Amedeus

The edge.

2011-08-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

"You live on the edge"

I was told in no uncertain terms

"Which edge ?"

"Your limits"

"The ones that you come close to and will draw you in ... over the edge into your fall"

* * *

Not living on any edge.

Every day I pushed the walls confining me away.

Then the walls became one.

I pushed one wall further away.

Day by day, night after night.

The wall has shrunk to a non existing line far beyond the horizon.

Two lifetimes later.

There are no confinements left.

There's only an ever expanding Universe.

I will reach that ever expanding Edge

And float over the fall

To push that wall.

* * *

Amara in Red Shades

Can't believe ...

2011-07-26T21:55:00.000-07:00

... it is over a year since I've posted here.

What a year.

Since I started pretty much non-stop travel in late 2009, I logged almost 300,000 miles in the air. 22 ferry rides between Singapore and Indonesia or Hong Kong and mainland China.

I blogged about some of those trips.

Well over a hundred taxi rides and then there are the other rides on ricksha, bicycle, motorbike, rowboat, canoe, bi-plane, Cessna, helicopter, steam train, high speed train and bullet train ... all in 18 months and most of the time with camera since my friend Margeaux urged me to keep photographing what's going on around me while away from home.

I have worn-out shoes to prove the many miles I walked ... hiked ... trotted. They brought home dust from other continents.

I've spend over 100 nights in about 15 different hotels and 35 rooms. Plenty of shot material for a book about my "jet-setting" hotel life and splendid scenery.

Not. Jet-setting that is.

The book is an idea I mull over though as I've stayed in some beautiful gory places.

On the long plane rides home or away from home, I've written about some of the stories whose ideas are captured and hidden in this playground blog.

The horizon is getting more and more shape. In my world the horizon is not a gently arched curve fading far away.

Not.

And will never be.

All those days traveling for business also opens up the door for connection with the various cultures I pass through. An opportunity to meet new people. Make new friends. Experience new lovers. Observe what makes people work.

Leave minimal footprint and maximize the impression while expressing my emotional range and need for connection.

Eye to Eye

Neuron to Neuron

Skin to Skin

Soul to Soul

That's the essence in my world. In no particular order.

Being away has a downside.

My house and studio are in an extended remodeling phase.

I don't get to shoot the women I love as often.

I don't get to make new local friends as often.

It is hard to stay in touch with my children who are now traveling on their own and are

themselves spread over the globe.

It is hard to keep a relationship going as I'm ... well ... gone most of the time

Yet ... in spite of all these lapses in continuity, there were so many wonderful things happening around me at "home"

I'm still in a fabulous technology career where I positively impact the lives of people worldwide and that career is the enabler for many things I truly enjoy and share.

In spite of all the travel, I did connect with wonderful friends and experienced new relationships that have confirmed that I'm foremost an innovator, a creator, an artist unwilling to compromise in that passion.

I did get to shoot with old friends and discover new friends with a shared love for photography and all things beautiful

My best friend married and brought another wonderful friend in my life. I got to shoot the wedding.

Emotional.

Priceless.

I did come across old souls from previous lifetimes. Likeminded brains. Parallel experiences in different universe.

Im lucky.

I'm blessed.

I'm happy.

* * *

Why write about this now on July 26, 2011 while I should be in bed ?

I made a new local model friend a couple of months ago.

She brought chocolate to the shoot. Big points for this.

And cookies covered in Belgian chocolate. Even more points for this.

She wrote me recently:

"Rudi ... I'm going through your blog every day, so you better update it soon, or else I'm stuck with nothing "

So here Frosan, this is for you.

* * *

The image below was shot in Februari 2011 around 6am while en-route to Boston on a red-eye. Altitude 2,000 feet. The sun was just peering through a slit in the clouds and I noticed this shaft of orange light over the water turning my direction as the plane was banking

The seatbelt sign was already on for landing. My camera was in the overhead compartment. I was in an exit row and the stewardess was sitting across from me.

What to do ?

I unbuckled. Stood up, opened the overhead bin and quickly yanked

my camera out of my backpack over the protest of the stewardess. Closed the bin while my fingers are snapping the camera to the ON position.

On my way to my chair I looked her in the eye and she silenced. She turned her head away from me and stared the other direction.

I took two shots before buckling up. Timing was perfect. The beam of light appeared to float just below my window.

We landed without further incident. I apologized on my way out. It didn't register.

The final composite art work print size is 18" H x 43" W.

It's a shame blog posting doesn't do this type of images any good. Color range and detail are exquisite.

The composite image was created out of the two out-of-camera images below taken with a couple of seconds in between.

A woman ...

2010-06-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

One of my distant pen-lovers somewhere in this world sent me following truth:

A woman needs a man who takes good care of her,

A man who can make her laugh out loud,

A man who makes her feel as if she’s the most important woman in the world to him

A man who takes her breath away

A man who stimulates her mind

And it’s important that these five men never meet each other!

Being a man, this reads also very true as:

A man needs a woman who takes good care of him,

A woman who can make him laugh out loud,

A woman who makes him feel as if he's the most important man in the world to her,

A woman who takes his breath away

A woman who stimulates his mind

And it's equally important that these five women never meet each other !

* * *

How does one roll 5 women into one and ensure they never meet each other ?

* * *

These two women do take my breath away ... this was shot in December 2009 and is part of a book being laid out for print.

I've worked multiple times with Sarah and Natalia.

Looking forward creating more with these talented models.

Pulau Galang Baru

2010-05-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 30, 2010

I hired a driver for a full day for about $55. This is definitely my favorite way of traveling around in Indonesia. I got a great recommendation for a driver and he didn't disappoint. Ropik showed up in an SUV which was very comfortable on some of the bumpy no-roads on the islands.

Goal for the day was to drive all the way to Pulau Galang Baru, the last island connected to Batam through the 7 Barelang bridges.

I have been many times at the first Barelang bridge, the most imposing one. I've never driven all the way over all seven to see where this leads to.

On my way we stopped at Kampung Vietnam to take a look at the Vietnamese refugee camp. I had read about it online ... I could undeniably feel the suffering still hanging around on this hot day many years after the closing of the camp.

Once we made our way to Palau (Island) Galang Baru, we were rewarded with with amazing views of tropical islands in an environment were time stood still for many years.

Everywhere I went I heard girls yell "bule bule ... photo ... photo ... please take picture ..." (bule = westerner) ... No greater delight for these young women to know someone snapped their picture with their girlfriends ... big smiles guaranteed ;-) No need to worry about leaving an email address for them to get the image ... all that's required is to know someone spend time taking their picture and will have a souvenir from them forever.

At this time in the year, sun is only guaranteed in the morning. As soon as it turns around 2:00 pm, the clouds change dramatically into thunderclouds with torrents of rain falling down. It doesn't last long but one has to take precautions. Not too difficult when one travels in car but it's a totally different story for the locals on their motorbikes and scooters.

Two of the images I shot that day show clearly rain drenching down in buckets at the horizon. We only got wet on our way back to Batam. Rather than hanging out on a tropical beach waiting for a nice sunset, I decided to go visit Tanjung Uma ... a place I'll write more about when I have time to process the images.

Those who have been following my travels know that this is my fourth trip in about 5 months to this area of the world.

I've been in Indonesia before. In 1999 to 2001 I spend quote a few weeks in Bali paradise working special effects for an amusement park. Although a perfect introduction to the beauty of Indonesia, it didn't prepare me for the beauty of the Riau Islands comprising Batam. Most of these islands are sparsely populated and as of today, I'm constantly taken by the genuine happiness of these people whatever their living circumstances are.

More images from my recent Indonesia travels to Batam can be found in my Travel Images folder on Facebook.

So far I've not been able to find any shells on any of the beaches I visited. Who took them all ?

Batam in May

2010-05-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

This is my fourth business trip to Singapore and Batam, Indonesia this year. It's the end of May and it's a lot warmer and definitely more humid this time.

The trip to Singapore was uneventful, one does get used to these long haul flights. On my way to the ferry though things changed a bit.

The taxi driver didn't feel I needed my head for the rest of the trip and he slammed his trunk shut while I was still pulling luggage out of it.

I ended up making the trip on the ferry with a bloodied head. Not a pretty sight. Starbucks napkins was all there was at hand to stop the bleeding a bit.

Once in Batam I had a nurse take a look at it ... my head that is, not the napkins. She glued the cut shut and counted 7 scars in total on my head ... 7 stories to tell.

Today I ended up in yet another thunderstorm on my way to Barelang bridge. Just trying to get some images from fishermen villages or what's left of it. It's quite a sight to see the locals making their way through treacherous terrain on their motorbikes and scooters. As usual, it's quite common to see 3-5 family members on one bike and a little thunderstorm is not going to stop at least some of them. There are shelters left and right for bikers to ride the rain out if they like so ... not sure what's worse though ... getting soaked at a "shelter" or continue driving.

Once on my way the drenching stopped close to my destination. Got some good shots but then I slipped big time on some concrete blocks covered with algae slurry down at the water's edge. My camera got wacked around breaking my fall a bit. My glasses ended up in the water. Some scrapes and a slightly bruised ego ... sure ... but I continued shooting ... of course. At least I didn't loose my Blackberry this time like in all my other "water" accidents.

The locals watching me providing the entertainment of their afternoon found it all "lucu" (funny) and I did get quite a few request to shoot their pictures ... lol ... I didn't get the orange red sunset shots I had hoped for but what I got was well worth the effort. Tomorrow is another day to take a stab at a perfect sunset.

