A Better Version of Me

Jessica + David {engagement}

2009-03-02T15:02:00.004-07:00

Jessica and David's engagement session was so much fun. We met in Scottsdale and drove all over town stopping when anything caught our eye. Jessica's cousin Staci tagged along and lent a helping hand. These two are perfect for each other and we had a blast running around town. On to the photos....

Season + Jessy {e-session}

2009-02-20T14:10:00.005-07:00

Hello fans of falling in love! Today we have a prime example of young love. Season and Jessy were so much fun to shoot. We had a bit of an adventure running from location to location and they were great sports. Enjoy the pictures everyone and I wish Season and Jessy the best!

Nicole + Hardev {the wedding}

2008-12-23T13:29:00.008-07:00

Nicole and Hardev had a wonderful, calm, classy wedding. This was a great shoot. We were only there for about 6 hours. In that time we had about 2 1/2 hours with the bride and groom. They saw each other before the ceremony at this awesome old house and after the ceremony we took them to a rose garden and a walkabout around the neighborhood. Brides listen up... this is the way to do it. All those family photos are boring (sorry mom). Save as much time to caprture the two of you in love on your big day.

These two are going to have a great life togeather and I wish them the best. On to the photos....

Chelsie + Eddie {the wedding}

2008-12-16T15:30:00.005-07:00

Here we go again with another a-maz-ing wedding. We really are blessed with awesome weddings.

Chelsie and Eddie got married at the Castle at Ashley Manor. Can I just say it's so nice having the bride and groom get ready on the same property. Aimee and I were back and forth snapping shots of both the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

So the day started out at bowling! I got some fun action shots of Eddie and his bros. After that it was on the the Castle for a totally rockin wedding. This wedding was packed with tons of emotion and fun. I wish Chelsie and Eddie the best in their new life together. On to the pictures....

Rosa and Ryan {The Wedding}

2008-10-28T09:05:00.004-07:00

Sunday October 12th, 2008 Rosa and Ryan took the leap and got married. This was a fun wedding to shoot. Not only was it my first Jewish ceremony (the Rabbi was so funny) but we also took some rockin pictures on Camelback mountain. Before all of that the bridal party met at Royal Palms for some portraits. Rosa looked amazing! What a beautiful bride.The party was at this incredible house in my old hood. Everything was first class for Rosa and Ryan's wedding. Great job guys! Thanks for letting me be part of your day.

Laura and Jesse {The Wedding}

2008-10-21T16:36:00.010-07:00

Way out on the west side of Phoenix Aimee and I shot a beautiful wedding. Laura and Jesse are so in love it's almost sick. They are the couple that will break out in song at a moments notice. They are both working actors and to say the least they are very "dynamic."

They got married in Jesse's parents backyard. It was truly was a beautiful setting. Laura and Jesse did most of the planning and decorating and everything was perfect. The ceremony was lovely with Jesse's sister as the officiant. Both fathers got up and spoke which led to touching moments.
After the Ceremony we got some rockin shots at the Wigwam.The party was awesome. What a band! Laura blew me away when she grabbed the mic and absolutely owned Etta James' "At last!" When she was done the bass player looked at me and said "whew, that was no joke!" I added "and you thought this was going to be karaoke."
At the end of the night everyone was smiles. Laura and Jesse jumped in a vintage Rolls Royce and drove of into the night...

inside @ final friday

2008-10-05T11:55:00.003-07:00

In the quest to shoot more for myself I dreamed up a project for final friday's at Cartel Coffee Lab. I set up my studio lights in the back of the coffee shop during the art walk. There was a great turnout and everyone had a blast.

The concept is portraits of people in thought. I'm calling it "inside". Have a look....

Lindsey and Chad Martin at Villa Siena {Wedding}

2008-09-19T09:38:00.004-07:00

Another awesome wedding! It's raining beautiful brides, great locations, and awesome parties!

Lindsey and Chad got married Friday the 12th of September at the beautiful Villa Siena. Everything went off with out a hitch. It makes such a huge difference when the bride and groom are calm like they were.

I realize I could tell you the whole story but why not just get to the pictures....

