Must be summertime

Went to over to our friends house for an awesome Memorial Day BBQ. The kiddie pool got busted out. Must be summertime....

Enjoy,

TSB2

Sunny San Diego

Last week, Kristin attended a math teaching conference in San Diego, so, since it was in San Diego, I decided to tag along. While she went and learned about smartboards and what not, I wandered through downtown San Diego, searching for photos while also fulfilling my duty of finding a restaurant for dinner that evening.

During my walkabout, I discovered a neighborhood called East Village that is just a few blocks from the Gas Lamp quarter. In my conversations with people in East Village, most agreed that about 10 years ago, you wouldn't have been caught dead there. It was really run down, had little prospects while being rife with crime and home to a large homeless population. Today, East Village is in the middle of a renaissance, ignited by the construction of Petco Park back in 2004. Following the stadium's opening, high-density residential construction boomed, attracting hipsters, artists, entrepeneurs and businesses. While the housing meltdown has slowed the neighborhood's growth over the past year or so, it is still buzzing with an energy that is truly unique. Several business owners live in their work spaces, most of which are remodeled warehouses. There is still a large homeless population living on the outskirts of East Village, but it is continuously shrinking as development takes over, giving rise to new growth in the neighborhood.

The following set of photos is just a few snaps, almost all of which I shot in East Village. If you're ever out there and want to get off the beaten path, head over there. I can't wait to get back sometime soon to experience the energy that is emanating from this wonderful neighborhood.

Enjoy the pics.

TSB2

Some of the cool architecture that is all over East Village...

Che Bella Fiori, a high end florist in East Village has a wonderful open space that is welcoming to customers...with two or four legs...

Carla, Che Bella Fiori's owner, hard at work...

East Village Crossfit is an INCREDIBLE space to go get a workout in. You can check out their website here. Look at this light!

I came across these guys just as they were moving into their new office. RKTEQU is a small, but very good architecture firm in San Diego. They do work for clients ranging from the government to PF Chang's. So, after they lugged in some computers and what not, I told them to get together for a portrait in their new space that they decked out themselves.

The homeless still have a presence in East Village...

Steak Tacos at Neighborhood. Wow, this restaurant is SOOO RAD! So much good beer, both on tap and in bottles and amazing food at reasonable prices. They play good music too...

This isn't in East Village, but it's not far from it. I just thought this was so funny....

Changes

As some of you may already know, after 8 years I left my job at Rich Clarkson and Associates at the new year to pursue new endeavors in photography. I am now working at Andrew Clark Photography, concentrating on weddings and portraits, but will also be constantly searching to explore new photographic avenues to keep my mind fresh and those creative juices flowing.
The first month has been amazing as I have rediscovered a passion for photography that had dwindled over the last couple of years. While I will miss my former colleagues and the work that we produced, I'm excited about what is ahead.

Below, is a mishmash of images from the past month that has nothing to do with weddings. I shot all of these with my iPhone 3Gs. I have found tremendous joy in shooting with it since it is a camera in it's most basic form and it has forced me to pay particular attention to what the camera is capable of capturing.

Enjoy the pics.

TSB2

I Left my Wallet in El Segundo

A little while ago, I went out to California with Kristin and her parents to visit her brother's family. They live in LA, right by the beach and I brought my camera just about every where I went and came away with some fun photos. I don't know what it is, but Southern California light is just different. It's almost got this constant mystical feel because it seems like it always has a finite mist or a touch of moisture in the air that diffuses wonderfully.

Enjoy the pics....

C's Billabong advertisement...












My two faves....

Summertime favorties

So far, the summer here in Colorado has been one that reminds me of my childhood.....but with tornadoes.

To those of you who were fortunate enough to be born and raised in the land of God (Elway), aka, Colorado, the afternoon showers we've been having are a throwback to the summertime days of our childhood. I can remember vividly being kicked out of the swimming pool by the lifeguards because lightning had been spotted in the area. My friends and I would hop out, dry off, go home and drink chocolate milk, watch afternoon cartoons and listen to the rain outside. I'm sure all your fellow Colorado natives can relate, as you probably have a similar memory that revolves around the afternoon rains while growing up.

In all of this, I've only sat through one rain delay this season at Coors Field (knock on wood). Even better, these afternoon showers have brought with them some amazing light and have taken me away from the photo wells and into other parts of the stadium which I haven't visited with a camera in quite a while. It has helped me learn more about the process of constructing a photo instead of just making photos..Being persistant and waiting, instead of just moving along when nothing catches your eye for a few minutes.

I've captured some different things in these images. I've found different moments in the ballpark, some of which I never knew existed (for instance, they go into the fountain EVERY game and retrieve the batting practice home runs). I've captured action from a different angle. And lastly, I've found moments amongst the fans with a sentimental touch.

Enjoy....

Healin' Wheels!

On Saturday, I had the chance to photograph the inaugural Healing Wheels Tour, a charity ride that benefits the Inner City Health Center here in Denver. While I was very excited to shoot this, I wasn't all that pumped for the 5am wake up call. Ugh! To make matters worse, on Friday night I went and saw Chase Jarvis, a well known photographer, give a lecture called "The Consequences of Creativity" THEN came home at 9:30 and HAD to watch the Red Wings-Penguins Game 7 that I had recorded. What was I thinking?

Anyway, the good thing was that the lecture got me all juiced to make some great photos and I've posted a few below. It was a great event and it's always nice to help a good cause.

.....and the Penguins won!!!

Enjoy the pics...

TSB2

Brad Hawpe, a smoke machine, and too much wind!

Last month, I had the opportunity to photograph Brad Hawpe for the cover of the June 2009 issue of Rockies Magazine, which also doubles as the game program at Coors Field for the month.
The last time I photographed Brad, it was a last minute thing and we did a pretty ho-hum cover that wasn't all that exciting. So, this time, I wanted to dress it up and we did just that by renting a smoke machine and playing with that.
We shot this in front of Gate D at Coors Field which doubles as a wind tunnel which made things a little more difficult than we hoped. But thanks to some expert smoke fanning moves by my coworker Ryan Mckee, we pulled off a great shot.

Enjoy!

TSB2