LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE: CREATIVE SPACE

i have decided to add a new category to my blog as a kind of message board for the creative. as a photographer and an artist, i like to think that i take time to smell the roses, to look at the proverbial "big picture." it is important to stay in tune with what is going on in art, in media, in technology. yet, like most, i feel that workflow and the minutia of day-to-day tasks, give me an excuse to keep myself from... well... myself, which is an artist.

to keep myself accountable, i plan on incorporating the creative, the story, into my workflow, into my day-to-day tasks. and, it all begins with stepping back, and taking a look at the big picture; literally and figuratively.

next thursday, the 6th of september, i will be at the opening reception for the world's largest photograph, hosted by the legacy photo project. last summer, six photographers took their vision and produced the world's largest pin-hole camera (out of an f-18 jet hanger), which they then used to create the world's largest photograph. you can join me next thursday, from 6:00-9:00pm at art center in pasadena for the opening reception.

the three-story tall, eleven-story wide, photograph; i wonder how many megabytes that file is...

THANKS MOM

birthdays and christmas, it is expected. in a relationship, on your anniversary, it is somewhat of a requirement. at a wedding, you better check the registry and bring one. but, when a gift comes off the rythm of expectation, it has even a little more pazazz (sometimes i could really use a thesaurus).

so, it just seemed like any other day. wake up at 6, roll out of bed 30 minutes later, off to work, put in my hours, clock out, hit traffic around 5. and then i got the call from mom.

so, i have a surprise for you, and i think it is going to make you happy... i want to buy you your computer.

no way!!! thanks mom, for investing in my business, and surprising carlie and i. i am stoked on our new 24" iMac! talk about, bringing sexy back...



and the profile is quite nice, too.

KIRSTEN & DUSTIN: WEDDING

the little red trolly puttered down the dirt lane disecting the open field that separated the outside world from the setting for kirsten and dustin's wedding. when we stepped out of the car, we were greeted with iced tea and warm smiles. set at the bella victorian vineyard in camarillo, kirsten and dustin welcomed friends and family into the quaint and romantic setting.

having known kirsten since i was about knee-high, and usually greeted with the standard-kirsten-introduction of "i remember you running naked through the sprinklers," it was a privelage to not only be at her wedding, but also be invited to snap a few shots as the story of the day began to unfold. kirsten and dustin, you two are incredible, and carlie & i wish you a long and happy life together.

something blue.

a note to future-bride's and future-grooms: you may want to remove the cardboard ring before you try to cut the cake.
and, at kirsten's request, ashley waited to have the baby until two days after the wedding.

CUSTOM FIT

middle school science projects. learning to drive together. moving out together. college. snowboarding. living together. the first beer together. trips. talks. inspiration. struggling together. making it together.

as friends, we have walked this life, and though at times it may have seemed to be from afar, side-by-side. so, it only makes sense that two of my best friends vern and jeremiah, get engaged and schedule weddings within months of each other. the three of us found each his respective mate, and set each his respective date to wed all this year. so, when vern asked me to be one of his groomsmen, and he one of mine, it only made the process that much more meaningful. add to that, vern's intuition for style, and i couldn't wait to here how that process would... well... process.

it all started with the guys meeting at austin taylor in anaheim for our private fitting. thank you dave for your class and hospitality. if you need help finding "your" look, dave welch is the guy you need to see. here are some shots from his anaheim showroom.

welcome to gentlemen's day.

of course, no gentlemen can visit the tailor without enjoying an ice-cold beverage and a game of billiards (not to mention the big screen tv's and leather couches if you want to catch some of espn's finest).

congratulations vern and melinda, and thank you for inviting me into the process.

CHARLIE NICOLE KEEN: BIRTH

upon entering the quaint residence on north mill street, something was a little bit different. coos and the smell of baby powder filled the room, and there she lay, soaking in the love and excitement.

twelve days after entering this world to join her family, charlie nicole keen was ready for her close-up.

HAWAII FIVE-OH

with to-do lists thrown by the wayside and schedules no longer applicable, my new bride and i relaxed in the quaint dining room of casa laguna and just smiled at one another. we did it. forever and a day is how we like to put it. all of the planning, all of the preparation, all of the late night drives back home, the tears, the busy times... all of that behind us, and now we were able to just sit, and soak in the moment a little bit more intentionally, a little bit slower.

it was the day after our wedding, and the day before we were to catch a plane to the big island of hawaii, when we, mr and mrs davis, got a call from our friend mark who had played guitar at our ceremony. along with my groomsmen, mark had helped pull some extra money together to bless me. for about a year i had been saving to buy my first digital slr, as a late-bloomer stuck on film. however, after engagement rings, car accidents, honeymoon deposits, unexpected loss, all things good, bad, and ugly, i still had not budgeted enough for my camera. so, when mark said, "we put together about 500 bucks for you... but you can't spend it on anything other than your camera," i felt like a kid who came home from school mid-spring to find that his parents had put up a christmas tree and loaded it with gifts just for him; ecstatically unexpected.

so mrs davis and i took the money i had saved, along with the 500 washington's, stepped straight into samys camera in santa ana, past the security guard, to the counter and found the first sales person in sight. "i need someone to sell me a camera," my cheeks sore from my grin.

so, thank you jeremiah, vern, jeff, cody, derek, trevor, and mark. you guys have blessed my life, and i hope that some how, my friendship can bless yours. the following ph0tos are some of the first taken with my new canon 30d, and the one lens i bought for the trip, canon's 50mm f/1.8. enjoy hawaii through the eye of my new five-oh.



here are a few that carlie snapped, at a mai-tai party, during the first part of our stay at the hilton waikoloa beach resort.


when we checked in at kona village the bellman drove us up to our hut, and explained how to use the coconut as our do-not-disturb sign.

Every night was a five-course meal, and to show you what a guy will do for love, i even tried this fruit dish. (i am sort-of odd in the fact that i love veggies and hate fruit)

one day i snuck away to put together a little surprise for my beautiful bride.

our view every night at dinner.

aloha.

7/14/19

daddy was decked from head to toe in those oh-so fashionable baby blue scrubs, complete with hair net... and he looked nervous. in the other room, ashley, his bride waited while the medication set in and the doctors prepared to deliver charlie nicole keen via c-section.

excitement mixed with nerves filled the room, as we all waited. and then, at 7:55 am on monday the 6th of august 2007, charlie came into this world with a full head of hair, and all ten toes (daddy made sure to count right away). at seven pounds, fourteen ounces, nineteen inches, she became our new angel.

happy birthday charlie, and congratulations ashley and cody!


she rarely opened her eyes to her bright new surroundings, but here was a special moment where charlie looked up to say "hi"

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

so if i am 275 days pregnant, and... wait... 9 months, minus a week...

resting on the patio, on a calm summer evening, she contemplated how close charlie nicole keen's conception occurred, in proximity to the passing of our baby sister, and angel, courtney nicole. the story almost seems shakespearian; tragic and exciting, passioniate and tearful. shortly into the 14th of november 2007, courtney nicole left this earth, at the age of 19, young and beautiful. she had fought her second battle with leukemia, when God chose to take His baby back home.

within weeks of court's passing, big-seester brought news that she was pregnant with her second child, one of the first of many miracles to be performed "by court" over the next few months. and, now it is upon us. tomorrow morning, at 7:30am, charlie nicole keen is scheduled to be delivered.

i was fortunate enough to be able to spend a few moments on the eve of the scheduled delivery, and snap a few frames of my pregnant baby sister, her husband (cody), and son (cash). here are some of my favorites...