Ok so I'm done vacationing

2008-09-05T19:17:00.004-07:00

Whew... Ok so time to settle down and get some work done. Here's something old that I'm finally geting around to and some fresh stuff. The edits are super fresh.

Gallery RFD

2008-08-24T08:55:00.003-07:00

If you are wondering where I am this week well....
If you don't recognize that zip code (no one will) it's Swainsboro, GA aka. small town USA. My friend Andrea is the new co-director and Gallery RFD is glad to have her fresh spirit. Together they are doing amazing things in an effort to infuse art into in a community that is lacking. I'll be here for another week talking art, relaxing, and helping out where I can. In my opinion every town needs a gallery RFD... they are non-profit, they organize amazing community events, and they help local artists get noticed. Super noble.

Free at last

2008-08-02T07:25:00.002-07:00

As most of you know I resigned from my position at Medtronic 2 months ago. I was a product engineer in hardware development and I was working on the latest devices that Medtronic has to offer. I know this sounds exciting to some but I haven't looked back since I left. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Really what corporate America has to offer is a trade - Money for Stress. This type of arrangement is not for me.

I have traveled all over America since and seen things that fascinate me. I went up to an amazing photography conference in Virginia called LOOK3. I stayed at the nicest farm house in Louisiana for 2 weeks while eating the best food possible. Now I'm in Denver staying with one of my best friends working out the details of my next projects. Life is so much better without a leash.

Photography has really picked up in the last 2 months. I have been getting calls and emails from people wanting all sorts. It's nice to do what you love.

Here's a sample.... :)

In Denver

2008-07-20T14:41:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone!

Things are going so great for me right now! I'm in Denver visiting some of my friends for about a month. My Friend Danny and I are starting a business and so far it's going good. Denver is really nice and I think I might make this my home for the next few months with several trips back to Phoenix to shoot all the weddings we have booked. I have only been in Denver for 3 days and I already have multiple photo shoots planned. Fun stuff.

I have started my crazy workouts again and everyone who knows me understands how good that makes me feel. My diet is really clean because everyone here eats really well. Nice!

Here's an awesome dino I found in Holbrook AZ....

A new day

2008-05-23T14:27:00.002-07:00

It's always a new day. At any point in your life you can make dramatic change all it takes is a change in your thoughts. If you think something is impossible you're wrong. Set you mind to something, focus on it, and it will come to pass. Anything is possible is you put your mind to it.

In the next few months I will be starting a new company and the motto will be anything is possible. I don't have all the details but it is going to be HUGE! Stay tuned to this blog for details...

Random pic....

Living in Tempe

2008-05-21T19:06:00.003-07:00

Living in Tempe AZ is really just wonderful. I decided to move a bit closer to work and I found a place less than 5 minutes away. It's a guest house in a historic Tempe neighborhood. It's super peaceful and just the perfect size for me. I have walked to dinner several times and I found a righteous coffee shop/roaster about a block away. Life is good...

Here's a shot of the shed in the back yard of the main house. I see this every time i walk up the driveway.....

Danny and Laura

2008-05-12T16:07:00.005-07:00

Wow what an experience. I had the privlage of shooting my good friend danny's wedding last friday. Not only was it a beautiful wedding but it also was an incredible party.

I wish Danny and Laura the best and I will see you guys soon!

Here are some of my favorites from the event.

Superhero

2008-04-16T20:53:00.004-07:00

Ello!

Just a quick line letting everyone know I'm well and good. I believe I have found a new place to live but I'm not going to say where because I don't want to jinx it. All i will say is it's extreamly close to my day job so I will be riding my bike in to work more often than not.

I have a super exciting trip planned in may. I'm taking a week off and flying out to the south east. It's not where but who you're with that really matters.

Other than that I have a ton of shoots scheduled A couple people want some product shots and even more people want candid portraits. Looks like I'm going to have a fun few weeks.

Before I set out on my next adventure in May I'm going to shoot my good friend Danny's wedding. This is going to be an amazing time and I can't wait to see my long time friend marry a girl I truly admire.

here's a pic of danny and you should get a good idea how much fun we have had over the years..

