Notes from the Field

Three years ago I took the opportunity to attend an event that I had watched on TV since I was a child, the 24 hours of Daytona. Like many kids in America , I grew up with a passion for cars, with their speed and sound. As I grew older, I also started to love racing and I became a fan of auto racing. I mean I will watch anything that involves a motor and some form of competition. I would watch grow men race lawn mowers, if I am sick and there is nothing on TV. But for me, endurance or 24 hour racing is one of the greatest forms of sports out there.

This weekend marks the 2010 edition of the 24 hours of Daytona, which is usually a dead sports weekend, with the break between the NFL division championships and the Super Bowl. And unlike many other types of auto racing, the 24 hours of Daytona gives you access and stories no other race or sporting event can offer.

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On January 12th, Claudia and I said goodbye to our Siberian Husky, Dream. She was 12 years old. In those 12 years she brought so much joy and love into our lives. While I have always had an agreement to try to keep this blog more professional than personal, Dream was a huge part of both sides of my life.

Many photographers have models or locations that they use when trying new techniques or gear. Dream was my muse, and the look she would give me when a box would arrive from B&H was priceless. I am surprise the neither one of my dogs has problems with their eyes because of all the hits they have taken from Speedlights and strobes over the years. While my younger dog Yoshi didn’t mind having his photo taken, Dream was a true model.
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It seems a long time ago that I made my first post on this blog back in the spring. During that time I have talked about gear, shoots, techniques and I hope I have at least brought a bit of humor and knowledge to the ten or so people that read this blog.

Of course we in the states will soon be sitting down to dinner with our friends and families for Thanksgiving. While this is my first Thanksgiving post, it is also the first time I have really taken inventory of what I should be thankful for.

In the realm of photography, I am thankful for auto focus, increase ISO and high def video on DSLRs. I am also very thankful for the skills I have learned in the past year when it comes to working with video on DSLRs and small flashes by both Canon and Nikon.

But, in this economic climate I am very aware and thankful to still be employed in these tough times. While my house is so underwater I think Poseidon will be the only person that could do a refinance, I am so happy to have a home and be able to pay the bills every month. I hope that you are not drowning in these times and you are able to keep your head above water.

I am also very thankful for my students I have had over the past year. Thank you so much for attending class and letting share my knowledge of graphics design and photography with you. I am also very thankful for all the things that you have taught me. I am a better designer and photographer because of you. May all of your images be in focus and well composed.

But most of all I am thankful for the love and time I have had with my family, my wonderful girlfriend and our two crazy huskies, Dream and Yoshi. We have broken all the rules on the American nuclear family and had a blast doing it. It has been a very tough year for us, with many different and odd challenges, but we have made it through it and I am so much better for it. I look forward to our future together.

I hope your time with you family goes well. If you can’t make it home, I hope you are with friends. And if you cannot be with friends, I hope you make new ones. To all the men and women severing our country overseas, and to their families, I wish you a speedy return to your loved ones and a safe and healthy future.

So be safe during this holiday season. I hope you travel plans go well, don’t eat too much, or get trampled by the crowds at the stores. I thank you for reading the blog and I wish you the best in the future.

Sorry to make this short, I think I smell something burning.

As a native Nevada I was always excited about Halloween. Unlike every other kid in the union, we privileged few Nevadans got the day off because not only was it Halloween, but also the state holiday. I bet if you asked most kids in the other 49 states when their state entered in the union, they would have no clue. But just about every kid in Nevada knows that October 31st is Nevada Day.

Put that in your pipe and smoke you Orange County brats!

So in a state known for legalized prostitution, gambling and bars that never close, it was the greatest to be a kid from Nevada. Of course over time, we changed the state law that instead of the 31st being the day off we got from school, they moved it to a 3-day weekend, which took some of the punch out of Halloween.

Because it was a state holiday, the capital would hold a parade on the 31st and to make sure the kids in the city attended, they did Halloween the day before, on the 30th. Many kids would con their parents to make the short 30-mile drive, so they would get candy two nights in a row.

You can keep all the professional ball teams and your museums New York; I will take two nights of Halloween any day. Sure our dental plans needs work and I have seen more than my fare share of people try to double down on the buffet, but you have to take the good with the bad.

Plastic Army men, one of the coolest costumes of the night. They kept me safe from the Zombies

While I am still a kid at heart, as a grown up I can’t go around trick and treating without the cops being called, so I do what any other grown up does, go downtown and run with the zombies. There is a chance of infection and the need to eat brains for the rest of your life, but the upswing is that you can get cheap beer while you ride out the apocalypse.

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So I had to do it, with my tail between my legs, I broke down and had to convert my native Canon 5D Mark II footage. This is not something that I wanted to do, but something that I had to do. As a photographer, I work at the highest resolution, bit depth and never worry about the number of layers in project, because I do not want to compromise my work for speed or convenience.

This is something you can do as photographer, but not something you can get away with as a video editor. You computer is rendered to a useless piece of metal when you are editing video, all of it’s weaknesses and flaws show up and you feel empty as you watch yet another progress bar crawl across the screen.

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