Wasn't She Just a Baby?

My niece, Marietta, was married this past Sunday, the 11th.

I travelled to Maryland for the occasion.  My intention was to take some photos, but not to overdo it this time.  I wanted to enjoy the festivities.  Of course, once I got there, I realized as I knew I would that I can never truly enjoy anything as long as there are photos to be taken, especially at a family wedding.  So I did what I always do.

Marietta and Casey were married in an old Franciscan Chapel in rural Ellicott City.  I went up into the empty organ loft to get this shot of my brother Joe walking his daughter down the aisle.

Patti Smith at the Santa Monica Pier

Patti Smith and her band closed out the Santa Monica Pier music season with a terrific show last night.  The sound was incredible and the moon was full. I was standing dead center, right in front of the sound board guys, so that probably had something to do with the sonic quality.  I don't think I would have cared either way.  Just seeing her perform for the first time ever was a joy for me.  She's a bright light, a force of nature, and her voice was vibrant and crisp.

As I stood there listening, I remembered all of the times I could have seen her when I lived in New York in the 80's but didn't, for whatever reason.  Better late than never.

Happy Birthday, Aida!

I celebrate you, Mom. When I think of you, I think of the boundless love you have always shown for your family, the limitless kindness you extend to anyone within reach, and the sterling example of dignity and faith that you have displayed throughout your life. And since I was the one always running around the house with the camera, you'd think I might have captured some of that along the way. Well, maybe a bit of it...

Love you, Mom! Happy Birthday. See you soon!!

Jazz Drummers

The tribute to Miles davis and Gil Evans at the Hollywood Bowl a few weeks ago got me to thinking about some of the great drummers I've had the privilege to meet and photograph. Thanks to my client, DW Drums, I've been given some wonderful and rare opportunities to meet these exceptional artists and watch them, HEAR them play. The music, the experience, in a word, sublime.

One of the artists featured here, Peter Erskine, played at the Bowl Tribute.

Too Close to the Flame

Not much to say about this one. I think the poor guy was just trying to get warm.

Jazz at the Bowl

A wonderful tribute last night to jazz greats Miles Davis and Gil Evans at the Hollywood Bowl. Some exceptional talents played tribute to the music of these two legendary artists. On hand on trumpet were: Terence Blanchard, Nicholas Payton, and Gil Evan's son, Miles Evans (Wonder who he was named after?). On base: Christian McBride, on drums: Peter Erskine and Jimmy Cobb, on tuba: Howard Johnson, as well as an orchestra, and all of this under the direction of conductor Vince Mendoza.

I had nice seats in Promenade 1, courtesy of Peter Erskine, whom I've photographed on several occasions. I had my G10 with me, but it was too dark and I was too far away to get anything really clean. So, I cropped and photoshopped.

Incredible music! Thank you, Peter.

Zac Sunderland Returns

Imagine sailing 40,000 miles of open ocean...alone. Even the most seasoned sailor might think twice before embarking on an adventure like this. So many dangers lurk: high winds, treacherous seas, pirates. It's certainly not something, say, the average 16 year old would ever consider. Well, apparently, Zac Sunderland is not your average 16 year old. And by the way, he encountered all of the above, including pirates off the Somali coast.


On July 15th, after 13 months at sea, Zac Sunderland (now 17) returned to Marina del Rey aboard his 36' sailboat, Intrepid, as the youngest sailor to circumnavigate the globe solo. An amazing accomplishment for this daring young man, and one that deserved a bit of celebration.

So, along with my friend Stephen, his wife, Kelly, and my camera, we motored out from the marina on their sailboat at just past 10am to be a part of Zac's welcome home committee. We were not alone. We joined a large flotilla about a mile off the breakwater and escorted him back into the marina. Dozens of other crafts of varying sizes, including a couple of water-canon-equipped Sheriff's Dept. vessels whose job it was to keep most of us at a safe distance, a Coast Guard boat or two, buzzing media helicopters from CNN, ABC and many others, all joined the party. It was an interesting day, and a safe and happy ending to a long journey.

Welcome home Zac!

Here's a link to Zac's blog if you're interested in more information: http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/

Bees In The Backyard

The Bee Man arrived this afternoon to extricate a colony of honey bees that had set up a residence in our wooden bar in the backyard, and to safely relocate them. I had never seen a Bee Man before, or a nest of that size up close, so I had to point my camera at the proceedings and hope the little stingers would cooperate.

The Bee Man's suit looked a little low rent, like a bad Halloween costume: dirty white painter's jumpsuit, cheap spaceman looking head gear pieced together with screen, and yellow rubber dish gloves. But, it worked, and I thought he looked cool. He was a really nice guy and he knew his bees.

First, he smoked them out a bit, which is supposed to subdue them, as all good smoke will, and stop them from doing what any self-respecting bee colony would do if a guy in a jumpsuit, a space helmet and rubber dish gloves showed up at their front door with the intention of herding them into a cardboard box. Namely, stinging first and asking questions later. But it must have been some killer smoke, because they went along without a fight. Now, if he had given them booze instead of smoke, I'm sure there would have been a fight. But I digress...

He estimated 3,000 bees in this hive, which isn't really that many, but given the stories I've heard lately about bees disappearing and the consequences that that would have on life as we know it, I was happy to do my part to help, which in this case was staying out of his way, making a few dumb comments, and using a long lens.