2012 Photographer of the Year
For the last several years I have entered images in the Professional Photographers of California’s (PPC) annual print competition. I have done okay and have won some ribbons before but this year I was totally surprised to be awarded PPC’s 2012 Photographer of the Year.
Every other year the PPC joins with the Professional Photographers of American (PPA) to host PPA’s Western District Print Competition. This competition is open to all PPC members and PPA members who live in the eight western States or the three western Provinces of Canada that make up the district.
For three days a panel of eminent jurors from across the United States critiqued and scored over 600 images. Each image is judged against an established criteria. Having an opportunity to watch part of the first day of judging I got to see how the judges were scoring the images. This panel of judges was tougher than most. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to stay for all three days and see my images scored.
The Photographer of the Year is determined by the combined total score of all four images entered by the photographer.
Here are the images I entered:
Professor Gizmo is an image of Jay Davis, also known as Professor Phineas J. Flockmocker III – his alter ego as a member of the Legion Fantastique. Jay can be found at various steampunk events and he also appears every year at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco’s famous Cow Palace.
I met Jay at the grand opening of Steampunk – History Beyond Imagination at the Muzeo, in Anaheim, California. This image of Jay was created outside the museum with available light. There weren’t a lot of backgrounds to choose from and with the crowd of people there, it became even more challenging. So I decided to use a building’s exterior wall and see what could be done in post production to make the portrait more interesting.
The looming dark clouds for the background were chosen from an image I took on a stormy day while waiting for just the right light to photograph the Point Vicente Lighthouse.
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iPhone Broken?
We all know how expensive it is to get your iPhone, iPad or iPod repaired by Apple when the damage is not covered by the warranty or it’s out of warranty. There are reliable repair shops that specialize in fixing iOS devices, usually at half the price that Apple charges. A recent Wall Street Journal article profiled several successful ones: iHosptial, Cupertino iPhone Repair, and uBreakiFix. That’s great, but you have to ship your device to them. So that got me to thinking, what kind of repair facilities do we have around Orange County?
After doing some research I noticed that there are quite a few businesses around Orange County that do screen repairs (the most common problem next to water damage). Most of the businesses that I found do only screen repairs, battery replacements, and unlock or jail break your phone. What was noticeably missing was the number of businesses that don’t offer a warranty on their parts and service. With that in mind here are several places I would consider when needing my Apple equipment repaired.
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Planning a Halloween party for the younger kids this year? Here are some ideas that they may enjoy:
Mini Jack-O-Lanterns – For each guest, place a mini pumpkin in a black bag along with a variety of decorating items (plastic eyes, fake fur, pipe cleaners, Halloween stickers, black Sharpie markers, glue stick, etc.) and let them each decorate their own pumpkin to take home.
Personal Jack-O-Lantern Pizzas. Top pita bread with sauce and cheese, then use slices of olives, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots to create eyes, eyebrows, noses, ears, hair, mouths. Let the kids create their own design. Don’t forget to take photo of each kid with their pizzas.
Here’s a recipe for Ghostly Cupcakes from a friend of mine, Denise Vivaldo over at the Food Fanatics Blog.
A couple of links for additional ideas:
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Disney has some great ideas at their website http://family.go.com/food/pkg-halloween-treats
The Food Network also have some interesting ideas at http://www.foodnetwork.com/halloween/package/index.html
Maternity Video
A celebration of the beauty of pregnancy through fine art portraiture. Imagery that is not only a visual delight but also stirs the soul.
We are now creating beautiful custom videos for our clients from their portrait sessions.
If the move seems a little jerk or to view the move in full screen mode please click on the 
icon in the video
Executive Portrait
Think Design! is a catchy name for an interior design studio that’s as eclectic and full of surprises as one of the owners, Audrey Duncan. Audrey, a diminutive bundle of enthusiasm and creative energy, came to us to create a portrait she could use in her business. Now, executive portraits are usually pretty stodgy stuff: flat lighting, formal styles or hackneyed poses—all business. Very safe and sane. “Fun”, “Stylish” or “Dramatic” aren’t words you’d use to describe these. But true to Audrey, she wanted different. Dressed in a retro black and white checkered outfit with a jaunty fire-engine red hat, she arrived at our door ready for her portrait. We were overjoyed to have the privilege of doing something really creative for this kind of portrait! We suggested a dramatic eye-catching look: 1940’s Hollywood style lighting with a film-noir hint, paired with her friendly, honest, straight-forward attitude. We all had fun during her session – and Audrey was ecstatic about her portrait!
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