It was my pleasure to once again judge a print competition at the Anaheim Camera Enthusiasts (ACES) photography club.
ACES is open to all Orange County photography enthusiasts, from novice to professional and meets regularly in Garden Grove.
Please go to their website for more information. http://www.aces-photo.org/
My wife, Karen and I were honored to join Elaine R. Levin, current Secretary and past President of the Board of Directors of Girls Incorporated of OC, at her table for the third year for the annual fundraising event at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort in Newport Beach on October 29th, 2010.
Joining us at our table was one of the girls that was featured at the event, Mitzi Hermann. After becoming a member of Girls Inc. of OC in 2000, she receiving a National Scholarship from Girls Inc. and now will be graduating from the California State University, Fullerton with a degree in Domestic Violence Counseling and Addiction Counseling in May. She will be entering a Master program in the Fall.
The Girls Incorporated Mission Statement is: Inspiring all girls to be Strong, Smart, and BoldSM
Go Mitzi, and all the girls involved with Girls Inc.,OC!
To see how you can get involved with this great organization visit their website, http://www.girlsinc-oc.org/
I have had the pleasure of photographing several company owners who Sunwest has featured as part of their customer appreciation initiative. The images and a stories about these executives and their companies are featured as part of Sunwest’s advertising campaign which runs in the Orange County Business Journal. I really enjoy doing this work and later reading about these success and relationship stories in the OCBJ. November 1st, is another event that I am returning to photograph for Sunwest. It’s their Annual Economic Outlook Event at the Balboa Bay Club, Newport Beach.
Sunwest Bank, headquartered in Tustin, California, is the premier small and middle market business bank in Southern California. Its aim is simple - provide entrepreneurs with a banking experience akin to one found in a private banking environment.
To find out more, visit their website at http://www.sunwestbank.com/index.aspx
It was great to be a part of the annual open house held on October 28th at the Hacienda in Santa Ana. I meet some wonderful couples with whom I hope I will be working as their photographer on their wedding day. I also had a chance to get caught up with all of my vendor “friends” with whom I have worked over the 28 years I have been referred by the Hacienda.
The Hacienda is owned and operated by June Neptune, who conceived the idea of turning this beautiful space into a venue that can be shared for many special weddings and events and has directed operations for over 25 years. Under June’s direction, the wedding coordinators and event planners are available every day of the week.
The Hacienda is an historic ranch estate built in 1901, complete with balconies, courtyards, fountains and grand staircases. It is the perfect setting for a romantic wedding and reception, corporate event and other special occasions.
To find out more about the Hacienda and June’s other wedding locations in Laguna Beach, visit their website at http://www.tivoli-too.com/TheHacienda/tabid/59/Default.aspx
Since 2005 I have had the pleasure of photographing Team Ruff: Jaritt, Erin, Jack, Max and Sam. Watching the family grow-up each year is one of the things that I have been able to do with many other families through-out my career. Thank you all for that honor!
This year’s Reflections Program Theme: "Together we can," brought out a number of wonderful art pieces. It has been my pleasure to be a judge for this program the last several years for a couple of schools in the area.
The PTA believes all children deserve a quality arts education and encourages students to pursue artistic expression through participation in its annual arts Reflections Program. The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition. Students in preschool through grade 12 are encouraged to create and submit works of art in six areas: dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography, and the visual arts (which includes art forms such as drawing, painting, print making, and collage). For nearly 40 years, the program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in American schools overseas to create works of art. The Reflections Program was started in 1969 by then Colorado PTA President Mary Lou Anderson.
For the first time in a long time, this year’s class was offered in the fall quarter. . I have 12 students in my basic portrait photography class for the UCI Extension program. From students to retirees, this year’s class is as diverse as all the others have been over the last 10 years. Some come wanting to just learn how to do a better job of taking their snap shots of their family and friends, and others want to make a living with a camera like me. My hope each semester is that I can share what I know and help them all enjoy taking better photographs of the people that end up in front of their lens, for fun or profit.
