My Red Barn ...

... in the Fremont hills ...

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I discovered these hills during my first visit ever to Fremont on December 22, 2001 ... I'll never forget the day ...

I casually explored a one lane wooded canyon road ... I grew up in the forests in Belgium and can't resist exploring, looking for the view, the peace, the quiet ... the history of it all ...

The top of the hill rewarded me with this most magnificent view ... miles of it ... to never forget

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On my way down the hill I made my next discovery ... insignificant at first ...

I was wrong ... this first glimpse is still on my mind ... the taste of the air ... the smell of the nearby eucalyptus forest ... the sound of a nearby spring ...

A red barn ...

A tin roof ...

Old ...

Rusty ...

Cracks ... missing boards ...

Inhabited ...

Full of character ...

... the history ...

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In the months that followed I would be preoccupied moving from Los Angeles to Fremont ... new job ... new challenges ... new realm ... 

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The red barn took on a life of its own ..  at night, when I could not fall asleep, I would nurture the barn to health ...

Fix the cracks ...

Replace the boards ...

New tin on the roof ...

Massive skylights ...

Windows ...

Doors ...

I would talk to the old red barn and ask permission to gently add some new comfort ... 

A wooden floor ...

Fireplace ...

Clawfoot tub ...

Staircase to the rafters ... 

Loft with bedstead ...

A pipe stove ...

In my sleep the red barn became my studio .. my workplace ... my home ... a place where I could curl up and dream on about yesteryears and forgotten lives ... 

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The dreams were real and recurring  ...

I've worked many a night in my red barn ...

Escape ?

Past Life ?

Parallel Dimension ?

With time the red barn disappeared from my mind ... or so I thought ... 

I goofed up ...

The red barn is there ... it always was ... it always will be ...

Elusive ?

Yes ...

Unattainable ?

No ...

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I've been dreaming about the red barn for the last 9 months again ... 

I finally figured it out its secret ... 

Continued ...

Carly Erin ...

... showed up about a year ago at the studio just when I was setting my first steps with my Nikon D3 ... time flies ... 

This was the first shoot where I finally got a grasp of what it meant to be able to full frame photography in almost any lighting condition ... there's no going back  ... 

From the after-sunset outdoor shots where the diffuse lighting proved sufficient for beautiful portraits to the darkened studio work where the only light source was a 250 Watt incandescent in a baffled and gridded softbox ... it all worked ...

No regrets ... Thanks Carly for knocking on my door that day and giving me a taste of how it feels to work with full time traveling pro-models ... ;-)

I had the privilege of working with quite a few pro-models since then and I'm always pleasantly surprised by the professionalism, the injection of creativity, collaboration and the personal growth ... 

Continued ...

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Fortune cookie of the day:

Avenues of good fortune are ahead for you ...

There's obviously a new fortune cookie maker in town ;-)

My crows ...

... are back ... they're waiting outside my office around my car ... they follow when I walk the 3/4 mile to get lunch ... the three of them fly ahead ... wait on the fence posts and then fly ahead again ... when I'm on my way back, they do the same thing again ... they are extremely playful ... ;-)

Where have you been ... ;-) ... craa ... craaa ... craaaaahhhhhh ...

Bringing my camera tomorrow ... let's see if you still want to play ...

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Fortune cookie of the day:

You will have much to give thanks for this month

So true ... so true ...

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Kevin, Lauren Warner's husband passed away last Sunday night ... he'll be missed by quite a few of us ... hugs to Lauren, Oliver, Zoe and the rest of the family.

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I like big hair ... the images in this blog post are from my shoot with Kristin ... She's fun to work with ... make-up by Gina Novotchin and hair by Lorenzo ... I always wanted to shoot hair like this ... lol ... thanks team !

Slow day ...

... raining ... cold  ... 

Yesterday we had snow in the hills in some places at the 2000 ft level ... has been a while since I've seen snow here ... ;-)

Some more work with Jillian Ann from our most recent photo shoot ... enjoy "The Piano Lesson" ...

Happy Valentine ...

All days are Valentine days and today is no exception ... 

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Fortune cookie of two days ago ;-)

Now is the time for peace in your life.

Go along with other's ideas [in bed]

Adding [in bed] to any fortune cookie makes them sooo much better ... 

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Another pic from a shoot with Jillian Ann ... make up by Lauren Warner ... 

These images were lit with a single tungsten lighting up a dark scene ... no tripod,  ISO 3200 ...

The ability to shoot in pretty much any lighting condition with even make shift lighting is a feature I wouldn't want to miss anymore ...

These images are from the most recent shoot with Jillian Ann ... "The Piano Lesson"

Stay tuned for more ...

I am elated ...

is the fitting name for the "Special Enchilada Del Dia" from Cafe Gratitude ... a delicious dish ... soft vegetable tortilla with sprouted seed filling, topped with spice salsa verde and cashew sour cream.   Mine was served with Mexican spiced coleslaw and Bhutanese red rice ... 

Highly recommended ...

Image from my first shoot with Jillian Ann, now many months ago ...

 Jillian is extremely talented ... beautiful ... lovely voice ... writes great music and lyrics ... engaging ... constantly advocating environmental and health conscious choices ...

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My fortune cookie of today:

Your talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded ...

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Been listening to Astor Piazzolla for the last couple of days ... divine tango music ... the rendition of Gideon Kremer is close to my heart ... Astor is missing from this recording but the powerful violin playing by Kremer of Piazzola's work gives the music a different, totally enjoyable, dimension ... 

To be continued ...

I am bliss ...

... is a Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse pie ... I got to savor one in Cafe Gratitude ;-) ... after a shoot with Jillian Ann (MUA: Lauren Warner)

Never has raw vegan tasted so divine ! ... this is a must taste dessert even if it is the last dessert you'll ever taste ... 

Ingredients: rich cacao and hazelnut mousse topped in coconut meringue in a hazelnut-macadamia date crust ... 100% vegan ... 100% raw ... sweetened with Yacon syrup ...

Best ever dessert ! ... taste is absolutely fabulous but the texture is unlike anything I ever had ;-)

"I am bliss" is a most appropriate name for this delicacy ;-)

The above image from Jillian is from our first shoot ... quite a few months ago ... stay tuned for more ... (MUA Lauren Warner)

Recession

Layoffs ...

Salary freezes ... 

No bonuses ... no merit increases ...

It's everywhere ...

but ... how much of it is driven by fear because of media negativity over-coverage ? 

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Fortune cookie of the day ...

You have a friendly heart and are well admired ...

There seems to be a theme to these

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One of my friends got a new job after months of being unemployed ... the glass is half full ... always ...

Primal scream

Worked with April and Lauren Warner yesterday ... Lauren came up with a fun make up concept for April and April lived her emotions ;-) ... this model doesn't act it ... she lives it ... raw

This series was pretty much shot on the street in San Francisco ... onlookers didn't believe their eyes ... ;-)

3 minute shoot, 3 primal expressions ... fear ... anger ... pain ... 

None of these images were posed ... they were lived ... the way I like it ... love photojournalism ;-)

April models fashion, fine art and she just starred her first leading role in an indie film.