Dr. J Photography

Competing in the Exposure 2011 Photo Contest from Artists Wanted!

2011-12-09T15:13:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone!

There's something I wanted you guys to know about... (drum roll, please!!)

I'm competing in the Exposure 2011 Photo Contest, from Artists Wanted, and my portfolio needs your votes for the People's Choice Award!!

To vote, please check this link and click the Vote button! There is a judging panel for this competition, but there's also a People's Choice Award, which always has a special meaning because it's an award that is directly influenced by your votes! Artists Wanted is something I've had an eye on for some time, and I figured that the fine art/ portraiture projects I've been working on over the years deserve to pass under the eyes of those with influence in the industry. That said, if you could spread the word around about this competition and help gather more votes for me, I'd truly appreciate it!

The two projects I am submitting to this competition are It's Rude To Make Faces, and also Nebulactations.

Fellow photogs, if this sounds like something you'd be interested in, I strongly encourage you to compete as well! You can find out more information about Exposure 2011 by clicking here.

Thanks for the support, guys! I really do appreciate it! :)

In Your Element: Episode 6 - Abel Castaneda

2011-12-05T19:53:00.001-08:00

This episode of In Your Element features someone with a career that was on my top 10 list of careers to photograph when I started the project. Abel Castaneda is a Firefighter/ EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), and was gracious enough to let me photograph & interview him at Rialto Fire Department, where he works.

I’ll be honest - a part of me was a little bit nervous going in… I was hoping that Abel wouldn’t get a call during the shoot or interview, and that I’d be able to stay out of everyone’s way if he did. I have a lot of respect for firefighters (especially after 9/11), so the last thing I wanted to do was hinder him from doing anything important while he was at work. Thankfully, however, it was a fairly quiet night at Rialto Fire Department, and the whole shoot went a lot smoother than I thought it would.

There’s something about being inside a fire station that’s really exciting, especially for me, since it was my first time. I suppose that for many, it’s like a little kid walking into the Bat Cave and having Batman explain what all the cool vehicles and gadgets are for. Sounds silly, I know, but the fact of the matter is that firefighters are real life heroes, more or less, so I was very eager to get inside Abel’s mind and find out what makes him & his colleagues tick.

Abel ended the interview saying that being able to help people was one of the more rewarding parts of his job. It seems to me that in order to be a firefighter, one of the most important aspects of the job is having a real heart for serving (and at times, literally saving the lives of) people. I could tell from the start of the shoot how service oriented he and his fellow firefighters were - everyone was very accommodating, helpful, always willing to explain things when I had questions… you’d probably be hard pressed to find a friendlier group of people who are easy to have a conversation with. During the shoot, Abel’s co-workers came out to see what was going on, and playfully teased him as the shoot went on. One of them, Ron, even helped with moving some of my lights around when I wanted a different setup. There’s a real camaraderie between everyone at the fire department, and it’s great to see everyone being so fun, in spite of the sometimes dangerous work they do.

God forbid you should ever find yourself in a situation where you’re in a serious emergency, and need to call 911. Just remember that if you do, people like Abel will be some of the first people on the scene to help you. Remember also that not everyone in the world is cut out to do what he does. Whether it’s your property, your car, the life of your pet or loved ones, or maybe even your own life - there’s a countless number of people in the world who still have what they have thanks to firefighters… and for that, they deserve the utmost respect.

If you're interested in being a part of In Your Element, check the casting call here!

Prostler/ Pilon/ Wilson Christmas Photo Shoot 2011

2011-11-28T21:54:00.001-08:00

Every so often, a photographer is blessed enough to have clients that can really bring out the best in him. These are people who you do shoots with, and if you’ve been in a creative rut, you’ll fall in love with photography all over again after looking at the images you created with them, because their energy is so infectious. Case in point? The Prostler family!

Alisha, Amanda, and Mickie are some of the most easygoing and fun-loving people you’ll ever meet. Alisha & Amanda’s husbands, Ryan and Sean, are the same way. It’s funny to me that I photographed Alisha’s wedding last year, and am now photographing her family… seeing as to how I don’t really consider myself to be a family portrait OR wedding photographer at all. To be honest, in my almost-8-years of doing photography, I can probably count the number of family portrait shoots I’ve done on just one hand. I’ve got several photographer friends whose specialties are family portraits & weddings, and their images are normally glowing with natural, ambient light. There’s a very dreamy effect that goes into their imagery, so for me, I wanted to go a slightly different route and use studio lighting on location, to give it a more commercial/ contemporary look.

In addition, I also wanted to vary up the poses so that everyone in the family wasn’t just standing there and smiling. The Prostlers/ Pilons/ Wilsons are a happy bunch of goofballs at heart, so I wanted to make sure their sense of humor came through during the shoot. Alisha and Mickie also have a big creative streak about them (Alisha is the Creative Arts Pastor at Flipside Church), so experimenting with props, poses, & setups were all things that they were very enthusiastic about.

For our first setup, we started out fairly simple & traditional - one chair in the middle of a forest clearing for either the dogs or one family member to sit on, with everyone else surrounding it.

