Workflow

People ask me all of the time what my workflow is, and like with any other artist, painter, or musician, no two people will attack the same thing the same way. Due to the specialized nature of my work and my background in CompSci, my workflow tends to be more analytical and structured than many. I also focus on my target audiences and tailor my workflow to best suit their needs, which may be very, very different from your own target audience.

So, without further ado, here are the 23 steps it takes from the moment I put the camera in hand until the final product.

Circular Polarizers

A key piece of gear that is probably the least understood or utilized is the circular polarizer filter. Like most pieces of photography equipment, knowing what it is, how to use it and when to use it are the most important things to learn before purchasing and eventually using.

The Tale of the Badge...

All Pictures Are Clickable To See Full Size.

There are symbols in this world that are known far and wide and evoke universal thought and emotion. A nations flag, a military uniform, the white lab coat of a doctor are things that you can see across the globe and know what they mean, what they symbolize, and know that to someone, they are sacred. But there is something very special about a small piece of metal that brave men and women pin upon their chest everyday, the small item known as the badge. They come in all sizes, all shapes, and yet, you do not have to read the lettering on it to know what it stands for. The badge's history is as long as man itself it seems, and the feelings each and every person experiences when they see one is both deep and powerful. What truly makes the badge so special, beyond most other symbols, is that we cease to see the wearer of the badge for they are no longer an individual. Instead, they have sworn an oath that the badge represents and they have become a part of a brotherhood and a part of history itself. With that oath, they have promised to shoulder the weight of their own responsibility, the responsibility of their brothers and sisters, and they have centuries of history from every single person who wore that badge before them across the globe that is now a part of their own history. As much as times have changed, as much as the world has changed, in essence, the badge reminds us that very little has changed in one important respect. People still need laws, rule, and order, and people who need help will always turn to those with the badge on their darkest of days to make things better, or at least, make things right. The badge is so symbolically important, that it is a betrayal of the very foundations of trust in society that rocks everyone to their core when someone who wears a badge does not live up to the oath that they swore. Power is a dangerous thing, and that badge must remind each and every one of us who has worn one, who wears one, and the citizens who depend on those who do, that we must all do our best to maintain the purity of that symbol and the trust that is placed upon it.

July 4th - Malibu IC Explosion and House Fire

WARNING! Lots of Pictures
I shot over 600 pictures this day, and with over 38 pages on my website from this day, I wanted to do this to tell the full story of this day....

July 4th, like most holidays, is always a special day for families and people throughout the US. People from far and wide get together to have bbqs, watch fireworks, head to the beach and the mountains for camping and other fun stuff. For firefighters though, the 4th of July carries with it a sense of trepidation and foreboding. With the increased traffic on the roads, the dangers of firework and bbq accidents, medical aids and so on, it can be one of the busiest days of the years and one of the most heart breaking.

The Art of Black and White....

I have always found that my eye is drawn towards colors. A brilliant blue draws me like a moth to a flame every time, and I find that I am very sensitive to even the slightest changes in color warmth or coolness that one experiences with light at various times of day. What I've found to be a complete and total challenge for me though, is to see in Black and White! As I am out and about, a camera around my neck and a spare on my hip, I take in the world around me. I see photographs and composition, I see what I want to capture, I see details and shapes that are distinct, and as I put the camera to my eye, I know what I have to do to make it happen. Yet, when it comes to black and white, I can't help but admit I am completely lost. You see, color photography is about light, colors, and composition. Black and white on the other hand is about contrast, lines, and shapes. You can have a green and a red object stand out brilliantly against each other in a color photo, and yet in a black and white, it all just becomes a mess of gray. For a true brilliant black and white, one needs a definitive white point, a definitive black point, and a full range of grays in addition to things like composition and subject.