The Havican Family

The Havican girls were adorable and the camera just found them so fun to shoot. Their mom and dad, Aliea and Shane, did great as well. Overall, it was a great time at the park (good change up from the beach) today.

I hope you guys enjoy the images that are up on the show. I look forward to seeing you all once again!

Click on the image to view their slideshow.

Suzanne and Kids

Suzanne, Michael, Julia, and Gabe were fun to shoot. They had a great time even though Michael ended up sooooooo wet and eventually cold. The kids were just so enamoured with the the water and provided some excellent opportunities for me to shoot. There were some really good images as you can see from their show. They did really well and were very natural. I look forward to seeing you guys again soon!

Click on the image to view their slideshow.

The Roman Family

These images were taken at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach yesterday. Veronica, Robert, Anthony, and Miranda had a wonderful time. They did an excellent job and and had a blast. Everything you want ina photo shoot, great scenery and great people to work with.. You guys did wonderful! See you soon.

Click on image to start their slideshow.

The Chustz Family

I was on a shoot yesterday in Huntington Beach. The Chustz family: Keith, Sheri, Jake, and Sara. They were just perfect for the camera! Very natural and full of fun. I got a bunch a images that depicted how happy they are as a family. I was very happy to shoot their day out in HB and am looking for ward to processing more of their images. Here's a slideshow of their day with just some of the great images I have on file. You did great guys. I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Click on image above to view slideshow.

Joy and Clifford (album, very short)

Ok here we go. At least it's starting! Joy and Clifford's album is under way and in the design process. My engineers have been working diligently over the past few days to get up at least 8 pages here. This is no where near completion but I wanted to put up the first few pages (a teaser if you will). Hope you enjoy! Click on the image to start the show.

2 Minute Infomercial

Here is our two minute spot expected to air on Lifetime in the next few weeks. It is a significant change from our 30 minute in that it is all new footage. Another two minute targeted towards the "money" audience is expected to be completed today and released soon after the two minute designated for Lifetime.

One Great Commercial

I remember watching this commercial with Jag at Michaels 10 years ago. I was like, "Man, this kid has got some balls saying what he's saying!" The last line reads, "I heard you're not ready for me? I am ready for you!" And so he was!

New Home Sales

I was checking out some of the economic numbers that were released today. I must say new home sales didn't surprise me at all. A record number of "for sale" signs through out the country. If your house doesn't sell in 30-45 days then reduce the price by thousands (like 10 or 20k) below the next comparable home. Can anyone remember CSCO when it was in the $70's?

New Home Sales, Durable Goods Orders Dip

WASHINGTON - Sales of new homes dropped in July by the largest amount since February while the inventory of unsold homes climbed to a record high. Piling on more proof that the housing boom is over, the
Commerce Department reported Thursday that new home sales fell by 4.3 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 1.072 million units. The decline was the largest since an 11.5 percent plunge in February.

Sales of both new and existing homes set records for five consecutive years as the housing industry enjoyed a boom powered by the lowest mortgage rates in four decades. But rates have been steadily rising this year as the Federal Reserve tightens credit conditions as a way to slow the economy and keep inflation under control.

Analysts expect home sales to drop by some 10 percent this year.

New Idea

Well maybe not. Video blogs will become a new thing very soon. Instead of writing you can show your thoughts, feelings, and/or whatever. There is no question that at one point everyone can consider themselves a cinematographer/producer/director/actor/screen writer/editor. It's right around the corner. Sites like www.metacafe.com are pioneers with more streaming video content sent up than no other site. But the market is still very new and open for expoitation. I believe partnering up will be key but in the end it'll be who ya know!

E5's new communities will be able to host all content and will provide consumers and businesses a unique, totally fresh, and eye opening means to how fun and business will be done.

Count down.

Vodafone

I heard the other day that the conglomerate Vodafone isn't making any money. I was like, huh? Some newspaper suggested that VOD was not positioned to make any money going forward or something to that nature. I have been analyzing and discovering strengths and weaknesses in company's for over 13 years now, before as a broker and today as an interested capitalist. I decided to take a look at VOD and brush up on it. Firstly, VOD isn't well known here in the U.S. that's because it's primary presence is in the form of Verizon (it owns 45% of VZ). Secondly, VOD is a European play known for owning one of Europe's largest cell carrier in Orange.

What I want to do is focus on VZ first. VOD, as mentioned earlier is a 45% owner in VZ. VZ made over $7.1 billion and reported eps of $2.54 (click report above). Analysts expect that VZ will beat last years numbers by $500 million and $.02/share this year. As of August 1st VZ had a market capitalization of close to $94 billion. In essence this company isn't a tadpole looking to grow a tail. It's a beast already, a mature one at that.

Now VOD. This company has a market cap of $134 billion and has completed it's 2006 year with net income of $6.3 billion and eps of $10.11/share. Analysts predict that VOD will report net income of $5.7 billion (down from 06) and eps of $10.41 (an increase). Looks like the increase is based on a fewer amount of shares available (maybe from a company stock buyback).

Altogether, it's was an interesting exercise. It's been a while since I have looked at research in this space and I must say it's still intriguing to me. To really get down and dirty with what the future VOD potentially has will take me a few days to analyze and compare analysts opinions. There is one thing I will say, however, VOD is a very capable and formidable company with an impressive growth rate considering the size ($134 billion market cap). Albeit net income is expected to decrease for VOD eps is expected to rise nicely.

