Happy Birthday Deborah!

Happy birthday Deborah!!  It's kind of like sending flowers right?  ;)  


The quality of the picture isn't what it's been as I was spoiled by using OCC's photo equipment, but it will do!  :) This is a dahlia I came across while I was out and about one day.  Originally I took the photo because it's my friend Megan's favorite flower and they seemed to be in their prime.  I really wish the colors had come out as true and beautiful as they were in real life, but when does that ever happen!?  

Seated Silouhette

I took this picture after climbing what felt like 20 flights of the steepest stairs on the planet.  In reality it might have only been about four stories of stairs, but regardless they lead to this roof area where this chair was sitting by itself.  It didn't look sturdy enough for someone to sit in any longer but it did make for quite interesting shapes.  I was at an Art Walk in this track of lofts converted from old industrial warehouses.  The whole place was interesting and filled with artists doing what they do best -- art!  It was a great day with my good friends Seth and Megan.  It reminded me that the three of us should definitely look into going on more artistic adventures together.  

Big Bear Dog

I took Friday off last week and we took a spontaneous trip up to Big Bear Lake for the day.  I hadn't been to Big Bear in a few years and I've never taken Rowdy.  He had a lot of fun watching birds and enjoying watching anything that moved or made noise.  It was a great day.  Very relaxing and enjoyable.  I can't wait to go back and stay the night or the weekend.  I liked this picture because of the way the colors all came together.  The spot we were in was shaded until the late afternoon when a small spotlight of sun came through the trees and happened to fall around Rowdy, perfectly lighting him and the spot in the water.  I think I'll print this one to put up somewhere.  

Spongebob Squarepants!!

I realize this picture isn't really taken in a special way or anything more than a snapshot, however, I did make this cake which displays some element of artistry and I feel pursuant to that fact it's totally game for posting.  Chuck's nephew Andrew had a birthday party this past weekend and I made him a Spongebob cake.  It was so much fun to do and I was actually quite content with the outcome.  This is by far my most favorite cake I've ever made.  I started it around 9 p.m. and finished at 5 a.m.!  I kept putting it off thinking about how I was going to do it and then I just jumped into it and was shocked that it turned out pretty much how I had envisioned it.  Andrew LOVED it.  His mom made little jellyfish cakes to put with it and the total presentation was absolutely adorable!!  Maybe this is my most favorite cake because of how rewarding Andrew's reaction was... hmmm.  Well regardless it was a success!!  

Gabriel's 6th!

This is one of the pictures I took at Gabriel's 6th birthday.  He had it at Prehistoric Pets in Fountain Valley.  It was a great location for little ones to get to touch creepy crawlies and not get in trouble!  I think he thoroughly enjoyed himself, as did the other kids and adults who started to feel like kids.  I managed to make it through the entire party without having to touch anything in the reptile kingdom -- phew!  ;)  

Succulent Star

I thought these succulents were quite fun!  There just aren't enough star-shaped plants naturally occurring on this planet!  ;)


Below is another bunch of succulents that I thought were funny due to their random inclusion of pink flamingos.

Smiley Baby Face!

This is Xander and his dad.  I took the picture while Xander was quietly singing a song composed of nonsensical syllables and his dad, Robert, was swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the song.  Although there were no words, the song made both of them smile and giggle a lot.  It's a shame that it couldn't be translated into words because I suspect it would have been a lot of fun to listen to!

Mmmm... mmm good!

My mom's birthday was last Friday so my brother Shawn and his girlfriend Jess came over to make dinner for my mom, Chuck and me.  It was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!  Holy shmoly!  I could have eaten the entire bowl of mushroom risotto by myself!  I think that his deciding to go to culinary school is only going to continue to reap benefits such as these tasty delights!  I like the picture of Rowdy sneaking a smell of all the delicious items on the counter.  I think he was very much hoping a chicken breast would "accidentally" fall on the floor.  My mom and I recently watched Monsters vs. Aliens together and she fell in love with Insectasaurus so I found a cake topper kit for her birthday!  I think she really loved it!  It was a great and relaxing evening.  Plus, I got to visit with my brother which I never can get enough of.   

