there now! (iPhone photo)
Day 314/365
I love my new album (iPhone photo)
Day 315/365
The beginning of many more Christmas presents (iPhone photo)
Day 316/365
My little boy jumping on strangers’ couch after I asked him not to! Thanksgiving party (iPhone photo)
Day 317/365
Justin & Sarah.
Sarah is a friend of mine that I met on the shoot of the original Takito short film (scroll down two posts to see what I’m talking about). A year later, her and Justin finally decided to tie the knot.
Congrats Sarah (you too Justin)!
Day 318/365
Kids’ drag racing (iPhone photo)
Day 319/365
Day 1 in Vegas baby!! The view from the top of the Stratosphere hotel and casino where I was staying (iPhone photo)
Day 320/365
Day 2 in Vegas (iPhone photo)
Day 321/365
My final day in Vegas. Watching some people watching the view (iPhone photo)
Day 322/365
I took a detour to Lake Mead on the way home. I really enjoyed the lonely road. Not only was it a beautiful ride, but the twisting, winding road wasn’t bad either. I’m a race car driver at heart and mountain roads are my little slice of heaven (iPhone photo)
Day 323/365
New postcard promos!!
Day 324/365
I went to see Frank Caliendo in Vegas. Here’s his autograph:
Here’s a video to see him in action:
And here’s a picture I took with him. Poor guy… He looked like he was tired of greeting fans yelling out “DO BUSH!! DO MADDEN!!” His video does his talent far better justice than this picture:
First off, let me thank all of you for your support in what has been one of my friend Heidi‘s hardest times in her life.
According to Dustin Izatt, the fundraiser has generated close to $2,000!! Thank you!! Thank you for your donations, thank you for your kind words of support and for you pro photographers out there, thank you for your generosity in offering to lend your pro gear! Support poured in non-stop and from the farthest places.
She’s slowly recovering and as I’ve told her before, I’m convinced next year is still going to be great for her.
Second, not really news, I turned 30 on October 31st! In sad news however, my doctor tells me I have about 50 years left to live… What do you even do with news like that?…
Blog, that’s what!
Day 288/365
It was unbelievably cold out at the Salt Lake that day. That wind was beautiful on her dress, but not so much fun to shoot or be shot in (no pun intended haha).
Des & Eric:
Day 289/365
Who says Halloween pumpkins have to look scary and angry at the world? From the day-before-halloween party(iPhone photo)
Day 290/365
October 31st, 2009! Halloween! My birthday!
I was out at the park with my little boy when I realized that if you try really hard, you can actually get what looks like shallow depth of field with an iPhone! (iPhone photo)
Day 291/365
Right! As in, “Take a right!” or “I know, right?!” or “I’m right!” or just plain old “Right!” (iPhone photo)
Day 292/365
I only WISH I’d taken this shot… Alas, it was taken by Heidi using my iPhone. I just loved it so much I had to show you all. The composition, the movement in the shot, the nostalgic feeling as if on a roadtrip… Really really cool. I’m jealous! Gimme back my iPhone! (iPhone photo)
And my shot from a bunch of kids waving glow sticks around!
Ok, I have to admit, I’ve been struggling quite a bit to pick the camera up every day with this 365 day project. And my iPhone has made it excessively easy for me to NOT pick up my camera and instead just grab a quick and all too often lousy shot…
For those of you just tuning in, on January 12th of this year, I started a project wherein I would shoot a picture a day, every single day for a year.
So far, I forgot to shoot on a day and added that to my tab, I accidentally deleted the pictures I took for one of the other days, and I’ve found myself taking some decent shots that without this project I would not have bothered to try taking in the first place.
So uh… wonderful learning experience… journey of a lifetime… eye-opening project… all that cheesy crap.
But the reality is still that I’m struggling with this, and have been for some time. I distinctly remember thinking, very soon after starting the project, “Uhh… I’m out of ideas…”.
That was in February.
But unless something significant prevents me from it, I always finish what I started, and this (not so) little personal project is no exception.
Oh I should mention before posting these that my computer screen died on me late on Saturday night. That certainly adds to the fun for a visual artist huh! It was really weird seeing my desk without the monitor there.
