Category Archives: Photography

Tenth Muse Festival | Cafe Fais Do Do

Tenth Muse Festival
Cafe Fais Do Do
October 28, 2012

For the first time, I participated in a music and art festival, as a vendor; I am usually the photographer. I was invited to be in the first annual Tenth Muse Festival to show my healing jewelry. Daniel found me on Etsy because he loved my lotus pendant and invited me to show and sell my work. The pieces I brought to the show were the 30×30 custom framed print “Living in the Spirit” and a the 20×30 custom framed print “Sunrise“,  an assortment of large and square blank photo note cards, 5×7 prints, and the healing photo pendants. I raised $20 for Mr. Ed, a rescued therapy horse. Yes, I made only one sale but that is a step in the right direction. I stepped up and I went out there and I put my name out there and I showed my work. The non-music work. The work I’ve created from the natural world. It is beautiful work and I am blessed to be able to see this magical world.

My epiphany for the evening is this… I still love to take photos of bands. I still love capturing the passion and artistry of the musician. Despite not having my camera with me, I managed to Camera + and Instagram the event to the world. I didn’t visit the other vendor booths and I wanted to. Next time I’ll take along a friend so I can mingle. I love talking to artists and learning about their passions. They inspire me. Thank you to all the artists who inspire me.

Thank you to the musicians, to Gentlemen Prefer Blood, Love Grenades, The Dahls, Nick Rosen, Yonatan Elkayam, Elan Atias, and Robby Marshall…. to your bands and the musicians, and countless others for helping me build an amazing music portfolio in the last two years. Thank you to my Rootsystem family for creating the music and keeping the magical world that I love alive, for faeries and magical beings love to dance and celebrate life. And I do love my life.

I found many new bands to love at the Tenth Muse Festival. I was dying to photograph them, and I only had my iPhone.

Here they are…

Angela Cross on 12 string

Angela Cross on 12 string guitar. She organized the event with Candice Cross and Daniel Klayton.

Sugar Jane

Sugar Jane

Caitlin Moss trio performing a jazz set from the likes of Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane #tenthmusefestival

Caitlin Moss Trio performing a jazz set from the likes of Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane

7 women, 7 drums. Adaawe hits the stage! #tenthmusefestival

Adaawe. 7 women, 7 drums. I downloaded their album on iTunes as soon as their set was over. So amazing!

Electra #tenthmusefestival

Electra. She is so captivating. She goes on at 10:15 on Nov 29 opening for Missing Persons at the Whiskey A Go Go.

Belly Muse #tenthmusefestival

Belly Muse performing gypsy music and bellydancing. Roxy is friends with belly dancers who performed at Malabomba!

Come visit me! Special festival prices to help Mr. Ed, a rescued therapy horse.  #tenthmusefestival

And here is my vendor table. Isn't it pretty?

#6 Dancers by Larri Peak #tenthmusefestival

Larri Peak had her artwork all over Club Fais Do Do. This is called #6 Dancers.

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Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz
June 10, 2012

a few photos from the night

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

Bacchanal | Rootsystem & East LA Taiko feat. Bongoloidz

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In the Heart of DTLA

In the Heart of DTLA
July 21, 2012

DTLA

DTLA

DTLA

DTLA

DTLA

DTLA

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Max | An Angel Gets His Wings

Goodbye, Max
You are the sweetest cat.
<3

We had known of Max’s imminent departure over a month ago.
Yet, we posted his face all over Instagram and on the internet
in the hopes that your love
for his sweet face would overfill his heart.
Tilt the Max-o-meter!!!
And it worked!

Max stayed with us for another Thanksgiving,
and another Christmas with Rain, Jon, Pixel, and Buster…

Today Max left us.
He is free from pain.
He is free to roam the Universe,
Soak in the sunbeams, lick his paws, purr
As cats do…

But he will always be in our hearts,
Always at our feet,
Always warming our laps, our giant fur ball
Always perched on the back of the couch purring,
Always loving us from where he is now.

Nothing ever dies.
Because everything lives forever.

Jon rescued Max from the LA River years ago.
In turn, Max rescued us.
He did a loving job.


Max

Max

Max

Max

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Happy Birthday Neil!

Today is Neil Gaiman’s birthday. He turns 51.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2011/11/birthday-wishes.html

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Bites | Melted Butter & Olive Oil Raviolis

Welcome to my new cooking show “Bites” :)

2 packages of your favorite ravioli from Trader Joes
1/4 tablespoon melted butter
1 table spoon artichoke antipasto
4 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
a handful of sliced olives

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan
Add a pinch of salt to water
Add raviolis to water and bring to boil again
Strain raviolis through a colander
Prepare raviolis in a nice serving dish

Melt butter for 5-10 seconds in the microwave
Mix with artichoke antipasto, olive oil, and sliced olives

Lightly drizzle the sauce over the raviolis
Garnish with crumbled Wild Mushroom Brie

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Open Your Heart to the Sun | Gabrielle Lagman

Today the angels paid my soul. I photographed my friend Gabrielle teaching yoga to kids in the first grade. Wow! We started at 8am until about 11am. About 4 classes of kids came by and they were all very unique, sweet, innocent, adorable, peaceful, … Yoga mats were donated by Manduka (it means frog) and they are going to feature Gabrielle in their newsletter, so she asked me to take the photos :) Gabrielle is very wonderful with the kids. It’s inspiring to see her influence the lives of these children.

Vaughn Elementary School
October 24, 2011

Gabrielle will be teaching Yoga every Monday until February

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

Gabrielle Lagman teaching yoga to Vaughn Elementary School

These kids inspire me.

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JPG vs. RAW

What a difference a year makes! I’ve been taking a lot of band photos with many thanks to Anthony Valadez and Nick Rosen for their initial encouragement and support. I’ve also stopped shooting in JPG format about a year ago thanks to Micki Hassemer and PGM Don Baird. I have been shooting all RAW format with manual settings in my D90.

I’ve only just begun shooting with a flash last month. In photography school, my professor had said “flash is a whole other animal” but I never got the class for flash. So, in LA, I have attended George Simian’s seminar on flash photography. So, there is much more to learn and show!

What I want to show today is the difference between shooting JPG vs RAW, and the difference using “fill light” in post production with Lightroom.

Sir Anthony Valadez

Exported JPG at +.50 exposure in Lightroom | Orginal JPG at ISO 2000, 28mm, f3.5, 1/60

Exported JPG at +.25 exposure, +31 fill light in Lightroom | Orginal RAW at ISO 2000, 28mm, f3.5, 1/60


See? The 2nd photo took 5 minutes this morning in Lightroom. I had wanted to see what settings I had this camera in because I didn’t use a flash, and the lens was my 28-200mm. But when I saw how dark the JPG file was, I decided to revisit it.

I am also in the market for a portrait lens primarily for weddings and events. I am considering a new camera body as well. The D90 is a great starter DLSR but the DX lenses are actually killing me with the cropping. With film, I shoot 120 format, so I didn’t think the cropping in the 35mm would bother me. But it’s not just the cropping, it’s the math, where 50mm is really 70mm. And wide angle is too wide for portraits. The edges bend off and that is not good for faces or groups of people.

Any suggestions are welcome!
THANKS! :)

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reflexion (rɪˈflɛkʃən) | camera (ˈkæmərə)

reflexion  (rɪˈflɛkʃən) | camera (ˈkæmərə)

As you move forward in your life it is very natural to reflect upon the things you have acquired, the goals you have achieved, the people you have met. It is also very natural to feel dire detriment when any of these things are lost or your goals have not been achieved or these people have abandoned you. However, as you reflect upon your life, you remember very well that you were quite happy say, a year ago, without these things or people. It’s all really a matter of perspective.