Home sick

2008-03-25T13:50:00.004-07:00

Man Vegas was rough on me. I got food poisoning while I was there and shortly thereafter I got a cold. geez gimme a break. I haven't been motivated to do much except watch tv and call my girl. I did manage to edit some of the awesome engagement sessions I have shot lately. I won't bombard you with them all at once. Here's Rosa and Ryan at the Esplanade in Scottsdale. What a blast... the best part was at the end of the shoot when Ryan was just totally done and he was staring into space. lol that was rad.

Throughly distracted

2008-03-24T19:36:00.003-07:00

I have had an amazing time shooting weddings, engagement sessions, and going to photography conferences the last few months. It really has been a whirlwind adventure. I need to take a small break from all the chaos. Through this whole adventure I met Andrea. Wow what a god send. She is everything I have ever wanted in a woman. We have the best conversations and I love her spirit and personality. She is so feisty but still sweet. I really can't get enough of her. I fly out to see her soon and I'm counting the days. If she keeps giving me looks like this one I might just melt away.

Taking longer than planned

2008-02-17T20:31:00.006-07:00

Hello everyone....

Ok so the new blog is taking longer that planned to get up and running. I don't want people to think that i've stopped caring or no longer want to share my going-ons.

So first things first... I met this a-maz-ing girl at a photography conference. She is so full of life and we get along fabulously. She lives in Georgia so sadly I won't be seeing much of her. We took a road trip to the good ol' Grand Canyon and had a day for the history books. Here's few shots....
Here's a beautiful photo of her and a little girl who just wanted to take out and put in her earrings. I didn't take this photo but I love it so I had to share.In other news my sister and I had an incredible engagement session with Briana and Rob. These guys rock! I can't wait to shoot their wedding. Watch out for Briana's eyes, they will make your knees weak. We had a blast and I got some really dramatic images....

Ok that's all for now....

Whoa... been busy

2008-02-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

The last few weeks have been super crazy for me. I've been shooting like a fiend. My sister and I have been meeting with brides and booking weddings left and right. It really couldn't be going any better. I also have been creating a new blog that I will launch soon. I thought I could have it up sooner but I'm trying to make it perfect so I don't have to touch it every week because I don't like looks of it.

Anyway things are good right now. Here's a preview of one of the many engagement sessions I shot in the last few weeks.

A + R @ the AZ bridal show

2008-01-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

So my sister and I have joined forces to start A plus R photography. We decided to debut our new found power house partnership at the AZ bridal show. Combined we have over 28 years experience!

Whew! What an experience. The AZ bridal show was an overwhelming ordeal for everyone involved. There were over 8000 brides! It was so much fun and I'm so glad we decided to do it this year.

Here's a photo of our booth design.

Thank you to all the lovely brides, brides maids, the occasional groom, and mothers that stopped by to talk to us. My sister and I hope you give us a chance to photograph your wedding day. Just how fun it will be to have both of us there at your big day.

I had a blast! This year is going to be jam packed with exciting weddings. How fun! This really is an amazing business to be in.

Thanks again to all you brides who checked us out.

Ridgeline Trail

2007-12-31T15:40:00.000-07:00

I had an incredible hike with my Bro-in-law Norm. This was our second annual Ridgeline trail hike. We did this trail last year but it was fogged over the whole way. This year we had clear skies. We did it in about 10 hours. Whew! My legs are still recovering.

The Cope Family

2007-12-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Eric Cope is my cube mate at work and my good friend. His family was in town over Christmas so he asked me to take some family photos. Fun times were had by all. :)

Jump! Action shots are the best.
This photo alone would be confusing.
Here's a keeper. It's a challenge to get everyone to smile at the same time.
This was taken 30mins after we said we were done.
The happy couple. :)

Pictures from the last few days....

2007-12-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Wow... my life just got real busy. Holidays are always busy but geez!

So in the last week I was running around like crazy seeing a multitude of friends and having great adventures.

