shutter to think

the ocean like heaven

Lampu'uk, where the 2004 tsunami travelled nearly 7km inland, killing nearly 4 out of 5 of the population and wiping out a generation of school kids. but today, like most Sundays, Acehnese spend their time with family and friends at the very place that caused so much destruction. But still, recovery moves on like the ebb and flow of the tides. Below: families play at the beach and after dusk at the beach.

Missy

I photographed my friend Missy at her job as a waitress for a 24-hr diner in the Castro, the gay district of San Francisco, famously known for their street festivals, Harvey Milk (and the movie), and its color. We started at the diner, then went on to the beach with her dog DeeDee, named after a Ramone. The shoot was to photograph some lifestyle images, something I've been working on and needed to produce couple new images.

 

Surfer Portraits

I'm working on a storyboard about a little surf town in Mexico and got distracted in making these images of local surfers for the blog to share. These guys have seen their little fishing village transform over the past 10 yrs to a tourist destination. And now, themselves have gained a little from the tourism, such as providing a business teaching surfing, or taking surfers out on charter boats, and family business of restaurants and bars.

Burro -

Tigre -

Jose Luis -

Chile -

Tarzan -

Vieques, Puerto Rico

Another round of black and white images of Vieques, on the water. I was digging through some images from my trip last year to put together a little travel book for friends. I also did a little story on a local festival celebrated in the central mountains of the island for the New York Times. It is a beautiful place with an incredible culture and I cant' wait to go back and explore more of it.

la playa

i'm editing a little project on surfers in sayulita and i stumbled across these pictures that makes me miss the ocean and surfing so much. evening light...little rollers and longboarders. well okay, so its flat, but at least the environment was heavenly.

surf film

every time i see a new surf flick out there that catches my eye, i think this is the direction that i want my photography to head towards. the color, the sounds, the movement and plus the storytelling.

here's a trailer to new film about women and their spirit of love for the ocean.

santa barbara details

a brief visit to santa barbara to visit a good friend and went snapping early friday morning for a quick browse.

Last Summah

Here are a few oldies from last summer that ive found again...i'm in the process of making my second book for ny and i'm digging in ditches to find new and different images that i wouldn't have thought twice about last year. i love my dog reese and he is my favorite thing to photograph bc of his quirky & playful and silly personality. i could write a more interesting blog all about reese rather than me....how he loves to eat the cardboard center of a toilet paper roll or pick up a plate of brie cheese from the counter and bring it to the living room, delicately unwrapping the plastic wrap without at all tearing into it or his cheerful growls. anyway, reese playing on the beach, the ride from dillon beach with george's friends from rhode island, and Reese being one of the passengers.. And a sunsetter of random guys atop a rock in Tomales.

Vieques, black and white

Here's a little layout of life in Vieques -

 

Puerto Rico

Last week I was in Puerto Rico and I can't wait to go back! Here's a quick view: