“Morning Light” Movie Premiere

After waiting for more than a year for Leslie and Roy E. Disney to complete the editing process on the documentary movie “Morning Light,” my wife, Karen, and I were invited to attend the premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday, October 7. The movie will be in “select” theatres starting October 17th.

For those of you that don’t know, I did still photographs during the filming of the movie. If you go to the “meet the team” tab on the “Morning Light” website and, at the end of the movie, the photographs of the crew are all my images. It was fun to see my name in the credits at the end. To our surprise, Karen and I are in the background as the boat leaves the dock in Long Beach for the start of the race, so we get a little face time in the movie, too!

If you would like to know more about the story, there’s an excerpt below straight from the movie website.
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/morninglight/

Fifteen young sailors... six months of intense training... one chance at the brass ring. This exciting True-Life documentary tells the inspiring story of a group of intrepid and determined young men and women, on the cusp of adulthood, as they embark on life’s first great adventure. Racing a high-performance 52-foot sloop in the TRANSPAC, the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions, the crew of "Morning Light" matches wits and skills in a dramatic 2300 mile showdown against top professionals. From their earliest training sessions in Hawaii conducted by world-class teachers through their test of endurance on the high seas, they form an unbreakable bond in the process of becoming a singular team that is greater than the sum of its parts. Edited by one of the key filmmakers responsible for the acclaimed 2004 surfing documentary, "Riding Giants," written and directed by the team of filmmakers behind the recent rock documentary "Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who," and the critically acclaimed "Once in a Lifetime; The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos," "Morning Light" will appeal to the sense of adventure in everyone.

It was great to see and catch up with all the “kids” again and to finely see what they were doing for eleven days at sea. We had only heard a few stories, but because it was all documented, we got to see what they experienced. It is an amazing journey!

I know I am a little biased, and I would recommend seeing the movie. You will not be disappointed. It is a wonderful story, told well! Heck, it’s a Disney movie!

Cheers!

Centennial Heritage Museum

I had the pleasure of donating my photography services to document the 4th annual fundraiser, “Gangster Gala and Flapper Fling,” on September 27, 2008, at the Centennial Heritage Museum in Santa Ana to help raise funds for the education programs at the museum.

For those of you that do not know about this wonderful organization, the Centennial Heritage Museum is an award-winning, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and restoring the heritage of Orange County and the surrounding region through quality hands-on educational programs for students and visitors of all ages. The museum receives approximately 20,000 visitors each year primarily from schools, both public and private, and groups affiliated with United Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of America.

Besides the educational activities that go on throughout the year, the historic Kellogg house and wonderful gardens provide a beautiful background for numerous weddings and corporate events. So, check them out if you have a wedding or other event coming up.

Visit their website at, www.centennialmuseum.org for more information about everything that is going on at this amazing location. They can also be reached by phone at 714.540.0404. They are located at 3101 West Harvard Street, Santa Ana, California 92704.

Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope

On September 12, 13, 14, I had the privilege of working for Roberta and Howard Ahmanson photographing a series of events for the Orange County Rescue Mission and the opening of the Village of Hope in Tustin.

The Village of Hope is a 200-person residential facility for homeless families located at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Base. The Ahmanson’s have been long-time supporters of the OC Rescue Mission and were a big part of helping to build the Village of Hope.

Friday night, September 12, the Ahmanson’s hosted a sit down dinner for the residents and staff of the Village of Hope at the facility in Tustin. After dinner, everyone was treated to a concert by The Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale that played for the first time a commissioned piece titled “From Greater Light” by composer Alva Henderson.

Saturday night, September 13, a benefit dinner and concert for the Village of Hope was held at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The dinner for 375 guests was held in the Samueli Theatre. The Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale headlined the concert in the Renee and Henry Concert Hall that was dubbed the “Concert for Hope.” After the intermission, it was time for the world premiere of “From Greater Light.” It proved to be a delightful musical event, not just a noble one.

Sunday afternoon, September 14, was the Grand Opening for the Village of Hope in Tustin. The afternoon was full of fun, food, drink, music and tours of the facility for the public. The Ahmanson’s commissioned art pieces by sculptor Albert Paley and artist Peter Brandes which were also dedicated that afternoon. Jim Palmer, the director of the OC Rescue Mission, hopes that these and additional paintings that are on loan from the Irvine Company will, with their beauty, help to inspire the residents.

The weekend was a lot of work and extremely fulfilling. It was great to be a part of all the events over the weekend and to see what was being done by the Ahmanson’s to support the homeless in Orange County.