Joe's Camp Shack, Vol. 2. For the Colder Nights

After camping in Death Valley with my cousins and brother, I got a few more outdoor camping tips, especially in colder weather at night. We set up camp at night, and it went pretty smooth. Death Valley is probably one of the warmest places to visit in California, right now. If you are looking to go on an outdoor trip, it is a pretty cool place without snow near the mountains.

Tips:
1. Long matches are more reliable than those $5 grill lighters.
2. I like propane lanterns now. The propane is cheaper than batteries for battery lanters, and much brighter. Use the flashlights in the tent.
3. Bring a metal pitcher to heat up water for tea or coffee. It will make your night and morning better to have warm liquid in your system.
4. Wool everything. Wool is so awesome, I am surprised people use cotton. Wool keeps you toasty.
5. Plastic bags. Sometimes sleeping bags just don't keep you warm in the middle of the night. Use trash bags for insulation.
6. Bring something to sleep on. The ground gets cold and there are always rocks.
7. Try to go to the bathroom before you go to bed. The last thing you want to do in the middle of the cold night is to get out of your sleeping bag. We had a story that will not be blogged. Ask my brother...
8. Don't listen to Anthony because he was born yesterday. He was thinking about fasting during this trip. Sometimes, I think he was born on mars.

Choices Poem

Beauty is everywhere
For the eyes that can see it.

Love is ever present
for the heart that can give it.

Joy is everlasting
for the soul that can share it.

Peace is each moment
for those that accept it.

Choice is the difference
and only you can make it.


-Sheila Dennemo
May 25, 1993

I found this poem on a separate piece of paper in a used Ansel Adams book. I thought it was so cool, I bought the book.

Side note: is it "an used" or "a used" ? An used sounds funny inglish.

On my way back to Death Valley

Ricky, Brett, Anthony, and the actual myself are going back to Death Valley National Park
today. I edited some images from the last time I went a few years ago. We wanted to end the year with a cool trip, in honor or Nicholas.
Surprisingly, Death Valley is one of the warmest places in California right now.

Portraits of AJ

AJ needed some headshots for his Acting and Theater Portfolio. We shot in downtown Pomona, and cool place for artists.

Christmas, it's a CROCK!

I guess Christmas Eve is probably a little too late to get all "ba'humbug" on my readers, but after trying to do my part with stimulating the economy and buying a bunch of stuff (more this year than normal), I am a bit grossed out with holiday consumerism right now. A few things got me thinking, like Bill Murray's moment of clarity at the end of the movie, Scrooged (my favorite Christmas movie that I watch every year.)

I have noticed that since before Thanksgiving, no one has time to see each other because they are "out doing stuff for the holidays..." I just got an email from my Aunt Patti saying she missed me because she hasn't seen me in a while. Everyone always says they want to hang out, but when I call to see them, they are busy shopping. I mean everyone.

I have been thinking how much time we spend getting ready for the holidays, and I believe it is an unjustfied amount. Stupid holidays got everyone running around for an entire month. Whoever is in charge of the holidays is laughing until they wet their pants. Sitting in traffic, standing in lines, spending more than we earn, buy buy buy, go go go, do do do...what about ho ho ho?

Isn't Christmas about friends and family? Isn't that why we send out Christmas cards and holiday cards? I met up with my old friend from high school last weekend, Justin Bullock, and I had the best time hanging out AND not thinking about Christmas because I WAS doing the Christmas thing.

Christmas Eve and Day are here, and what are we doing? Rushing to the next house, seeing the next set of family, barely have time for friends (and avoiding the ones we didn't buy any gifts for), rush rush rush, go go go, ho ho ho?
NO NO NO.

These are the end of the holidays, make time to sit down a little longer, make some coffee, make an effort to hang out with your friends and family for a few hours in the next few days.

Textures in the city of Pomona

I think Pomona is cool. It used to be a small farm town about 150 years ago. Now it is a small artist colony, similar to Santa Ana. I was scoping the downtown area out for cool backgrounds for some portraits that I did on Sunday. I'll post the portraits soon.






I could not resist...Welcome to advanced [f]art class...