For the 2^nd setup, Alisha & Ryan found an abandoned (we think) Volkswagen van with a No Trespassing sign stuck on the window, so of course we had to incorporate that into the shoot somehow! We started out by tying up the kids in Christmas lights, and making it seem as if Mickie was lassoing them in…

“Trespass on my property, will ya? I don’t take kindly ta strangers ‘round these parts, ya heard?!”

Amanda and Sean deserve the "You've Got Balls" trophy for getting inside the van (it was filthy inside!) and posing out the back window with the No Trespassing sign. Also, they were the only ones who ended up wearing the Santa hat/ goggles I brought as props.

Speaking of Amanda, I have to say she was a really great sport throughout the whole shoot. What with her being five months pregnant, I was wondering if she would’ve gotten moody or tired as the shoot went on, but she had a wonderful attitude the whole time, and had absolutely no trouble being sassy in front of the camera along with everyone else.

After the van photos, we found a log nearby where the family could sit down. The small trees behind it made for a nice background, and they were just short enough for the afternoon sun to keep above it and provide a nice backlight/ hair light.

We spent the last part of the shoot on the lower level of Ryan and Alisha’s house. It’s a game room with a pool table in the middle, and framed Lakers jerseys on the walls. I’ve always said to myself that if I ever did a family shoot, I wanted to do a shot of them where they all looked tough and gangster-ish. If you think about that one iconic shot of The Sopranos, that’s more or less what I was going for, and Lish & Ry’s game room was a great place to bring it to life!

The three overhead lights over the pool table were adjusted to shine on the family members, while I had a flash with colored gels lighting up the background. Since gold and purple are Laker colors, I used a purple gel to light the wall behind the family. We already had gold in the shot with Ryan, Sean, & Amanda’s sports jerseys. This is one of the reasons why I love Alisha’s family. While the “Sopranos” shot we did isn’t a technically “perfect” shot, the fact that they’re open to doing photos like this for a Christmas family shoot is really great, since I haven't seen it done with other shoots in this type of photography.

A couple of big lessons I learned during this shoot…

1. A 45 inch white umbrella lights things up beautifully when doing shoots on location. A light modifier like that is your friend especially when you’re trying to light a group.

2. I really do need to get serious about bringing sandbags or weights with me on photo shoots. When you stick an umbrella on a light stand, even the slightest breeze will turn it into a sail and send your lights toppling to the ground. Thankfully, the leaves on the ground made for a soft landing. Whew!

3. Family portrait shoots can get complicated sometimes… when you’re posing multiple people, you need to scan each shot to make sure that everyone’s facial expression looks good. You might have what you think is a great shot at first, but if it turns out that somebody is blinking in one shot, and you can’t replace their facial expression with one from another shot, you’re screwed and can’t use that image.

4. However, in spite of that, at least your lighting setups don’t always need to be complicated. For a majority of this shoot, our main setup was simply one umbrella, 45 degrees above the model, either camera left or right, with the sun as an occasional backlight. Once you’ve found a lighting/ camera setting that turns out a great result, stick with it and milk it for all it’s worth until the shoot calls for a different setup. You can then devote your time to having your models switch up their posing/ positioning. Also, you don't want to be constantly switching up your lighting setups when you need to try and get a few good shots of a couple of cute dogs that have trouble sitting still. Mav and Tri are worth it though - they both photograph really, really well :) But then, most pets are like that if you happen to catch the right moment with them.

5. Just keep shooting! Don’t let the shot you had in mind blind you from the potentially better shot that could be unfolding right in front of you. With Alisha’s family, this is especially true. You can try to pose them in a certain way, and all of a sudden someone (i.e Amanda) starts getting her Zoolander on, causing the whole family to crack up. The smiles and laughter you get from shots like this are a billion times more honest & heartwarming than they would have been if you had tried to orchestrate it.

6. Going back to my one big rule in photography - all rules are breakable at one point or another. While I’m a big fan of getting candid moments with people, when you’re shooting a family like Alisha’s, it’s also ok to give the models specific directions, like having Alisha put a basketball under her shirt to make her look pregnant along with Amanda. Sometimes you just have to do something so astronomically silly for it to loop around to being completely hilarious. And by hilarious, I’m not just talking about how you can easily see the texture of the basketball underneath Alisha’s shirt - I’m talking about Ryan’s reaction to the whole thing. I may have posed everyone else for this shot, but trust me, I did not do the same for Ryan, and his “Oh God, I can’t believe this…” look is priceless.

Shutter therapy 11/17/11

2011-11-22T19:31:00.001-08:00

Somehow, in the midst of keeping in touch with clients, searching for editorial gigs, laundry, creating new marketing materials… the one thing that seems to fall further and further down in my to-do list is creating new images purely for pleasure. In fact, I have a confession: November is almost over, and I haven’t done any major photo shoots at all, because I’ve been busy doing, well, everything else. As a photographer, the feeling I get from this is similar to that sickening sensation that comes with eating three times your weight during Thanksgiving. (ZING! I got a timely Thanksgiving reference in!! Ok, now that that’s over with…)

So, in an attempt to appease my itchy shutter finger, I took to the streets in LA & Grand Central Market. All photos here were taken with the Olympus E-PL1 + Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, and the Olympus E-5 + Olympus 150mm f/2.

