365 Photo Project - Day 182

Taken: July 1, 2010, approx. 9 p.m.

Location: Pasadena, Ca.

I spent my last night in Los Angeles at my good friend Glenn's house in Pasadena. He's the one who helps me with all my photography questions and he's a wonderful person and confidant too. He also happens to be a really great cook and served these fab raviolis stuffed with meat and served with homemade tomato sauce, basil and grated parmesan. They were as good as they look. So was the company and the conversation -- basically a roomful of writers and artists (and one lawyer) talking to midnight about life in general. Good times. A nice way to say goodbye to L.A. Tomorrow: hello wine country.

365 Photo Project - Day 181

Taken: June 30, 2010, approx. 7 p.m.
Location: Los Angeles, Ca.

I have a friend in LA who isn't from here but has embraced it as few others have.  Her love of LA is contagious and true and in stark contrast to many of my LA friends who seemed to adopt the condescending view of "I live here but I don't love it here." I admit to not always understanding LA and to disliking some of its more obvious qualities, but I have always adored the city, discovering early on that I related to its rhythms, felt at home in its particular embrace. I will always love LA in all its good, bad and ugly. It will always be a big part of the home I keep in my heart.

My friend and her husband take advantage of everything LA has to offer and I love this about them. They live in an almost forgotten jewel in the middle of the city called Village Green, which is a beautiful green park-like post-war community that is an oasis in the middle of Baldwin Hills -- a place I find few people I know have heard about, even confirmed Los Angelenos. Nearby the city just finished a remarkable little park called the Baldwin Hills Overlook which is a hiking trail that goes straight up to a view that overlooks the entire LA basin, in every direction including downtown on clear days, west to the Pacific Ocean.

We went up that trail today and though we had far from a clear day -- the last of June gloom was holding the city in its bright white vice grip -- it was a spectacular view. I lugged my camera up just so I could capture it. This is a view of the LA skyline through that misty shroud of gloomy overcast skies. I love how the buildings disappear into the heavens like ghosts.

I thank my friend for turning me on to places like these. Makes me love LA even more.

365 Photo Project - Day 180

Taken: June 29, 2010
Location: Burbank, Ca.

Another iPhone 4 shot. I had a rough day in Hollywood today, another recent reminder how demoralizing this town can be, especially in an environment where there are a helluva lot more writers than jobs.

But as it happens more often than not in my life, my day was rescued by friends. In this case, it was a regular L.A. poker game that I sit in whenever I'm in town and they're in need of an extra player. I've never won the game but I did come in second last time I played. It was me against nine guys. I had a really good run of cards early and built a big chip lead, then almost lost everything before finding myself in the final two. It was late, later than the game usually goes apparently, and everybody who was left wanted to go home but we played it out and wouldn't you know it, I won.

A rewarding end to a crappy day. This is a shot of my big stack of chips, when it was big (and early) before I nearly gave it all back. For once, though, the luck was with me. Hoping it's a sign of things to come though I'm not ready to bet on it.

365 Photo Project - Day 179

Taken: June 28, 2010, 11 p.m.
Location: Los Angeles, Ca.

This was taken with my new iPhone 4. You probably get that I'm a big gadget geek by now but I've never been that person that upgrades on The First Day. I was under another carrier's cell phone contract when the first iPhone came out (and I wasn't about to pay $400 for it anyway) so I had to wait for the second gen to come out before I got mine. I've only upgraded once since and when I heard about the possibility that the iPhone 4 would be out this summer, I put off another upgrade. When it did come out, I was eligible for it and got the lowest price (with a new two-year contract with AT&T, the world's worst cell phone carrier). I reserved my phone online, waltzed into the Apple Store at 2 p.m. and picked up my new iPhone.

The reported problems aside, I'm happy with all the new things this phone can do, especially the multi-tasking whose time had come two iPhones ago. I'm hoping Apple does the right thing and addresses the other problems (like the weird antenna reception thing) but won't hold my breath.

As for the camera, I'm impressed. Not as I said yesterday that it would ever replace my DSLR. I decided to try it out for a couple of days and see what I came up with. This is a shot I took using the built-in LCD flash, a very cool and welcomed add-on. I did some editing in Photoshop and the fact that I could create something half-decent is a tribute to how good these phone-cameras are getting. A ways to go for sure, but cool nonetheless.

365 Photo Project - Day 178

Taken: June 27, 2010, 8 pm
Location: Los Angeles, Ca.

I shot this tonight with my iPhone 4. It has a much better camera than the old iPhone though it's obviously not as good as my Pentax DSLR. This is Wilshire Blvd, not far from the L.A. County Museum of Art. I was walking back to my friend's house this evening when several fire trucks rushed by. I tried to catch one and this is the best shot I got.

I have to make this quick -- my internet access is spotty. I should be able to post daily beginning tomorrow night.

365 Photo Project - Day 177

Taken: June 26, 2010, approx. 7 p.m.
Location: Los Angeles, Ca.