Reflecting upon this past year, many things, goals, and people have come my way. I worked hard to make that all happen. I held onto things, I lost things. I accomplished goals, I changed my goals. I met people, I lost people.

I am very hard on myself. I am my own worst critic. I like to keep up with myself and excel above myself. But that makes taking photos and making art difficult for myself. So, in the past few months, I’ve been reflecting and looking at my own reflexion. I decided to turn it all off. The noise. The radio. The social media. The Facebook. The Twitter. Not a 100% but 90% isn’t bad. My own personal filter. I stopped caring about what other social personalities were doing. I stopped caring that I am supposed to get the winning photo. I stopped caring that I wanted to keep up with everyone else. Because I didn’t. I was only trying to keep up with myself.

I love the inspiration of art and music. The music. I fell into the music. The reverie and resonance when silence and sound meet upon chance. The art. I was always in love with the art. When creation is left behind it becomes a legacy after we are gone.

And some of those people understood that very essence about me and let me be who I am. These are my friends, they are my people.

Each one of them has inspired me…. Healing other people with her jewelry. Writing teen novels with her imagination and experience. Touring in the Middle East playing for our troops.

Inspiring.

Being inspired, I am able to run down mountains, I am able to listen to silence, I am able to touch guitar strings, I am able to go through another rigorous kung fu program, and most of all, I am able to take another photo. And being inspired, I am able to take my time, I am able to just show up. And when I look at the people around me, the things I’ve surrounded myself with, the goals I decided to achieve, I see a reflexion of me. A desire, not for a want of anything new outside but for a need of something old inside, so I can evolve into something/someone beyond all of Heaven and Earth.

Be happy with what you already have. You may build upon yourself with experiences with people, things, and goals. But a bee and all of nature has all it will ever need, and have been quite content with that for centuries.

Placerita Canyon

Placerita Canyon

Placerita Canyon

Placerita Canyon

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Neil Gaiman | American Gods Tenth Anniversary

Neil Gaiman
with
Patton Oswalt & Zelda Williams

American Gods
Tenth Anniversary

Saban Theatre
Beverly Hills
June 28, 2011

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

<3<3<3 seeing @neilhimself

Waiting for @neilhimself :)

@pattonoswalt and @neilhimself

A few thoughts are stirring in my head and I will write them down as soon as I can.

***

The only reason I follow Twitter is because Neil Gaiman started using Twitter. I follow other accounts now. But he’s the main reason. So when he tweeted that he was going to be in LA, I bought tickets immediately. I thought nothing of it. The Will Call line went around the building and no one knew where they were sitting. I had seen him before and the seats were fine so I figured it will be fine again. When I finally picked up my tickets at Will Call, it said BB104-105. Again, I thought nothing of it, because I don’t know The Saban Theatre. I had never been there. So when the usher told us to “Go to the last door on the right, and go all the way down…” I started thinking all the way down? and so we went through the doors, and proceeded to walk all the way down. When Meg and I realized we were second row from stage and almost center, we screamed and jumped!!! We were so close!!!! :) Sitting up so close with the chairs empty, it was like Waiting for Godot, so I posted “Waiting for @neilhimself” :)

The talk itself was amazing. These are the photos. This is the video. There were a lot of moments uncaptured but I still hold them inside. I love the energy of Patton Oswalt. He was having us laughing in our seats as soon as he walked out. And I could see Neil waiting in the wings laughing. It was so civilized in chaotic sort of way. When Neil came out…  time stopped for me. It was like someone pushed pause on Life…  And we all were captured in this bubble, in this moment, where we all stopped and gathered to discuss American Gods. Godless amounts of LA people were there including Wil Wheaton and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, and me and my friends! It was just beautiful.

Some things here, a list really, that people will understand, if they were there, maybe.

The new gods are scared.
God of goths.
Bjork is really nice. She’s 4. And she wears socks.
I invented a god.
Bilquis.
Daleks are color blind to the color red. And daleks are red.

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