Ladies, ladies, ladies…. ermmm little girls? Calm down. They’re just Disney teen pop sensations. No reason to… ohh? I get it, the one in the extra tight pants is just so “extra super cute”. I’ll let you have this one, but remember, someday those boys will have facial hair and groupies… you’ve been warned.

Maybe it’s the video game rotting that my brain has been through for the last 25 plus years, or maybe it’s all the new 3D movie craze and “wall-e”-esque movies that have given my mind the craziness ability to give an inanimate object life and feeling. From a simple, lonely beach chair stranded in the vast sea of piping hot sands, this is the struggle and trial of this poor, lifeless metal and mesh friend.

Sun beating down, heating, bleaching. Trapped. I can’t help but to think this is the beginning of the end. My owners have left me. Never had I thought I’d miss the salty, sweaty caress of that one-piece bathing suit pressing, stressing my frail, aged ribs. Never had I thought I’d miss the soft cradle of the ice chest crushing, sandwiching me between the rusted trunk of the station wagon and it’s own wet sandpaper underbelly. Never had I thought I’d miss my flashy rainbow colors that garnered all the tease from my solid-skinned brothers, now fading, vanishing in the UV rays. Have they forgotten all that I’ve done for them? All that I’ve suffered? It wasn’t them that waited for 3 years in that attic panicked, scared each year when the wicked, vile black widows would make their dens in my bones. Or when Christmas rolled around and the holiday abuse came. Shoving, tossing, anything to get me further into the darkness to make room for all the new joy-bringers. I was their protector, their savior. How easily they’ve dismissed my purpose, my reason for being. How long until the air eats away at my weakening body. How long until the sun finally takes it’s last lashing.

I suppose there’s nothing left…

Skateboarder getting some major hang time at the 2009 Maloof Money Cup. Hosted at the Orange County Fairgrounds, the venue set up an entire ground course, half pipe and “big air” vert wall. Most of the competitors this day were in the 25 and younger crowd, but they could still tear it up like the pros.

Working at a media/publishing company often comes with some much appreciated perks. One being the opportunity for travel articles. Kristen Schott, Web Editor at Churm Media, was given the article lead for a piece on Hotel Maya in Downtown Long Beach, California. Within walking distance is the historic Queen Mary. Stopping for a blood sugar test, I seized the opportunity for this low light, wide-aperture shot with my 50mm.

Retro culture still shines bright. Seen here is the chandelier-esque lighting in the Orange Lucky Strike Lanes. Bulbs that dimly glow like my 70-year old neighbor’s 5-year Christmas lighting that seems to be year-round weather proof. Sun beaten for years until any pigment and paint is stripped off the glass to reveal the simple clear and amber glow of the low wattage lighting.

Today I found out that my parents had to put their 8 year old cat, Smudge, to sleep. Often the butt of many jokes, he was a tank among cats. He was weighing in at a startling 22 pounds this Christmas and roaring with the mousiest meow I’ve ever heard from a feline. He was not much for social interaction, unless of course, it was on his schedule, at which point you’d better be ready for some serious ear scratching because this little guy loved it rough and tough. Leaving behind his cohort and companion, Mercury, no one will soon forget the love we’ve all felt for such a wonderful, unique friend. Rest in peace, Smudge.

Ahhhh… just a relaxing day at the Getty Museum. Nothing but the somber sounds of the freeway hum passing by and the warm breeze of the Santa Ana winds passing across the balconies and catwalks. Bouncing from exhibit to exhibit, painting to sculpture to gardens … Ohh yeah, and then to this little guy. Presumably an idol for virility or some such thing, but 100% a photo opportunity. Taken back too much by the laughter and pure comedy of this piece, I completely forgot to take a shot of the placard to get all the glorious info and, probably accurate, story. So, for now I leave you with “Little man and his little man riding on an ass.” You’re welcome.

Product shot of Nika water at the IPSF (Irvine Public Schools Foundation) event put on by RipeOrange Inc.

Photography has been a growing passion of mine since I purchased my T2i almost 2 years back. Working for a media company, I’ve been given some great opportunities to hone my skills and take some photos of some OC elites. In 2010 I was hired as a freelance photographer to shoot the OCMETRO Green Team event at the Great Park in Irvine. Event photography is never really where I saw my talents being utilized, but a paying job and a passion to shoot makes any opportunity a growing experience.

Find a photographer and you’ll probably find a shot of a pier in the coffers of their portfolio. Serving as an inspiration for the depth they create and the lines their structure brings to the lens, photographers around the world fill their viewfinders with the crashing waves or the still waters of a lake. Being a pseudo-photog myself I’ve got a plethora of these shots myself, from Huntington Beach to Long beach and soon to be Alligator Point, Florida.

No dogs on the beach? I think they should really be concerned with cats on the beach. Those little devils find any excuse to turn sand into their own personal litter box, or shitbox if you will. Dogs just keep it on the surface, not land mine you with little kitty roca™ surprises!

Hangar #1 & #2 at the now decommissioned Tustin Air Force Base. Before retiring the base, these giant hangars were used to house the fleet of blimps that the government had at the base.

Sitting in the stands of the Maloof Money Cup I was able to get some nice shots on the street course without having the impressive “press pass”. My 300mm zoom lens made quick work of the course as I chased down the skaters, lines them in my focal zone and snapped their heads off. You know, something like that. The wall rides were a particularly nice shot because with the judges and ramp for size comparison you can see just how high these amazing athletes were able to nail.

COOKIES! Somehow, still one of the funniest parts from Van Wilder. If you don’t get the joke, don’t worry. Wonderland Bakery in Irvine made these delicious, not that I ate any *wiping crumbs out of the keyboard*, treats for this year’s OCMETRO Hot25. We sent out intern couriers to each of our honorees with these cookies and an invitation attached, because who doesn’t love getting some free sweets!

Here’s another shot from the Getty Museum gardens. Caught yet another bee spreading his “pollination” throughout the sea of flowers. I wonder if the the bee community looks down on over pollinators… hmmmm.