Santa Con

Today, I participated for the first time in a nation-wide tradition called "Santa Con". For those of you not familiar with the event, you can look it up in Wikipedia but in a nutshell Santa Con is a mass gathering of people dressed like Santa Claus who for one day roam the streets of the city bringing holiday cheer. I was intrigued by the concept and so joined over 500 other individuals and roamed the city streets of Los Angeles (in costume, of course). There were many photo opportunities most of which you can see in our 2009 Santa Con gallery; however, some costumes were not for (ahem) public consumption; I will leave that to your imagination . Nonetheless, you can enjoy the many versions and interpretations of a Santa suit. I think the women in particular were most creative but there were a few guys that showed incredible ingenuity. So, pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa, pull up the gallery and view hundreds of Santas as they wreaked havoc on a cold and rainy Saturday in Los Angeles. Ho, Ho, Ho!

Red Rock Revisited

I'm playing catchup this weekend and so have posted the last set of photos I took at the Red Rock tournament in 2007. As I reviewed the photos for posting it brought back many memories of that field and that tournament. One of my favorite tournament for many reasons: location, players, quality of game, I still miss shooting this tournament two years later. Click here to take you to the gallery of photos for the 2007 Red Rock Tournament and enjoy revisiting one of the greatest tournaments that men's fastpitch has to offer. Let's hope we can one day soon return to this beautiful venue.

Field of Dreams

I was in Quad Cities photographing the ISC II Tournament of Champions this past August and it just so happened to be a couple of hours from the actual Field of Dreams. So, off we went to look at this famous site and I must say it did not disappoint. It is the film site for the baseball movie of the same name. As baseball movies go, this one quickly became a classic and the field, I suppose, became a must place to visit for baseball and movie fans.

If you are not a baseball fan, this may not strike you as all that interesting, but I can tell you that if any place can convert you this one can. A pristine field of green grass against a jaw-dropping azure sky, a striking (and ghostly) corn field, visitors reverently walking and playing in the grounds, and you have a magical place. You need not be a fan to recognize that.

So, as you peruse the photos, may it bring back some joyful memories of playing in your own backyard or as I did, may it help you recognize the beauty of something as simple and beautiful as a baseball field, on a hot summer day.

When walls come tumbling down

This week I was invited to photograph a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I jumped at the chance to do something so interesting and unique in Los Angeles. Starting out with a gala reception featuring the famous german chanteuse Ute Lemper and ending with the ceremonial tearing down of an artists' wall on Wilshire Blvd., the evening was filled with interesting people and great opportunities for photography. However, some of the activities kept me on my toes as they also provided challenges. In an effort to re-create the atmosphere of an old nightclub for the gala event the wonderful lighting people had used a chemical fog that enveloped the entire room. This resulted in a sultry ambiance that sent my camera readings off the charts and made capturing that "sultry" ambiance a bit (ahem) of a challenge. I have to admit that I did mutter under my breath on several occasions but I am very happy with the results. The street event also offered its own unique challenges having to fight for space with hundreds of media photographers who were just as determined as I to photograph the tearing down of the wall. I ended up hanging over a barricade on a platform overlooking the wall and praying that the barricade would hold. I think I have bruises in my abdomen from doubling my body over the fence. No pain no gain. Still, I would not trade in a moment of that evening. It was as if we were all participating in a historic event ourselves; over 700 people meeting on Wilshire Blvd., at midnight just to watch... how incredible is that? The photos have been posted under our cultural events category in the gallery: 2009 Fall of Berlin Wall Event. Enjoy!

2009 ISC II Photos - Final Galleries

It is in a bittersweet mood that I finished the task of reviewing and uploading all the photos for the 2009 ISC II - Tournament of Champions. Bittwersweet because it signifies the end of the fastpitch season for me. No more standing in the field and sharing it with the very talented athletes who play this great game called fastpitch. No more smelling the sweet smell of grass as I stand too close to the foul line to get just the right shot. No more chattering with the managers and players as they return to their positions on the field. But all is not lost, as this will all repeat itself next year. Until then I hope you join me in re-visiting, through my photos, the wonderful tournament called the ISC II.

I have uploaded two more galleries: the first gallery is of the photos taken during the Opening Ceremonies (2009 ISC II - Opening Ceremonies) and the second gallery has photos taken around the ballpark of the fans, players and staff (2009 ISC II - Around the Ballpark). My thanks to everyone who each year make this tournament an unforgettable experience for me. From Blair Setford who each year gives me access so I can photograph this great tournament. To the game controllers who always happily accept the task of babysitting my equipment and keep me in stitches with their stories and jokes. To the players whose athletic prowess challenge me each and every game as I try to capture with photographs what they do so easily and with such talent. And last but not least, the umpires, for who I feel a close kinship; sort of brothers in arms you might say, sharing the field game after game but never playing in it.

ISC II Photos Posted

After a long weekend of post-production work, I finished the "action" photos of the Tournament of Champions tournament. They are posted under the "ISC II - Action" gallery (see here). I still have photos from the Opening Ceremonies to post and some photos I took around the ballpark. Hopefully I will have those up this week. Enjoy!

2009 ISC II - Tournament of Champions

Thanks to the many people who have inquired about photos taken at the 2009 ISC II Tournament of Champions. I just returned to California today, Monday, August 24, 2009 and have begun the "post tournament production work" on the huge batch of photos taken at the tournament and expect to have them up for viewing and purchase this week.

Thank you to those of you who have emailed me and to those who I ran into at the tournament for your kind words on my photography. I hope this batch will live up to the compliments.

Stay tuned for the photos, they are coming right up !