The downtown areas that I visited were very clean and I enjoyed the fact that most people look you in the eyes when greeting or passing on the street. A few suburbs (Brentwood and Franklin) that I visited had thousands of amazing homes, which again, were diverse in their architecture.

I’ve lived in North Carolina and Georgia and never really got a “melting pot” feeling from any Southern cities that I visited. I guess what was so unexpected about the Nashville area to me was the diversity in just about everything.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with Nashville or your thoughts on the Nashville pictures that I’ve included below:

Pictured Above
I visited the only full size replica of the Parthenon in the world -yes, in Nashville! I also had the chance to catch Ralph Stanley, a bluegrass pioneer that still does a show here and there, at the Ryman Auditorium. Of course, I had to go out to a “Honky Tonk” and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Here is a restaurant recommendation from Nashville:

Watermark (Nashville, TN) - While rubbing elbows with record producers and the complete cast of a popular reality-competition show, I didn’t have a single thing on my plate that wasn’t fabulous. My “pristine” (as the maitre d’ stated) swordfish was flown in whole from Rhode Island that morning. The wine list had quite a few names that were new to me and wound up being surprisingly good. (specifically, the Don David Reserve, Torrontes)

From 7pm to 7am on Friday, July 19th, “Glow” was held at the Santa Monica Pier. When I heard about the contemporary art event I was intrigued enough to spend an hour in grid-lock traffic looking for an available parking space. A few locals that I spoke to said that they had never seen the streets so packed with cars and people.

I snapped a few photos while I was there until the wee hours of the morning, including the “bike valet” lot…

• 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…

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’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.

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.

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.

La Candelaria Sunset

NYE @ Lands End

Dried Riverbed Road

Pilar

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.

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 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!