Ah the market...great money, never a full days work, and the money (said that already)!

By the way this blog wasn't written to intentionally discredit and/or upset anyone. Just wanted to see for myself if VOD was not slated to make money in the future...that's the case...SHORT! Maybe not.

Another Long Gap Between Posts

Well what have I been doing that I haven't posted in such a long time? Nothing too out of the ordinary. Let' s see...what has happened since the last post? Working on a joint venture with two business partners, put Paparazzi as the new focus for E5, fought with Ron, found out that our partnership with Exclaim can yield us more than 72 million users to market to, Jiren loves the tips idea, working on a consultation contract, moved into our new offices in HB, met with the company powering our product, met with Google, found out some people just don't understand, filmed twice for the 2 minute spot, reworked the cover, changed the dvd price twice (up then down), spoke with CBS radio, and for the first time in over a year I played golf...I still suck. Sounds like a lot happened, huh? A lot did but it probably only took all but a couple days to do if that. So why such the long gap? Dunno!

Not Just Your Everyday printing Company

This company is very interesting. It's an online lab that prints your pictures. Nothing new right? I mean there are tons of online labs and b&m labs also. What's so different? The direction they want to go in!

This company is making every aggressive move they can possibly make to set themselves up so that they are ahead of the game in the next 12 months. This is no ordinary printing company. I mention dotPhoto because we are doing business with them and are excited about what they have and what we can bring to the game. I wont let the cat outta the bag but I will say it's extremely exciting and fun to be involved in the company's we have.

Too early to declare war on the target but the gauntlet has been made and ready to be thrown.

Purchase a Sureshot System DVD from www.sureshotsystem.com and get free prints from dotPhoto. www.dotphoto.com

www.sureshotsystem.com

Our Sureshot infomercial airs today and we'll soon get the test results we need to find out where we should spend our money. This day was set up 7 months ago. And we are crossing our fingers. It's still very interesting to see who has come across our order pages. All I will say is thank you to all of you who have stepped up and supported our efforts with a purchase. We have put a lot of time and resources into this project and we will remember you when the time comes where we need to support you.

So stay tuned to Discovery, Travel, National Geographic. There are more but these are the large National carriers that will have the infomercial. Very exciting times in the land of Big Picture Enterprises. It's about to get more exciting elsewhere.

Take advantage of our introductory offer at www.sureshotsystem.com

View the trailer by clicking on the image.

Break Up

I saw this guy with his girlfriend at Sunset Beach the other day. I was there taking some pictures of the kids and noticed an argument between them. They started something pretty fierce with his girlfriend ( I think it was a girlfriend) yelling some profanity at him while he walked away. Ofcourse everyone else minded their own business and ofcourse I kept shooting. A little while later as I was taking a picture of the kids I noticed this guy in the background. He had his head tucked away between his arms and legs. He would every so often lookup and I could tell he was welling up in his eyes. I was 200mm away and it was quite obvious he wasn't happy.

I am always intrigued with people. I have found that you don't necessarily have to pose people to get the shots that evokes who they really are or what they are really feeling at a given moment. I guess this is why I love taking candid pictures. They're real and to the heart.

In this case I decided to take a picture of the poor guy not because I thought it would be a good picture but because it reached in and reminded me of how sad anyone could be at any given time. Just an hour ago this poor guy probably decided to go to the beach with his girlfriend to watch the sunset. They were happy and for some reason their world flipped upside down.

There's a story behind every person.

Shutter: 1/500.............F-stop: 2.8
Flash not fired.............Matrix Metering
ISO: 400.....................Aperture Priority
200 mm

Happy Birthday Brooke!

The dynamic duo as we were going out of Toys R Us.

Brooke: You can't buy one cuz it's not your Birthday! Na Na!

Skylar: Are you gonna do something about this girl Daddy, she's on my nerves!

Going To The Heat

I'll be leaving for Phoenix tomorrow morning to meet up with Inpulse, our call center. My understanding is that it's 105 degrees with humidity at 16 degrees. Pretty hot man. I'd be interested in bringing my clubs for a round but I think I would be stupid to play in that kinda heat just for the fun of it. Anyways, afterwards we have a meeting with someone quite influential in the world of international business. If you need to meet someone or get an idea accepted in say...China, he can do it. Speaking of China we are looking to bring a few of the companies we have over there. Hey they've got the worlds largest population! If it hits it will hit big there.

I'll catch everyone later on.

Haven't gotten around to finishing the Papparazi blog. I've been trying to get these pictures finally fully processed and getting these nutty ideas out of my head and on to paper.

BBQ...Gas or Charcoal?

Yes I know, people nowadays would prefer a gas grill for convenience and efficiency. But do you remember the days when your Dad (or Mom) would struggle to start a fire with charcoal and lighter fluid? They would work on making the heat just right by fanning the briquets with a piece of cardboard ripped from a box. It was quite some work but for some reason I do recall that the food my Dad cooked back then was always better than the food I cook over a gas grill today.