The shells ...

2010-05-18T20:10:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning and against the bright sun peering through the veiled curtains I saw an island floating on an ocean of rattan ... I closed my eyes again as I wanted to go back to the state of slumber and experience this dream again ...

I slowly open my eyes and through my lashes this sight appears again ... I hesitate to open a bit more ... afraid this was going to disappear ... an ocean of rattan with a bright white sky and an island ... two islands ... no ... make that three islands ... three white sand humps on an ocean of rattan ... different size ... different shapes ... all preciously shimmering in the light ...

Where was I ? ... where did this sudden surrender to peace and quiet come from ? ... oceans of rattan don't make any noise ... it was quiet ... ear deafening silence ...

Now I remembered my dream ... it was as in a faint memory coming back ... the silhouette on the beach ... a silhouette walking on the beach in the the darkness of pre-dawn ...

I pause my thoughts and pain my memory ... it all turns dark ...

* * *

The orange glow of the sun is lighting up the water and a silhouette is taking form ... the first rays light up my vision and I see a flowing dress ... a goddess floating over the sand ... tall ... mysterious ... golden skin lit by a rising sun .. the head is framed with long wavy hair ... hiding the face ...

Turn ... turn ... turn ... I whisper in my dream ... alas ... the appearance can't hear me in the deafening silence of my dream ocean ... I walk closer to the scene ... a goddess arm stretches graciously our to me and an elegant hand opens up ... I see three shells ...

Three shells fall out this mysterious hand ... I catch them and hold these little treasures tight ... I turn my head towards the apparition but all I can see is a soul silhouette disappearing in the darkness of the sun ...

"Wait ... wait ... wait" ... I yell ... I scream ...

I pause as no sound is escaping my voice ...

What is ? ... the dark turns slowly to light and I don't have a shadow ... I'm reduced to my soul ...

But wait ... the shells ....

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes and through my lashes I see three islands ... foggy this time ... out of focus ... the bright sunlight is blinding ... slowly I open a bit more ... my vision adjust and I see the ocean of rattan ... the white beaches of the islands ...

The islands slowly disappear in the distance and they get smaller and smaller until each island is reduced to a shell ...

One shell ... two shells ... three shells ... all different ... all beautifully shimmering on my rattan nightstand ...

I close my eyes again and I'm overcome with a warm feeling ... My soul is blessed by three little shells that travelled in a mysterious way to the beach in the dawn of a dream ... dropped from the hands of a beach goddess ...

* * *

Images in this post are from a shoot with Nettie R. Harris ... we worked together almost a year ago ... extremely talented art model .. more images of this shoot later.

Travel images from Batam, Indonesia

2010-04-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last post ... I don't seem to snap out of this busy spell fixing technology problems.

This images here were all shot on a sunny February Sunday afternoon while sight seeing in Batam.

The sunken boat can be found close to a fisherman village in the neighborhood of Bengkong Laut.

There are still people living in the old fisherman town ... I spend about an hour around noon snapping images around the town ... the lighting was brutal though.

I hired a cab driver for the day and he drove me to the old town on Nongsa beach. That's where I found the pier and a couple of boats. There were quite a few boats available to go visit the neighboring islands (Pulau Putri) with pristine white sand beaches.

I spend the late afternoon on the beach close to the "industrial" park on Nongsa beach. There were plenty of treasures to be found there.

Boats in all sizes, shapes and states and the light changes around the evening were quite dramatic.

I collected sufficient images to fill a coffee table book with the catch of that day ... maybe one day ...

Can't wait to go back there ... it's a different world ... different pace ... ;-)

More images soon ... time to put a travel gallery up on my Facebook page ... ;-) ... soon ...

Travel ...

2010-02-24T18:14:00.001-08:00

My travel schedule is still hectic ... been in Singapore and Batam a second time in January/February and I'm ready for my next trip to Asia in March. In between there's the occasional domestic business travel ... Los Angeles, Boston, Orlando ...

All by all a great opportunity to discover new places, meet new people and get a deeper insight in local cultures and habits ... oh ... yes ... let's not forget the culinary aspects ... ;-) ... Indonesian food is a pure delight ;-)

I'm always on the go with a camera so I do have an opportunity to snap some travel images ... Above some shots from my first ferry ride between Singapore and Batam on December 23, 2009.

Whole families travel on a bike ... 4, 5 and even 6 people on a single bike ... dangerous ... yes ... but there seems to be some order in all the biker chaos ... all in all traffic moves smoothly ...

Holidays 2009

2009-12-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since my last post ... as so often, the holidays are getting the best of us ... if we like it or not ...

First there's the never ending remodel of my studio that is taking a toll on my time ... there's still so much to do ... at least my subterranean termites are under control after removing my hardwood floor in the studio and kitchen ... trying to decide what my next floor covering will be ...

Then there's the travel ... both domestically and internationally ...

I'm writing this from Batam, Indonesia where I'm involved in a project launch for an exciting new product for a major consumer electronics OEM. I find myself shuttling between Singapore and Batam quite often ... it is only an hour ferry ride between these two vastly different worlds ... there's no way to describe this, you have to experience this to get the full space ...

Travel with its inevitable people watching is always a time to reflect for me ... there's so much distance in between locations giving me sufficient time to space out in appreciation for all I've got ...

My thoughts revolve around friends and those people around me that know how to live the unconditionality of true friendship ... true love ... total acceptance ... the no-need-to-change-you love ... the friends that are solely there for a no-expectation journey and know how to keep any destiny desire at bay ... The friends that only need a sentence to understand where you are in life and likewise know to express their space in 160 characters or less ... the friends that love to love ...

Thoughts and love also go out to those who only briefly touched my life but made a profound impression yielding immense growth regardless of the pain any perception imparted on our lives ... it is after all all about growth for the next connection, the next love, the next romance ...

Yes ... it is a season for thanks ... although I like to think that every day is a reason for thanks ...

I've been photographing a bit less the last couple of months because of travel and the need to catch up on editing and retouching images ...

The long evenings in business hotels have giving me some opportunity to retouch work for a couple of publications ... I've also laid out a few books I'm self publishing @ blurb.com in 2010 ...

Back to the grind with a smile on my face ... just having witnessed a colliding space and time continuum ...

* * *

Images from different photo opportunities ...

Halloween 2009 ...

2009-11-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

A rather magical time ...

A mysterious voicemail ...

A soft commanding voice ...

A full moon ...

A daring adventure in a world of Mystery ...

A Woman in the mountains ...

An invitation collide ...

An unexpected spectacle of mythical proportions ...

... the Beloved Lady of the Universe ...

* * *

The images below are out-takes from the November 1, 2009 lingerie shoot for LuLa Lu

Model Heather Hartel

MUA Lauren Warner

NYC

2009-10-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

It was years since I've been in NYC ... last week I had an opportunity to spend 4 days in the big apple and it was well worth the travel and expenses ...

The first funny thing is that the city looked much smaller than I remembered ... weird experience though ... felt for a second like I was first time in a place since childhood ...

I've always loved the atnosphere, the hustle and bustle, the everything is possible attitude ... and yes ... there's always life ... and you can get food at any time of the day ...

Last week was about connecting and reconnecting with friends ... some of whom I've never seen other than "on-line" ... ;-)

Central Park on a sunny day is still an experience that can't be missed ...

For those who think that NY is all about business ... well ... think again ... I got to experience to be around two marvelous kids with a super set of parents ... it made me soft for a while and I couldn't help but remembering growing up with loving parents ... and how I miss them both ...

Parents ... remember your kids have only one childhood ...

Shot about 4,000 images on the trip ... more about those later ...

While I was in the city one of my on-line friends I've never met wrote me this:

"I just wanted to say thanks for your occasional words of wisdom. Because of something you wrote yesterday, I got in touch with my grandfather (who has been reaching out to me) - I haven't spoken with him since I was a toddler.

Sometimes people need a slight prompting to forgive, or to remember important things, and I wanted to let you know that your posting gave me a little nudge. Thanks. :)"

Needless to say that this made my day even more ...

Continued ...

The ride.

2009-10-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

"Your ride is there ..."

I interrupt my conversation and slowly turn around towards the conference room window ... I peer through the blinds and see the silver convertible top down cornering into the parking lot ... it is my ride ...

I chuckle ... you know ... it feels funny when you see your car drive around without yourself in it ... so used of driving it myself ... ;-) ... I seldom let anyone drive my car ... and ... you're early ...

I excuse myself from the meeting and walk to the side exit door ... by the time I hit the bright sunlight, you've circled the parking lot ... you're looking for me ... you don't know which door I'm exiting ... you're scanning 900 feet of building ...

You finally see me and you throw both hands high up in the air while driving over the speed bump and you're waving at me ... crazy ... but it gets a big smile on my face and can't help thinking that the whole building is watching you ...

I cross the parking lot your direction and you intercept me in the middle ... you're beaming ... you get out of the car ... grey cap ... white satin top with ruffles ... Rock & Republic jeans ... Betsey Johnson heels ... blonde hair spilling from underneath the cap, bouncing with each step, flowing in the wind ...

We hug ... we kiss ... the building cringes ...

You try to hand me the keys ... I give you the keys back ... you look at me in disbelief ... but you're happy you get to drive some more ... you like the car ... you love the way it makes you feel ... I take the passenger seat and you take off ...

I can feel the building rubbernecking till we're out of sight ..

We talk during the ride about the day, the stuff we've done, the stuff we still need to do ... then ... quiet ... we look at each other while you navigate traffic ... we smile ... we don't need to talk ... we know ...

The sun is out and I'm watching to my right as we're approaching the long bridge over the bay ... it's a beautiful day ... little wind flowing through the hair ... perfect blue skies ... blue water ... no choppiness ... no fog, no marine layer ... no nothing to spoil the moment ...

I turn towards you and you're not wearing the grey cap any longer ... you're sporting my brown leather aviator hat ... straps loose dangling and bouncing up and down with the turbulent air from the ride and you're bobbing your head up and down, singing silently along ... you look at me with those beaming blue eyes ... your blonde hair flowing wildly underneath the cap ... your laugh shattering the silence ... we both laugh ... pure bliss ...

I put my chrome and black leather aviator goggles on and we laugh some more ... you're more gorgeous than ever and you're elated exuberance makes this a wonderful moment ... instinctively I grab my camera but it is not there ... such a shame ... a unique moment in so many ways ... gone for ever

You read my mind ... "we can do this again and you can shoot it" ... you grab my left hand and pull it onto your lap and hold it there ... tightly clutched ... I close my eyes and savor the moment burning this image forever in my mind ... you're bobbing your head on the tune of track 10 ... we both love that track ...

For seven eternal miles we are one thought ... one soul ... one love ...

You corner sharp left when we reach the end of the bridge and let my hand go as the car demands all your attention ... we smile ... we're quiet until we continue with the rest of our day ...

I unmistakably know this one of a kind experience is gone ... there is no return to perfection ... there's no need to ...

* * *

When I wake up out of the darkness every day, that image is the first reality I see ... I feel the warmth of the sun ... the wind through my hair ... the exhilaration of that one moment lasting seven miles ... I dread the emptiness in my heart ... then I listen to track 10 ...

The yellow rose is all dried up by now ... beautifully muted colors ... but standing firm ... just the way you wanted it to dry ... you couldn't bear to see this memory go limb that last morning we ever talked at home ... we cried ... we connected ... we knew ...

To be continued ...

Waves ...

2009-10-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend brought me back to Los Angeles visiting friends and family ...

I was guest in this picture-perfect coziest hide-out perched high above the Pacific Coast Highway ...

Talking all day about life, love, friendship, art, wants, needs, expectations, catching up on what's important on this journey while listening to the crashing waves of the ocean and seeing the light change throughout the day ...

A walk on the beach ... watching the sun set ... harvest full moon ... the quietness of it all ...

Wine, cheese, gourmet olives ... chocolates ... it doesn't get more perfect then this ... sleep was sound ... dreams were sweet ... waking up ... well ... the waves were still there ... so was the perfect company ...

One of the most livable places I've stayed ... no care in the world ... escapism at its best ... this also reminded me how much I miss the ocean, the fresh salty air ... one day though I'll have my own nest high above the ocean ... my own red barn ...

* * *

Fortune cookie wisdom ... your kindness is surely to be repaid ...

When your don't care who gets the credit, there's no limit on how high you can fly ...

Boston ...

2009-09-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

Traveling this week ... during the day in training and in charge of content management for a sizable web site overhaul ... all other hours are dedicated to editing and retouching images for my second photo book

A couple of teaser images are included in this post ... the whole concept was photo-journalistic with the models having the option to "pause" at any time ...

I shot this a little over a year ago, mulled the retouch/edit process over for a while and finally got the impetus to get this going ... all lighting is natural ... no make-up for a very natural look ... yes, I did change my mind about the all B&W approach ... ;-) .. the retouching process runs from B&W to a variety of color processes ...

* * *

I was cleaning out my wallet of receipts today and came across two forgotten fortune cookie notes I picked up in early September ... I keep those religiously as I'm constantly working on improving my Chinese vocabulary ... ;-)

Your career will soon be enhanced by a new friend ...

A beautiful person is with you, confide your problems ...

Variations on a theme ?

Time for real coffee ... continued ...

Insomnia ...

2009-09-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

Just having one of those nights where I can't sleep because my brain is running haywire ... thousand thoughts going through my mind with no resolution ... seemingly no progress ... no actionable items ... just emotionally piecing together the disconnects from recent stressful events ..

Even my visiting cat knows something needs fixing ... she's always outside ... roaming around in the backyard ... she loves the backyard, so much more room than the studio from my ex ;-) ... but this night, she's in the kitchen, office ... wherever I go ... maybe it's because of me or maybe it's because there was a skunk passing by a couple of hours ago ... who knows ... for now, I'm happy with the company ...

Been working al day yesterday on editing and retouching my second book ... I photographed the concept a little over a year ago and I've been mulling my options over on and off ... going for a photojournalist B&W approach... that's how it was shot, that's how it still feels after all this time ... hope to publish this book before December ...

Insomnia also means that I have opportunity to do some more editing ...
I shot Jillian Ann and HDC (Grant) last Friday in the Voodoo Lounge in San Jose ...
I enjoyed the music, the atmosphere and just see everyone passionately go all out ...

It was good to see Jillian again, our next shoot is long overdue ... I posted the images from this event to my Facebook account ... yes ... I'm on Facebook ... ;-)

* * *

Looking through the Facebook shatter I come across this quote ... I'm pretty sure it was left for me ... coincidence ? ... synchronicity ? ... who knows ... all that matters is that someone cares enought to put it out there for all to read ...

When people can walk away from you ... let them walk.

Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left ...

(T.D.Jakes)

We have read this quote before ... We may have heard the quote before ... this is just a timely reminder ...

I do know one thing for sure ... I do have a very bright future ... time for real coffee ...

* * *

Images from last Friday's photography in the Voodoo Lounge, San Jose. The wire image detail was shot in an art gallery in La Jolla, CA in 2008. ,,,

The Red Knight - Part 1a

2009-09-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

I'm repeating part of an earlier blog post to ensure an easier follow up connection with an upcoming personal story

* * *

The Willy Vandersteen strip series "De Rode Ridder" or "The Red Knight" with over 200 albums published between 1959 and today has a serious impact on my life ...

Johan (John) , the Red Knight, is the main character in these strip albums. His character embodies the chivalric ideal ... brave to the point of intrepid ... loyal and of course, an expert swordsman ...

In most of the albums he's a traveling knight fighting all sorts of evil threatening peaceful communities ... his travel have brought him all over the world ... Egypt, South America, Atlantis (!) , China etc. ... even outer space figured as a background for a couple of stories ...

Chronologically the stories are placed from the 6th century to the 16th century, thus covering a wide range of historical events. King Arthur, Crusades, Battle of the Golden Spurs and 15-16th centurylife in Flanders.

These strips always featured gorgeous damsels in distress in need of rescue ... and were pretty much the sexiest books I got my hands on in elementary school ... lol ...

Relationships are purely platonic in line with the ideals of chivalric duties.

The Red Knight however is in love with Galaxa, the Faerie of Light. She can only appear for a few brief moments in Johan's world. Together however they fight evil and injustice in the hope to be joined together in a future ...

There is also considerable romantic tension suggested between the Red Knight and Demonia, the henchwoman from Bahaal, the Prince of Darkness.

Other recurring women in the strip are Morning Star and Isjtar, both loyal colleague faeries from Galaxia, always ready to give a lending hand when Galaxia is weakened in battles with Demonia.

As such these strips have appeal for both teenagers and adults alike ...

The women in this strip series do not follow the stereotypes of the historical background.

These woman are all emancipated, independent, love their personal freedom and all have important responsibilities to fulfill in the story.

Although The Red Knight often has to rescue damsels in distress, they are all strong women.

The Red Knight's unobtainable love for Galaxia is often the driver for his actions and needless to say that all plots have a happy ending.

* * *

The Red Knight is looking for a damsel that is not in distress ...

... but what would the Red Knight do with a damsel that is not in distress ? ...

* * *

Images from the August 30 shoot with Sarah Ellis and Kayla, make-up and hair,

Lauren Warner

The White House - Part II

2009-08-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Continued from "In the Shadow ..." (June 10, 2009)

* * *

I open the double door fully and let the light flow in ... I can see the 17th century fresco's on the left wall ... a woodsy scene with young women in pretty dresses with lots of ruffles ... wearing little cute hats ... their maids seem to be preparing a picnic .. couple of sheep in the background ... the rest is all faded out and was unrecoverable ...

I had discovered these fresco's after acquiring the house and scraping off some old cracked paint of the wall .. these wall paintings turned out pretty unique because of their size and quite a few art and historic architectural magazines were in and out the house to document the uncovering and restoration ...

I glance over the now familiar art and make my way down the entrance hallway to the right hand side kitchen door with window lights ... I'm trying to remember the name of the local painter to no avail ... I'm more pre-occupied with what I'm going to find in the kitchen after my last visit ...

I crack the kitchen door open .. it is dark inside ... no power yet and the only light comes in through the double door hall way and backyard kitchen window which Roman curtains are closed ... the clean smell of fresh lemon is puzzling ... no one was in here and this place is supposed to be a mess after my last visit ...

I ignore the clue and let my eyes adjust to the darkness before walking in ... I can see some light peering through the backyard kitchen window and I slowly make my way to open the curtains ... broken porcelain is cracking under my feet while I make my way ... this place is still a mess ...

