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I've moved my blog here:
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Thanks and I look forward to seeing you all on the other side.

US Mexico Border Fence - Hwy 94

Another trip to the border fence, this time out around Hwy 94.


Hwy 94


Tecate


Humphries Rd.


Otay Mesa

World Cup Fever!

Have you caught it?

Wade Wallenpaupack - Stock Photography Model

I worked on a pro bono project last week for the San Diego Ad Club. San Diego is playing host to the 2011 AAF (American Advertising Federation) National Conference and enlisted the talented Grant Reinero from Geary Interactive to create the video announcement to be debuted next week in Orlando. I was enlisted to shoot stills of Wade Wallenpaupack - Aspiring Stock Photography Model. The video pretty much says it all:

Wade Wallenpaupack from Grant Reinero on Vimeo.

Be sure to add Wade as a friend on Facebook
And follow him on Twitter

Here are some of the great images I created with Wade!

Industrial Shoot - Mexicali Mexico

Recently shot a job for Han-Tek, a creator of customized material handler solutions, at the BF Goodrich plant in Mexicali, Mexico. Great people and a super clean industrial environment. A couple of out takes:

Recent Projects - CA Bank & Trust

Recent project with MJE Marketing for CA Bank & Trust.



Behind the scenes at Helen Woodward Animal Center



Behind the scenes at Roel Construction



Behind the scenes at Panera

Rio Nuevo

I stumbled upon this scene during my travels along of the US Mexican Border fence a few weeks ago. I was crossing a small bridge just west of Old Calexico and this structure in the water caught my eye. So I pulled off to find the best vantage point. When I photograph I tend to be pretty focused and in my own world. Especially when I work with my older film cameras. But there’s always a part of me that is conscious of where I am and what’s around me. Survival instinct, self-preservation, whatever it is, it’s always there: floating around in my sub conscious whenever I’m shooting in an unfamiliar locale. As I’m framing up this shot and trying some different angles I become aware of a low rumble from a pretty beefy engine. Not that I would notice this sound in and of itself, but I realize it’s been idling somewhere behind me for a little while now. It’s not an unusual sound given the terrain. It’s just there and I’m aware of it. So I get back to my task at hand. Eventually I’ve got something I like and I start to head back to the car. On the way I notice a super cool old rusty gear lying in the dirt. I pick it up to check it out and continue walking back to the car. Just then, I pick up on the sound of the engine again because it was now coming toward me. Instead of running back to the car like a total freak I turn to acknowledge the driver. Now if you’ve ever been to this area there’s one thing you’ll notice immediately. The US Border Patrol is omnipresent. And that’s exactly who was keeping a watchful eye on me. As he approached in his low growling SUV I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was I “allowed” to be shooting there? Was I shooting something sensitive to immigration? The officer rolled up slowly and I walked over to greet him.
“Where are you from? Are you from around here?” he asked.
“No. San Diego. I’m a photographer,” I said, waving my hand westward and stating the obvious.
“Do you know about this river?”
“No, should I?”
“They say it’s the most polluted river in the US. It flows directly north from Mexico. I wouldn’t touch anything around it,” he said, looking at the rusty gear in my hand.

It turns out this is the New River (Rio Nuevo) and it does in fact flow directly north out of Mexicali into the United States. It is referred to as the most polluted river of its size in the US. The river flows north through Baja California into the US (at this point) and another 66 miles into the Salton Sea. The New River’s flow is composed of waste from agricultural and chemical runoff from the farm industry, sewage form Mexicali, and manufacturing plants operating in Mexico.

I kept the gear anyway. I just scrubbed it, and my hands, thoroughly…

All Children are Artists

Here's a link to my inaugural post for Black Star Rising:

All Children Are Artists; Here’s How to Stay One

Saylor Rogo Easter Brunch

Max's Basket


2 Classics from our Kitchen


Cindy's Apple Coffee Cake


Pete's Trifle


Centerpiece

US Mexico Border Fence

Took a little road trip last week to explore old Historic Route 80 right here in San Diego County. There were a few interesting stops along the way, but what ended up developing was an interesting study around the US Mexico border fence. The fence, in it's many forms....


RR Tracks along Old Historic Route 80


Jacumba Airport


All-American Canal


Calexico, CA

My Book

Thanks to my friends at Wonderful Machine

Opening Day

Everyone's an optimist on opening day...

Black & White Spider Awards

I did this shot in the courtyard of our studio during my 366|08 project. I really liked the shot a lot, but have had mixed reviews. Some people weren't that crazy about it...others shared my affinity for it. About a year ago, Dec '08 I believe, I entered it in a photo contest called the Black & White Spider Awards It looked like a prestigious contest with lots of great B & W work and a nice line-up of judges. Well contest season came and went in 2009 and I had forgotten all about this...then I got a google alert last night that my name had come up. It was for an Honorable mention in the abstract category of the Black & White Spider Awards. Well, lo and behold, I won an Honorable Mention in the Professional Abstract category. It's funny because I never got any kind of notification. Crazy...

The Untouchables

Circa 2010

Presidio Little League Fields

I was out shooting between the storms this afternoon. It was actually really nice. A nice break form the days of rain we've had. As baseball (Little League) is starting up this caught my eye immediately. Actually, my oldest son pointed it out to me this morning on the way to school when the rain was still coming down pretty good. Unfortunately the Presido Fields are right in the San Diego River Basin. It looks like their about 3 feet deep....