Maybe it's just me being a bit nostalgic. But I seem to miss the times where you had to "work on" starting a BBQ as opposed to just flipping a switch or pressing a button for fire. Just the mere facet of having to wait for 10-15 minutes just to see if the charcoal is that nice color would be fun to do again. Sure you can run into the problems of running out of charcoal in the middle of BBQ'n. And the mess afterwards??? Charcoal grilling is definately a lot more work....but the taste!

I am sure the debate over which method of grillin will yield better taste will prove that it's a draw and that the comparisons would even indicate that in some cases grillin over gas would taste better. Why they say? Because it has nothing to do with the fire but the juices and spices from the meat that is being grilled they say. The argument for charcoal grilling is that you can get a much more intense and hotter fire. Which by the way stimulates the juices and spices in the meat. The hotter the fire the better tasting...so they say. There is also the traditional arguments such as gas can't replicate the "smoke" flavor that can be found in charcoal grillin.

Whatever the arguments I am conviced that my Dad's BBQ was better than mine is today. Not that he's better at BBQ'n but because he had a charcoal grill. I also remeber that food at the park seem to taste better as well. Rarely have I ever attended a park function where either it was a pot luck or food off the grill. The grilled food was a lot better than your conventional gas grilled food I recall.

Why this blog? I figured I would go out and get me a grill. Do I stay within the confines of efficiency and the one click start? Or do I get dirty and go the route that would yield me the taste that I remembered when I was kid?

Benefits of Gas and Charcoal Grills

Gas

Push button convenience
No messy charcoal to deal with
Easy to start
Control temperature with a dial
Control temperatures for longer periods of time
Can still use wood for smoky flavor
Wind is not a factor

Charcoal

More heat
Hotter grill
Flavor from charcoal
More intense smells
More hands-on experience

The Adventures Of Ching and Chong Continue

Here they are, hamming it up for the camera once again. Click on the picture to see their movie.

Megan and John (Engagement)

I am still working on more of your shots but for now here is a slideshow with 9 or so images I have worked on. Some you're familiar with already. Sorry it's so short. I'll put more up shortly. See you guys soon! Click here to see their slideshow.

Joy and Clifford

Hi guys, I know you have been waiting for the album design. Unfortunately I have been in the midst of launching 2 new corporations and wasn't able to get what I needed to get done. What I did do, however, is created a slideshow of some minorly peocessed images. I hope you enjoy the show! I'll alert you as to when the album will make its way here. Click here to see their slideshow.

Joy and Clifford Collage

Their wedding was fun to shoot. It was a bit on the hot side with a few people taking a chair to regain energy. But overall it was fun. Their MC was very good and kept the crowd going and Joy and Clifford themselves did a wonderful job at what they were supposed to do...have fun. You can see by the look of their pictures that they did well.

Stay tuned for their album slideshow coming in the next few days.

Megan and John

First of all, sorry I cut your foot off, John. Second, this image was way underexposed and I had to do alot to get some of the image back. I liked this image alot that's why I decided to work on it. I noticed it didn't make the cut in their "favorites" folder. With the exception of Megan and John, the entire image was wrong. I knew the guy in the background would blow (notice white t-shirt) if I exposed correctly but I wanted to hold the background. Give and take. Cut off the feet (accident) and original was way underexposed (again, had to do it to hold the background). What was right? Megan and John. More Megan than John. She has a cool look to her in this shot. Makes the picture I think.

Joy and Clifford

I haven't posted in a long while. Quite a bit going on. In between everything I was able to shoot Joy and Clifford for their engagement session. I only am able to post one picture now but stay tuned and I will post some more. The shoot was in Huntington Beach and the two did a great job!

This image was underexposed a bit and I had to do a bit in Photoshop with Curves. Why was it underexposed? I knew the white sea foam would give me some trouble if I exposed for them correctly. And I want some sea foam in the shot. So I underexposed to hold the sea foam knowing that I could bring Joy and Clifford back in post. Why not use flash? Next time when I don't have a million things on my mind while shooting.

Update: for those of you who have monitors which are not calibrated then you probably won't visually see what I mean. A friend of mine said, "you didn't hold the background, it blew". It didn't blow his monitor was set with too much contrast. Anyways I thought I would share.

From Geek To Chic

Remember this movie? I watched it a few weeks back and I couldn't believe how scrawny Patrick Dempsey was back then. A skinny, nappy, scrawny dude that played a nerd who became cool. He had hired a cool girl (who needed the $ because she messed up her mothers dress wearing it to a party and needed to get the dress cleaned) and made believe they were a pair. They'd go to lunch, parties, and hang out with each other elsewhere just to make things seem real. Unbeknownst to the nerd, the cool chick was falling for him. He did extremely stupid things. He operated with blindfolds on and didn't see what was happening between him and the cool chick. One day the cool chick decided to let her emotions go and tell him what she really felt about him. With his blindfolds on he didn't see what she was really trying to say. Instead he thought she had initiated the exit plan that they had discussed (according to the plan they were to get into a big fight in the middle of campus which would thereby end their business relationship.) Disaster. He was the flavor to be had from there on out. Dating whoever he pleased until the real story got out. He had hired a girl to make him cool (ofcourse you and I could care less if we had found that out but...) and from there he went from chic to geek once again. The story got rather slow from there on out. He finally saw the light and realized the cool chick wanted him but it was too late. She made her decision and "mind-screwed" herself into thinking that she didn't like him. He showed up in the wee hours of the morning mowing her lawn, he called her house, and he did other stupid things. Right when the viewers thought it was done and there was no more hope, the cool chick came upon a revelation in thinking that she did really want to be with him. And ofcourse they got back together and rode his lawnmower off into the sunset.