The skiing trip was incredible. Winter park is an amazing ski resort. Please check it out if you like that sort of thing. I only picked up my camera a few times on the trip. Here's a photo of a cold morning in Dillon CO.
Danny and Laura were too busy on Monday to shoot the engagement session. Their wedding is in May and I should get another chance. Here's the only shot I got of them together because Laura came over, we ate dinner, then I had to catch a flight. I wish I had more time to spend with them, they are truly amazing people.Here's Danny driving his huge truck...
Clark, one of my co-workers, had a meeting of the minds with a holiday theme last week. Clarks' parties are always interesting. The conversation ranges from marriage to religion to history to economics. It got dark fast but I got some good shots of Eric looking rather dapper...
Eric was asking me "what do I do" so I told him to contemplate his navel.
Here's how I see Clark. Yeah he's tall but he's also a mental giant....
Here's Clark making us feel welcome by building a warm fire in his backyard.

One week in

2007-12-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ok I have a new plan. How about one or 2 goals at once. I have kinda overwhelmed by my December challenge. I have been doing well on the blogging, diet, and exercise. The reading, business, and piano have been taking a hit. Especially after work.

I think I need to concentrate on starting good habits. Things that I do subconsciously. The working out comes natural to me. The diet is not easy but with a little effort I can keep it under control. Blogging is fun for me.

December challenge so far has been a success. It has made me aware of the things that I want to get done, the things I am willing to get done, and the things I do. I am going to scale it back to be more achievable. I understand that goals are important, I'm going to manage them more carefully. Instead of me getting fed up with the state of affairs I'll make small steps and get better everyday.

Workout
didn't have time today
unexpected rest day

Going Skiing

2007-12-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

Sweet! I'm going to Denver with some friends from work and I'm going to get a few days in at Winter Park. I can't wait. I haven't been skiing at a real mountain in about 3 years. The snow here in AZ has really stunk the last few years. Which hasn't let itself to good skiing conditions.

I'm also going to see my good friend Danny and his fiancee Laura. I'm staying at their place all weekend. I'm finally going to get a chance to shoot their engagement session. I can't wait. Is it here yet? Fun Stuff!

Crossfit #3
12 Kettelbell swings 35lbs
10 Ring pushups
10 Ring Rows
4 rounds

Second Thoughts

2007-12-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

I'm struggling with how much the loft is a month. I won't say how much it is but it would be a stretch for me. I was super excited before I was sent the lease. I started to do the math and it stopped making sense. I'm going to sleep on it before I make my final decision.

I need to find a place that won't break the bank. I like things like vacations.

I'm going to stop worrying about this for now.

Here's a picture of me working out tonight...

Crossfit workout #2
Front Squats x 5
Push press x 5
135lbs
6 rounds

Good Progress

2007-12-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

Alright! Let's see how I'm doing on the December challenge.

My diet has been good. I had some takeout that my roommate brought home tonight. It was really tasty which means it was unhealthy. Oh well all my other meals have been spot on.

Workouts have been going nicely. I killed myself yesterday with the interval sprints. I should go take pictures of that hill so you all can feel my pain. I have a workout tomorrow which will be front squats and push presses. I really missed these hard core workouts. They are such a rush.

I have been reading. Not as much as I would like but I seem to be getting back in the groove. Just think if you read 30 mins a day of non-fiction you would compound knowledge like saving money in a bank account.

The coffee thing... yeah it was good while it lasted. I have cut back but the afternoon coffee is a must in the nerdery.

I have been working on my businesses. I seem to be lacking in direction. Maybe I'll write up an action plan. yeah good idea.

I didn't take any pictures today so here's one from the vault...

Workout
Rest day

Relaxing weekend

2007-12-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need a weekend of inactivity. It's not that I just sat around all day. I did plenty. I just didn't overdo it with a huge project or a road trip. I feel relaxed and ready for the week ahead. I highly recommend weekends like this.

I had time to clean. Here's proof...
I did all my laundry. I did some reading. I cooked and prepared lunches for next week.

I know this sounds like normal life but lately it seems I have been rushed and most of the normal stuff gets overlooked.

Pace workout #1
Hill repeats
Road bike
Castle loops x3

Grey Day

2007-12-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

We had a taste of Seattle today here in Phoenix. It was cloudy and drizzly all day. I stayed home and packed some stuff for my big move next month. I'm moving to the Orpheum Lofts in Downtown Phx. Here's what it looked like out my current window....
The view out of my new place will be quite different. I'll be on the 10th floor. I can't wait.

