Friday, December 26, 2008

I'm an orphan ...

Mom passed away in the afternoon, 4:58pm local time (7:58am PST) surrounded by all her children ... I was able to hold her during passing just like we promised ... I cried just like she told me I would ... but we let go because we were together in this moment no matter how difficult it was for each of us ...



I could have never choosen a better mom ... you didn't have an easy life but you have always unwaivering dedicated yourself to us and dad regardless of choices and options you had at the time ...



It was good knowing you for all those years ... love you and be loved by you ... forever ... I let you go ...



I'm crying ... but that will stop ... our love will continue ... celebrate your life ... you will be missed ...



* * *


Coincidental ... this loss comes exactly 6 months to the day my wife walked out on me ...


* * *


Mom was one of my biggest supporters of my passion for photography and desire to make art with it ... she wanted to know you all ...


Christmas Evening and Christmas

Celebrating friendship ... connecting to strangers ... just right ...

Thinking about mom ...

* * *
Traveling to Belgium with a heavy heart knowing the loss we will face ... crying at times but then remembering all the good memories and crying some more ...
Uneventfull flight ... it is Christmas day after all ...
Zipped through the airport in Brussels in 10 minutes ... brother in law is waiting to pick me up ...
We don't talk much ... I'm just wondering if I'll make it to the house in time ...
We do ... mom held on for all these days ...

Monday, December 22, 2008

Reconnecting with a friend ...

... through a blog ... what else ... ;-)

Meet Georges, and enjoy his blog on psychophysiology, EEG, clinical neuropsychiatry, signal analysis, Brain Computer interface and non linear dynamics.

I clearly remember the days that Georges, Guido, Johan, Pat and myself would become night owls and spend many hours designing and programming EEG and associated signal analysis equipment fueled by an abundance of coffee and cake ...

Georges is obviously familiar with "De Rode Ridder" (The Red Knight strips) and writes following in his email ...

PS ... wat mij bij al die dames wel opviel was dat ze so lijken weggelopen uit de vele episodes van de Rode Ridder ... Il n'y a pas de coincidence ...



Getting ready ...

... to travel to Belgium again ... talked to mom last Friday to let her know I'm on my way ...

The conversation was short ... painfully short.  She was obviously hurting ... she's shutting down ... on morphine ...

Be strong ... let go ...




Continued.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Seen on the streets of LA

Two images snapped on the street in LA ... color and form ... what else is there ?

These images were shot at night somewhere in the Olive and Fifth Street area

A security guard *had* to ask me to stop shooting ... I just ignored him ... he gave up ... this is also *my* street ...

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

monsieur A.

... is what Taylor Greer called me before the shoot ...

Now she calls me "Cookie" ... go figure ...

Taylor is great to work with ... looking forward to the next shoot ...


Sunday, December 14, 2008

Life ..

... needs chivalry ...

Unfortunately ...

... I woke up in the 21st century ...

Where are the knights with open visor ?

Where are the ladies who know to wear colors ?

... Galaxia ...

... where did you flee ? ...



The Red Knight
Continued



Saturday, December 13, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

My week in 11 lines ...

Solving business problems over the phone

Retouching images

Staying out of trouble

Working with the best

The very best

Shooting interaction

Thinking about mom

Travel, visiting my daughter Amarilla

Changing plans

Living a changed dynamic

Happy


Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Perfect Mind

Leave it up to Elley S to leave me some deep words on a Monday afternoon ... just sharing because I loved reading it

*   *   *

I am senseless and I am wise.
I am shame and I am boldness
I am strength and I am fear
I am compassionate and I am cruel
I am the hearing which is attainable to everyone
   and the speech which cannot be grasped.
I am the mute who does not speak,
   and great is the multitude of words.

*   *   *

I believe this is part of a larger work ...

Continued ...


Monday, December 8, 2008

Morgan and Matt in studio - Unretouched ...

Images straight out of the camera, just re-sized for the blog and a couple of black and white conversions.

Fun shoot for sure ... make-up and hair styling by Gabriela, friend of Morgan ... they both drove all the way from Sacramento.

Matt is a local San Francisco Bay Area model.

I use a two camera set-up which accounts for some of the color differences ...

*   *   *

Unexpected red-eye travel ... back on Tuesday ...







Sunday, December 7, 2008

Friends

I cherish them ... I love them ... when a most important relationship in my life ended, I found out I had many more friends than I thought possible ... friends that understand the meaning of unconditional are great ...

*   *   *

Just talked to mom ... there are things you can't say often enough so I say them often rather than too little ... "I love you" is one of them.

*   *   *

Got my first Christmas card from the year ... knocked my socks off ... ;-) ... 

*   *   *

This week was a roller coaster ... so looking forward to next week ...




Wednesday, December 3, 2008

I love ...

... horses.

As a kid I grew up with a horse in one of the many stables of the carriage house we lived in ... located a stone throw from the castle of the count of Marnix de St. Aldegonde.

On occasion I got to ride it as taking care of the horse was one of my father's many duties.

My addiction to the Rode Ridder strips followed later by an emphatuation for everything Wild West didn't lessen my admiration for this beautiful animal.

I'll take any opportunity to photograph them and I'm absolutely thrilled by the many books of equine photography that are currently available.

I couldn't resist photographing the wooden horse in the Mingei International Museum in Escondido a couple of weeks ago.

All images were shot through glass windows at night ... only lighting used was the available tungsten light of the museum window display.

Images shot at ISO3200, totally possible on a D3 without noticeable noise.

This camera changed the way  I shoot.















Continued ...

Monday, December 1, 2008

A beautiful day ...

... sightseeing with Ankha along the I 1 while babbling Dutch ... from Aptos over Half Moon Bay and Pacifica to San Francisco ... great weather and what a surf ... 












































Catching the blimp over San Francisco from the Marin Headlands and waiting on sunset while pondering synchronicity  ... priceless ...