Celebrity

Call it the luck of the Irish (I am one after all, by marriage) for this year I was lucky enough to be called back to shoot the Los Angeles St. Patrick's Day Parade. This event is always fun one to do as I always have something interesting to shoot or I get to meet someone interesting. This year was no exception; I not only met the beautiful Vera Jimenez (here pictured with me) but a myriad of police officers, firemen, celebrities and hundreds of school children who make this such a wonderful event. A favorite of mine was the band from Baja California whose "colonial" looking uniforms and enthusiastic cheerleaders made it that more special. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. You can see them here

Women's Fastpitch at Fullerton

Steve Miner, a good friend and Assistant Coach for the women's fastpitch team at San Diego State University got me access to shoot their team at a local game against Cal State Fullerton. I don't often have the chance to shoot women's fastpitch so I was very excited about getting this opportunity. It did not disappoint. The game was exciting and had quite a bit of action. I think the women bring a different flavor to the game with their chants and their energy but they are not any different from the men when it comes to being tough and competitive. It was truly a pleasure to shoot them and I hope I get the opportunity to do so again. The photos are posted here if you wish to peruse them.

Santa Ana

For the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to explore a nearby town that I usually do not get the chance to visit. Santa Ana, as I have come to find out is a melting pot of attractions. The civic center has the beautiful Ronald Reagan Federal building and the charming Old Courthouse where yours truly got her marriage license. It is also home to the Bowers Museum and a locally-famous neighborhood called the Flower Park with hundreds of old houses all impeccably kept and harking back to the 1920's and 30's. Though not within its city limits the Crystal Cathedral is also nearby and worth taking a slight detour to see. Click here to see some of the photos I have taken in the past few days of the undiscovered city of Santa Ana.

AAU Tournament - 6 years in a row

Once again I had the privilege and the luck to shoot the AAU Men's Fastpitch Tournament in Orlando, Florida at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Great weather and a superb facility make this one of my favorite tournaments. However, it is the mix of players from all over the United States, Canada and the Caribbean who flock to this tournament that make the tournament so special. It is also a very competitive tournament and as any player will tell you anyone can win it but anyone can lose it too. For all these reasons, I love to shoot this tournament but the 40 teams and 6 fields with games continuously playing throughout 3-1/2 days, make it a challenge. You can check out the gallery of photos here. Let me know what you think.

Dia de los Muertos

For the second year in a row I attended the festivities at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in honor of Dia de los Muertos. This has got to be by far one of my favorite Los Angeles' festivals because of the creativity and the great tradition behind this event. This day which is shared by many people in Latin America honors those who have passed on by making altars in honor of the dead which offer their favorite food and feature their beloved personal items. The event at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery goes a bit further by offering an altar competition and providing traditional entertainment among 3 stages. The cemetery comes to life with the altars and the thousands of people that patronize the event; most of them in costume themselves honoring the day. I have a great deal of fun photographing this event and I hope I have done justice to the hard work that goes into putting this festival together. You can see this year's photos of Dia de los Muertos here.

Virginia City

Jim and I are off this afternoon to the NAFA Masters West Tournament in Carson City, Nevada. I was there last year and had the opportunity to visit the nearby town of Virginia City. I have always been fascinated by western lore and love the fact that Virginia City (sans cars) still looks like a western town. I did not have much time when I visited last but I got in some good shots. I have uploaded the photos under Places/Virginia City 2007. I think you'll get a kick out of them. Enjoy!

A new day

Well, I finally got my blog up and I am very excited. I hope to use this medium to share with you my favorite photos and to hopefully speak a bit about photography, sports and whatever adventures I run across as I shoot. Stay tuned!