The clouds parted for a short time around noon...
This shot was taken with my new B&W polarizer. It really makes the sky pop. I have been wanting one of these for a while.

Crossfit workout #1
Elizabeth
21-15-9 reps of
135 Cleans
Ring dips

December Challenge

2007-11-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

For what ever reason I have decided to challenge myself again in multiple areas. Life has become a bit mundane these last few weeks and I need to shock the system. I have a new format that has the goals listed with the challenges just for clarity purposes. All challenges will last until the end of the year.

Here goes....

I want to Keep up with my blog more. People seem to be reading so I'll give them more to read.

Challenge #1 Blog everyday with a new photo in every post. At the end of every post I will include my workout of the day. (you can consider this a bonus feature)

Today's photo. Drive by photo

Next goal is to be as fit as possible by the end of the month. Not to be as fit as I have ever been but just to have an amazing month of workouts and clean eating.

Challenge #2 Perform 16 crossfit and 8 PACE (interval sprints) workouts in the month of Dec.

Challenge #3 Eat all meals from my kitchen. This may not mean much to you the reader but if I cook anything it is 100% of the time super healthy. Eating out is where I slip up. Foundation to my diet is Zone/Burn the fat feed the muscle.

Next I want to continue learning the piano with a goal of playing 5 Christmas songs with my family.

Challenge #4 Practice 30 minutes 16 times before Christmas. Think I can learn 5 songs in 8 hours? I'm gonna do it!

Here's a tough one for me... I haven't been going to sleep before 12 this whole last month. I think I know what the problem is...

Challenge #5 Limit myself to one cup of coffee a day. Yeah you heard me right.

Challenge #6 In bed by 9:30 and up by 5:00

I have so many books I want/need to read. I have been in a reading slump for some reason.

Challenge #7 Read 30mins a day morning or night.

OK last one... I have stalled on some of my business Ideas. I want to set these up so I can leave the rat race and be financially free.

Challenge #8 Work on my business ideas 30 mins a day if not more. If i make small steps everyday I could be at the top of the mountain soon.

OK I think that's enough to do the trick. I should be a new man in a month. My good friend Dan told me once - If you do what ya did, you get what ya got. I have a vivid dream that includes a version of me that I am proud of. Here I come dude.

Crossfit Workout (does not count)

20 Burpees
12 Dead Lifts 135lbs
30 24inch box jumps
4 rounds for time

Saturday wasted

2007-11-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

Man oh man. 4 days of vacation over thanksgiving and I catch a cold. I was down hard yesterday and today I'm about %50. I had to cancel an engagement shoot that I was super excited about. Oh well they are friends and we rescheduled for Sunday. Zinc lozenges rule.

My sister got 2 awesome lenses from canon professional services: the 70-200 f/2.8L and the 85mm f/1.2L. Oh man this is some nice glass. I have to mail them back on monday so I'm itchin to shoot with them. Here's what I got on thanksgiving....

The bokah is silky smooth in this image.

Stable of glass. we own the 2 in the middle.

So today in my bed ridden state I have been reading about off camera flash. Zack Arias is the master of one off camera flash. I really like how one light can modify a photograph. I think from now on I'm going to shoot like this. Hmmm ok so I'm going to need 2 pocket wizards, a vivitar 285, a huge soft box with stand.....

Ohhh look at the baby (cooing voice)

2007-11-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

What a cutie! Here's Eric and Aubrey's beautiful new baby boy. Ethan arrived on the 10th and their lives changed forever. Here he is mid sneeze....
They asked me to come over and take some pictures. When I got there no one but Ethan was ready to be photographed. I'll get some happy family photos when they get more sleep.

Green Gruel

2007-11-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here's what I ate post ride today....

Ingredients:
Cottage Cheese
Almond Butter
Vanilla Soy Protein Powder
Greens+
Splenda

It's Really gross looking but it tastes like ice cream. Every time I eat this at work my peers look at me like I am growing antlers. It's certainty not for everyone. This is my super healthy post exercise or before bed snack. My sister gave me this recipe and she found it from a book I gave to her. YUM!