That movie was way beyond cool. I didn't do it any justice by giving my short version of it. What was funny is that Patrick Dempsey in that movie went from "totally geek to totally chic". He's in Grey's Anatomy now and the same could be said about him and his real self. He aint scrawny and nappy anymore.

In Between Games

I thought I would post a picture of Skylar. I really like this shot because of her position (body facing left looking right). Pretty classy look and she's only 3...well 4 next week. Back to the game. Will the Clippers do it? Now remember I aint one of those band hoppers I bought Clipper tickets before the season started.

The DaVinci Code

I haven't watched the movie yet but The History Channel has something called Beyond The Da Vinci Code that aired tonight. I watched this before but this time something caught me off guard. I wasn't paying too much attention last time so I missed out on the discussion about Da Vinci's "Last Supper". The image depicts Jesus having dinner with 12 apostles. That's what we have been told anyway. The show indicates that next to Jesus wasn't actually one of the 12 apostles but a woman, Mary Magdalene. I was like what? Um ya sure. I googled "The Last Supper" and downloaded it opening it up and zooming in. You know what? That is a woman! I am sure there are even more of Da Vinci's secrets in the painting. Why was it passed on through the years that there were 12 apostles, all men, wherein there's a woman seated right next to Jesus? Brings me back to Arsenio Hall's, things that make you go hmm.

Ideas

I met with Eric this morning at Starbucks in Fashion Island. Man the guy is an idea machine. I love it because it's contagious and I found myself coming up with new ideas to add to the ideas he had already. 3 hours later we concluded that idea 1,2, & 3 have to be implemented. I'd share the ideas but it would take too long plus I don't want you running with it. I love being creative and coming up with new things and it would be even better if they worked. We all know I have come up with stuff that went to shit as well. These ideas, however, are solid. Both, ideas with current projects and stand alone ones. The ideas were great. Ok ok, hint....dogs and cats. I ran the numbers and it came out to be off the charts. Sorry the hint wasn't meant to help all that much.

What's Up With Pavilions?

I had to make a late night run to get some water and a few other things. At the checkout counter the lady asked me if I had the Vons/Pavilions card. I said I don't have it on me but I know my number. She inputs my number into the system and nothing comes up. She asks for another number and I don't have one for her. I know I have a card and I signed up for it in that store. She says it takes a month and sometimes 2 months to get into the system. Bottom line no savings for me. Not a big deal I would have only saved 30 cents maybe. What gets me is that other stores such as Albertsons would just have the checker swipe a store card that would allow for you to take advantage of the savings. If I had over $100.00 of grocery I would have missed out on a good amount of savings by not having my card on me. At Albertson's I would have saved with or without one. There is something to be said about customer service.

While we're on the topic of customer service, a friend of mine doesn't answer his business calls and seldom returns calls because he wants to leave an aura of success. He waits for an assistant to handle the calls for him. It was interesting because I used to do the same thing years back. I figured that if I answered the calls then my clients would think I am not successful. Total lunacy as I look back on it. Sure as you become more successful it becomes harder to handle calls but you can still do your best to distinguish yourself from people who think that by not answering they leave a better impression. Well here's what happens, you don't answer the calls the customer or potential customer hangs up the phone and calls someone else. Not like this would happen all the time but lets say it happens 1 out of 10 times. You just threw away 10% of existing or worse, new business, because you wanted to make it look like you're Donald Trump. I don't know what he's gonna do in the end but in his line of work he has to answer the calls or they're looking elsewhere.

Back to Pavilions. Maybe this card thing doesn't apply to all Vons or Pavillion stores. And maybe Albertson's could have a different policy elsewhere. In the end it's all about traffic for these guys and Pavilions doesn't have mine. Not that mine would count..or would it? Besides Albertson's has fried Lumpia in the frozen section!!!

Going To A Hockey Game!

Haven't been to one in a long time. Watching the Ducks and Oilers should be fun. We'll see if it was as crazy as the last time I went. I'm operating on 2 hours of sleep considering I went to bed at 5 am. Hope I can stay awake. Let's see if they let me bring my camera into the arena.

Katie and Corinne

I was in Hollywood with Katie and Corinne as my sidewalk models. It was a ton a fun watching all the looks and stares they got as they walked up and down Hollywood Blvd. Ron's up shooting scenics and I am down here shooting lifestyle. We'll be doing another shoot soon, possibly in Venice or Santa Monica. I am also drawing up the outline for workshops as well. Oh I forgot, Corinne and Katie I need you for these workshops. We'll talk more about them later. Click here for slideshow.

New Camera Settings

I have been playing around with the settings for both Nikon and Canon. Tone adjustments, sharpening, hue, contrast, and more. I was able to get punchy colors right out of the camera with settings that I would have never fooled with unless I fooled with it, get it? I kept hearing that you want to keep your adjustments targeted towards the low side. I looked at some pictures in magazine spreads and saw new image styles as well as pictures that just hit you in the face they were so punchy. I was thinking to myself that I should try different settings and find out what the cameras are actually capable of. Plus processing sucks. If images out of camera were great and super minor processing would be involved ie..sharpening and crop, then I would be in wonderland. I must have taken north of 3000 pictures in the past 2 1/2 weeks and a bunch of them need to be processed. Now imagine the time you would make up if the camera had ready to show images. And I mean ready to show..They've got punch.