Pulling the curtain open I can finally see the extent of the disarray ... broken plates all over the floor ... my eyes wander up to the cupboards ... all doors are closed and latched ... what the hell ?

The meat cleaver on the butcher block draws my attention ... there's blood ... fresh ... red ... my stomach turns for a split second but I decide to take a look at what's hanging in the cooking fireplace ... a skillfully skinned and cleaned hare is still bleeding out ... fresh kill... the fireplace is cold ... odd ... I don't remember seeing this scene last time I was here.

Before I can finish the thought, I hear the kitchen door slowly closing shut ... I check ... there's still no door handle ... I can't get out this way ... I cringe as I now need to make my long way to the other side of the house ... can't shake the feeling off that I'm not alone and that's no different than the past experience ...

I look over to the dark far corner as I know there to be the door to the hallway leading to the antechambers of the house. As I'm making my way to the corner, loud noises in the cupboards make me duck and close my eyes ... just in time ... dozens of porcelain plates fly across the kitchen and get shattered against the walls and various pieces of furniture ... I stay put till the violence subdues ... I stand up and there's one more layer of shards strewn over the floor ... all cabinet doors are closed and still latched ... it's erie quiet now ...

I quickly jump and stumble to the far door ... rattling and cracking porcelain shards on my way ... thankfully this door is not locked and I step in the hallway, quickly closing the hallway door behind me ...

To be continued ...

* * *

Image above shot on July 19. Model is Kayla, make-up Lauren Warner, styling Seema Hamid. Hat design Jasmin Zorlu

Cleaning out ...

2009-07-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

... the studio ... the house ... paint ... flooring ... more paint ... color ... done with the white walls ...

Getting rid of remnants of past lives ...

Books ... more books ... french ... german ... dutch ... music scores ... tapes ...

Less is more ?

Thanks Kayla for helping me out in this endeavor ... more hands = lighter work ...

;-)

Studio Shoot - July 18-19

2009-07-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Two beautiful models graced my studio July 18 ... so nothing better than making this a 2 day shooting bonanza ;-) ... some images below ...

SaraLiz and Kayla ... make-up and hair by Lauren Warner (SaraLiz) and

Christal Saville (Kayla)

The images of me at work are all courtesy Ankha Desh who did an excellent job of watching my back and came up with some great prop variations for her own shooting sessions with the models.

On the 19th Seema Hamid joined up for wardrobe styling while Heather Hartel made sure I got my solo venti white chocolate mocha ... lol ...

Great images, great camaraderie and

no drama ... just the way I like it ... this team performed flawless and we got some great images to boot ... what else ;-)

SaraLiz and me ... this was my second shoot with the Florida based pro model ... beautiful, gracious, great posing and easy to work with

This image and next are (c) Ankha Desh

Chimping ... SaraLiz and Kayla delivered great team work on their first shoot together ...

No time to loose ... shoot Kayla while Seema is fixing shoes ... this was our 8th shoot together ... like I wrote a couple of weeks ago ... watch ...

Seema did a fabulous job mixing and matching wardrobe, shoes and accessories ... I had the pleasure working with her before at the Salton Sea shoot ... she's highly recommended ...

Los Angeles trip ...

2009-07-13T19:46:00.001-07:00

Breakfast with Lu, sushi with Betcee, dinner with Amarilla and Salim ... wardrobe shopping on Melrose Avenue ... more window shopping in Santa Monica ... checking out Courtney's new studio ...

Looking at new faces in agencies ...

exploring more of the window lights at the Custom Hotel ...

Making new friends ... intense ...

Casting call ... long drive home ... time flies ...

* * *

Three days of shooting on the street with Kayla on her first shooting trip to LA ... she flies ... on heels ... in a long dress ... defying traffic ...

Beautiful ... sweet ... tall ... confident ... graceful ... unleashed ...

* * *

This journey started the last day of May ... Kayla arrived in my studio for her first shoot ... a bit nervous ... tense ... unsure of what would happen ...

It took only 11 minutes to discover her affinity for the camera ...

She came back in June to shoot some more fun ...

Then July ...

Then the trip to Los Angeles ...

Watch ...

More images soon ...

Cecil Beaton

2009-06-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

" ... to make beautiful images of women you have to love women ..."

* * *

Victoria Vertuga in my corner. Beautiful. Talented. Sweet. Cecil would have loved her ...

In the shadow ...

2009-06-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

of the St Bavo cathedral in Ghent, lives a white house ... it stands out from all the other houses in the street ... majestic ... old and original ... flaking and cracked once white paint left and right ... a most beautiful double wide carriage door with bronze inlays and scrollwork hinges with a wonderful patina ...

There are ancient cobblestones on a sidewalk ... uncomfortable cobblestones ... two gray blue stone piers flank the entrance ...

As I come closer I keep watching the door ... the color is a dark green ... many greens of as many layers of paint as there were lives in this house ... it feels ancient ... it feels familiar ... a strange awareness crops up ... I suppress a shiver ...

I stop and slowly let my eye wander

over the facade ... all window shutters are closed except the balcony windows on the first floor ...

I stretch and try to peer through the darkness of the balcony windows ... to no avail ...

Yet ... I can't help imagine the grayed sheers moving gently as if someone just briefly touched them and pulled away ...

Maybe ... just maybe ...

I hesitate a brief moment but then slowly make my way across the street ... I hear the faint sound of a horse drawn carriage clattering over the cobblestones ... I look around ... nothing ... no one ... the sound disappears ... just imagining the noises of the past ...

The cobblestones feel uncomfortable ... remnant of centuries for sure ... passersby don't seem to notice me ... no one looks ... no one greets ... no one is taken in with the beauty of this house ... all are navigating cobblestones ...

I stop in front of the massive doors ... my left hand is touching the cold bronze inlay ... I shiver briefly again but my hand keeps following the the playful curve of the exquisite decorative detail while I slowly pull a keychain out of my cloak ...

There's only one key ... heavy ... large ... with an impressive 5 pronged beard each side ... another promise from the past ?

I wipe the cobwebs away from the keyhole while I insert the key ... to my surprise the key turns almost smoothly and the bolt unlocks with a solid resonating thump ... the door is heavy ... too heavy and I have to use my shoulder to crack the door open ... a whiff of old air greats me ... dust ... moldy stale air ...

I turn around and look into the street ... there's no one there ... all passersby are gone ... total quiet ...

A crow circles overhead and drops down onto the balcony ... watching me ... I stare back unfazed ... she takes off with a loud cra ... cra... craaaahhhhh echoing between the houses ...

To be continued ...

* * *

My chair has become a fun project ... everyone treats my chair differently ... and I'm sure my chair *loves* vintage clothing ... from top to bottom, Donna, Sarah Ellis and Kayla ... May 2009.

Swamped with retouching ...

2009-06-09T23:57:00.000-07:00

... didn't realize it was that long since I've posted anything ... a matter of life interfering with passion ... ;-)

* * *

More chair pictures ...

Kayla on her first shoot ... beautiful and talented ... will shoot again ;-)

Make up by Lauren Warner ... more chair images shortly ...

Continued

Light Up The World

2009-05-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege to meet Dr Dave Irvine-Halliday this morning ... for those not familiar with his work ... check out http://www.lutw.org

Great cause .... great impact and his talk at the OPTOmism executive "green" seminar left me teary-eyed ... talking about making a difference in the world ... active since 2000 and growing the initiative step by step ... we can all make a difference ... for sure ...

* * *

Heather, old Hollywood style ...

On the sidewalk of Mission Street ...

2009-05-16T08:24:00.001-07:00

... many people will walk in and out of your life ... only true friends will leave footprints in your heart ...

Wednesday May 14, 2009

Heather, make up Christal Saville

Business as usual ?

2009-05-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

Everyone is talking so much recession that it has become a depression ... in a recession you can expect things to bounce back to business as usual ... in a depression you're left with a landscape that is altered forever ...

The future is to the disruptive innovators ... those who can see beyond the horizon and are not afraid to cannibalize and reinvent themselves over and over again ...

* * *

It seems like many lifetimes since I've done a shoot ... retouching images ... retouching memories ...

* * *

I love waiting to retouch a shoot from time to time or to leave critical images for a later time ... it makes it so much easier to disconnect from the emotion of the moment and see images for the pure value of it ... the visual and emotional aspects... taking a step back and gaining a different perspective rather than being caught up in the futility of the moment

* * *

Dreamt about the Red Barn again ... funny ... still working on it ... never ending work of love ...

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

... thought about Mom all day long ... regardless of what I was doing ...

I miss her ... but I do know she's somehow watching out for me ... we still talk ... often ...

* * *

April was a stressful month ... planets didn't line up properly ... did whip them back in shape though .. little set-backs don't stop me from achieving what I want ...

* * *

Images below are from a recent shoot at Salton Sea ...

Model is Nicole Shanahan, make up and hair by Gina Novotchin, styling by Seema Hamid.

Nicole staying graceful while taking flight just before golden hour ...

Love is ...

2009-05-03T23:22:00.000-07:00

... bringing me a venti single shot white mocha to the studio before a shoot ... ;-)

Catching up on editing ... more images soon ..

Continued ...

China Dragon

2009-05-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

... is no more ... closed their doors because they couldn't afford the new lease anymore ... figure it out ... the lease owner increased the lease fee rather than adjusting it to business ...

Three empty locations now in the same strip ... doesn't make sense in a depression ...