Shooting inside the Grand Central Market & Downtown LA reminded me why I love Olympus cameras. I know, I know - it’s the skill of the photographer that matters, not the brand of camera s/he uses. Trust me, I get that. It’s just a little exasperating when people see your work and go “Oh, nice! Do you shoot Canon or Nikon?” as if those are the only two brands on the market that produce good cameras. Aside from the current financial scandal that the company is currently in, Olympus gets a lot of flack from tech geeks about things like its limited high-ISO capabilities & “low” megapixel count… as if no great images were created during the days when ISO 400 was considered high, and 8 megapixels were more than enough. It’s like when Lady Gaga swallowed a crucifix and everyone called it controversial. Did everybody just forget about a little video called Like A Prayer, when Madonna danced around burning crosses and made out with Jesus?

Allow me to give you a short list of why I stick with Oly:

1. Lenses that are tack sharp, even when used wide open. Use the Olympus 50mm f/2 or the 150mm f/2, and tell me how many other lenses out there can give you such great results.

2. Oly feels like a pioneer to me - one of the first companies to implement live view, body based IS, articulating screens… they introduced new formats such as 4/3 and m4/3’s - and note how Sony, Panasonic, and now even Nikon have followed suit, fitting great image quality into smaller packages. There’s no denying the fun factor that comes with using a PEN!

3. Oh yeah, and there’s that wonderful Olympus color that makes it so the amount of post processing I need to do with my images is minimal to none:

All other brands do have their advantages & disadvantages, of course. I’ve seen low-light shots with the Nikon D3s that I’m fairly sure I couldn’t pull off with the E-5, but it doesn’t mean that I suddenly drop everything and switch systems. It’s not so much about finding the camera that can do seemingly anything & everything. As a photographer, you need to know what you like to shoot, and find the camera the fits those specific needs well. If you don’t plan on making prints that cover the whole side of a skyscraper, and the image is an ambient-light midnight shot of a black cat rolling around in charcoal powder, then perhaps there isn’t much of a point of obsessing over a 24 megapixel camera whose highest ISO setting is 25,600. Let’s not take it for granted that better photographers than us created masterpieces solely with manual focus lenses and FILM. Crazy, right?

All you really need is the insatiable desire to create images you love. As long as you have that, you'll find a way to make good images regardless of whatever camera lands in your hands.

Hope & Freedom Boutique, 10/22/11

2011-10-26T10:40:00.001-07:00

Before heading off to the Tomato Battle in Pomona that same day, I also decided to drop by an event for which I had received an invitation from Kevin Potter, one of my friends at New City Church. New City Church of LA has recently opened up their Grow & Serve Groups, and I decided to join their Anti Human Trafficking group, which is dedicated to combating forced prostitution & labor (i.e modern day slavery) in Los Angeles. It was there that I met Kevin, who works with Oasis, an organization dedicated to creating slavery-free communities around the world.

To find out that modern day slavery even exists in America was shocking, to say the least. However, the hard truth of the matter is that slavery is big business, and there are people - even in the United States - who will do horrible things to others for the sake of getting rich, including forced/ unpaid prostitution and labor. While there are modern day slaves who are born in the U.S, many are trafficked here from other countries, and in many cases, those countries suffer from poverty, overpopulation, or both. Oftentimes, they will be lured by a trafficker who offers them a better life where they can earn enough money to support themselves and their families… but instead are trafficked out of their country and sold into slavery, where the often degrading work they do never results in them receiving any proper compensation whatsoever. Those sold into slavery are often beaten, raped, and subjected to such extreme physical/ mental abuse that they are often too scared to escape their situation and seek help. If they are trafficked out of their own country, chances are they might not know the language of the country they were brought into, thus making the chances of escaping that much harder. In addition, reporting to the authorities can often result in them getting arrested, as they were brought into the country illegally (nevermind that it was through no fault of their own).

Thankfully, however, more people around the world are opening their eyes to this issue and doing something about it. One of the things being done is raising awareness on various products that were made through slave labor, and offering consumers the chance to buy products that are slave free. In addition, others are supporting organizations that offer employment to women specifically to keep them from sinking back into sex slavery. Doing something as simple as buying the products these women make, provides them with income they (or more likely, their pimp) would have otherwise received by being forced to sell their bodies.

Michelle Bodwell of Pasadena, CA, was one woman who picked up on this notion, and held a special two day event called the Hope & Freedom Boutique, in which she opened up her home as a boutique that sold products from these organizations. The event was a wonderful opportunity, not just for people to shop for slave-free jewelry and accessories, but also to raise awareness to all those attending about the severity of modern day slavery. Kevin was there to give a short presentation about the finer details of the issue, and the things we were made aware of made everyone’s participation in the event that much more meaningful.