One advantage to living in LA is that stuff grows there. Desert aside, a lot of my friends have maintained gardens for years and they grow all sorts of edibles. You'd be surprised. My friend Susie is like most people who find tiny slices of earth to grow a whole array of vegetables, even tomatoes and, as this image shows, artichokes. It's crazy to walk between apartment buildings in the middle of the city, by brown grass lawns and acres of hot pavement and see lovely green growing things. The city's little hidden Edens.

There's something life affirming about growing stuff on patches of dirt that are no larger than a bathtub in a traffic-dominated urban environment. There's something LA about it too.

365 Photo Project - Day 40

Taken: February 9, 2010, sunset
Location: Palisades Park, Santa Monica, CA

Well, it's time for me to say goodbye to the City of Angels for now. Looks like barring any last-minute developments, I'll be heading north tomorrow. I have a feeling I'll be back in L.A. soon but after more than two weeks away from wine country, I'm anxious to return.

So, I'm waving so long with a tasty Umami truffle burger (thanks Susie!) and one last image of the sun setting over the Pacific, So Cal style. It will be good to sleep in my own bed and I won't even mind the pugs taking over half of it. And also to discover what images await up north.

This shot was taken with my K100D and edited in Photoshop.

365 Photo Project - Day 39

Taken: February 8, 2010, 2:10 p.m.
Location: Burbank, Ca

Had a meeting in Burbank today and thought it was lucky that I had to park on the roof of the building -- it was so clear I figured snapping a few shots up there would give me some good choices for today's photo. Without fail, none of them won me over quite like this one which I snapped leaning out my car window while waiting at a red light off on Alameda. Funny how these things work.

I'm a sucker for the way these glassy buildings reflect the sky and loved how this one mirrored the clouds even as it was set against them. Coolness. Though I'd have been happier if I had more time to get the exposure right. Serves me right for not pulling over and doing this right. Live and learn.

Taken with my K100D and edited in Photoshop.

365 Photo Project - Day 37

Taken: February 6, 2010, approx. 3 p.m.
Location: Palisades Park, Santa Monica, CA

I have always lived on one coast or the other, never in the middle. I've found homes in big cities and small towns, in suburbs and planned communities, in urban neighborhoods and at the end of cul de sacs. East, West, North, South. Upstairs, in the basement and at the end of two-mile dirt roads. Wherever  I've called home has brought a degree of tranquility. Yet I have found that I am never more at peace than when I can be near the sea.

I didn't grow up on the water but my parents used to take us to Martha's Vineyard every summer (and often for one- or two-week trips in between) and it was there I came to love living near water. I'm not a classic seafaring type. I don't much like swimming in it and while I admire surfers, I'm not coordinated enough to do that. I love to sail but I'm no expert and I'm too impatient to be good at fishing or even sunbathing.

What I love is just being in the ocean's neighborhood. The smell of sand and seaweed, of fish and salt and that particular way a good sea breeze can clear out your sinuses and cleanse your soul. I love sitting on a creaky wooden dock, listening to the pinging of halyard on mast, the slapping of the wake against fiberglass hulls, the soft cooing of birds, the whoosh of the tide. I love getting lost in the endless layers of things that float in on the wind. If I can dip my toes in the ocean at the same time, well that's just gravy.

Our house in Santa Monica was just close enough to the beach that you could hear the waves at night. Off in the distance, it would mix with the sounds of the traffic on Pico Blvd. Perfect sleeping weather although I often found myself lying awake, staring at the ceiling, quietly listening. In the morning as the marine layer would slowly burn off, the scent of the sea was everywhere, reminders of our proximity to the Pacific. I miss that.

These days, I live close enough to the water -- 35 minutes by car -- that the longing to be near the ocean isn't piercing and there's always my regular trips to L.A. to quench my thirst. But I know without a doubt that someday I'll have to return to my sea and my sea-gazing for real.  For now, I'll take fleeting moments like today when I stood out at Palisades Park in between (and during) the rains and marveled at the way the sun sparkled through cloud patterns, how the surface of the ocean rippled gently in a cold breeze, seemingly stretching out forever, endless.  Even a passing storm's fat drops of cold rain couldn't interrupt the magic of the moment.

This image was as close as I could get to capturing it. Taken with my k100D, 55mm lens and edited in Photoshop.

365 Photo Project - Day 35

Taken: February 4, 2010, 5:30 p.m.
Location: Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

I can't blame you if you're getting tired of my sunset shots but tonight, with a storm heading to Southern California, there was magic in the sky. I shot this on Washington Blvd., from the parking lot of a trendy bar called the the Alibi Room. A smart modern vibe and a kitchen that serves fabulous Kogi BBQ makes it a hip destination for locals from points west and east.  I go for the Kogi myself. If you've ever had Kogi, this doesn't need to be explained. If you haven't, you're missing out on pure porn for your taste buds.

I remember the bar when it used to be called something else and mainly catered to the, um,  professional drinker. One time I ducked inside to get a quarter for the meter. It was 10 a.m. and let's just say I wasn't the only person in there.  Wouldn't have wanted to light a match in that place neither. Used to be lots of bars like it in the neighborhood but nearby Culver City has become the new in spot for L.A. foodiots and it's just a matter of time before the hip quotient spreads west toward the beach.