I will need to find another source of good fortune cookies ... they were the best ;-)

* * *

Model in the images is Deb F ... we did a full day portfolio shoot in studio and on location a while ago ... wonderful work of the model ... make up by Lauren Warner ...

Random reading ...

2009-04-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don't stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven't hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

Robert Frost.

Not a fortune cookie ...

2009-04-25T23:05:00.000-07:00

Getting sloppy with the blog ... nahhhhh ... lots of events during the last couple of weeks have me pre-occupied with writing, research and photo retouching ... so lots of new goodies coming .. promised ;-)

* * *

A friend send me this quote yesterday ...

"Losing an illusion makes you wiser than finding a truth" [Ludwig Borne]

I was not familiar with the quote so I read up on Ludwig Borne ... he hits home ... ;-)

A very similar quote with a slight twist ...

"Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth"

I wonder why this is resonating so much ... hmmmm .... continued ?

* * *

In LA doing a variety of things except shooting ...

Wet camera photography ...

2009-04-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

... this is how my D3 saw the Alameda Creek when it switched to auto-shoot after I fell in the creek ...

Only way to stop the shooting was to pull the battery out ... admire the beautiful "water bokeh" ... ;-)

* * *

Fortune cookie of the day:

Enthusiasm can change the current situation

What situation ?

There is no situation ... only denial ...

Will not be continued ...

It was bound to happen ...

2009-04-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

... I do love shooting in and around water and last Saturday it did happen ... I slipped in the Alameda Creek getting ready for a shoot ... and ended up taking my beloved D3 down under ...

Although I got up fast, water had gotten into the camera through the zoom lens and the lens ring ... remarkedly, there was no water in the battery compartment nor the memory card compartment ...

As soon as I pulled the camera out of the water, it started shooting random images ... there was definitely water in some of the buttons ...

Gave the camera and lens a quick dry with the back of my shirt ... the only thing that remained dry in the fall ...

Camera came back on line after 24 hours of exposure to warm flowing air ... sensor needs some cleaning as that one got drops of water splattered all over it through the actuation of the mirror ...

It could have been worse ...

Hopefully there is no further corrosion in the long run throwing things further off ...

The lens took the brunt of the fall and the zoom ring is very stiff ... this appears to be more mechanical damage in nature ...

Lesson learned ... a couple ... lol ... through it all I did pick up I'm in good company when it comes to dropping or falling in water with gear ... luckily I didn't have my BlackBerry on me ;-)

* * *

The images in the blog post are environmental shots from my last weeks shoot at Salton Sea ... more about that one later ... two photographers, two make up artists, stylist ... quite a few models ... great company ... more friends ...

Continued ...

Not so friendly ...

2009-04-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

... is to wake up on Friday morning and find out you can't go anywhere because the front tires of your vehicle are slashed ... either they didn't like my tires or they didn't want me to go somewhere ... hmmmmm ....

One tow later and 4 tires later I'm rolling again ... ;-)

Karma is wonderful but karma is also a bitch ...

Friends

2009-03-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a forest in Belgium, remote from my school buddies ... no friends to play with ...

I grew even more up in a small house with 4 sisters ... no room for friends to come over and play ... no one inviting me to come over and play ...

I was alone in my room engaged in Red Knight chivalry ...

I was alone in my room with my science books ...

I was alone in m room with my projects ...

I was alone in the world racing my bicycle ...

Music ... performing ... composing ... conducting ... an ivory tower comes to mind ...

I got married, got kids, got career busy, moved a couple of times, got different career busy, moved Transatlantic ... and I left the few friends I developed behind ...

Wife one left ... I raised the kids some more till they left ... love struck ... then wife two left ...

What happened ... where was I ... what really is being alone ... the fear ... the solitude ...

* * *

Then one friend showed up because she was worried for me ...

A second friend reached out and listened ...

A third friend showed me the other side of the mirror ...

A fourth friend drove me to the airport at 5:00am ...

A fifth friend took me out for lunch ...

A sixth friend took me out for dinner ...

A seventh friend shared an opera ...

... wait ...

I have countless friends ...

Countless friends showed me unconditional love ... any time ... every time ...

I'm truly a blessed man ... I'm lucky ... for sure ...

... I savor every friend-moment how brief it may be ...

To friends ...

... all friends ...

Continued ... for sure ...

Pixie Sunday ...

2009-03-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself ... before you can move their tears, your own must flow ... to convince them you must yourself believe ...

Winston Churchill was sure an artist ...

* * *

It was raining like hell last night and I was falling asleep while listening to the raindrops clattering the skylights ... I dreamt a red barn dream where I'm dreaming of listening to the raindrops clattering the panes of my father's father little farm in Flanders ... I was six ... sleeping on the attic where one could see the stars through the cracks in the panes ... where one would wake up in the winter covered with powder snow making it through the roof ... it was cold ...

The red barn was warm and cosy ... I curled up and listened some more ...

* * *

Image of Betcee May from our very first shoot a little over 9 months ago in LA ...

I had a great shoot ...

2009-03-21T20:51:00.001-07:00

... with Jessa, Kristin and Kay ... make up artist Gina Novotchin joined us for the fun ...

Images later ... much later ... still having hard drive issues to resolve ... enjoy one of the images from Betcee and Tiana in the meantime ... shot in my studio one moon ago ...

* * *

Added new music to my car CD changer ... Paris by Night ... a compilation of classic French songs and singers from 1929 to 1964 ...

Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Maurice Alexander, Leo Mariant, Lucienne Delyle, Tino Rossy, Charles Aznavour, Line Renaud, Django Reinhardt, Jean Sablon, Mireille, Les Compagnons de la Chanson, Lys Gauty, Frehel, Eva Busch, Damia

Milord (Edit Piaf) makes me cry ... that good ... Eva Busch is a close second and who does not like Django Reinhardt in "Nuages"

French classic street song entertainment at its best ... I grew up listening to this music ... my parents were fond of it ...

EMI CDP 7 94478 2

* * *

I dreamt about my Red Barn again ... pleasant ... it was full of people and art ... you were there too ...

Hard drives fail

2009-03-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

This week was hard drive failure week ...

The RAID that has giving me problems finally decided to give up on me ... the controller board gave each drive a different name ... and ... voila ... instant data inaccessibility ...

Slowly rebuilding partition tables ... don't have the money to have this done externally ... two full shoots are at stake ... everything else is double backed up ...

Today brought a hard drive failure at my office ... at first Excel would give up on me and then each Microsoft Office application would slowly disintegrate and send error message to the server ... we've all seen the crash messages at some point in our lives ... ;-)

Uninstalled the full Office suite and that was not successful ... hmmmmmm .... that didn't sound right ...

Turn the computer off, wait 15 seconds, turn on ... Windows's greeting screen pops up and then the dreaded sound of a hard drive trying to find the right track ... over and over again ...

IT is rebuilding my computer, rebuilding my data and hopefully I'll have my quarter end files back in time for corporate presentation ... keeping my fingers crossed ...

Not sure about the line up of planets and moons here ... something is going on ...

* * *

Model is Keira Grant ... nope ... she has nothing to do with the hard drive crashes ... ;-)

We worked together many moons ago and we'll work together again shortly ...

Make up by Lauren Warner.

Continued ...

My backyard ...

2009-03-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

Images from a recent shoot in my backyard ... make up by Chrystal Saville

All natural lighting ... vintage wardrobe ... D3 with my incomparable 105mm F2.0 DC lens ...

This lens is enough reason to own a Nikon camera ...

Today ...

2009-03-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

More edits from a shoot for Channel Karama ... swim suits in San Francisco ...

Models Mirela and Karah ... fun ... fun ... fun ... [continued]

Yesterday ...

2009-03-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

... started out as a "blah" day ... I'm allowed to have one once and a while ... lucky me has friends who listen ... no judgment ... no conditions ...

Retouching images made it all go away ... yayyyyyyyyyy ...

Silly ? Jamais de ma vie ;-)

I discovered Facebook

My friends shouted at me for posting an image with nudity on my wall ... big no-no on Facebook ;-) ... who reads the TOS anyhow ?

* * *

Couple of more images from my shoot with Kristin, vintage fur wardrobe ...

Had fun shooting this and having as much fun retouching this ...

Make Up by Gina Novotchin, hair by Lorenzo

If you ever wondered ...

2009-03-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

.... what would happen if your car got hit by a piece of flying debris on a freeway ...

Wonder no more ...

My car got hit last Saturday night by a runaway "spinner" on the highway ... me 65mph ... spinner from the opposite direction probably 50mph ... it was dark ... couldn't see it coming and traffic was such that there was no room for an evasive maneuver ...

Resuls: front bumper spliced in half ... metal grille torn apart ... unsightly damage ... will cost a new AMG bumper for my Benz ...

hmmmmm ...

these "spinners" should be illegal ... they are aftermarket, not designed to fit any vehicle and cause some major damage when let loose on their own ... we've all see them lying around in one or other freeway lane ...

I guess I got lucky as the damage could have been worse ... wonder how many more vehicles were hit by the spinner that I hit as I saw it hit the road again in my rear view mirror

Studio double fun 1

2009-03-06T00:09:00.001-08:00

Couple of weeks ago I had all the photography gods working for me when I got the opportunity to work with Betcee May and Tiana Hunter in my studio ... this was the second duo shoot with Betcee and Tiana, the first one being in Los Angeles, September 5, 2008 ...