The four featured organizations whose products were being sold at Michelle’s house were:

Imani, International Princess Project, Noonday Collections, and Sari Bari

There’s something wonderful about being able to buy something with a clear conscience, knowing that you are somehow keeping somebody else in the world out of poverty, knowing that s/he is being paid fairly for the work that went into what you bought, and that your money gives him/ her a living that keeps him/ her from being desperate enough to try to earn more through prostitution.

Of course, fashion is just one sector of the economy that is affected by slavery. This also extends into things such as food and technology. For example, large chocolate companies such as Hershey’s and Nestle allegedly get their chocolate from cocoa plantations that run on slave/ child labor. Western Digital (WD), has also been accused of the same in regards to its products such as external hard drives.

As consumers, there's probably no one out there who hasn't been guilty of inadvertently buying products made through slave labor at least once. Thankfully, however, there are people & organizations that do care about where the parts/ ingredients of their products come from, and how they are made. The ones featured at Michelle Bodwell’s Hope & Freedom Boutique are only four of several. As someone who was unaware of the problem of modern day slavery until very recently, this is still something I’m doing research on with my church group, so the information I have at the moment feels very limited. Nonetheless, as a photographer who has a big problem with the fact that slavery still exists, I also feel the need to do my part, raise awareness, and hopefully be a catalyst that inspires others to do their part and take action as well.

Along with the CNN Freedom Project, there are a ton of other resources you can access to learn more about the issue of modern day slavery. Below is a list of websites, books, films, and shops that Michelle recommended at the event:

FILMS

BOOKS

Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Day Slavery

Terrify No More

Disposable People

The Slave Across The Street

Half the Sky (I'm currently reading this one. It's an awesome book that gets my whole-hearted recommendation!)

WEBSITES

Oasis USA

Not For Sale

International Justice Mission

Women At Risk International

Amnesty International

Coalition to Abolish Slavery

Polaris Project

Human Trafficking

Shared Hope International

Zion Project

Project Rescue

Coalition Against Trafficking in Women

SHOP

International Princess Project

If I may quote something from the first Tomb Raider film (Angelina Jolie was awesome in that movie!):

Bryce: So, to save the universe again, is it?

Lara Croft: Absolutely.

SoCal Tomato Battle! 10/22/11

2011-10-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Life as a freelance photographer can get a little tedious sometimes. I don’t know if it’s true that a lot of people are under the impression that it’s a glamourous life in which you spend 90% of your time shooting awesome assignments… but I assure you, it’s not that way at all. The “shooting awesome assignments” is more like 30%, and the rest consists of looking for work (assuming an agent isn’t already doing this for you), planning/ sketching out new projects, editing photos, uploading photos, bookkeeping, blogging (ahem)… and in the midst of all that you’re supposed to have a life as well – chores, nurturing your relationship with friends & family, recreation… we may not have a typical 9-5 job, but trust me, the 70% of time that we don’t spend shooting is definitely not time we spend sitting around being lazy!

That said, I’ve really needed to blow off some steam in the past couple of weeks, so receiving an email from Amazon Local about a Tomato Battle in Pomona couldn’t have come at a better time! I had heard about a similar kind of festival in Spain, and after seeing photos from it, it was something I was really eager to be a part of if it ever came to the States.

The SoCal Tomato Battle took place at the Pomona Fairgrounds, which is just off of the 57 Freeway in Pomona, CA. The place was a lot less crowded than I thought it would be when I arrived, but I figured “Hey, all the more tomatoes for the rest of us to throw!”. The tomatoes that were to be thrown during the event were fenced off in a separate section until 4:30PM, so in the meantime, I got to have lunch with the other people who were waiting and check out their costumes!

When it comes to something as fun and as frivolous as throwing tomatoes at others for no serious reason, you’re bound to run into people who are really cheerful and easygoing… and of course, people like that will jump at an opportunity to dress up!

I believe it was Ms. Human Tomato who ultimately won the costume contest…

But some of the big highlights for me were the people who were dressing up specifically to make themselves as human targets when the battle started. The guy on the left said I get 25 pts for each one I hit!

And of course, another highlight was Mr. 1%... what with the whole Occupy Wall Street fiasco, you can bet his costume got a whole lot of cheers from everyone else at the battle, who all were more than eager to give him what he was so desperately asking for!

Right before 4:30PM, we were allowed inside the area where the tomatoes had been fenced off. Standing around the massive pile of tomatoes, one might think that this is a massive waste of food. However, according to Tomato Battle’s website, these tomatoes are past ripe, which means they would be thrown away anyway.

Looking at them up close, you can see why.

I noticed that a lot of people were wearing goggles and masks... I knew I was going to get messy, but when 4:30PM finally hit and the first tomato got thrown, there were a multitude of lessons I learned in the following hour and a half…

Lesson 1: it doesn’t matter that these tomatoes are past ripe, soft, and rather easy to squash – throw it hard enough and it still HURTS (in the most enjoyable way, of course).

