I was reviewing some photos for a posting when I came across these unpublished works from a cloudy day in August.
Pelicans
9/11/14
As a civilian, I’ve always felt there isn’t much I could do to honor the 1st responders who rushed into the tragic situation of 9/11. Sandy gave me the idea to photograph our local fire department. It was my most ambitious project to date. I contacted the local fire department and made arrangements for a photo shoot last Saturday. Unfortunately there was a paramedic call just as we got there so that left only 3 firemen.
May I present to you Captain Matt Nielsen, Jeff & Stephen of Alameda Fire Station 4.
It was challenging to light up a fire engine, it took 5 speedlites, which I’ve never done. Of course that ate up quite a bit of time.
LA Labor Day weekend 2014
We haven’t been down to see my Ma in awhile and Jon was playing in Irvine. So what better time to drive down. We arrived late Saturday with just enough time for a quick change before heading to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Jon was nice enough to get us VIP parking which made the walk from the parking lot so easy. I’ve never been to a classical music concert that had used so many video cameras during the performance.
The finale was the 1812 overture complete with cannons. This was quickly followed by a fireworks display.
Sunday we met for brunch at Brodard Chateau in Garden Grove. Irma was nice enough to join us and we left with a macaron surprise. Thanks Irma!
With little rest we jetted over to Ma’s place to get ready for dinner. I shot some portraits but because of the heat, everyone came out shiny.
We said goodbye on Monday morning and straight north to have brunch with Tawny & Drew. We got to check out their new place but I forgot to take a single photo. With food never far from our minds we went to Lamill Coffee.
With all this incredible eating we finished our long weekend trip with dinner at In N Out Burger.
Anniversary #14
This year in celebration of our 14th year together we went to Gaspar for dinner. The food was amazing.
Finally Humphrey
Up until recently I just had my camera handy near the back door in case Humphrey came along to feed. In an effort to elevate my photography, I started to light my Humphrey shots. Well of course when I set up my scene he never comes or decides to go elsewhere in the yard.
Well after days of waiting & pacing I think I finally have the shot. I’m having this printed & mounted.
Duckies 2014
Ok the long awaited day has come Blondie has 9 new ducklings. Let’s see how long they last.
Uh they lasted 2 days.
Squirrel Thief
The female ducks are eating furiously, which only means they will be giving us little duckies soon. This brings me joy, but what pi$$es me off is when their food is being stolen by evil renegade squirrels.
GBH moves in
Someone likes it over here. Guess we have better sashimi, less traffic, better schools & lower taxes than that other lagoon.
Oracle Fireworks 2014
Last night I heard there was going to be a fireworks display after the game. It took almost an hour for the action to start. My little G1X2 did alright. Unfortunately they all pretty much look the same. So I’ll just post this.
Best Fishing Spot
Apparently this side of the lagoon has the best fishing spot. The Great Blue Heron has been back everyday now. So the story unfolds as a rambunctious cormorant tries to push his way onto the spot. What follows is a very tense slow motion dance of body language, defiance and threats. To escalate things the cormorant shows ultimate disrespect to the GBH. This in turn is the crossing the line and the cormorant is cast off the best fishing spot. Sorry for the disgusting photos but I couldn’t stop laughing as this was happening.