I played around with the settings for all my Nikon bodies and my Canon 5d. What I get now out of the cameras are "cross processed" like looks. Images that just stand out. I would try to achieve these looks in post. Top image Canon 5D cropped only for composition. Bottom image Nikon D2x nothing done.

Chriselle and Marcus (Album)

I have pretty much completed the overall design of Chriselle and Marcus' album. I say pretty much because there a couple of pictures and pages I need to fix up or change around a bit. Out with one picture in with another...add an opaqued background here and there. Other than these minor changes we're done, with approval for print that is. All the pictures will go online this week so you can view the entire bunch, make selections and print for personal use. By the way the above picture is one of the pictures that was chosen for the commercial.
Click here to see their album.

Super Long Lunch Appointment

I met up with a friend of mine, Mike, at Tommy Bahamas today for lunch. With Big Picture we are looking into the future preparing ourselves for more products to merchandise. That includes adding more photographers as well. People with different niches and personalities that potentially can help us increase revenue. Mike and I spoke about a potential collaboration which could mutually benefit both parties. We'll see, Big Picture is still a month away from generating any revenue. But we need to be forward looking. My meeting ran a bit long and I had to reschedule a shoot planned with Corinne and 2 of her friends. My business associate is heading to Yosemite next week to initiate filming on another project geared for the travel seeker. I plan on initiating another project which involves shooting people along with street photography. Filming that will commence sometime in the next 3 weeks on Hollywood Blvd. and in Santa Monica's 3rd St. Promenade. I sure could have used some of the shots I would have taken today. It would have been fun, but my meeting ran a bit long. Sorry Corinne. I know she reads this stuff so...I'd like to shoot you and Michael whenever he can get away from script writing, acting, and all that stuff. Oh and remember I 'm shooting your wedding!

All in all today was a good day. I have an interesting meeting tomorrow with someone who has an interesting opportunity so stay tuned for that. I miss my kids.

Big Picture

And we are coming down the home stretch. Stars are aligned and we are looking to kick off very soon. Here's our trailer:

Kids...

...are nutty. They noticed that they were being recorded and started to ham it up for the camera. It was fun watching them fight for "airtime" my turn no it's my turn no it's mine. Whew!

Chriselle and Marcus (update)

I was running around crazy all day today. In between L.A. and Irvine I got to working on your album and made some of the changes. I have about 1/3 more to go in design so stay tuned for those pages. By the way, notice the show looks like a book now!

Chriselle and Marcus...

...I have a preliminary album design. 18 pages so far with lots to go. I normally don't throw up an unfinished product like this but I wanted you guys to get an idea what's coming. There will be tons more Wednesday. I'll be waiting for that e-mail Chriselle! See ya later.

Chriselle and Marcus

I shot Chriselle and Marcus' wedding yesterday and it was great. They were both relaxed and happy. The guests had a fun time and time went by very quickly...that's what happens when people have a good time! I wish them the best because they deserve it. Here is a collage of the events that happened yesterday. Check back on Wednesday to see their album design through a slideshow.

I Was Wrong

Dell has one too. A dual processor laptop that is. I got the skinny on this thing and it's pretty awesome. I am not very sure if I am going to get it though. I am stuck in this grey area where I am thinking, "which one do I get?" Answer should be simple...Dell, considering I have all the software that I would need to transition work smoothly from desktop to laptop...but...I like how the Apple looks! Oh well it would be even more of a dilemma if I actually had the cash to buy one. That would mean I would have to really decide.

A Dual Processor Laptop!

I just found out today that Apple has made a laptop with dual processors. I am hoping the info I got from Russ today is right because I would be very disappointed if I was wrong. I'd be bummed. My home pc has dual Opterons and it's smoking fast. Now I hear that Apple has done this! I hear it's a beast and I'd love to try one out. My geeky side coming out. Anyone have one of these things? I'd love to hear what you have to say as far as performance is concerned.

Collage

Here is a collage I put together. I was just messing around trying to find new ideas into showcasing images more effectively.

Trippin

Did she fall? Nope! She stayed up. It was sure funny to watch though. I'm happy I was holding down the shutter! She didn't mess up like that the rest of the time we were there. Ah candid moments.

Here is a cool processed picture I took of them right after they played.

A Camera In Brooke's Hand

We went to the park and I gave Brooke a small digital camera to play around with. She's a happy snapper, taking pictures of everything she sees. From turning the camera around and taking pictures of herself to catching me while I am driving, she's all over the map. Look below to see the shots she took of them big ol' gooses amongst her other masterpieces from that day.

Chriselle and Marcus

I photographed their engagement shoot yesterday at Westridge Golf Club in La Habra. It's real late so I gootta sleep. Have fun watching it guys. Click here to view their slideshow.

Update

Ron, Jag, Eric and myself met with Dana and Russ at Irvine studios this past Friday for a production meeting. This meeting was specific to the infomercial only. Russ is an editor who will be directing and editing the informercial. His ability to provide us finish cuts just minutes after filming is extremely benficial. The ideas that ran through the board room were excellent and we are looking forward to beginning that segment of the project.