If you would like more information about the UCI Extension classes, please call 949.824.5414, or go online at www.extension.uci.edu.
As I have talked about before, one of the benefits of working with the Orange County Performing Arts Center http://www.ocpac.org/ is that my wife, Karen, and I get to see some great shows, and this is one you don’t want to miss.
Direct from the U.S Premiere in San Francisco, Peter Pan is a spectacular new stage production of J.M. Barrie’s classic story performed in a state-of-the-art 1350-seat theatre pavilion.
Conceived by an award-winning creative team and featuring twenty-two actors, stunning puppets, epic music, and dazzling flying sequences surrounded by breathtaking video, Peter Pan was a smash hit when it launched in London in 2009. The world's first 360-degree video projection for live theater flies both cast and audience over Edwardian London. http://www.peterpantheshow.com
Wait until you meet the original Tinker Bell with attitude. It is fun for the whole family!
My friends at Orange County Films http://www.orangecountyfilms.net/home.html and Charlie Palmers at Bloomingdales, South Coast Plaza http://www.charliepalmer.com/Properties/CharliePalmerAtBloomingdales/
put together a unique event called the Digital Happy Hour. Each week, Executive Chef Amar Santana and Social Filmmaker Sean Saint-Louis, host unique celebrity and social media guests as they unwind with cocktails and culinary delights while discussing the latest trends in food, film, mixology, sports and fashion.
Here is an image from the first show.
Check it out if you are in the area!
Nice Face!
Maria Sharapova
Lindsey Davenport
WOW! That is one big ship! In fact, you cannot believe how big a ship it is. I had always wanted to see an aircraft carrier up close and Karen and I got to tour the USS Nimitz in San Diego on Saturday. Very Cool! Next on the list is to see it working. The 10 part PBS series "Carrier" is about the USS Nimitz. Go to the PBS website to see more details about the ship and clips from the series.
http://www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/
With a recent change in décor, I was asked to do a new set of photographs of the lounge and dining room of the Charlie Palmer Restaurant at Bloomingdale’s, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.
I had the honor and pleasure of taking the first set of photographs they used for marketing and advertizing two years ago when they opened.
For those of you that have not yet dined at one of the best restaurants in the SoCal area, I highly recommend it. It is located on the southeast corner of Bloomingdale's at South Coast Plaza and has a wonderful lounge, beautiful dining room with fantastic food, private dining rooms, and a retail wine shop called the Next Vintage Wine Shop.
Call 714.352.2525 for reservations or visit their website
June 12-16th found me heading to Atlanta, Georgia, to judge the International Print Competition for the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) www.ppa.com. was one of 50 judges selected from a total list of only 125 qualified jurors who, over a four-day period, judged over 5,500 entries from PPA’s 20,000 plus members.
We broke new ground this year by scoring all the prints digitally using an Apple iPad as our key pad. All the print scores and judging stats were sent to a central server via our own wireless network in each room. Pretty cool! We already judge digital albums, but next year we will have digital prints as well.
To become part of this esteemed group of jurors, I first had to become a Master Craftsmen Photographer with PPA, then judge for many years at the local, state, and regional competitions, followed by completing a series of judging classes, and finally a review of my background and submissions of my work for review by other judges. Over the years, I have also had many opportunities to judge the international print competition for the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI). By judging these international print competitions, I get to see thousands of prints from photographers around the world. This allows me to stay in touch with the latest trends and styles in photography and, most of all, to always provide fresh perspectives and ideas for my clients.
I worked for the first time as a volunteer photographer for AIDS Walk Orange County 2010 on Saturday, May 22nd, at the Great Park in Irvine.
More than 6,000 attendees participated, from walkers to corporate sponsors to volunteers and vendors. The day was full of energy, support and, most of all, hope. Phil Yaeger, AIDS Services Foundation Executive Director/CEO, announced that approximately $400,000 had already been raised with more pledges yet to be received.
For more information about next year’s walk and how you can support Aids Service Foundation of Orange County, visit their website. www.ocasf.org