Lesson 2: A girl wearing a bikini to this event will not inspire sympathy from anyone – if anything, she becomes more of a target :)

Lesson 3: Tomato juice in your eye actually stings, so I will seriously consider bringing a good set of goggles next time. Also, Olympus cameras may have a reputation for being tough – indeed, the E-5 & 12-60mm lens are advertised as being weatherproof/ splashproof… but if a tomato hits the front end of your lens, your picture will still look like this:

Wiping the tomato juice off my lens was difficult too, since all I had was my shirt to wipe it, and that was already dripping with tomato juice as well.

Lesson 4: Just because a camera company advertises their cameras as being sealed against moisture doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still take serious precautions when it comes to things like this. Other photographers were keeping a little distance between themselves and the battle itself, and had their cameras taped up/ wrapped in plastic, while I was right in the middle of the fray. Not only that, I think I might have overestimated Olympus' claims of moisture sealing with their HG lenses, as I had not wrapped my camera in anything while shooting. The E-5 itself was all right, but quite a bit of water (or tomato juice?) got inside the lens. The downside is that my lens is currently undergoing repairs for the beating it took… the upside is that I was able to get some nice wide angle shots of the middle of the battlefield before the tomatoes messed it up.

Lesson 5: As fun as it is to have a camera in one hand and a tomato in the other, throwing fruit and shooting photos at the same time isn’t the best idea – your attention is divided, and divided attention can keep you from doing either of the things you’re trying to do to the best of your ability. The plan next time? Bring a telephoto lens so I can photograph the action from the distance, and focus solely on that… unless of course I get the urge to get in on the fray for a little while, in which case I’ll put my camera away safely before unleashing my tomato wrath on everyone else!

Lesson 6: All the previous lessons learned today were worth all the fun. It was like being on the last episode of the 2^nd season of Community, except it was food instead of paintball. It was a great event, I met some wonderful people, I got some awesome images, and the whole ordeal left me in desperate need of a shower. Not every photographer can say that their adventures in SoCal, yeah? :)

More info on Tomato Battle's website!

Check Dr. J Photography for even more pics!

In Your Element: Episode 5 - Ray Rodriguez

2011-10-20T00:48:00.000-07:00

On this episode of In Your Element, I interviewed Ray Rodriguez, who is a music instructor at Flipside Church in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

While I have attended Flipside Church for a number of years, and have seen him play pretty often, the two of us never got a chance to really sit down and talk in person. It’s strange that it took so long for it to finally happen, seeing as to how Ray and I are on the same page about a lot of different issues, have almost the same sense of humor, and he’s just a really easy person to talk to in general.

The photo shoot itself was pretty easy… when it comes to musicians, I like to keep my hands off as far as posing is concerned, at least for the most part. When they start jamming, I normally refrain from giving them too many instructions, and instead change my angle/ camera settings/ lighting setup as they play. There’s a sort of natural artistic space & rhythm that they get into when doing what they do best, and the last thing you want to do is break it by making them do something that’s not natural to them, especially when you’re aiming to get some good candid shots.

A bit of advice to all photographers – charge your batteries and carry backups for your equipment before doing any sort of project or gig! It’ll save your life! Case in point? When Ray and I started the video interview, we didn’t get more than a few questions in until I realized that my camera battery was dying. I did have a spare, but when I put that in, it was also low on power, which meant I must have forgotten to charge that one as well. Thank God that along with my Olympus E-5, I had brought my E-PL1 as well, and once both batteries on my E-5 had died, we were able to continue the interview with the E-PL1.

You can check out the full interview below:

I really appreciate the fact that Ray is who he is. The fact that he’s taking on the challenge of being a teacher, that he’s willing to familiarize himself with Justin Bieber songs in order to make some students more enthusiastic about learning music, that he’s willing to delve into genres he’s not so familiar with (i.e Country Western) AND also stretch Flipside’s creative horizons by incorporating even Reggae and Hip-Hop into their worship songs… all these are things that make me really admire the guy. And yes, I know some of the things I just mentioned are things that didn’t get brought up during the interview – Ray and I must have talked for at least a whole hour or two, before we even got started on the photo shoot/ interview. If any of you are interested in hearing what he’s got up his sleeve for Flipside, or if you’re eager to learn an instrument under his instruction, I wholeheartedly recommend you visit Flipside and get in touch with him!

To learn more about Flipside Music Academy, visit their website here.

If you're interested in being a part of In Your Element, check the casting call here!

The Goings on Around Town – AIDS Walk LA, 10/16/2011

2011-10-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

Even though I had found out about it last minute, I did still want to stop by the AIDS Walk in West Hollywood for at least a little bit, and man, I’m glad I did!

Coming from an outsider’s perspective (as I have been blessed enough to not have lost any loved ones to AIDS), this was an event that was nonetheless uplifting and touching for me to experience. I was fairly surprised to see so many young people participating in the crowd too. Some people tend to look at AIDS as if it were something that was more of an issue in the 80’s/ 90’s than it is now. I’m glad, however, that there are so many people who are my age (and younger) that don’t feel this way, and that alone made me happy to walk with them.