Spongebob Moses

Fa La La La LAAAAA!

Happy Holidays and stuff. Enjoy your next two weeks with your family and "friends" that you bought gifts for, and hope you will receive one in return.

Before & After

Before


After


I think silhouettes can be powerful and striking images. My goal when I compose and edit an image is to make it interesting enough to look at for more than two seconds.

For those that know Zion, this is Angels Landing, one of tallest peaks to hike in the park.
Look at the pictures on the link, and then look at mine. what is more interesting?

How you get the black silhouettes is adjusting the levels of the image. In this case, removing the information from the dark part of the image, turning it black. And adjusting the saturation in the sky, to taste.

I was watching some intense hikers climb to the top, and thought a silhouetted shot would be cool.

Final touches to Zion.

I needed a few more images for my final project slideshow of Zion. I found some more of my favorites that I didn't edit yet. I separated the images into themes: Zion (landscapes), Yellow, Water, Trails, Wildlife, and Night scapes. These images are mostly from the Trails and Water catagories, which I really didn't get around to posting.
So I think this concludes my work from Zion. Yea that sounds weird, I actually finished something. I printed about 35 images, and made a DVD slideshow. Feels good. I should do this more often.

Death defying trails on the cliffs.

Another Whiteless Christmas

I did a photo shoot for my Russian traveler friend, Wendy with her FOUR KIDS and new doggy, Chablis. This was Wendy's choice for their 2008 Christmas card.

Passages exhibit at the Bowers Museum

I went to the Bowers Museum yesterday with Erica. She kept saying all week that she wanted to go to see an exhibit at the Bowers, and she usually doesn't ask to see any specific exhibit at a specific museum. The first sunday is free, and it doesn't take much twisting of my arm to see any museum for free, so we went. Turns out there was this awesome cultural photography exhibit of African ceremony and rituals by two National Geographic photographers.


Passages: Photographs of Africa by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
November 15, 2008 – August 16, 2009

Presented in large format color photographs, photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher’s images of African ritual practices are vivid, rich, intimate and intense. This dynamic exhibition of images from around the African continent is divided into six themes: Coming of Age, Courtship and Marriage, Beliefs and Worship, Masks and Masquerades, Royalty and Power, and Spirits and Ancestors. Six videos bring to life the song, dance and movement of related ceremonies and, objects of personal adornment similar to those as in the photographs will be included. Three-dimensional objects from the Bowers Museum’s permanent collection of African objects will also be on display. Beckwith and Fisher have traveled and lived within Africa together and independently over the last thirty years prolifically documenting tradition and ceremony.


National Geographic Interview









Looking back on all these images, I can really relate to these photographer's work when I was in Russia, documenting the lives of Russian orphans. I was there for a total of a few weeks, they were there for over twenty years!
Hmm...maybe I can get my book published...

Zion Wild Life

Finishing up some of the last images for my Zion project.

Bambi


Heckle & Jeckle (From the Mighty Mouse cartoon)


Woody Wood Pecker.

Joe Photo visited Cypress College to speak to the Career Photography Class

Joe Photo was asked to speak at Cypress College's Photo Career class. Joe knows I am one of those life long students that can never seem to graduate college, and he called me up to let me know he was giving a presentation at my school.

Joe unveiled a new logo, too.


This guy is one awesome photo veteran that has a lot of solid gold nuggets of information in the wedding photography business.
Joe's book reccomendation for the class:E-Myth Mastery
He also likes monopoly, but good luck beating him.

"Every wedding is always different. People, places, plans & details, weather, preferences... My photography is blending traditional & different styles, with weddings, fashion, landscape, architecture, fine art, & journalism.

Blessed are the flexible.

Sometimes you never know who is watching. Always look nice. Appearance is key.

Success in your business is from doing all the small things, daily. If you let the small things go, you will lose sight of the big things.

Does time drag on while you work?
Follow your passion. Do what you love. Time will fly by and you will have fun working.

Confidence, especially in your fee.

Listen to what the clients have to say."

So much for snowy Christmas cards...

Family portrait shoot with my friends, the Kiesselbachs.







They were picking on Alex and pushing her off the tracks.