I HAVE A SLIGHT OBSESSION!

I have a crush on a new camera and unless I win the lottery, I'll probably never own one! The Leica M9 has been out for quite some time and frankly, I'm a little obsessed. I find myself googling the word 'leica' with the hope of the camera literally jumping out of the screen and into my lap (never gonna happen). I sometimes find my way to YouTube watching videos about the M9, looking for a super slick deal on Amazon, to hopefully getting lucky on some certified dealer website. But it never happens. In fact, no matter where you look, the camera is 7K new or used, and that's just for the body alone! Are you frickin kidding me! And even if I was to win the lottery, a 50m lens will still run you another 2K. So I guess I'm going to have to start a donation bin or something. If anyone wants to donate to my M9 slush fund, please don't hesitate. Cash, credit card, personal check are all accepted. In the meantime, my Leica D-Lux will have to satisfy the fix.

The Many Different Faces of Sylvie Rain

6 months! Can you frickin' believe it! I was talking to my dad the other night telling him that it feels like I've only known life with Sylvie Rain in it. It's the greatest feeling on earth. She is one of a kind.

Lately, she has been the most charismatic little thing, so many ranges of emotion that it is just amazing to watch her transform before my eyes.

This last weekend I had everything and anything to do. With six to seven movies literally all on the verge of going in the next few months, my life has been flipped up side down. I had no idea how I was going to cram it all - the notes, the reading, this and that but somehow it all got done...and the best part, I even found a little time to shoot some frames of Sylvie. Amanda was at the gym and with Sylvie between naps, I knew my time was limited. My little subject though was such a character. She was a total professional and ready for her close up. Here are few...enjoy!






The Shot

HEDGES & CROLL WEDDING - OJAI, CALIFORNIA!

I can't believe the weekend has come and gone. An amazing and beautiful blur...at least that is the way I remember it. From the serene drive up to beautiful Ojai, the amazing groom's dinner at Boccali's as the sun set over the trees in the west, to a momentous ceremony where there wasn't a dry eye after Bobby and Hillary exchanged their own vows, followed by a reception set underneath the stars that will forever be cemented in my memory.

Bobby and Hillary are two of the most righteous and beautiful people I know. I am grateful to have them both as friends. Bobby and I go back 12 years and as he likes to say...I'm his "newest" friend. It's an honor that I will take with me for the rest of my life to know that I am in his company. Thank you Bobby and Hillary for letting me take part in your most joyous moment in life. I love you both. So much more I want to say, but ahhhhhhh...I have to read two scripts tonight!

Here are a few of my favorites from the weekend. Thank you to my camera assistant, 'LOVEY' for taking pictures while I was standing up for Bobby!

HOLTZMAN & HUSSEY WEDDING

Ohhh what a weekend! From the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Bourbon Street Bar, to the Holtzman Residence just outside of town, mini-golf on City Island, and finally culminating at the beautiful Harrisburg Civic Center where Matt and Liz were married. It is one of those rare weekends that I will remember for a lifetime to come.

Some of my most fond memories as a young kid growing up in Minnesota were with my dearest and best friend Matthew Paul Hussey (don't worry Kyle, you are my best friend too, but it was Matt's wedding!). To share this amazing weekend with him was too special. It feels just like yesterday that we were trying to out-skate each other down at Klapprich Ice Rink on those cold Minnesota nights under the lights. Well...Matt won out of course and I couldn't be happier of all he's accomplished. But more than anything, what makes me the most happy, is Matt finding the love of his life in a small Pennsylvania town known as Wilkes-Barre.

See I didn't know Liz all that well before this weekend. In fact, I think I can still count the number of times I've met Liz on one hand...but after this weekend, I feel like I've known her much longer...and she is exquisite, the kind of person that makes you feel at ease, with a big heart and sweet smile - she is perfect for my friend Matthew.

And luckily enough, Matt and Liz gave me the opportunity to cover the whole weekend as their personal photo journalist, catching them at moments that truly encapsulate them as individuals and as best friends. Simply put, it was an awesome experience.

To be honest, this was kind of a learn as you go experience for me...I've never really photographed a wedding, been to many of course, but never covered it from start to finish (If only I had brought my damn tripod, I could have remotely set up the camera to photograph the ceremony!) - whataya gonna do...I was in the wedding!

I'm currently weeding my way through all the frames, but here are some of my favorites of Matt & Liz. Those of you visiting my blog for the first time, you can click on each individual picture to enlarge them. Many thanks to the Hussey & Holtzman families for letting me into their lives.










Many more photos to come so stay tuned.

HOLLYWOOD SIGN 2010!

I never like to do things half-ass so when my friend Ned said, let's go up to the Hollywood sign and take that photo we'd been talking about for the last eight years, I packed all my gear, Nikon D3, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, attached the sticks to my Lowepro bag, and we headed up Beachwood Canyon around 1030am this morning. It was a beautiful summer day, low eighties and my only complaint was that there wasn't a cloud in the sky, kind of made for a boring back ground. Scattered clouds are always fun and make for a more interesting scene, but we got creative with some fun shots to make up for the fact.

The backstory goes, Ned and I have been talking about taking these shots for eight long years, probably longer. Back in college we used to write these almost "chose your own adventure Hollywood emails," how we were going take over the city, and make our mark. We were young then, naive, dreamers (we're still dreamers!) but we've both achieved milestones as of late, which I guess is what finally got us off our asses to take the shot - Ned starting his own company and Amanda and I having our first baby.

Anyway, we hiked up the trail. There is a great spot that is kind off the beat and path of the main loop. As you hike up towards the sign, after the second bend, you actually head out away from the H sign, down a path that if you didn't look close enough, you'd probably miss it. Its quiet, you don't get all the tourist traffic and people staring at you. In fact, you get a great angle with the sign in the back ground. After about an hour and 253 frames later, I think we got the shot...check it out, as well as other fun frames from the shoot.

The Shot

Other Fun Moments