My Furry Heart

It's been awhile since I've posted pictures of my furry little guy.  His face just always makes me want to kiss, pet and feed it treats constantly!!  Such a sweet gentle doggy soul in this one.  I had to post at least a couple pictures.  Just couldn't help it!  

Swimming, Swimming, Just Keep Swimming

Chuck's niece and nephew came over on Sunday.  In the nine or so months I've lived at my apartment this is the first time I've actually visited the pool.  I truly thought that I'd spend more time there considering how relaxing and resort like it is.  However, this was the first occasion despite that.  It was a lot of fun.  I really love this picture.  There's something captivating about it to me.  Like a voyeuristic view of a moment in time.  No one's posing or staging what they want to do for the camera.  There's a wide view of the surroundings, and the repetition of the chairs and random sunbather just makes a lot for one to look at.  I am disappointed that the lower left hand corner and and upper right hand corner seem to have something blocking the full frame.  I tried cropping it out but then I didn't like what was left.  It's much better full frame even with it's imperfections.  It was fun to see the kids having so much fun.  

At one point Chloe didn't want to get in the water and every time Cathy tried to persuade her to come in she'd take a swig of her juice like she was hitting the bottle to cope with the pressure.  Hilarious little one!!  

Night Shot

I'm going to go see an exhibit for an artist that does night shots of lights that are blurry.  This isn't a great example of his work but I was just curious about what I could do with a digital camera at night.  The artist I'm going to see has much smaller blur and more easily recognizable images.  I just really loved how all the colors looked together in this image.  It's the shopping center across the street from my apartment.  This shot was off my balcony.  I was slightly hesitant to take a huge lens out on my patio at night for fear of some sort of peeping tom call to the police -- but it worked out and no authorities were called to the scene.  I used a Canon 5D.

Toro!

The above image is El Toro Marine Base.  Well formerly El Toro Marine Base now.  The huge concrete buildings are pretty dilapidated these days.  I wanted to capture their enormity and geometric awe without all the run down surroundings.  The difficult bar was then set slightly higher when adding in the fact I had to put the camera on top of a chain link fence and hope for the best.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out though.  I was fortunate to capture a plane in the shot right before it left the field of vision.  This image was taken for a friend of mine who wanted photographs that capture Orange County.  I quite like this one and luckily, so did he!  I can't wait to make a print and see how it looks in a tangible form!  I used a Canon 5D.

Sunday Sunburst

This is another image from Balboa.  I was really excited that the sun ended up looking this way.  I didn't do anything except block most of the direct sunlight out with the pole.  I actually was most interested in capturing the way the glass at the top of the light post looked from the sunlight.  The sunburst was a great coincidence and luck sort of thing.  However, now I know I can create that, I might use that in the future intentionally.  I took this image with a Canon 5D.

Unexpected Mail Treasure

Yesterday was pretty much one of the most perfect days as far as weather and Sundays go.  I had a fantastic weekend.  My goals this weekend were to get up and go to the gym on Saturday and Sunday, and well I'm happy to report the goals were met!  In fact, I think at the time of my last post I was anticipating yoga and just to fill in the blanks I actually went to class and fell in love with it.  Yoga is an interesting exercise.  I had wanted to do it because of the mental relaxation aspect more than the physical and I'm happy to report the instructor on Wednesday is precisely what I was hoping for.  She focused heavily on meditation and helped me learn how to focus.  It was amazing.  I was energized and full of happy the rest of the day.  I can't wait for Wednesday again!  I also made it to the Farmers Market in Laguna on Saturday to buy fresh, locally grown, organic veggies and fruit.  Yet another magical experience.  It's so funny how much of a difference it makes to buy real produce.  Each piece of produce was so aromatic -- and the flavor!! Oh geez!  If you haven't tried shopping for fresh produce I highly suggest you start!  The apples alone -- I had forgotten that apples do have a phenomenal flavor and aren't just crunchy and flavorless.  


