chasing desert romance, running from the fog

My creativity has been completely m.i.a. lately, so it was refreshing to come back from Joshua Tree with a few images I actually like. We were attempting to take a few simple engagement shots, something to use on a save the date, and between fighting the exhaustion of hangover mixed with an entire day of driving & the mosquitos attacking (wtf are mosquitos doing in the desert!!) it was no small feat.


Of course my favorites are these awkward in-between shots where we're framing up & testing light.







This trip to Joshua Tree was supposed to be a vacation. Well, half vacation, half wedding planning, and a pinch of getting a photo done for our save the date. I also wanted to make a sweet little desert video. Well, we accomplished the wedding planning part. And maybe got one photo we can agree on for a save the date. But it was no vacation. It was hours in the car, and a glimpse into what's going to be our desert party. Sort of frightening to think that a day you spend years planning, looking forward to, and all the $$$$$ you can scrounge up is in 24 hrs there and gone.



This has been the most exhausting few months I've ever been through. We've officially left our foggy little Inner Richmond apartment. I'll miss San Francisco for more than a few reasons, but I wouldn't trade anything for what we now have--privacy, a yard, our own house, sunshine. We are no longer renting--but we bought this house against all odds. And I mean all odds. I am not sure what we were expecting--two 20 somethings with limited credit history and mediocre incomes trying to qualify for a half-a-million dollar loan. Throw in fatal mistakes like submitting an inaccurate 2010 tax return (immediately flagged for fraud!) and getting into a contract with a seller who needed the money so bad she threatened to sue. Luckily we were paired up with an amazing team that fought it out for us behind the scenes, and now a month later we are slowly unpacking our things in confidence that we wont have to put them back into boxes.

There is more, but this is all I have the energy to tackle at the moment.



Well this is my first effort to no longer be m.i.a.. Wish me luck!

a look at things to come...

Had a lot of fun playing around with my film cameras at my engagement shoot with Kristina & Matt. Here's just a teaser--there are plenty more where this came from!!

You've got to love that wide, medium-format panoramic!!! Such a beautiful camera.

Nostalgiaphiles: Winter & Spring 2006

The winter that it "snowed" in Santa Cruz. And that was about it. I guess I also went snowboarding a few poorly-documented times (there are more photos somewhere..) 

         

And then there was Spring 2006. We did a multi-location photo shoot for Sheena's upcoming album. I think they used a shot. I've never really been all that great with collaborative photography, but it was fun. Photo credits to Bjorg for a lot of the digital shots out by the train tracks.

At some point I acquired a Holga. Funny to think that from that first roll until about a few months ago, I always shot everything on "Bulb". (Maybe that's why I've never fully been a believer) Everything overexposed, blurry, and well, here's a set from the top of the ferris-wheel:  

And then there were these shows--I don't think this film has ever seen the light of day. 

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To get a closer look & see the both sets, visit my fickr here: Winter 2006 | Spring 2006If you see yourself and want me to send you a copy, hit me up! To conserve space, what you see here (for the most part) and on flickr are just contact sheets—I also have the actual individual photos offline. 

Archiving days...

I've been working on archiving old family photos for the last week or so. While most of the time my photoshop skills go untapped, it's really satisfying to clean up photos that have been damaged and faded over the years. Not to mention, I finally get to do something useful with my paperweight editing skills (before & after gallery). It's hard to decide what to leave and what to take out. I really enjoy some of the details-- fingerprints on the corners, creases, funky cut borders, film grain. More than anything though, I really want to archive the rest of it before it's too late.. 

April

April is over. I can't say I was very productive in April. Still trying to find my pace, and I don't know that I will. April should be the turning point in the year; the month where weather changes and that thick winter feeling starts to melt. It hasn't quite hit me yet--maybe it's the lack of winter, or the unpredictable heavy rain, and now the heat.. May will have to be my April this year. 

May. Here's to moving forward. 

Both Sides of the Lens: Self-Portraiture

This past month I have had the honor of being part of an amazing self-portraiture show at The Kiernan Gallery in Lexington, VA. The show ends today, so if you happen to be hanging out in Lexington, you better check it out! While I didn't get to see any of it in person, the gallery made a great catalogue of the 40 images in the exhibiting show and 30 extras that were rather fabulous.. Mine came in the mail last week and it looks even better in person (second of course to seeing the show in the flesh).

Both Sides of the Lens: Self-portraiture The Kiernan Gallery Exhibition Catalogue Vol. VI by The Kiernan Gallery Exhibition Catalogue Vol. VI | Make Your Own Book
(my piece is featured on page 44)

The show in action:

nostalgiaphiles: Fall 2005

Fall 2005

My first quarter of college. Unlike the many people who go off to college with a sendoff—a goodbye party, tears, 'see you in a few months', and what-have-you—I simply packed a few bags, grabbed the tv, and drove 15 minutes up to campus to the Porter College dorms at UCSC.

Don't be fooled though—UCSC is certainly a city in and of itself. Not to mention I started college with a broken foot, a walking cast, and the busses were on strike.

super broken foot & moving into the dorms... 

Dorms...

Somehow I still managed to get out to shows. Judging by the amount of photos I have here, Sheena must have played every weekend that fall..

with Chris Cochran as "Empty Space"

I also scored an interview Geoff Rickly & sat in the press pit for a Thursday concert in SF. Wish it would have happened a few years earlier when I was obsessed with them,  but a memorable experience nonetheless..

Louis went with me..I was really nervous. 

Some of my favorite singles here:

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To get a closer look & see the whole set, visit my fickr here: Fall 2005If you see yourself and want me to send you a copy, hit me up! To conserve space, what you see here (for the most part) and on flickr are just contact sheets—I also have the actual individual photos offline.