Happy New Year!

Apologies for my absence but I recently returned from visiting my family in Rochester, NY for Christmas.  You see, my Mom doesn't have an internet connection unless I want to use the land line.  No joke!  After being on a computer for a majority of my work days it was lovely to kick back and recharge my batteries.  :-)  For those of you not familiar with Rochester, it's home to Kodak.  If you ever visit the city, be sure to stop by the George Eastman House.  It's a world-renowned photography/film museum and home to the infamous creator of Kodak.

One of my sister's and I visited last week to check out the latest exhibit called, "The Unseen Eye."  We later took a tour of the old mansion and grounds.  Here are some photos from our visit....unfortunately, it was raining so I didn't get any shots of the outside but you can check out the website here - http://www.eastmanhouse.org/index.php.

I can't help but wonder if old George is rolling over in his grave because I took photos of his mansion with my camera phone.  To make up for it, however, I did shoot a few rolls of Kodak film with my Hasselblad.  Those images to come...I need to scan them in and my scanner is currently kaput.  :-(

How Does Your Garden Grow

A few more shots of the South Coast Botanical Garden.  This is a behind-the-scenes look at a greenhouse where plants are grown and waiting to be planted in the Garden.  I particularly love the texture of the weathered greenhouse exterior.

It's That Time of Year Again!

No, I'm not referring to Valentine's Day, silly.  I'm talking about FASHION WEEK in NYC.  Oh how I wish I was there to check out the latest on the runways, hob nob with the likes of Tory Burch and Marc Jacobs and admire the best in street style (which I really think is the best part).  Alas, it won't be this year.

Thankfully, I've got my friend Jamie Beck, a photographer in NYC, who can fill me in on all the details.  If you're not familiar with her blog From Me To You, you must check it out at
 http://fromme-toyou.tumblr.com/.

She is one of 24 fashion/style bloggers that Tumblr chose to capture their take on everything Fashion Week - from runways, street style, behind the scenes and events.  They were even profiled in The Wall Street Journal.  She's even blogging about what she plans to wear each day because you can't just wear any old thing to Fashion Week.

So check out her stunning photography....

It's Been a Long Time

Okay, I'm officially ashamed of my lack of discipline.  Last year's resolution was to keep my blog going and I was totally motivated until I got busy.  But that's a poor excuse b/c everyone is busy.  Well, I guess it's never too late to make new resolutions so here goes...third time's a charm.  I'm officially resurrecting my blog.

Here's a picture I took in Palos Verdes.  I've been shooting a lot of landscapes and the neighborhood, with it unspoiled beaches and cliffs, is quite breathtaking.

Le Tour

© Brent Humphreys

Now that the hype of the World Cup is over, it's time to focus on the creme de la creme of bike racing, the Tour De France.  Celebrating its 97th year, the Tour tests the world's greatest cyclists for 3 weeks of grueling ascents through the Alps and Pyrenees ending triumphantly in the City of Light.

Scores of photographers have captured the event since its inception and the latest to do so is award-winning photographer Brent Humphreys.  If you're in Los Angeles be sure to stop by the Clark Oshin Gallery to check out a collection of his images from the Tour.  The images will be displayed until August 30.  If you're not a local you can check out his website.

It's a nice change of pace for those of you familiar with other cycling photographers like Graham Watson.  You get a sense of the cycling culture and the fans who line the course and camp out, sometimes a week in advance, to see a glimpse of the racers.

And for those of you placing bets, I'm rooting for Andy Schleck.  Cadel Evans was my top pick but a fractured elbow all but took him out of contention.

http://www.brenthumphreys.com/index_content.html

http://www.iconla.com/

June's Top 3

Spending 12 hours in a studio for a photo shoot on the weekend definitely frees up some time to browse the web.  During my browsing I thought it might be interesting to create a monthly column about photographers whose work I admire. 

This month I'm sharing some images of the following photographers:

Olivia Bee - she's only 16 years old and has already shot for Converse!
http://www.oliviabee.com/

© Olivia Bee Photography

Sarah Wilmer
http://sarahwilmer.com/

© Sarah Wilmer Photography

Richard Jung
http://www.richardjungphotography.com/

© Richard Jung Photography

Enjoy!

It Was a Good Idea at the Time

So this past weekend I photographed some cupcakes for a co-worker's wife who owns a cupcake shop in Long Beach, CA. I know what you're thinking. Free cupcakes for life - or at least after the shoot. So I obliged. The shoot itself was a success and quite fun b/c I happen to be a huge fan of these delightful morsels. Perfectly sized - they're seemingly not large enough to make you feel like you've eaten a slab of cake yet leave you satisfied.

Well, this feeling of bliss quickly changed when I learned I had just agreed to take home 19 freshly-baked cupcakes in flavors like pumpkin spice, mint chocolate, lemon buttercream, and even Nutella! My boyfriend and I devised a 2-part plan to split the cupcakes in 4 pieces so that we could sample a few and not feel too terribly guilty....or sick. Part II involved us bringing the cupcakes to a bike race and "donating" them to worthy competitors.

Naturally we forgot to bring them the next morning. Safe to say, we polished off a few more and I photographed a couple as mementos of this cupcake invasion. I've included one of the pictures above. Enjoy!