We captured spontaneous silliness and goofiness ... the serious and even more serious ... but also a lot of tenderness, friendship and love ...

It was truly a privilege to be have them in front of my lens(es) again ... these models know to sway the camera and how to emote ...

Betcee and Tiana connect well together and have a very similar posing style, yet different enough to make each image a keeper ... yes ..

. you read that right ...

I'm a lucky man to have the opportunity to work with all this talent ...

This series is once more about interaction ... I create the environment ... instill the plan and the rest is up to what develops with some gentle guidance ...

Lighting this set was simple, one overhead gridded softbox and one gridded snoot for accent ... side window light fill with a fluorescent wall of light ... no flash was used at all ...

Continued ...

My boudoir ...

2009-03-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

I had the privilege and pleasure to work with two extraordinary models a couple of weeks ago ...

Carlotta Champagne and SaraLiz were visiting San Francisco together and I couldn't resist scheduling a photo shoot in my boudoir ...

Make up by Lauren Warner.

Both models are highly recommended to work with ...

To be continued ... retouching many more images from this session in due time ... there are also many more images from one on one and location work ...

All image were shot with natural lighting through a single window ... no flash, no reflectors ...

The sun would peer through the window from time to time which would make finding the proper lighting balance quite challenging in this overwhelmingly red and black decorated setting.

The key objective from this session however was interaction without making it a girl-on-girl shoot ...

Shooting one on one is easy ... shooting two or more models and have them connect with the viewer is a different challenge for all involved ...

Carlotta and Sara are pro and have no difficulty following directions in a creative way ... they both added so much to the shoot ... thanks ... looking forward to the next session ...

More music in my car ...

2009-03-03T22:19:00.000-08:00

Listening to Astor Piazzolla "Sensations" (DELOS DE3349) ... 11 tracks of pure bandaneon and bayan nuevo tango bliss ...

I always wanted to visit Argentina and roam the streets at night and experience the tango lifestyle ... one day ...

* * *

Also listening to "The Astrud Gilberto Album" ... a Verve Records Silver Collection edition .. 25 tracks ... 25 jewels ...

* * *

If everyone stopped talking about the recession it would be over by now ... negativity feeds negativity ... one vicious circle ...

My Red Barn ...

2009-02-27T00:23:00.001-08:00

... in the Fremont hills ...

* * *

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

* * *

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 ...

* * *

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

* * *

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 ...

* * *

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 ...

* * *

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

I finally figured it out its secret ...

Continued ...

Carly Erin ...

2009-02-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

... 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 ...

* * *

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 ...

2009-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

... 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 ...

* * *

Fortune cookie of the day:

You will have much to give thanks for this month

So true ... so true ...

* * *

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.

* * *

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 ...

2009-02-15T13:06:00.000-08:00

... 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 ...

2009-02-14T01:13:00.000-08:00

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

* * *

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 ...

* * *

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 ...

2009-02-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

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 ...

* * *

My fortune cookie of today:

Your talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded ...

* * *

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 ...

2009-02-08T00:13:00.000-08:00

... 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

2009-02-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

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 ?

* * *

Fortune cookie of the day ...

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

There seems to be a theme to these

* * *

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

Primal scream

2009-02-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

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.

The joy of chocolate ...

2009-01-29T23:32:00.000-08:00

I'm not the only one who's enjoying chocolate ...

Ankha wrote:

"It's official. My number one favorite chocolate in the WORLD is Gianduja by Cote d'Or ... WONDERFULLY AMAZING ;-)

This bar is widely available in the US ... for those who don't know Cote d'Or ... they don't know what they are missing ;-) ... Google is your friend ;-)

* * *

Fortune cookie of the day:

You are admired from afar ...

* * *

I wouldn't mind being admired from a bit closer ;-)

* * *

Picked April up from her shoot with Jason Fassnacht ... I absolutely love Jason's work and it was a delight to finally meet Jason and J

Sacramento ... crazy drive ... loads of fun ... and my little car got over 29 miles/gallon ... not bad for a MBZ roadster ;-)

April is in town

2009-01-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

Images from our previous shoots in Los Angeles and Fremont ...

She's tall, has strong lines and is absolutely fun to work with ...

Boston

2009-01-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

R&D speaking engagement ... snow ... cold

* * *

Fortune cookie of the day:

Your mind is ingenious and you learn easily

Who makes these things up ?

My dungeon ... continued 2

2009-01-22T18:40:00.001-08:00

A shoot with Elley S

2009-01-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

As you can see ... Elley is a lot of fun ...

Loved working with her and I'm looking forward to do this again ;-)

Shoot was in Los Angeles, in Lucinda Wedge's old studio in the Ghetto ... loved that studio ... miss the size, the brick walls, the wooden floor and the window light ...

Chuao Chocolatier ~ Chinita Nibs

2009-01-20T23:35:00.001-08:00

The second bar I'm trying from this chocolatier. If you like nutmeg, then this is a hit.

I spread the degustation out over two days ... ;-)

The Spicy Maya aftertaste from the previous bar was too much rear upper palate for me ... this nibs bar with nutmeg and caramelized cacao delivers.

The caramelized cacao nibs are clearly present and give this chocolate a great texture ... the nutmeg infusion works and gives a very pleasant front upper palate tingle ... just right for me.

So in spite of the average chocolate quality, a highly recommended treat ... try it out ...

Continued ...

My dungeon ... continued 1

2009-01-20T22:57:00.001-08:00

Chuao Chocolatier ~ Spicy Maya

2009-01-19T20:06:00.001-08:00

Tried another chocolate bar out of the Christmas survival package from Ankha.

The packaging is appealing for all the Chuao bar's I've seen so far and their tag line did get my attention ... ;-)

Unusual, Unexpected and Delicious experiences ...

These bars are quite large ... so proceed with caution ;-)

I went through half a bar over the course of an evening and I have to admit, at first I fount the spicy Maya ... well ... too spicy ... overwhelming the chocolate

Then again, the chocolate is quite dark and misses the smoothness I so savor in a good bar. The spice made up for the shortcomings of the chocolate if you're up for extreme spice ... this one clings to much to the rear of the palate and get's a bit heavy for me.

Second day I knew what to expect and things went a bit smoother but then I got that rear upper palate heaviness again and that spoiled it for me ...

Next bar shortly ... continued ...

3400 Phinney Chocolate

2009-01-13T00:16:00.000-08:00

I savored this bar in one 30 minute session ... pure indulgence ...

If you believe this is a crazy combination ... dwell on it for a second ... no ... make it two ... good quality chocolate with coconut and the spicy curry aftertaste biting your tongue ... to die for ... OK ... lol ... almost ...

This gives a new meaning to curry ... always loved curry chicken ... even more love this chocolate bar

Highly recommended ... taste-buds tickled to the extreme in a smooth barely creamy chocolate texture ...

Thanks Ankha ...

Brussels - Philiadelphia - San Francisco

2009-01-07T02:29:00.000-08:00

Yes ... on my way back home ... long travel ahead ...

It was good to see all the family pulling together ... it was also good to see my two sons on the occasion and spend some time with them talking about what's important in their lives at this point.

I have 4 sisters and I sure hope that the passing of mom doesn't mean we don't get to see each other together anymore ... everyone would get together out our mom's home of 40 years ... things will be different now ... we'll need to come up with a way to continue somehow this tradition of getting all together around the table once and a while

Brussels Airport lounges are high-way robbery when it comes to Internet access. Just paid 20 Euro for 4 hours of wireless access ... need only an hour but this is the smallest package available ... corporate greed ?

Edited some pics on this trip ... need to send them out when I'm home ...

Time to go to the gate ...

Continued ...

Surface Miner

2009-01-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

is what Speedy Bob aka Metal Man calls himself.

Speedy Bob scavenges the streets around the Civic Center in San Francisco. I met him at the BART station when I was waiting on a ride on New Years Eve ...

Bob, long curly unkempt brown hair and beard, dressed in jeans and a pullover that had seen better times goes on and explains me in a very animated way that he's sick and tired of being called a homeless, bum, dumpster diver, recycler ... he simply prefers "surface miner" ... I never heard the term before so I found it funny and wrote it down

Bob mines the surface of San Francisco ...

We're both looking at an empty pack of cigarettes lying in the gutter ... Bob says ... "let me show you, I'm sure there's still a cigarette in there ..."

Bob stoops down, scoops the pack up and opens it ... a big smile appears on his face and he yells ... "See I told you" and he holds the pack my way ... I take a peek and count 12 cigarettes and 2 joints ...

Bob pulls the joints out, sniffs them and says ... "There's good weed in here ... I get $10 for the two of them" ... we start laughing ... my ride shows up ...

Happy New Year Bob, keep mining that surface ...

Happy New Year ...

2009-01-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

Writing this from the beautiful US Airway Envoy Lounge in Philly ... on my way to Belgium again for my mom's funeral.

How did I end up with US Airway while being a United 1K flyer ? Long story somewhat short ...

Called United Airlines on December 28th for a ticket and I was told that if I needed to fly SFO-BRU from Jan 2-Jan7, the ticket was going to be $2200. Since I'm a 1k member and I've flown bereavement rates before, I asked for one. The 1K customer service representative then proceeded explaining me that there are no bereavement rates at this time for international travel, only domestic. Bummer, so next question

What is your lowest rate on this flight ? (I don't have $2200 and I just flew the same route a week ago for $997 with a last minute reservation) That would be H rate @$1400, yes but we don't have this rate available any longer on this flight.