You know what I should have done that night though? Call up and invite a whole bunch of people to watch me edit my photography, tell ‘em it’s really important and they just have to make it, and then when they get here, they can just stare in shock as I “edit” my work and exclaim “Oh man check out how beautiful the light is on that one!!”… Without a monitor sitting in front of me. Just an empty space where the screen should be…
That would have gotten me checked into a mental hospital in a big friggin’ hurry!
Thankfully, I didn’t end up in a mental hospital and I recently made friends with an awesome local photographer. Heidi made the trip to my house at about midnight just to bring me a 14″ monitor she had lying around so I could at least have a means to stay connected with my work and the world. A 14″ screen isn’t exactly ideal, in fact, for the most part it’s downright frustrating, but it beats the mental hospital outcome by a mile.
So if you’re reading this, thanks Heidi. I owe you one!
Anyway, here’s what I’ve been up to in the last little while, photographically speaking.
Day 228/365
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
“Born to be Wild” – Steppenwolf
Day 229/365
More wires and skies (iPhone photo)
Day 230/365
Only the beautiful and talented model Dani Jae can thumb wrestle and look fabulous doing it (iPhone photo)
Day 231/365
Death by Black Hole is a really fascinating book (iPhone photo)
Day 232/365
Really wasn’t in a good place that whole week (iPhone photo)
Day 233/365
A good friend’s daughter Trinity for her 1st birthday. I suck with giving kids birthday presents, so I offered to take pictures instead.
Day 234/365
Whenever I find the time, I love to go hang out at Rob Diamond’s Actor’s Lounge. Always gives me some good talent to keep an eye out for when I’m ready to work on new film projects (iPhone photo)
Day 235/365
Fresh perspectives on old themes.
Day 236/365
Seeing the curvature of the lights (iPhone photo)
Day 237/365
Trinity really dug into that cake (iPhone photo)
Day 238/365
The view from your backyard is always nicer than you think (iPhone photo)
Day 239/365
This looks like something Chase Jarvis might have done in one of his daily iPhone photo shoots (iPhone photo)
Day 240/365
Scrounging around to find a picture when I once again didn’t feel like picking up my giant brick of a pro camera, I found that the iPhone had a really strange lens flare through the windows of my bathroom (iPhone photo)
Day 241/365
My skateboard. I should mention that one of the reasons I wanted to pick up skateboarding was simply from a desire to feel what it’s like to glide past the world around me, feeling the wind in my clothes, in my face, all without moving a muscle. On that front, the experience hasn’t disappointed at all (iPhone photo)
Day 242/365
I’m getting more and more requests for shooting at the Salt Flats
Day 243/365
If there are any cops reading this (actually, the groom from day 242 is going to be one), please don’t come looking for me for holding up a camera in my car to take a mediocre picture of an old classic that I don’t know anything about while going slightly faster than the speed limit. Thanks! (iPhone photo)
Day 244/365
More sky, this time without wires
Day 245/365
A rainy day!
Day 246/365
Two things with my good friend Alisha.
1st, the “video” test I did with her just before the real shoot.
Alisha from Raji Barbir on Vimeo.
Then, you can add muscly to the already very long list of adjectives to describe everything Alisha is.
Day 247/365
I cooked something!
Day 248/365
In the morning, I saw this cool light pattern on my basement wall that I’d never seen before then (iPhone photo)
Then in the evening, I decided it was time to unwind to some classical music (iPhone photo)
Day 249/365
The inside of an abandoned car in the field behind my best friend Lisa’s house (iPhone photo)
Day 250/365
Ok I’m sorry… but am I the only one who sees a farting bunny in this one?? (iPhone photo)
Day 251/365
My portable recorder has a full head of hair! I laughed hysterically when I put that windscreen on (iPhone photo)
Day 252/365
Mason wanted to see pictures of himself as I took them (iPhone photo)
Day 253/365
I’m pretty sure this was THE laziest picture day this whole year… We have Apache helicopters buzzing around quite a bit here because of the nearby kinda-sorta military base right down the street. I’ve seen them fly really low. REALLY low. I’ve always wanted to catch one as it hovered down to the ground with civilian cars in the foreground.