Weekend in Flag

2007-11-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

I took Friday off from work to get a head start on a very relaxing weekend in Flagstaff. My buddy Dan has an awesome cabin about 15 minutes away from Flag. I had my nose in a book most of the weekend so I didn't get a chance to take many photos. Here's one I took Saturday on a downtown walkabout....
We were in Flagstaff celebrating a new beginning in Dan's life. He put his 2 weeks in at work and is going to be a full time entrepreneur. The only down side to this whole story is that Dan is leaving his position in MMC and guess who will get all his work? Yeah that's right me. No worries I can handle it. I'm gonna need an intern :)

Flagstaff is an amazing place. The people here are very different than Phoenix people. There is just an inherent kindness to them. I always feel welcome when I go there. I'll have to go back soon.

I found 3 photography studios in downtown Flag. I made some new friends and I got invited to come back in a few weeks and show off some of my work. I better get to work on printing some of my photos. i took a picture of their sign so I wouldn't forget any names.

Messin around

2007-11-13T06:37:00.001-07:00

I was at my sisters house this weekend. She has lots of really cool equipment and she lets me borrow most of it anytime I want - THANKS AIMEE! I was playing with the vivitar 285 flash and some pocket wizards. I had the flash on the table and I was bouncing it off a big white door.

The above picture is from left to right - Aimee, Grace, Abby, Grace, Norm. No one else would hold still long enough. According to Wiki this type of image is called a Polyptych. I have no idea how to pronounce that.

Whoa.. explain this.

2007-11-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm reading this new book I got on Thursday. It's on NLP which is a study of human communication among other things. Friday morning I was gathering things for work and decided to grab the NLP book for some reading after work in the park. I needed a bookmark so I grabbed one of the polaroids from last weekend. It was a picture of Shannon and I at dinner before the concert.

Ok so I head off to work, normal day, after work I head to the park to knock out a few chapters. I get to the end of the 2nd chapter, put the book down, and take this picture.....
Pleased with my creativity for the moment, I dive back into the start of chapter three. About 4 lines into the first paragraph I read this.... On the inspiration side is Dr. Edwin Land, inventor of instant photography and the founder of Polaroid Corporation. His little daughter wanted to see a picture of herself right away and asked her father why it took so long to develop pictures. This inspired Land to put the development process right in the film.

Umm.. Wha? Did this just happen? Am I in a dream? What a coincidence! I think someone is trying to tell me something. Weird and wonderful.

Sunday Fun

2007-11-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

Wow what a fun day. Shannon and her friend Denise we in town to see Regina Spektor at the Orphium. We made a whole day of it starting with an incredible breakfast at Original Pancake House.

You could hang a picture with Shanon's posture.

These pancakes were soooo gooood.

We really had no plans except for the concert so we winged it and went for a hike. It was super hot so we stayed long enough for Shannon to get the essential cactus growing out of your head shot.

Den wanted to see some nature. So here we are

Shan blogged from the car. Ha so cool.

We found this cool old bookstore and Shan bonded with the locals.
Waiting for Scott meant more pics of Den. She is such a good sport.
Shan in action with HER 30D.

The place we wanted to go to dinner was closed (so was the rest of Downtown Phoenix) so we improvised.

We had a little time before dinner so we took some buddy shots. Notice the tree growing out of my head. Shan will be proud.

I love food shots. Shannon took this one.

After diner we were off to the show. I didn't get many shots of the Regina because she was putting on an amazing show.

Thanks girls for the fun day. It couldn't of been better.

Breakfast in Sedona

2007-10-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning at the crack of dawn four engineers soar into the east valley skies to break the monitonity of everyday life. There are many luxuries that a person could want. Most luxuries are either temporary of lack real function. A Cirrus SR22 GTS sets you free. Owning a private plane would be exciting and fulfilling and that's just how my friend Scott feels about having this privilege.

We took off from Falcon field just after 7:45am. What an experience. The Cirrus is so much more agile than a HUGE jet. We got up to speed and took flight so quickly i really didn't have time to be scared. Scott is a great pilot, explaining everything we need to know, walking us through all the pre flight checklists, and controlling the plane like a pro. Thanks Scott. Super fun time.