I feel like I was so busy this weekend I could write forever.  I had a great weekend.  The above picture was taken at Balboa Island.  I was actually pretty much done shooting for that location and was walking back to the car when these ancient mailboxes caught my attention.  The idea of how many different people have used them and all the various types of letters throughout time they could have housed just made my mind swirl.  They had such character and detail.  I just loved them and had to shoot them.  I used a Canon 5D for this image.


Can't wait for Piyo tonight!  Hope everyone's having a great Monday!

Prehistoric Dr. Seuss

Today I'm going to try my hand out at lunch time exercise.  I'm going to attend a yoga class in the middle of the day!  It's such an odd concept.  I usually don't even take a lunch let alone exercise.  I'm looking forward to it though. Yoga is interesting because you feel so gosh darn good after you do it.  Even the day after you do it you are left with a feeling like you just want more.  I'm looking forward to class even if I get back a little late.  ;)


Last night I had to shoot a landscape for class.  I traveled over to Upper Back Bay in Newport and just before I left I came across this odd plant.  To me it has a sort of prehistoric Dr. Seuss feel and there were only seconds of usable light left so I took a picture and hoped for the best.  I was quite happy with the results.  I used a Canon 5D.

Protector of Hearts and Souls

"Walk Away"

by Ben Harper

Oh no
Here comes that sun again
That means another day
Without you my friend

And it hurts me
To look into the mirror at myself
And it hurts even more
To have to be with somebody else
And it's so hard to do
And so easy to say
But sometimes
Sometimes you just have to walk away
Walk away

With so many people
To love in my life
Why do I worry
About one

But you put the happy
In my ness
You put the good times
Into my fun
And it's so hard to do
And so easy to say
But sometimes
Sometimes you just have to walk away
Walk away
And head for the door

We've tried the goodbye
So many days
We walk in the same direction
So that we could never stray
They say if you love somebody
Than you have got to set them free
But I would rather be locked to you
Than live in this pain and misery

They say time will
Make all this go away
But it's time that has taken my tomorrows
And turned them into yesterdays
And once again that rising sun
Is droppin' on down
And once again you my friend
Are nowhere to be found
And it's so hard to do
And so easy to say
But sometimes
Sometimes you just have to walk away
Walk away
And head for the door
You just walk away
Walk away 

I happened across this song today and couldn't help but post lyrics.  I really love it and had forgotten how good it was.  This week has been interesting.  A lot of introspective thoughts.  I have recently been blessed with a friend who is strong willed, focused, goal-driven, true to her self, has a great grasp on who that self is, brave, courageous full of love and giving of love to a fault.  She is an amazing, intelligent woman who will one day conquer the world.  She recently impacted my life in a way no one before her has and for that I thank her.  

It's an interesting thing to think about how one can love oneself but that is my new mission.  So I'm going to put faith in the powers that be and strive to make her proud.  I owe it to her but moreover I owe it to me.  One day we will be on the same page again.  

Tractors

Chuck and I were taking pictures of stuff he did while his son was in town.  We are going to make a book of all the things they saw while he was here and send it to him.  I'm very excited!  I think it's going to turn out really well.  Especially since I'm taking Photoshop this semester... I can amp up this pretty mundane shot and make it far more interesting!  I just need to get into the digital lab!!


I did promise a yellowcentric picture today so here it is.  It was a series of tarps in front of a store in Downtown Huntington Beach.

These images were taken with a Canon 5D.

This is a sculpture downtown Huntington Beach.  After I returned back to the house and downloaded all my pictures I realized that a good number of my shots had yellow and blue in them  just by chance.  I still have one more additional picture from this trip I'm going to post tomorrow -- which oddly also ended up yellow!  Guess  the mood I was in drew me to bright yellow!  I really like this picture taken with a Canon 5D.  I like the reflections and various surfaces.  The only thing I wish I had more of is blue in the sky.  This shot only had small bits and pieces of blue at the very corner and top.  I'll have to be more conscious of that next time!