Along with mistakenly thinking that AIDS is a disease of a previous generation, one might also assume that HIV/ AIDS is something that mainly concerns gay people (the opening ceremony did take place in West Hollywood, after all). I think of it more this way – growing up, it would seem as if the gay community was definitely one of biggest victims of the disease, but it can’t be ignored that the disease is not something exclusive to homosexuals – it crosses racial & gender lines, and social status as well. Sharing needles (whether its for drugs or blood transfusions) or having unprotected sex with someone who is infected will put you at risk, no matter what your skin color is, or how much money you have in your bank account.

Not to turn this into a PSA, but to anyone who is sexually active, whether gay or straight – if abstinence isn’t the way for you, PLEASE use protection if you’re going to be sexually active, or at least know your HIV status, so you and your partner will know if it’s safe to not use precautionary measures. There are clinics where you can get tested for free, but it’s always better to simply be responsible with your body and not put yourself or someone else in danger. Several minutes of sexual gratification is never worth getting infected (or infecting someone else) with a disease for which there is no cure, especially when it can all be avoided in the few seconds it takes put on a condom. HIV/ AIDS may not be God’s punishment on homosexuality (not by a long shot), but it certainly is one of the unfortunate results of ignorance and reckless promiscuity, which is something anyone can be guilty of, regardless of sexual orientation. Even in this day and age, there’s still something to be said for abstinence or monogamy... just sayin'.

The picture below was one of the most important photos I took during the event:

There’s something very tragic about dying an early death that could have easily been avoided, leaving friends and family with just memories and a photo on a shirt to remember someone by. Don’t let that be you.

Get the point? Good, now for some quick little highlights!

Dot-Marie Jones (aka Coach Beiste from Glee), made an appearance alongside Jai Rodriguez during the opening ceremony!

She also volunteered to auction the shirt off her back if someone would make a donation, and Drew Carey was all too happy to oblige!

Jennifer Lewis (aka Mama Odie from The Princess and the Frog) also gave a special performance of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” after remembering the friends she had lost to HIV/ AIDS.

West Hollywood can be described in many words, but “boring” will probably never be one of them. When there’s a parade going through here, expect to see some very colorful and vibrant people, out and about on the street!

The crowd that turned out that day was immense – Santa Monica Boulevard was packed with people, and as they made their way down La Cienega, police and volunteers had to make sure they stayed on one side of the road, following the route of the walk-a-thon.

Overall, a wonderful day to remember the people who had fallen to HIV/ AIDS, and to inspire the rest of us to show more compassion towards each other (and discernment when it comes to our own selves)!

For more photos & videos from AIDS Walk LA, please check their website,
and even more at Dr. J Photography!

In Your Element: Episode 4 - Catherine Chuang

2011-10-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hello again, guys!

For this episode of In Your Element, I got in touch with my friend Catherine Chuang, who is an intern/ web designer for the SCA Project Gallery in the Downtown Pomona Art Colony.

This particular episode felt a little different for the project in the sense that an internship isn’t quite the same thing as a full-on career – it’s more of a transitional thing – but Catherine is passionate about it all the same, and that’s what counts.

Check the video interview below:

Being a former art/ design student, I was curious as to how art galleries operated and handled their exhibitions, as well as the perks that came with working for one. Underneath the work that she does for SCA, Catherine is driven, inspired, and determined to see to it that people notice how wide the influence of Fine Art is. Always a noble calling, if I do say so myself!

Thanks again, Catherine!

Check here for more info on the SCA Project Gallery!

If you're interested in being a part of In Your Element, check the casting call here!

In Your Element: Episode 3 - Danisha Mayfield

2011-10-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

And the In Your Element project continues…

For this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing a friend from church, Danisha Mayfield. Truly, this woman is a born entertainer – she acts, sings, dances, and has a beautiful voice & personality… and while her talent is undeniable, I’m glad that she’s also not afraid to be a complete goofball. It made the photo shoot and interview that much easier to conduct.

During our shoot, I knew I didn’t want to pose her too excessively. I simply sat her down in a field, asked her to sing from her heart, and shot away. I didn’t get my lights until the sun went down, and once it did, we got a few more images and continued on home to conduct the interview.

On the way back, I asked Danisha about the songs she was singing during the photo shoot. It turns out they were all improvised! I was amazed… as a photographer/ journalist, having to come up with new ideas on the spot is something I’m familiar with, but it always intrigued me as far as music was concerned. Whether it’s acoustic, hip-hop, jazz, etc… the ability to create a song on the spot is something that demands some serious skill. With visual artists, we (usually) at least have the luxury of erasing or drawing/ painting over our mistakes so our viewers only see the final result. With musicians, there’s no erasing a flubbed line or chord once it passes through your audience’s ears!

Check out the full video interview below:

Thanks again for doing the interview, Danisha! I’ve heard you sing your butt off at Flipside, and I knew that in order to be able to sing as well as you do, it requires a strong spirit that’s endured much… and that definitely shows in the passion that your talent is wrapped in.

If you're interested in hearing more of Danisha's music, check out her page on Facebook!