You are flying with empty seats, why can't you get me as a loyal customer a ticket at that rate ? Response; I can't change our policies and processes. (I do have a written response detailing this statement from the 1K customer service desk ...)

This is where I called BS. Customer service always has an option to be flexible and ask a manager to sign off on it. This rep just refused to do so after asking. He's missing a sale and not meeting expectations of a repeat customer. (I flew 44 segments in 2007 and 45 in 2008)

He finally recommends calling a day later and gamble on a H rate becoming available. Nothing to loose, so I call back on Dec 29th to be told the rate for this flight is now $3200+. No surprise, the closer to the departure date, the more expensive the rate, the online seating chart still shows 40+ seats available.

I ask for other options and the United Airlines rep comes up with an alternative solution flying Jan 1-7 for $2200, one day longer away from home with 2 stops each Atlantic crossing.

I asked to check if there were any Star Alliance partners with an alternative but I was told that the customer service desk had no access, I had to check with the partner airlines.

So I did and booked the flights I'm currently on. Jan 1-7. Leaving SFO over Philly to BRU. Longer travel, loosing a day since the plane arrives late morning rather than early AM but the rate was what I could afford ... $1147,70 ... a steal compared to what United was trying to sell a loyal customer.

The funny thing is that every single flight I'm flying today/tomorrow and my return is a United / US Airways code shared flight ... there is no reason the 1K customer service rep wouldn't have seen this flight in his stock as there is a corresponding UA 4 digit flight number ...

Remaining questions ... did I goof up by asking for a bereavement fare and giving away that I *really* had to be somewhere or is this simply a matter of total customer service apathy ?

We'll find out ... emails on their way to 1K customer service (United), regular customer service (United) with carbon copy to the CEO ... we'll see ...

There are reasons why people remain loyal to their airlines ... customer service is one of them ...

* * *

As for the aged, hand tinted photograph above, my mom in 1947, age 17 by an unknown studio photographer in Gent.

* * *

They actually have food in the US Airways Envoy lounge ...

* * *

There's a mouse running around in the lounge ... lives in the floor AC duct ... funny to see it run in and out and chase the cookie crums on the carpet ... so far I'm the only one here who's aware of the little thing ... I'll keep it a secret, don't want any trouble ...

I'm an orphan ...

2008-12-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-26T12:52:00.000-08:00

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 ...

Reconnecting with a friend ...

2008-12-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

... 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 ...

2008-12-22T13:13:00.000-08:00

... 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.

Seen on the streets of LA

2008-12-19T00:07:00.001-08:00

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 ...

monsieur A.

2008-12-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

... 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 ...

Life ..

2008-12-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

... 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

My dungeon ...

2008-12-13T01:08:00.000-08:00

My week in 11 lines ...

2008-12-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

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

Perfect Mind

2008-12-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

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 ...

Morgan and Matt in studio - Unretouched ...

2008-12-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

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 ...

Friends

2008-12-07T10:08:00.000-08:00

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 ...

I love ...

2008-12-03T01:15:00.001-08:00

... 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 ...

A beautiful day ...

2008-12-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

... 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 ...

Love is ...

2008-11-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

... going to the opera with a dear dear friend and crying your eyes out ...

La Boheme, Puccini will do that ... an evening to never forget ...

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-28T15:28:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2008 was a different experience thanks to an invitation of NatLight Studios to participate in a city shoot ... and what it shoot it was ! Images below show me in action and are courtesy (c) of NatLight Studios.

Model is Sarah Ellis, make-up by Lauren Warner.

It is inevitable to have a few funny things happening during a public shoot.

First of all, our ad hoc "audience" was always very respectful and at no time were there any disturbances.

The shoot was always low key when children were in the neighborhood.

At times the crowd would applaud the model after the location session.

One young gentleman asked me if I would shoot him just when we were moving on to another spot.

I had given hem my business card and he called within 5 minutes to find out where the next shooting location was going to be ... ;-) ... we made a fan !

All had fun and we shot some top notch images.

No animals were harmed during this production ... (j/k)

Coincidence - Synchronicity

2008-11-26T00:06:00.001-08:00

I have to much time on my hands on those long flights back from Europe ...

* * *

Most of us are familiar with coincidence ... the alignment of two or more events/circumstances without obvious causal connection.

A coincidence does not prove relationship but there may be a higher level of probability. Coincidences are inevitable from a statistical perspective and are often less remarkable than they may appear intuitively once you do the math.

Some (mostly followers of eastern philosophies) insist there is absolutely no coincidence in the world, that all that occurs can be related to a prior cause or karma no matter how vast or how minute or trivial the event is.

In all cases, you need our mind connecting two or more events, so without our mind, there's no coincidence ... the latter maybe a sobering thought for many ...

Enter "Synchronicity" ... the conceptual relationship of minds, also defined as relationships between ideas, structured in its own logical way. The latter results in relationships which are not causal in nature. Cause and effect occur together and these relationships can manifest themselves as simultaneous events that are meaningfully related in a larger framework than needed for a simple coincidence.

Jung seems to be the first one to describe synchronicity as "... the temporally coincident occurrences of a-causal events ..."

For me synchronicity is more of a "meaningful coincidence" where lives are parallel impacted by a-causal events in a non-trivial manner and without ever being able to prove these events wouldn't have existed or impacted us in the same way otherwise.

I believe a lot of our social, emotional and psychological experiences are governed by synchronicity rather than coincidence due to the probability in terms of causality.

* * *

My life seems to be governed by synchronicity rather than coincidence lately ... it doesn't matter in the end but it is intriguing to analyze and observe the undeniable impact on all lives touched ... it just can't be undone ...

Maybe continued ...

Unconditional

2008-11-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

I set

You

free

because

I love

you

always

unconditionally

love me.

Snow and tears

2008-11-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

We got hit on Sunday afternoon by a real snow storm ... at least by Belgian norms ... it didn't snow this early in the year for the last 15 or so.

The kids had fun, car drivers were tested in their skills to stay afloat in the mess.

4 inches in a matter of an hour. The image on the left is taken not too far from the house where I grew up between age 12 to 24 ... (yes, I'm still growing up ...)

There's a typical Flanders man made canal for flat boat transport. It's hardly used anymore but it is a great place for a walk or a bike ride. The trail goes on for miles, the canal runs between Ghent and Bruges.

After my sisters left with their kids, it was quiet time again for mom and me. We talked some more about her upcoming challenges and I could clearly sense she was pushing away the pain.

Nevertheless ... she wanted to see my last photography work and she spend the better part of an hour to check out the latest.

Mom says "hi" to all of you ... you know who you are ...

She woke me up at 4am this morning ... breakfast was ready ... coffee made ... just like in the old days before sending us off to school ...

We cried ... inside and outside ...

Continued ...

Belgium

2008-11-22T01:56:00.000-08:00

Arrived at my mom's place at 22h30 in the midst of a snow and rain storm ... she opened the door before I even got out of the car ... she just knows like she always does ... she's well ... extremely well for her condition ...

We talk about life and love ... cherishing these moments while we can still have them ...

Continued ...

Business Travel

2008-11-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

Writing this from the Frankfurt airport where I'm waiting for my 4th flight in 50 hours on a total of 6 hours of sleep. It's called "business travel" for a reason ... lol

On my way to see mom and to catch some zzzz's ... it just started snowing here ... cold front from the North Pole moving in ...

Continued ...

Chocolate Review

2008-11-20T00:22:00.000-08:00

Tried some chocolate I didn't have before ... just now realizing how spoiled I am with my Belgian chocolate upbringing ...

Dagoba - Mon Cherri Bar: nah ...

Dolfin - Milk with Coffee; just edible ...

Dagoba - Roseberry Bar; nah ...

Perugina - White Chocolate; almost enjoyable ...

The typical problem, low quality cocoa butter masked with artificial flavors and some ground texture for the Mon Cherri, Roseberry and Milk with Coffee

The Perugina was almost good, just poor texture, too lean ...

Try at your own risk !

Continued ...

Carolin Sophie Lafleur

2008-11-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

Graced my studio in July and I'm still working on some edits of her ... I have a hair fixation ...

Carolin is European but resides in Canada and was traveling through California at the time. All my expectations were met when working with this young model ... graceful, spontaneous and delicate poses with intensity ...

Continued ...

San Diego

2008-11-17T11:04:00.001-08:00

Speaking on a conference and using the weekend to reconnect with San Diego and surroundings. Meet Ankha and speak some Dutch again ... funny how quickly one looses vocabulary ... ;-)

Top to bottom, left to right

Sunset in La Jolla, Lavender Fields at Night on the French Bakery in Escondido

Chaos Art in La Jolla, Rocks in La Jolla Cove

Love is ...

2008-11-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

... a dear friend picking you up at 6:3 am on Saturday morning to give you a ride to the airport ...

The road not taken

2008-11-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

and sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

and looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had troden black;

Oh, I kept the first for another day !

Yet knowing how way leads onto way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence;

TWO roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

-- Robert Frost (1916)

Thanks Elley for sharing...

Ankha, thanks for the editorial comments ... that makes a difference ...

Fortune Cookie

2008-11-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

Front:

A real friend asks to spend time with you, not money ...

Back:

Very busy

* * *

I was very busy today ... and tomorrow I'll be busy too.