HB Downtown

Had fun last night.  Went to dinner with Chuck, his brother, brother's boyfriend and sister.  It's always hilarious to spend time with the Hernandez kids.  It was a good night full of lots of laughs.  We went to BJs for dinner and I think I might have gotten Chuck hooked on their pizza.  It's the second time in three days we've been there, last night he suggested it and he's not usually a fan of having pizza frequently.  So funny, we went back to the house after and everyone joined us for cake and ice cream to celebrate Chuck's son's birthday.  Even though we don't know where in the world he is, he is still loved and remembered.  It was a good night.  After that a little Lost and then bed!

These pictures were taken in downtown Huntington Beach.  The building is an antique shop off of Main Street which I found intriguing because it so clearly does not match or fit in to the look of the rest of the street.  It just had so much character I had to take pictures of it!  The pictures were taken with a Canon 5D.

Drinks with Friends

Last night my friends and I finally got to spend some time with my long lost friend Stephanie.  She's been socially sequestered for the past four years in law school.  She just finished taking the Bar this week and I couldn't be more proud of her!  I'm so impressed that first of all she was able to read and comprehend as much information as she did.  Second, that she did the whole program while working part time and supporting her family.  And, third, that she plain old simply did it period!  Man!  I can't imagine!!  What an accomplishment!  We had a blast last night.  Closed the restaurant down -- which granted it was Irvine and all places close around the time the street lights come on -- but still so much fun we lost track of time!  I think we just laughed the night away.  It was awesome!!  


The above picture was taken with a Canon 5D that I borrowed from school.  It was an awesome camera to work with.  I found this tree while I was out and about shooting for my Thompson Project wherein I'm trying to capture the essence of Orange County.  Any suggestions for good OC locations are welcomed!

Irvine Station

I went out shooting for my friend Glenn's project this weekend.  He wanted pictures that could represent his time in Orange County before he moved to North Carolina.  One of the pictures he came across was an abstract one of an old looking train station.  Unfortunately, I thought the train station in the picture he was talking about was in Irvine, and well it just wasn't anything further from old looking. The Irvine Station has all these great cross beams and lines though, so while it wasn't exactly what he had in mind I still LOVED it.  

Spring has Sprung!

Went out shooting today.  I've never come across daffodils in the wild just blooming!  These were the first ones! Chuck and I went to late lunch this afternoon and I took a camera with me just in case we came across something really beautiful and well, these were it!  We also went down to Newport/Huntington Beach to go look around.  Turns out there was a tsunami warning and the pier was closed.  I guess that was a first too, never been present for a tsunami warning before.  The weather and number of earthquakes on this planet recently is alarming!  I feel so bad for all the people who lost their homes.  Such a frightening thing!

A day with the kids

I once heard that photographing children is like photographing wildlife.  Nothing could be more true!  It's not exactly easy to compose your shot perfectly when you have little tiny balls of energy running around so quickly that you're lucky if they are in focus!  Yesterday Chuck, Randy and I went to go visit their nephew and niece.  These are a few of my most favorite shots of the kids.  They are such sweet kids!  We had a blast!


This was my first experience shooting with a Canon 30D.  I really liked it.  I definitely need a lot more practice though!

Chilly Nights

I took this picture of a palm tree trunk outside my complex the other night.  It had just stopped raining and it was chilly enough you could see your breath when exhaling.  I loved it.  Rowdy and I were just strolling along enjoying our time outside.  I thought about how fun it would be to  have this weather all the time and wondered how Rowdy would do if we lived in New York.  I think he'd love it because there would be so many things for him to smell.  Anyhow, the shadows in the tree trunk caught my attention.  I wanted more crispness to this picture but I'm still happy with the textures that came through.

Banks of love...

Chuck and I were wasting time in Michaels just looking around and I came across these piggy banks for Valentines Day.  I'm not sure what it is but I'm suddenly in love with piggy banks.  Every time I see them I want to take pictures of them.  I think some day when I've acquired enough of piggy bank pictures I will make a book.  It would be the cutest little book ever!  My love for these ceramic little hogs is ironic because I'm the worst at saving my money!