First Part Over!

We are done with the first part of filming. We continue in studio next week to film the remaining parts. It was fun and very exhausting. The weather was irratic at times but overall we were blessed with having good elements. I will be posting up a slideshow of some of the pictures that were taken on the trip so stay tuned. We are looking to get all this wrapped up by March. We got some spectacular footage and now it's just about piecing them all in.

The crew was extremely fun to work with. Luann, Corinne, Matthias, Kate, Tonje, and Sam (not me)....thanks for your professionalism and we look forward to seeing you all in studio. Enjoy the rest of your time off.

Absolutely Stunning!

We filmed at Monument Valley today and I must say this place is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. We were shown areas that film crews of the past have gone to as well as seen sites that film crews have not seen before. Our guide, Fred, certainly has the eye for stunning places to see. His clients include: Steven Spielberg (Back To the Future 3), Robert Zemeckis (Forest Gump), Oliver Stone (?) and more. Now we can add ourselves to his list! Ya ok! This morning was extremely cold and it was considered a much warmer morning than usual. Tomorrow we look to film more scenics and start the photo journalistic element to the educational videos.

The above picture was taken this morning as we risked losing our fingers and toes due to the elements! Click here to see more pictures from today!

19 Shoots!!!

We shot 19 segments today that we all felt very good about. 7 beginner, 6 intermdeiate, and 6 advanced pieces. Kaimu Black Sand Beach was lit perfectly and we took advantage of the site (above picture) by setting up various scenes that many photographers find challenging. From there we went to Akaka Falls and found more excellently lit conditions. Akaka Falls happens to be a highly visited attraction here in Hilo and as a result we had some tough times holding people from stepping into a scene while filming. Lastly, we went to a Japanese Garden located right next to the the hotel. It was extremely windy and it did give our sound guy, Sam (another Sam) a fit. We closed up by taking portraits of Luann and Corinne to add to our "how to take pictures of people segment".

Click here to see more pictures from today!

Corinne taken with the Canon 5D and 50 1.4 at f1.4. Here again I fooled around with Picasa. Just a tiny bit of post processing was done.

Busy Days

We started filming yesterday and things turned out ok. Just ok? Well the sun didn't cooperate with us and part of a drive from one location shoot to another was a bit on the long side which we didn't experience the last time we drove it. The crew had a lot of energy and we did very well contentwise, however, we are looking to do much better today.

Above we have Luann posing for us. Fill flash was used to illuminate her and hold the bakground at the same time.

Shooting Locations and The Find of Our Lives

After 2 days of excruciating travel around Hawaii (black sand beaches, orchids, volcanoes,and extraordinary sunsets) we have decided to film at these locations (from left to right morning, midday, afternoon):

February 7 Puna Beach, Thurston's Lava Tube, Pu'Uhonua O Honaunau Natl. Park
February 8 Puna Beach, Rainbow Falls, Hapuna Bay
February 9 Puna Beach, Akaka Falls, Kiholo Bay
February 10 Kaimu Beach Go Home

It will be grueling as Ron has indicated. As a matter of fact Ron has also said that he will divulge information during these next 2 weeks that his students (beginner, interediate, or advanced) have never heard before. If anyone knows Ron, that is likely to be 100% true. The man that made us drink from a firehose is about to open Niagara Falls for us to drink from now.

Now for The Find of Our Lives!!! We had a late dinner at the restaraunt in the hotel to find that, get this, ALL YOU CAN DRINK BEER!!! MGD. I have never encountered an all you can drink beer scenario before, it was insane! Oh and the food was very good as well with crab legs, prime rib, poke, sashimi, sushi, and more.

Hilo

We scouted out Hilo all day today and visited at least 12 sites. It rained the majority of the day but we were able to finally complete what we set out to do. Our job now is to figure out which of the 20 sites we visited in 2 days to film at. One difficult task is to ensure efficiency between sites which can be rather difficult. Now that our roles as "Art Directors" is done it's time we put on our "Executive Producers" hat and make this project a success.

Interesting things did happen to us today. For starters we got lost. While scouting a "black sanded beach" we lost sense of where we parked our rental car. As a result we spent the better part of an hour trying to find it in a tropical downpour, not good. We played "sun chasers" and never found the sun. Well, we did, but it just never came out from behind the clouds. And then we found out that someone has been drinking our beer that we stored away in our hotel room, that was really bad.

Here are some scout pictures that I took when the weather permited me to. The above shot was taken while walking back to our car (before we lost it). Luck had it that a rainbow ended at the car. The bottom picture was taken at Umamau Falls 20 minutes north of Downtown Hilo. Click here to see more pictures from today!