Continued.

LA Models - Jen

2008-11-12T23:32:00.001-08:00

Still don't fully understand how I got involved in this shoot ... lol ... but hey ... it was super fun and it all worked out great.

Beautiful new location to work and I made a couple of new friends ... Model Jen was great to work with, she has a fabulous expression range with captivating eyes and mouth ... my focus was on beauty and tightly cropped head shots.

Stephanie did a great MU job on location. Not easy, there was a gusty wind at that time of the day.

Hannah, thanks for inviting me ... have a safe trip back to Brooklyn !

Continued ...

Backing up a failing hard drive RAID

2008-11-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

Frustrating day to say the least ... trying to back up the images from my last photo shoots from the memory cards.

Drive not found ...

USB hardware error ...

My heart stops ...

For a full 5 seconds ...

Sinking feeling ...

Hold on ... wait a minute ...

My images are backed up on multiple RAID's ... each RAID has it's own single back up drive stored off site ... my last sync was last week ... so I'm good ... all the other images are still on the memory cards.

Tried the Firewire port from this particular RAID and that one seems to be working ... have access to the drives but need to back these up to another drive in case the electronics in this drive give up ... there's about 450 Gig of images on this one dual drive system ... hard drives are mirrored, but still ... it only takes one error to wipe it all out ...

Copying this drive to another one is going to take about 11 hours ... set back ... nothing much else to do ... the nightmare of data back up and keeping it all synced and up to date

I'm breathing again ...

* * *

The good news is that my print order will be shipped out tomorrow

Continued

The Lioness Den - Part Two

2008-11-05T01:45:00.001-08:00

Having fun ...

First time meet ...

Bonding ...

From left to right ...

April

Sarah

Carly

Susie

I can climb the wall in boots ...
Susie is bouldering 20 feet up ...

Sarah climbing the wall ... no boots ...

We made it up there ... top of the world !

Never turn your back on goofballs ... they might stick their tongue out and flash you ...

The Lioness Den ...

4 Lionesses basking in the sunset light ...

Having fun ...

Ms Susie B - Part Two

2008-11-05T00:36:00.001-08:00

Susie had invited me to tag along on her shoot with NatLight Studios on Saturday afternoon, the day after Halloween.

The photographer had OK'ed it and Lauren Warner was going to do the make up.

It is hard to resist an invitation like this ... exploring a new studio, meeting new people and watching a model and make-up artist I love working with.

It was raining like hell, the first major rainstorm in the Bay Area of this Fall ... traffic was light, no issues to reach the Cotton Mill Studios.

NatLight Studios came up with a great concept and had indeed hired the right make up artist to pull this off. As soon as I saw the sketches Lauren had made for the NatLight Studios idea my eyes lit up ... wow ... lol ... what a concept ... what a ghostly creation ...

During the make-up transformation we had plenty of opportunity to talk shop and to get to know each other ... nothing more fun than exchange stories and talk photography techno-babble while backdrops and lights are readied ...

A couple of minutes in the shoot Jim invited me to shoot along ... my heart skipped a couple of beats but this is something you don't have to ask me twice ...

I'm very grateful for this opportunity ... needless to say that this was a fun shoot ... the images speak for themselves ...

Thanks Jim ... Life is good !

* * *

That afternoon I also had the opportunity to meet Craig Morey. He's one of my inspirational photographers and I'm well aware of his work as I purchased a few of his photography books in the past and I subscribe to his newsletter. I especially like his classy B&W art nudes and the light bondage photographs ... all about female beauty.

I actually tried to attend one of his workshops in late 2005, well before I started photographing models, but I missed the boat ... hopefully Craig will set up some new workshops in the near future ...

All by all, a great afternoon and evening ... time well spend with new friends ...

Continued ...

Ms Susie B - Part One

2008-11-02T22:51:00.001-08:00

Today was a full day of shooting with Susie. We started out early in the morning with some location fine art work in the Fremont hills.

The weather was not cooperative, lighting was difficult but nevertheless we got some great images. Susie's pale skin and red hair stood out against the dark tree hollows.

I've been fighting focussing problems on my camera for a while. Yesterday it became clear that I couldn't live with it any longer. I intended to ship this one off to Nikon for a repair quote ...

Today he aperture got stuck often in the close position after having serious issues focussing anything on my 28-70mm F2.8 lens. This lens is simple worn out, the zoom ring rubber is totally distorted ... shipping this one off to Nikon Service first thing on Monday morning.

After switching my D3 off after a magnificent natural light beauty shot series during the first morning shoot, I got the dreaded fEE error in the display. I had to put my 105mm F2.0 DC lens on my D3 and put my 18-70mm kit lens on my D2x to continue the rest of the shooting of the day.

We headed to Half Moon Bay for brunch and some beach shooting after cleaning off the Fremont Hills mud and cow pie from our boots.

Overcast weather and great waves resulted in quite a few breath taking shots.

The beach was pretty much deserted but we did get some onlookers from a safe distance who simply wanted to see how hard the waves would bite us ... and they did ...

Susie braved the cold water and was totally in her element, this New Mexico model is not afraid to get wet at all ... she's totally professional and will do anything to get the shot ... including getting her favorite dress trashed in the ocean ...

I'm no stranger to taking some risk either and the shot at the left looks the way it does because the wave went totally over me ... these three shots all happened in the same split second as I was shooting at 5 frames/second.

Definitely not recommended with a non-weather proof camera. Since this is the second time a wave washes over me and my equipment, time to acquire a waterproof shooting bag for this type of adventures ...

After this shot series we drove back to the studio and topped the day off with a lingerie / pin-up shoot followed by Hollywood beauty.

Continued ...

De Rode Ridder - Part One

2008-11-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

I grew up with the comic strips of Willy Vandersteen, notably Suske and Wiske ... of more serious impact though was the strip series "De Rode Ridder" or "The Red Knight" with over 200 albums published between 1959 and today.

Johan, the Red Knight, is the main character in these strip albums. His character embodies the chivaric ideal ... brave to the point of intrepid ... loyal and of course, an expert swordsman ...

These strips always featured gorgeous damsels in distress in need of rescue ... pretty much the sexiest books I got my hands on growing up ... lol ...

Relationships were purely platonic in line with the ideals of chivalric duties.

The Red Knight however was in love with Galaxa, the Faerie of Light. She could only appear for a few brief moments in Johan's world. Together however they fight evil and injustice in the hope to be joined together in a future ...

There was also considerable romantic tension suggested between the Red Knight and Demonia, the henchwoman form Bahaal, the Prince of Darkness.

Other recurring women in the strip are Morning Star and Isjtar, both loyal colleague faeries from Galaxia, always ready to give a lending hand when Galaxia is weakened in battles with Demonia.

As such these strips had appeal for both teenagers and adults alike ...

The women in this strip series do not follow the stereotypes of the historical background. These woman are all emancipated, independent, love their personal freedom and all have important responsibilities to fulfill in the story.

Although The Red Knight often had to rescue damsels in distress, they were all strong women.

The Red Knight's unobtainable love for Galaxia is often the driver for his actions and needless to say that all plots have a happy ending.

* * *

I'm a Red Knight.

* * *

Continued ..

The Lioness Den - Part One

2008-11-01T00:31:00.000-07:00

On October 29, 2008 the stars aligned and 4 top models showed up in my studio ... with that much talent, anything is possible.

Carly Erin was first in town. We had worked together in the studio somewhere in February 08 and that was the beginning of my fruit and vegetable series ... that was also the first shoot where I felt I was on to something that I could develop in something more than just snapshots

This time I was using dried artichokes on the shoot and Carly was joined in the studio shoot session by April and Sarah Ellis. The 29th was Carly's last day of shooting during her San Francisco trip.

April had arrived earlier in the week and was using my studio as a base to work with other photographers in the Bay Area.

We worked quite a few life style shoots during April's stay and it was good to create together again after our shoots in London and Los Angeles.

April can handle a wide range and is equally comfortable in fashion, lifestyle and fine art.

Ms Susie B arrived on the 29th for her first working tour of the Bay Area. She flew in from NM where we worked together a couple of weeks agon on a life style and fine art location shoot in Santa Fe. We never found route 66 but that is another story ... ;-)

We intercepted her at the Walnut Creek BART on our way to the outdoor shooting location.

Susie, we know that San Francisco is cold for a New Mexico girl but I do believe you are slightly overdressed ... lol ... on the other hand, I've never seen anyone climb a vertical rock wall like you do ... in boots ...

Last but not in the least ... Sarah Ellis doesn't need introduction anymore if you're following my blog.

We've worked many times together now and lost track of the number of shoots as I have only two hands to count on ...

After the shoot we all went for dinner and had fun getting these family pictures taken.

Thanks Carly for taking care of shooting Sarah, April and Susie. Susie in turn shot Carly ...

For those not knowing CarlyErin, she's a great photographer, MUA, retoucher and model.

Me ... had nothing to do with the family pics, just a willing victim with a big grin as we all had a great day of collaboration, camaraderie and discovery as none of the models had ever worked together on a shoot ... I was priveledged to have all this talent together in one spot, quite an unique occasion.

Quoting Carly sums it pretty much up ...

"OMG !!!! I had sooooo much fun ... Thanks so much for having me and putting what I know will be some new friends in my life ;-) All those girls are so wonderful ;-) ... See you soon darling !"

Images to be retouched shortly ...

Continued ...