I will be hopping around the country over the next few weeks. Here is an updated travel schedule:

• San Francisco, CA - July 2?-29
• Nashville, TN - July 30-Aug 3
• Bolton Landing, NY (Lake George) - August 21-23
• NYC/NJ - August 23-26
• Middle of nowhere, PA - August 27-30

I have some availability for new projects, so if you’d like to connect while I am in your area, feel free to drop me a line.

Aside from those dates, you’ll find me here in Malibu, CA - where I’ve been exploring the cliffs, canyons and hills with Sid. Photos coming soon…

I stepped outside of my comfort zone a bit and agreed to shoot my friend’s wedding and reception last month in New Jersey. Normally, weddings are not my thing- I believe that a good wedding photographer needs to get (at least) a few dozen weddings under their belt before they really start producing original, creative images that capture the event. What has probably kept me from getting into “wedding photographer” mode, is the majority of wedding photographers that I know simply have a routine for each wedding and can do it in their sleep- which doesn’t really appeal to me since personally, photography is more a creative outlet than profit center. I also cringe at the pressure…knowing that if I miss a shot, I could possibly be lynched by the bride.

Here are a few shots from the wedding; and if you’re interested in seeing more of the wedding photos, I’ve posted some on my facebook page.

I finally broke down and took the first step in my conversion from PC to Mac. I’ve used PCs since way back in the Windows 95 days, mostly because of my business-related ventures, but finally decided to bite the bullet and see what all of my Mac-loyal friends have been raving about all of these years.

I’m still fumbling around a bit, like the first time that I picked up a guitar; but I can tell from the rather intuitive interface that I’ll be much more efficient with the MacBook Pro. I like the little things like “Spaces”, which gives me the ability to switch between multiple workspaces with a simple keystroke.

In terms of the display, I feel like I have been editing photos without my glasses now that I have a crisp, color-rich Mac display to work on. I included a few of the first new photos that I edited with it using Aperture, Apple’s professional photo organization and editing application…which I definitely need to take some lessons on. I plan on toying around with multiple Apple applications that do the same thing in order to see what I like the best. My first comparison will be Apple Aperture vs. Adobe Lightroom, which I have heard mixed reviews on.

The photos that I included are of Actor/Comedian Jeff Howard. We recently spent an afternoon snapping some fun, animated photos and even getting his first taste of Pinkberry, a Los Angeles frozen yogurt chain. (Mochi, Blackberries and Captain Crunch are my recommended toppings, BTW)

I also included a photo of Meredith, who I have worked with before on several projects. We recently spent a day at the beach in Marina Del Rey, snapping a variety of photos, including the one below which we did for CitrusByte. You can see Venice, Santa Monica and the beginning of the cliffs of Malibu up the coast behind her.

On a side note, I just passed my one-year mark as a California resident. Amazing how time flies when you’re having fun! After living and working in Venice and Marina Del Rey over the past 12 months, I am heading up the coast a bit. This weekend, I move into a loft in Malibu, California. Life is good.

I had the opportunity to travel down to Belize City, Belize and interact with the people of Belize…and a few Belizean dogs, of course. Some of the scenes of bitter urban poverty were disturbing, some of which I attempted to capture in my photos of Belize.

It was extremely humid, but that didn’t stop Mia and I from covering most of coastal Belize City by foot and venturing out to some of the rather tiny islands off of the coast by speedboat.

We visited Caye Caulker, a small limestone coral island about 20 miles off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea. There were no cars, only golf carts to get around since the island of Caye Caulker is less than five square miles. With Mia behind the wheel, we were able to locate and get in on a lot of great shots of the dozens of stray dogs that populate the island.

These islands are really fascinating little counter-cultures that are reminiscent of the communities that spring up at weekend-long Phish shows. I have some interesting photos of the people of Belize coming up in a few days – until then, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the shots below.

I recently returned from a second trip through Baja California Sur, the thin peninsula below California that is detached from the rest of mainland Mexico. My first trip was last year from December 2006-January 2007, when I explored the western coast by Jeep; photographing wild dogs and local personalities throughout the region. It was this trip that was to blame for my decision to move from the east coast, where I was living at the time, to Southern California the following spring.

This year, I returned to Baja with Mia to further explore the region and visit a few locals (and their dogs) that I befriended the prior year. The weather was fantastic - crisp blue skies and warm red sunsets made for some gorgeous images.

During our travels, we were introduced to an interesting drink made from Jamaica (pronounced ha-mike-ah) while we visited with Cuco and Pilar. The two local artists live a very simple life on a cozy ranch, duly named “Rancho Pilar”. Sadly, Pilar’s dog, “Chata” that I photographed last year, had passed away and she was still quite sad over it. The couple was nice enough to offer us the most amazing accommodations on the private beach at the far side of the ranch; giving us a night of the most incredible stargazing that one can imagine while we awaited our custom-made sandals, constructed from car tires by Cuco himself.

We traveled by Jeep to some rather remote areas where dried river beds were roads and were able to made it down to Cabo San Lucas, located at the southernmost tip of the peninsula, for New Years Eve.