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Kona

The Kona coast is spectacular if you are looking for luscious beaches and lava rock forms. Jag and I started off the day by driving and forgetting a few things which required us to return to our hotel room. Once we got it right we were on our way to our first stop, Waipiho lookout. It wasn't overly impressive (I ended up liking it more and more when I looked at it through camera review). Afterwards we went to meet up with Nancy and after getting lost we finally found her waiting patiently at Starbucks. She showed us quite a few locations that were very interesting. Six sites and 2 "yes we are here" and 1 "maybe". Very interesting island the Big Island is. Lots of natural beauty but I still believe the better beauty of this island is accessable via air. We are very interested in a cove that contains a bunch of sea turtles and is quite pretty to film at. We found out that Tim Burton had asked Nancy (when he hired her) to get him a permit to shoot here when he filmed "Planet of the Apes". Kinda nice to know that we liked what he likes. We were also amongst a bunch of Fountain Grass which stuck out of the floor lava like weeds. We thought it would make a very interesting aspect while filming. We weren't the only ones. Apparently Bloomingdales and Tommy Bahama felt that as well. Hmm...new career? Nah, too much here. We are driving around the Hilo side this morning focusing on another Black Sand beach as well as the falls and Volcanoes. Should be another interesting day. Click here for pictures from today!

The top picture was taken at Kua Beach. I noticed the Fountain Grass on our way out and thought that if they were backlit they could make for a nice picture. The bottom is a B&W with sme color. Picasa software is pretty cool.

Hilo Hawaiian

We arrived on the Big Island of Hawaii around 4pm Hawaii time. The flight was much quicker than we anticipated and wasn't as difficult as my trip to Oahu back in December. We meet with Nancy tomorrow morning at 10:00 am to begin scouting places. The weather is nice but rain is expected tomorrow evening. Hopefully, we wont run into bad weather next week although bad weather makes for dramatic scenery. I was playing around with the Canon 5D to get better acquainted with it. The top picture is a shot from the back of the Hilo Hawaiian hotel (13 second exposure...it was very dark.) and the bottom is a black and white of the lobby (1/8th of a second). I was testing the white balance of the camera as well as seeing how well it handles noise at long exposure (the noise in the bottom picture was artificially added. Just me messing around with Picasa camera software). So far I am very impressed with Canon's full frame digital monster.

So far so good. Just a couple of minor hickups along the way. Some expected and some not. Nothing that can't be handled. Jag and I have been and continue to be excited about the prospects for Big Picture. The magnitude of the news continues to be mind boggling. For all of you on board...thanks again for your vote of confidence. It will be a very exciting time!

New Camera!

I had to purchase some Canon equipment due to the exorborant rental fees. They wanted $250/day and considering we will be gone for 18 days it just didn't make sense. We figured, "just buy the stuff". I always wanted to see how the Canon 5D operated and now I get a chance. I also got 4 pro lenses that are considered to be Canon's legends. We need to balance the Nikon dominated line up of equipment that we currently have with other camera brands to show a non bias. Never shot Canon but I am looking forward to it. Well, I did shoot Canon in the past, it was a small one.

So no new pics, no new ideas, and no new news.

1st Meeting W/the Crew

We all met at Canters in Hollywood last night (Luann couldn't make it) for the first time. We met Corinne once but that was during the auditions and Ron met with the production team by himself last week. This was the first time we all had a chance to gab and get to know one another. Ron was his normal very informative self providing them with endless amounts of information regarding the locations and what to expect. The next time we all meet will be next week in Hawaii.

Ron and I worked on the new wireless flash that was sent to us by Nikon earlier in the day. It was a great new toy but our other great new toy, the D200, was a lemon and had to be returned. Considering this camera is sold out everywhere throughout the U.S. we were concerned that we may not be able to get a replacement in time. Tim at Samy's Camera was able to exchange the body for us at no charge. The next few days Jag and I will be getting our proper attire for the Big Island and for the Southwest.

We Are Almost There

We made the reservations today for Hawaii and the Southwest. We are traveling to the Big Island first. Jag and I will be out ahead of the main group by 5 days to scout out locations with our location guide, Nancy. Nacy has worked with the Travel Channel, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, LL Bean, Volvo, Universal Studios, Eddie Bauer, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Neiman Marcus to name a few. She will be instrumental in assisting in the setup and the location "feel". From there it's off to the Southwest where we will be stopping at Bosque Del Apache and end up at Monument Valley. The cast and crew will be meeting on Saturday (except for Luann. We meet her tomorrow just before she leaves on a G3 for the Sundance Film Festival) to get acquainted with one another and to go over the overall strategy. It should be tons of fun.

I will be documenting the events of our travels on this blog on a daily basis when it all starts so check back regularly.

The Three Finalists

Okay! Here you go!

From left to right:

Luann - 1987 Playmate of the Month, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Volcano, Terminal Velocity, Good Morning America Co-host, and much more.

Corinne - Several film credits that include Beatiful Mind, Catch Me If You Can; TV credits include Sex and the City, Law and Order, Biography -"Shape Up Week". New York runway model.

Tiffany - TV credits include The O.C., American dreams, 8 Simple Rules, Arrested Development.

So who did we choose? Well, it was difficult but we felt that we needed someone who was mature and articulate. As a result Luann will be with us in a role of student AND co-host. She just has that mature feel to her as well as the mere fact that she can sell!!! She's articulate and very intelligent. We also chose Corinne. We felt that Corinne would provide us that contrast and balance that the shows would need. She's smart and believable as well as motivated. She was very excited and eager to take on the role. Tiffany is our backup and though it was close between Corinne and Tiffany we felt that Tiff's "younger" look would not serve us well in the advanced part of our DVD.