This picture was taken with my camera phone and edited slightly with Picasa.  Hopefully I didn't over process.  ;)  The halo of color on the fronts of them was in the original picture and a result of the opalescent finish they had.

Infiltrating Society...

Today one of the attorneys in my office needed an ad made which will be placed in an a dinner program for the Hispanic Bar Association.  After the encouragement of a friend in the office I used one of my photos.  I was pretty stoked that I was able to create this ad only using WordPerfect (a legal document program) and a picture I took.  I created a tear sheet without even trying.  The fun part is that it will be published in the dinner program for many to see.  I'm sure most people won't take a second glance, but I know that it's my art!  A this particular flower is a Mexican Star Flower so I figured it would represent the culture as well.  I thought about using my sombrero picture but feared it'd be too prosaic.

If you click on it to enlarge it, just keep in mind the font looks better in the original.  I had to change a PDF into a JPEG and some of the quality was lost on the fonts.  It looks better smaller in this version.

Sundays are my favorite...

I love Sundays because they are so very relaxing.  Quality time with the puppyface and the boy.  Good stuff.  Mostly Rowdy and I nap throughout the day but exchange half conscious glances here and there.  The only downside to Sundays is that they are immediately followed by Monday.  :(  But that's alright because 6 days later we're back where we started.  I like this picture a lot because it has so many different textures and I just really like the perspective.  I took it with my camera phone while relaxing on the floor with Rowdy-dog.

So long ago...

I'll never figure out why repetitive lines in mass quantities interests me.  I'm drawn to them like a bug to a zapper. Anyhow, another close encounter of the shopping cart kind this time.  I was in the Home Depot parking lot and it must have looked like I was taking pictures for a potential lawsuit or something.  All the carts lined up just looked like a vortex to me and I couldn't resist!  


Not one of my favorites because it's too snapshotty and not composed well, but I feel that my blog is woefully neglected and needed something new.  Sorry Deborah!  One more week of freedom before back to school with fantastic equipment.

We will all float on...

Rainbow Harbor, Long Beach, New Year's Day

I'm frustrated that I haven't got anything to post recently.  I've been so lost without access to all the beautiful equipment at school.  I have taken one roll on my 35mm camera, but all the pictures are currently living inside the film canister which is STILL residing in my purse.  I will develop soon!!!  

I took this picture New Year's Day.  New Year's Eve Chuck and I watched Travis Pastrana jump his Subaru 260 something feet onto a floating barge.  I must say that it was an impressive thing to witness.  He did walk by us while we were at Gladstones, but it was about 20 feet away and there was K-wall and a lot of fencing between us.  Still an experience I am very fond of regardless.  

It was funny this day because when I was little New Year's used to be one of my most favorite days.  We all used to go over to my Grandma and Grandpa's house and our entire family and their friends would just come and go eating all day long.  The night before me, my  cousins, the aunts and my grandma would cook all night and we'd have Martinelli's at midnight.  The house always smelled so good.  It gave that warm fuzzy feeling inside.  Now New Year's is just another ordinary day.  No special food or people all around.  It's so sad that when you're a kid you don't realize that the moments you enjoy so much are numbered.  Oh well, I will just have to find a new way to make it just as special.

Old World Final

This is the final outcome of the re-print of my Old World from this past semester. For some reason today I felt like cleaning our room. I've torn everything apart. I need some organization to start the year off. During my organization process I came across my re-print which I have not posted until today, so here it is ... TAH DAH!!  This is officially the last version ever posted.  I've kind of saturated my blog with this image, but to be fair it took a lot of research and testing to get it right.  Although I was reluctant to change the area of the print to include more of the negative, I am very happy with the result.  It turned out way better than I thought it would.  Hope everyone is off to a great 2010!


I have a roll I'll be posting from soon.  Stay tuned!!  :)