OC Greek Fest 2009

I am adding a new category in my blog. Food for Thought. For all those amazing eats I run across.

I am also changing Photo Field Trip category to Photo Adventure. Field Trips sounds planned and a bit elementary, my dear readers. Elementary.
For those that don't know me, anything I plan, I don't do. And I end up doing things that I don't plan. Adventures cannot be planned, and keep you on your toes.
Anything can happen in an adventure.

Anyway, guess what is coming to town...
OC Greek Fest is coming back! May 15-17, 2009.
I went to the festival last year for the first time, and they had the best gyros and spanakopita I have ever had in my life. I have been spoiled by these Greeks, and I have had a hard time eating gyros anywhere else all year.

I also have not seen so many Greek people in one small place, except for Mad Greek Cafe in Baker, Ca.

More Nastase Wedding Images

We found the @Kogibbq Truck!

My friend Justin called me at 9:30 on Saturday night. "Drive to Buena Park, NOW! The Kogi BBQ truck is coming to Buena Park in 30 minutes. We are waiting for the location to post on Twitter !" I have heard and seen this Kogi BBQ Truck on the news, and it looked real tasty. In fact, Justin has always showed me awesome Korean restaurants since we were in Junior High School.

So by the time we figure out where the truck was going to be, the La Palma police department was already waiting. No, not for the food. Cops only eat doughnuts and bacon. They somehow figured out the Kogi truck was going to be in their hood (probably from twitter), and they made the crowd leave the industrial area. So the Kogi truck moved down the street into LA county, and about half of the people followed.

Let me tell you, top 5 tacos I have ever had. I can't really call it mexican food, because you can put anything in a tortilla (peanut butter). They gave everyone a limit of 3 tacos because of the long line. I had a short rib taco, spicy pork, and a tofu.
Turns out, they have a restaurant in Culver City called Alibi Room. Everyone kept saying finding the truck on twitter is part of the fun. I say this truck and the long line is a lot of effort for a partial menu that the restaurant has to offer.

Justin's Blog, which I rightfully stole all of these images.

Lauren & Brian's Wedding

Field Trip to the Annenberg Space for Photography

I went to The Annenberg Space for Photography last friday in West Los Angeles. The exhibit was about Los Angeles native photographers that have worked in LA in the past 50 years or so.

Images as diverse as the city for which it is named.
L8S ANG3LES

It is easy for native Southern Californians to forget our massive diversity as a culture of our own. From the beach to Hollywood to Venice to the little ethnic towns on every corner to the freeways to the mountains. In between all of this, there are ten million people in Los Angeles counties.

The exhibit showed the change in our culture, and the effects our surroundings on our people.

My favorite part of the exhibit was the video. They interviewed all of the photographers, including 98 year old Julius Shulman. Sometimes I like to watch interviews of photographers and artists, sometimes. I like to hear their 1000 words on their own work. Julius talked about how photographers eye, soul, and feelings go into their own work to make it their own signature work.

Other quotes from the photographers:

Photography connects people from all over the world. People instantly connect with images.

Art can't be taught. One learns by doing.

Taxes are a sore subject.

I shall never use profanity, except in discussing house rent and taxes.
-Mark Twain

Nastase Wedding Preview

George Bernard Shaw

My way of joking is to tell the truth. It is the funniest joke in the world.

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.

Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to the country and to mankind is to bring up a family.

The minority is sometimes right; the majority always wrong.

He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.

-George Bernard Shaw, Nobel Prize winner in 1925.

Chinatown Textures

Innovative Energy

I was talking to a friend the other day, and he asked me about my travel plans for the summer. Long story short, I have a lot of plans, and a lot of camping trips. He noticed that most of my trips are mostly outside and involve motorcycles and tents, and asked why. It is just what I like to do. I enjoy the outdoors. Especially in the American Southwest.
I got thinking.
At first, I started traveling and camping because it was fun. Then I brought my camera to show people that there is a whole other world out there besides the beach. (Some of you might remember when I would send mass amounts of emails with images attached...)
I started researching and traveling to strange places for awesome landscape photography.

People tell me all the time that they are impressed by my traveled check list. So when I was hanging out with my friend, and he asked why I camp so much, I began to realize that for me, being outside and traveling anywhere is where I get my renewing innovative creative energy. I don't climb to the top of mountains for photography, I do it just because I feel like it. That is my attitude and spirit, to just go. My creative passion comes from the earth and everything on its giant playground because I find everything about the planet interesting, not for capturing images with my camera.

My curious, visual, nomadic self will travel to all of the corners of the earth.

Here are some images over the progression of my work "on the road."