In the end it was tough. I didn't know hiring talent would require so much involvement. So our crew is set. We all fly out on Jan 31st and it's up to me now to make all the reservations. Room, air and car. It appears we have a pretty fun group which is very important when you will be together for 2 weeks 12 hrs a day. I'll release the schedule soon.

Congrats!!!!!!

He helped found Adforce in the mid 90's that was eventually sold for $500,000,000 to CMGI in 1999. Later that year he helped start Toucan Media (same people who started Adforce). Toucan sold for $50,000,000 to no other than CMGI in 1999 as well. He co-founded Winstar and helped bring it public but finally met his match and lost a bit. A couple of years later that same group decided to start Dmarc. Well, Google bought Dmarc last night for 1.4 billion, that's billion dollars! Why am I posting this? Well he's my friend AND I just found out that he is part of another business. Seems like he knows what he's doing. If you knew what company he was involved with right now wouldn't you strongly consider getting involved with it???? Shhhhhhhh, I know the company he is involved with. It's it's it's it's.....Big Picture Enterprises! That's right! Eric K. is a major shareholder with us and we are proud to know he did VERY WELL with Dmarc. Congrats Eric! You deserve it. Now bring some of that luck our way and let us make you more $$$$$$$$.

You Have Got To Be Kidding Me...

Here is something I thought I would post. I was on the phone yesterday confirming the site locations we are going to be shooting at. One of the sites is a lavish resort in Oahu. Can't say the name but it's a big name. When I called to confirm them, the Director of Marketing told me that, "...after careful thought they would not like us to shoot on their property." I said, "What happened?" You'll love what she says next. She said, "It scares us that potentially 60,000,000 people will hear about our resort through your infomercial. We don't want that many people knowing about us." What the...? I thought the point of building a business is to market and advertise to INCREASE your customer base not hide behind a rock and hope people show up.

We are holding a casting call at Disney's Burbank studio tomorrow. We have been dealing with the head of talent scouting for Disney and we have managed to get the conference room for 5 hours, HD cinema cameras, and a look at their actresses for the entire time we are there (5 hrs). All this would be normally be very very expensive. We got this for....get this....FREE! Why? Could it be that Disney may be interested in working with us with regards to our continuity product? That's the buzz.

Some have asked if we are having a pre-launch party. Given that this weekend is likey to be the last weekend we can do something I highly doubt it. Too many things to do still. If there is one I can't make it. My weekend with the kids and I promised to take them places. And since I am the one supposed to coordinate, if I can't go then guess what? It aint happening. Unless all of you would be interested in having a pre-launch at CEC!!!

We are working out the details to the actual Launch Party. Should happen while we are in post production.

Big Picture Enterprises, LLC

We've been up and running since the 3rd of this month. With the engine primed and all cylinders opened, this juggernaut is operating at full speed no longer recognizing "stop signs". It's all green from here on out. The entities aligned with us are HUGE to say the least. Nikon has hooked us up with the gear (we'll be shooting Canon gear as well albeit Canon isn't on board) and Eizo our monitors (super high end stuff). The team which brought names like Cortislim and Hooked on Phonics to the masses are on and excited to say the least. Their expertise in the Direct Response (informercial) arena is the match we have been looking for. Filming starts in 3 weeks and we are putting the finishing touches on talent, location, website, and radio. We're also under budget by ALOT! We start in Oahu making our way to places like North Shore, LaniKai, Pali, and Turtle Bay. From there we head to the Big Island. Volcano National Park, Black Sand Beach, and waterfalls. Go home, rest, then it's off to the Southwest where we will be filming at Bosque del Apache, Anastase Ruins, Choco Canyon, and Monument Valley. Tiring to say the least but well worth it. Once we are done with post production it'll be time for the launch party so stay tuned. Our logo includes a shot from Monument Valley. What do ya think? By the way, Monument Valley happens to be a site where many if not most Westerns are filmed (outside a studio location ofcourse). You will soon see why it's a favorite amongst movie guys like Eastwood and John Ford.

Our final casting call for both the Hawaii and Southwest sessions will be this week. If there is someone you may feel fits what we are looking for e-mail me. Remember, for Hawaii she must have an "island" look to her but not overly Asian. And for the Southwest...well, you know. The camera has to love them! Email me!

Melissa and Jay

This wedding was fun to shoot. Melissa and Jay are very nice people and they had a great time throughout the day. The camera just loved Melissa and her sisters. They couldn't take a bad shot! The bridal prep was at the Cerritos Sheraton, across the way from Fridays. I hung out at Fridays for a bit before the meeting with Greg just to collect my thoughts and think back a bit. Melissa and Jay were very poised and calm. They had tons of fun and I know they will have a great life together. Have fun in Thailand guys! The reception was at the Summit House. Greg, thanks for calling on me once again. Let me know anytime! Click here to view their slideshow.

Location Scouting

I was on the Island of Oahu last week scouting out locations to shoot for an upcoming project. The sunsets in Hawaii are just stunning. There wasn't a bad sunset the entire time I was there (4 days). Unfortunately, there weren't enough clouds to add any drama to the scenes either. My friends, Pete and Jill, showed me around the island. Pete was sick and I appreciate that he still spent time with me. We should be going back to Hawaii later this month to begin our project. The top picture was taken at The IhiLani Resort at Ko Olina. The below shot of Pete silhoutted was taken at Puente Point in North Shore.