If you're interested in being a part of In Your Element, check the casting call here!

Casting Call Reminder: Open spots available for In Your Element

2011-09-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

This is just a reminder in case you don't happen to have Facebook. When I began the In Your Element project, I posted the original casting call via Facebook (along with Twitter, it seems like one of the easiest ways to spread news nowadays, no?)... but since the results of the project are now being showcased on my blog, it feels fitting that I would re-post the casting call here as well.

In Your Element has already started taking off - you can view Episode 1 and Episode 2 here. Two more people have already reserved spots for the project, so if you're interested in being a part of it, here's what you need to know:

Project Title

IN YOUR ELEMENT! Real People w/ Real Careers Who Love What They Do

Areas

Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County

Duration

Sept 2011 – Early 2012(?)

How to participate:

1. Check this video link:

2. Choose from the following careers listed below, as well as the requirements listed. If one fits you, be sure to let me know in the Comments section so I can secure a spot in the project for you.

**If you want to participate but don’t see your career listed here, please let me know, again, in the Comments section so I can add you to the list and expand the project!**

3. Email me at drj.photog@gmail.com so we can set up a short email on in-person interview, as well as schedule a photo shoot date!

4. After your shoot is done, you should receive your gift card about two weeks after the shoot date. Easy, right?

5. Be sure to spread the word around to anyone else you know who might be interested!

Below is the Career/ Requirement List w/ open spots! Check and see if your career/ job is listed here pick your spot to be secured for the project!

ARTS/ MUSIC

OPEN: Artist (Access to a studio/ unfinished paintings/ art supplies)

OPEN: Actor (Must have access to multiple wardrobes/ Access to a theatre w/ curtains is a big plus!)

COMPLETED (Danisha M.): Musician (Must have your instruments. Shoot location can be done in various places, but preferably somewhere that has a stage)

OPEN: Dancer/ Dance Instructor (Access to a dance studio/ dance floor)

OPEN: Balloon Artist (Inflated balloons)

OPEN: Face Painter (Face paints - be ready to paint on your own face, though!)

OPEN: Tattoo/ Piecing Artist (Must have tattoos/ piercings + access to a piercing/ tattoo parlor)

SPORTS

OPEN: Baseball (Attire/ Equipment/ Access to a baseball field)

OPEN: Basketball (Attire/ Ball/ Access to an indoor or outdoor basketball court)

OPEN: Fitness Instructor/ Bodybuilder (Attire/ Weights/ Access to a gym)

OPEN: Swimmer/ Swim Instructor (Attire/ Access to an indoor or outdoor pool)

OPEN: Boxing/ Mixed Martial Arts (Attire/ Equipment/ Access to a gym or ring)

OPEN: Martial Arts Instructor (Attire/ Access to a dojo/ gym?)

OPEN: Tennis (Attire/ Equipment/ Access to a tennis court)

OPEN: Runner (Attire/ Access to a track field)

OPEN: Football (Attire/ equipment/ Access to a football field)

CIVIL SERVICES

OPEN: Police Officer (Uniform/ Car/ Access to a police station)

COMPLETED (Abel C.): Firefighter (Uniform/ Firetruck/ Access to a fire station)

OPEN: Mailman (Uniform/ Access to a mail truck)

OPEN: Taxi driver (Access to a taxi)

OPEN: Construction worker (Attire/ equipment/ access to a construction site?)

OPEN: School bus driver (Access to a school bus)

CEOs/ MANAGERS/ WORKERS

RESERVED (Andre K.): Design Company (Access to a design studtio & any completed products)

OPEN: Office Supply Store

OPEN: Home Improvement

OPEN: Apparel/ Clothing Store

OPEN: Mexican Restaurant

OPEN: Japanese Restaurant

OPEN: Indian Restaurant

OPEN: American Diner/ Deli

OPEN: Grocery/ Farmer’s Market

OPEN: Party Supply Store

OPEN: Florist

OPEN: Hotel manager/ receptionist

RELIGIOUS

OPEN: Priest/ Reverend/ Bishop/ etc (Attire/ Access to a Church)

OPEN: Rabbi (Attire/ Access to a synagogue)

OPEN: Buddhist Monk (Attire/ Access to a temple)

OPEN: Hare Krishna (Attire/ Access to a temple)

OPEN: Imam (Attire/ Access to a mosque)

TEACHERS/ INSTRUCTORS/ EDUCATION

COMPLETED (Ann P.): Fine Art (Access to an art studio)

COMPLETED (Madlena G.): Preschool/ Kindergarten (Access to a preschool/ kindergarten classroom)

OPEN: American Sign Language Interpreter (Must know ASL)

OPEN: Science (Access to a lab)

COMPLETED (Ray R.): Music (Access to instruments/ recording studio)

OPEN: Math/ Social Studies/ English (Access to a library or standard classroom)

OPEN: Photographer (Access to a photo studio)

OTHER

RESERVED (Ivan B.): Sail Designer for Raching Yachts (Access to a racing yacht)

OPEN: Veterinary Technician (Attire/ Equipment/ Animal Patients (?)/ Access to an Animal Care Center (?))

