National Association of Woman Business Owners (NAWBO) - Remarkable Woman Event 2010

After taking a year off because my wife, Karen Gifford, was the President, I was asked again to photograph this year’s 15th Annual Remarkable Woman Event which was held on October 5th at the Hilton Hotel in Costa Mesa.
This year’s honorees are:

Kathy Gardarian, Qualis International, Lifetime Achievement Award
Angela Cortright, Business Owner of the Year, Spa Gregorie's
Allyson Ames, Wonderland Bakery, Entrepreneur to Watch

For those woman business owners out there that don’t know about NAWBO, it just celebrated its 35th Anniversary. The Orange County Chapter, NAWBO-OC, was started in 1991 and it touches more than 5,000 women-owned businesses annually in Orange County. NAWBO-OC is the leading organization for the most successful and respected women business owners in the area. Achieving explosive growth, NAWBO-OC is 350 strong. As the nation’s largest NAWBO chapter, they continue to inspire and respond to their members’ needs with quality and innovative programs. Their programs and events focus on education, skill building, mentoring, peer support, policy and political awareness for women entrepreneurs. The national organization has over 70 chapters and more than 7,000 members nationwide. http://www.nawbo-oc.org/

UCI Extension Class – “Keeping it Simple: Photographing People”

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.

Orange County Performing Arts Center – Peter Pan

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!

Orange County Performing Arts Center – Project Bandaloop

Since 2006, the Orange County Performing Arts Center http://www.ocpac.org/ has tried to find more ways to use the outdoor plaza that is in-between the Theater and Concert Hall. On my birthday, I had a special treat as I was once again asked to photograph the Project Bandaloop which propels dancers off and across the exterior walls of Segerstrom Hall. The plaza was packed with blankets and beach chairs as everyone watched this noted contemporary dance company create a blend of dance, sport, ritual and environmental awareness that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. All I can say is “WOW!!”

Prints in Leatherby's Café Rouge Private Dining Room

I was honored to be asked to produce eight (8) 40-inch canvas prints to decorate the walls of the private dining for the Patina Restaurant Groups, http://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant.php?restaurants_id=20, in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (OCPAC) http://www.ocpac.org/home/

The prints were all architecture images that I had done of the OCPAC buildings and Richard Serra sculpture, "Connector."

If you are at the Center for a show or another event, stop by Leatherby's Café Rouge Restaurant for a great meal and drink, and check out my prints in the private dining room.

AIDS Services Foundation, Orange County (ASF) - Red Ball

The event took place Saturday, September 25, 6:00PM on the grounds of the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach. This year commemorated twenty-five years of help and hope by launching a new tradition, "The Red Ball." Like the "Big Splash" so effectively did, "The Red Ball" will help raise awareness and funds to support all of those assisted by ASF. http://www.ocasf.org/index.shtml
Tim Dunn, the director of PR for the OCPAC and I worked together to provide the images of the event needed for the media.

Digital Happy Hour – Charlie Palmers at Bloomingdales, South Coast Plaza

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!