We were in Sedona eating breakfast within the hour. Flying is really the way to go. Not only is it fast but it's fun and exciting. Driving is for suckers.

Aimee the wonderful Sister

2007-10-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm a super lucky guy. Not only do I always land on my feet, always find the perfect girl (of the month), and always find myself in the right place. I also have the worlds best sister. She is an amazing woman and I love her in bunches.

So I bring my new Mac Book Pro over to show her and the first thing she wants to do is take silly pictures with photo booth. Nevermind CS3 or any other cool app I have loaded. We had a snorting good time. Have a look...

SX-70

2007-10-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

How Fun!

I found an old Polaroid SX-70 camera at a garage sale. I had no idea what it was or if it worked when I saw it but I knew it had potential.

After bringing it home I did some research and found that they no longer make the film for this camera. Polaroid (and Fuji) still makes 600 and 779 film. Both have an ISO of about 600. The original SX-70 film had an ISO of 125. So I dug a bit more and found out that there are several ways to convert the camera for use with the ISO600 film. I decided to go with the easiest and least destructive method of replacing the auto exposure filter. There was a 2 stop neutral density filter and I replaced it with a piece of clear CD case that I fashioned to fit the AE opening. Good Stuff!

The results were better than expected. I thought the colors would be all crazy and washed out but they actually turned out really well. Have a look....

I added some of my new textures to this one :)

Textures in the back yard

2007-10-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

I spent the afternoon over at my parents house today. I grabbed my sisters 5d and started shooting whatever I could find. I really have missed not having a camera these last few days.

Anyway my Dad has some cool rocks and pieces of wood just laying in his back yard. I found some great stuff for textured photos.

New Flow

2007-10-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

Good times! My photography work flow just got 100x better. On Wednesday my Mac Book Pro came in the mail. Oh man is it silky smooth. I installed Photoshop and it just flies. It's such a joy to edit photos now. On my PC I could never get Adobe Bridge to work, on the mac it runs no problem. Big Sigh. Because of this cats and dogs now frolic together in fields, and all is right in the world. It's nice to have hardware and software that works together well. Here's a fruit of my labor...

KaTe

2007-10-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Kate is my friend. We work together and have the same job function but she is in a different group. Plus she is a way better engineer that I could ever hope to be. We have a funny friendship. At times I have considered her like a sister and other times i have grinded my teeth because she has angered me so. That's just the nature of out relationship. We both have foot in mouth disease and I have offended her several times but yet we remain friends. I think we both understand that we mean well and that's why we're still buddies. Anyway she asked me to take some photos of her but she wouldn't tell me what for. She said "It's for a myspace sort of thing." Ok great, put on some huge sunglasses, hold your phone to your ear, and make a gang sign - ok hold it - click - we're done here. I think she is gorgeous, she thinks i'm only saying that because we are friends. You decide.

Month of Laziness

2007-10-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

I have been super lazy lately. My diet has be reduced to total crap. I've only been working out sporadically at best. What happened? I was a machine about a month ago. Is it burn out? I think it's really starting to effect me. I haven't been my super happy self. Work has really started to bug me. I got busy and my diet and exercise routine is suffering. I need to be in control of these things to be happy. I need a plan.

Get motivated -
I should read one of my favorite workout or diet books for inspiration.

Find a Routine-
Ultimate Frisbee has been getting in the way of my workouts. I wasn't working out a day before a game so I could be fresh. That's silly. I'm going to workout when I need to, just like I use to.

Reel the diet back in-
This will only be the millionth time I have done this. Good thing I know what to do. Kimkins for a few days and then on to the zone. Plan Plan Plan. Write lists, go shopping, cook ahead of time.

Crossfit in the morning-
I have all the stuff to do crossfit. I just need motivation to use it. I think getting soft is motivation enough.

PACE twice a week-
MMmmm interval sprints, my favorite! I love doing these because it makes me feel hard core. OH Yeah!

Ok so now for the Goals -

Lean and mean in one month - I'm starting to get soft and i don't like it. I'm at my best when I'm super fit. One month is a good time frame because I'm still in decent shape.