A few of my favorite shots from the trip are included below. I will be posting a Back to Baja - Part 2 later this week when I get all of my photos from the trip sorted out.

La Candelaria Sunset

NYE @ Lands End

Dried Riverbed Road

Pilar

I’ve had my hands full over the past few weeks with a few commercial catalog projects and my new puppy, Sid. I’m still working on getting him to pose on command, but here are a few spontaneous photos that I’ve snapped of him over the past few weeks as a first glimpse of the little guy.

Digging in the Park

At the Cabin

In the Park

Holiday Card Stamps

Sid will be living it up at a luxury puppy spa here in LA while I am away beginning this week. I’ll be traveling through Baja Mexico again this year, photographing wild, stray and working dogs throughout the region. Mia and I are flying into La Paz, Mexico, then driving our Jeep down to Todos Santos and finally Cabo San Lucas for New Years. On the return flight, we planned a short stop in Mexico City to get a taste of the Mexican metropolis, since neither of us has been there yet.

A week after we return, we ship out from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to explore Belize. Big Fun.

And here is a restaurant recommendation from my latest explorations:

Violet (Santa Monica, CA) - A very restaurant-savvy person sitting next to me on a flight from Las Vegas the other day mentioned this little gem. I’ve been there twice in the past two weeks, giving you an idea of how I felt about their cuisine and atmosphere. What I enjoyed the most was the “small plate” approach to their menu, giving me a chance to try several dishes and share with the rest of my company.

The Chef/Owner, Jared, was extremely friendly, helpful and unpretentious on both occasions. Since I’ve now tried just about the entire menu, I can recommend my favorites: baked macaroni (mac & cheese), braised beef short ribs with vanilla risotto and the crab salad with curry sauce and sliced grapes.

A photographer-friend was showing me some of the shots that he was taking with an old Polaroid 350 Land Camera (circa 1970) and I just had to rush out and acquire one of my own. It took me a few packs of film to grasp how the camera works (including how to load the huge film packs) and how to gain control of the images that I was producing, but I finally got the knack and I’m loving this thing. I’ve been carrying it around with me for the past two weeks and snapping photos here and there. I also took the camera on my road trip to Arizona and was able to convince one of the models that I was shooting to let me photograph her with it.

I scanned a few of my favorite prints and included them below. You’ll notice some subtle differences in the representation of colors, which is from my experimentation with different film types. I know that this is a little different, so I am anxious to hear what people who like my other work think of them.

Priscilla in Arizona

A Day in Santa Monica

LA Grass and Whatnot

Mia and I popped back to New Jersey for what turned out to be a gorgeous autumn weekend. We did a little corn-mazing, hit up NYC and went on an afternoon kayaking trip around Clinton where I snapped a few photos which I’ve included below. I found that the secret to appreciating the weather in the North East is to live in the South West and to come back for short visits.

Mia Relaxing

“Nature”

Goose in Flight

And an old favorite restaurant that I revisited this weekend:

Origin French Thai (Somerville, NJ) - Nestled away on a little side street in the quaint town of Somerville this BYOB gem is one of the best spots in New Jersey, in my opinion. With a fusion of traditional Thai patterns, modern vibrant colors and exposed brick, the 2 rooms have a wonderful ambiance. My favorite dish is the Wild Boar, prepared with Bok Choy and Chili Peppers. I’ve suggested it to dozens of people and never had a complaint. Try the creme brulee for dessert. Origin is becoming more of a hot spot since I lived nearby, so definitely make reservation…and don’t forget a bottle of wine!

Jessica Mammen, a model from Las Vegas, was in LA for a few days and popped by for a test shoot. We had been talking about getting together for quite awhile and luckily our schedules meshed quite well on this occasion.

I felt that her current modeling headshots didn’t do her justice, so we focused in on her face and played around with some creative headshots. She was fun to work with and I think that the images that we produced show that.

Sheer Curtains

In a milk bath

Wrapped in Foil

In case you were wondering why she is wrapped in aluminum foil, I’d just like to point out that Jessica grabbed my attention initially by telling me she was “up for whatever” and continued “heck, wrap me in foil!” Of course, I couldn’t pass that kind of adventurous attitude up! Keep an eye out for more images of creative images Jessica Mammen when I am in Las Vegas next…

I had the opportunity to try something a little different and shoot some promotional images for a new jewelry line that is about to launch in North America. We cast a local model, Meredith Molinari, who wound up being fantastic to work with; along with Mandy Perez, a wonderful make up artist here in Los Angeles. I was very happy that we were able to come up with poses and simple lighting configurations that featured complete sets of the client’s jewelry in one shot, without looking awkward. I included one of the clients favorite shots below.

And a excellent restaurant recommendation that came to me by the way of Meredith:

Vibrato Jazz Grill (Bel Air, CA) - In her words to me, “It’s a really fabulous place to get drinks and listen to jazz. Food is pricey but worth it.”

Well, I went there last night and she wasn’t kidding. Son Mayor, a group of 12 amazing musicians that play a mixture of vintage latin and contemporary Cuban music had the room for the night. We got a table right against the stage and dined on some fabulous steaks. The oysters were huge and the martini’s were excellent. Oh, and be sure to try the mac and cheese.