But this wasn’t it. This was just plain lazy. Sorry (iPhone photo)
Day 254/365
Had to take a new self-portrait for my listing over at Wonderful Machine. I’m listed in the US under Salt Lake City and then if you filter by specialty I’m listed under Beauty and Fashion.
Anyway, I hate self-portraits… and I’m not crazy about this one… Maybe someone can take one I’ll finally like for longer than 30 seconds.
Day 255/365
I wrote a song. I think I’m going to call it “You Make Me Feel”. For one pair of ears only.
Day 256/365
Heather and Jenny, for a Utah Business Magazine shoot.
Day 257/365
Gliding! (iPhone photo)
Day 258/365
I actually really like this one. I was just wandering around the very empty plaza on Redwood Rd and around 5400 S. on a Sunday, waiting for someone (iPhone photo)
Day 259/365
Patterns in the field (iPhone photo)
Day 260/365
3 good things I did that day.
1st, I made tabouli!! I make good tabouli. Really, I do!
2nd, I took a walk on an incredibly windy day despite the advice not to (iPhone photo)
3rd, I took more pictures of wires in the sky (iPhone photo)
Day 261/365
I love that cake.
And I love the fire-like light on those rings.
Day 262/365
No way out… (iPhone photo)
“Wish You Were Here” (iPhone photo)
Day 263/365
Downtown with Sam & Aileen
The coolest piano ever!
Day 264/365
Mason is slowly taking over my love for skateboarding (iPhone photo)
Day 265/365
I never took a picture of my empty desk with the missing, very smelly (it burned up) and broken screen. This is the 14″ replacement. It makes my speaker monitors (the big ones) look huge. I just got an email telling me that my new screen is getting here on the 7th, assuming FedEx decides it wants to deliver on time.
Day 266/365
LOL!!!
I saw this while walking into the Walmart with my little boy Mason, did a double take and then laughed hysterically. Can you spot the misspelling?
Dani, my close friend and model muse, called me up on the 23rd asking me if I’d come out and take some pictures as a kind of paparazzi to an event she was hosting late that night.
I said sure.
Early the next morning, I had a bridal shoot. That same afternoon, I had a wedding. The day after that, I had another wedding. And then on Sunday, I had a model shoot. Yesterday, a bridal shoot. Tomorrow, another one.
It’s been kind of busy. My mom even started worrying when she couldn’t reach me anywhere.
All this to say that I know I’ve been slow at getting back on here and posting something new, but I’m still alive, and here’s a recap of my daily shoots:
Day 100/365
It’s getting warmer. Mason and I went outside to play some soccer. I think he really just wanted to play with the neighbor girl.
Psh! Ditching his dad for a girl…
Day 101/365
I needed an excuse to shoot some pictures and going outside sounded good, so Mason and I went across the street to the school’s playground.
The reason I needed an excuse to shoot pictures was because I was worried – no, terrified – that my camera wasn’t focusing properly anymore… Two days before back to back weddings…
This test didn’t reassure me at all…
Day 102/365
But then on the paparazzi shoot Dani asked me to come to, it was fine. Razor sharp. In really terrible low-light conditions no less. Whew!
The paparazzi thing was an event where Dani and other local models were supposed to pretend being big Hollywood stars and I along with a bunch of other local photographers were supposed to act as the scum of the earth; the paparazzi.
Thanks, Dani. Great friend you are.
What I discovered was that I’m a terrible paparazzi on a number of levels.
First, I couldn’t get myself to yell out random questions. Not because I was too shy, but because I simply couldn’t think of a single thing to ask.
Second, I couldn’t bring myself to use any of the really, truly, colossaly ugly shots that the real paparazzi regularly throw into magazines. You know the shots. Ugly flash, shiny skin, shadows behind the celebrities. Yeah. Ugly. Spectacularly ugly.
Finally, I really sucked as a paparazzi because I found it more interesting to shoot pictures of the mass of photographers falling over themselves trying to get the best shot than taking pictures of the celebrities themselves. My camera was pointed in the wrong direction. I didn’t do that more than a couple of times, but I noticed some stares when I did do it.
I’d post the pictures of that mass of photographers, but those shots sucked too.