I'm not knocking it. I mean I've spent some time in some dive bars in my day but those kinds of places lose their luster faster than a good buzz.  Hell it's nice to have a bathroom that's clean enough to actual use.

Shot with my K100D and the 55mm lens. Edited in Photoshop.

365 Photo Project - Day 32

Taken: Februrary 1, 2010, approx. 2:10 p.m.
Location: Brentwood, CA

I saw this window this afternoon when I was pulling out of the Whole Foods parking lot in Brentwood. It just reminded me of somewhere else, some place not L.A. Like the window of an artist's house on a side street in a city in Europe or upstate NY or even Cape Cod. It's as if it's a window into another life, another world.

I know it's a bit of cliche but the clarity and detail, and white white of the background, make me happy.  It's also very different from most of my previous photos and since I'm beginning a whole new month, why not do something different?

It was taken with my K100D with a focal length of 124mm. Very slight editing in Photoshop.

365 Photo Project - Day 30

Taken: January 30, 2010, approx 10:20 p.m.
Location: Los Angeles, CA

This is my lame attempt at capturing the view from my friend's house off Roscomare in Los Angeles, where I happen to be staying this week. Just over that ridge is a pretty big swath of the LA basin, from Beverly Hills to downtown. Pretty cool in person. It was a foggy, partly cloudy night and despite a devastatingly perfect full moon, the view wasn't crystal clear. I shot this with a make-shift tripod and my K100D at a focal point of 95mm and a 1.5 second exposure.

I might give this another try before I had back home.

365 Photo Project - Day 29

Taken: January 29, 2010, appox. 4:30 p.m.

Location: Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, Ca.

My days of being a commuter have been few and far between but they've never been farther away now that I live in the rural confines of wine country. In my town, "traffic" is seeing another car on your street. "Commuting" is a five-minute drive or a 20-minute bike trip to my office and rush hour is a distant, painful experience that happens to other people.

In L.A., "going nowhere fast" refers to your career but going somewhere slow, well that's another word for "sig alert".

I've seen more traffic jams in the last five days here in Los Angeles than I've seen in three years living in Healdsburg. A pictorial diary of my stay here would just not be complete without some image of L.A.'s notorious traffic. Few places get jammed up as completely as the stretch of Sunset Blvd. between Brentwood and the 405 Freeway. It's a mess that turns what would normally be a five-minute trip into a 50-minute one. Scenes like the one above can only be confronted with what I call "Traffic Zen," which is infinite amounts of patience and a full iPod, preferably turned up high. Singing at the top of your lungs is always a good time-suck, though if you've got pipes like mine, it's preferable to make sure the windows are rolled up all the way. 

If you're gonna be out there, might as well make the most of it.

Taken with my K100D. The license plates of the cars in the foreground were digitally altered. I used Photoshop to do an enhance and edit, including using a high-pass filter.

365 Photo Project - Day 28

Taken: January 28, 2010, sunset
Location: Bel Air, CA

Today was one of those days that made me regret starting this project. Haven't even been at this a month and already searching hard for images -- like I'm running out of ideas.  This photo was one of several I snapped as the sun was setting outside a small market on Roscomare Drive, one of the canyon connector roads that link the Westside with the Valley.  I didn't like them and continued to take photos -- it's possible I shot everything in my room tonight -- but nothing really grabbed me. I should know better - forcing it never works.  Ah, but when in doubt, turn to ice cream ... or Photoshop. Ha. This moody image  reminds me of an old Western movie -- it's not that far off from the original though I did add a couple of color filters to bring out the hues of the setting sun.

Took this with my K100D, 18mm lens. Edited majorly in Photoshop.

365 Photo Project - Day 27

Taken: January 27, 2010, approx 10:20 p.m.
Location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Wilshire Blvd.

My friend Susie lives very close to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). On the way to her house tonight for dinner,  I drove right by the museum and the installation of street lamps gracing the building's entrance. It has always intrigued me as a photographic subject (I'm not the only one it seems) and I wasn't going to miss my chance this time. The installation is called Urban Light by artist Chris Burden and features more than 200 restored street lamps arranged in columns. It's impressive during the day but at night, it's a glowing beacon on Wilshire that can be seen from several blocks away.

The last few years when I've been in LA, I've passed by it a lot and I also tell myself I'm going to stop and take a photo of it. Well, now that I need to take a photo every day, it wasn't hard to finally make good on the promise to myself so I pulled over late tonight on my way back to my crash pad on the West Side. I set up by K100, using the manual exposure and shutter settings and went to work. Getting the color and light balance was tough despite the light and I ended up using a photo filter in Photoshop (a combination of sepia and a cooling blue filter did the trick on this shot). While I was shooting, two girls pulled up behind me and started taking photos of themselves standing among the lights. I love the way people participate and interact with outdoor art installations like this one. I imagine it's never quite the way the artist or museum intends.

365 Photo Project - Day 26

Taken: January 25, 2010, approx 8:30 p.m.
Location: San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, CA

Long day in the City of Angels. Took a lot of photos but this was the only one I felt like sharing. Mama said there'd be days like this. I gotta get back to writing.  Shot with my K100D.