NO more Lazy meals - Eating out is the best way to stack on the calories. Bring your lunch and cook your dinners! I will feel better for making the effort.

No Burn outs - I know what it takes to be super fit. I need to not go overboard to avoid burnout. I think that's what happened before.

Adventure boy at it again

2007-10-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

As if Crossfit, PACE, and road biking weren't enough, I decided to run the Grand Canyon yesterday. There's something in my brain that continuously tells me to try and kill myself via exercise. My friends at work look at me with blank stares when I tell them what I do for workouts. Are they lazy? Am I normal? That was rhetorical, please don't try and answer.

The Grand Canyon is a beautiful place. Unfortunately I didn't really see it. I had my head down the whole time either trying to keep my balance on the way down or scouting out my next efficient step on the way up. I made great time down and up but I'm paying the price today. My legs are wrecked. My quads this morning yelled at me to stay in bed, my feet are numb, and my calves are seized up. Great! What a workout Riley! Here's to good health!

Needless to say I'm going to take it easy today. I'm going to ship my ebay items (YAY!), put up more stuff on ebay, and dream of workout sanity.

Inspired by Shannon

2007-10-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

I recently sold my Canon 30D digital SLR because I am upgrading to the Canon 5D. The 30D is a wonderful camera and I had so much fun shooting with it. I have to upgrade because the 5D is so much better in low light and it shoots 35mm equivalent images. I have been waiting for the price to drop and BAM it happened just the other day. So 5D here I come.

I sold the 30D in a weird way. First I wasn't planning on selling it as quick as I did. I have some other things I need to sell and I still need to take pictures of them!! Oh well, it can wait until the 5D gets here. So to sell the 30D I went on to the OSP forums to see if there was a pro photographer looking to buy one. I always like dealing with pro's because they don't ask stupid questions and they know what they are looking for. I found such a lady and posted that I would sell my 30D for $800. She dilly-dallied for about a day. When I went check on the post the next day I had a PM from another photographer wanting to buy it ASAP. Great! I PMed back saying to call me or email me.

On the phone was a young woman full of energy and life. I could instantly tell that she needed this camera more than I did and she needed it fast because she had a wedding to shoot in three days. She called me at work and the camera was at home, she was on a budget and didn't want to ship it overnight, and she talked me down to $750. I think most people would of squashed the deal right there stating logistics and profit margin as the deal breakers, but not me. I saw this as a challenge.

I rushed home after discussing the details of the deal. I jammed the camera and a few accessories in a box, worked out the Paypal details, and drove it to FedEX. Bam! Done deal. I wanted to sell the 30D LAST of all the things I'm selling (more on this later). Something told me to sell it to this girl. Was it instant repore over the phone? Was it because we spoke the same language (camera)? Was it the time crunch challenge? I'm not sure.

I know my old trusty 30D is in good, no, great hands now. Shannon is a AWESOME photographer. I was reading her blog (reading is sexy) and the photos she posts are incredible. It's like she understands all the rules of photography on how to take good photos but she doesn't make it evident. Her photos are very interesting to look at. Even the type of photos that I normally would trash have an appealing style. Oh yeah and she has amazing style. From the way she dresses to her subjects to her shooting technique. Blows me away. I'm very glad that I met her and that she has a camera that I love in her hands. Check her out @ www.shannonleith.com Her blog is really cool and it has inspired me to start blogging again.

One last thing on Shannon. Through all our conversations I have noticed that she has a very positive outlook on things. This was the best part. I have been making a big effort in my life to fill my mind with positive thoughts and say positive things. I have this feeling that I attracted her to me, not in a dance club cologne sort of way, but in a law of attraction way. Or maybe it was just random chance, but wait would that be the same thing? Anyway, we have said some postive things to each other and it feels good. Just simple things like - Riley - "This 30D was my good luck charm" - Shannon - "I am glad to have the luck of Riley." This kind of stuff makes me smile and it is so easy to do once you get good at it.

There would normally be a picture of something relating to this post but I'm fresh out of cameras. I have some lenses but no cameras. lol