OPEN: Cleaning Services (Cleaning Supplies/ Access to a house or location that must be cleaned?)

OPEN: Janitor/ Custodian (Attire/ Cleaning supplies/ Access to a janitor closet & location that needs to be cleaned)

OPEN: Mechanic (Attire/ Equipment/ Access to a garage)

OPEN: Librarian/ Scholar/ Bookstore owner (Access to a library)

OPEN: Chef/ Cook (Chef attire/ Cooking supplies/ Access to a restaurant kitchen)

OPEN: Haircutter/ Stylist (Equipment/ Access to a salon)

This particular blog post will be updated periodically as more spots fill up, so reserve your spot soon!

In Your Element: Episode 2 - Madlena G.

2011-09-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

I’m really grateful for the support I have gotten so far for the In Your Element project. The interview/ photos with Ann Phong have been very well received, and the series is slowly (but surely) gaining momentum!

For this next episode, my friend Chrissy had referred me to her friend Madlena, who was a preschool teacher in Alhambra. We photographed her at a playground, which is near the school where she teaches.

Were I photographing a grade school/ high school teacher, it would have been more fitting to photograph her in a classroom, but with preschool students being as young as they are, a playground seemed appropriate. However, while talking with Madlena during our shoot, I soon realized that while she was teaching kids who had barely grown out of toddlerhood, their learning material was anything but child’s play!

Read the full interview below:

What made you decide to want to become a preschool teacher?
As a young girl, I always had a natural fascination towards children. It was just that simple fascination that gravitated me towards the child development field. I didn't fight it, never have. I just let it guide me towards happiness. Nothing interested me as much as [children] in an educational setting. After doing playschool, daycare and other various types of programs for a couple of years, it was during my college years that I decided to become a preschool teacher. It was a perfect fit.
What are some of the basic things you teach your students?
First and foremost, in the Montessori way, the children are taught social graces and courtesies, such as manners and etiquette in & around the classroom, respect for the classroom, teachers, peers and also themselves. That aside, we cover a variety of academic curriculum. In my specific classroom - which is just three year olds - we [mostly] prepare them for writing. I give them a lot of manipulatives to get their fine motor skills going, so it is easier on them in the future to work with a pencil. Some will be ready, so tracing and writing will begin. By the end of the school year, my expectations include reading three letter work, simple addition, and knowing how to write. Those are the main ones. They will also know their continents, Spanish words, etc.

What is your least favorite/ favorite part of the day with your students?
My least favorite activity during the day is naptime. It is just too quiet; it irks me. Something about the silence of the classroom is unsettling for me. A classroom should be busy, rustling with noises from paperwork and laughter. But of course, the children need their nap. [Plus] I get to relax and check their work from the morning.

My favorite part of the day is the hour and half [in which] we, the teachers, get to assist the children with their studies. Since I teach in a Montessori influenced preschool, one of the philosophies is not to "teach" the child, instead... we guide, facilitate or direct. In a true Montessori preschool (ours is a hybrid) there are no teachers; they are called "directresses". During these 1.5 hours, the children work on an individual, self paced basis, while we look over them. They do anything from addition, multiplication, to reading and writing. 5 year olds multiplying and doing fractions? Almost unbelievable, but the beauty in all this is that we are not the typical classroom where the teacher teaches ONE thing to a classroom full of children who are clearly not on one level. I thoroughly enjoy watching each and every one of my students flourish on their own levels and at their own time.

Can you give a little more information on the Montessori philosophy - its history/ origins/ vision?
The Montessori philosophy is unique that it treats the child as an individual in the classroom - a capable, self sufficient, absorbent student. Its origins stem from Italy during the late 1800's. Maria Montessori, the first female physician in Italy was the one who developed this method of teaching. It caught on over the years and this type of preschool program can be found all over the world in modern day.
(Learn more about the Montessori Method here)
What is the most important thing you want your students to learn?
The most important thing i want my students to learn - and this goes hand in hand with the Montessori philosophy - is for my children to become independent self-learners in the classroom and beyond. We make an effort to teach them to teach themselves. Problem solving does not only include the math equation on their paper, it goes onward. That, to me, is most important.
What’s the one thing you’ve taught your students that you wish you had learned when you were their age?

How to deal with one another. Growing up, elementary school was brutal, especially since I didn’t go to preschool, myself!

I wish I could have had a teacher tell me that it would be okay if someone makes fun of me. I wish a teacher could have been there to tell the other child to calm down and use their words, and [that] hands are not for hitting! The socialization aspect of preschool is crucial. We always make sure the children know how to solve a conflict when it arises. With their peers, this sort of practice is important to learn early on, since they have years and years of schooling to do.

On a more personal note, has being a positive influences on your students affected the way you feel about becoming (or not becoming) a parent?

I know some teachers who just refuse to have children of their own, because they refer to their students as their children. By the time they get home, [they] are so burnt out, the thought of a child of their own is just too much. From a very young age, I knew I'd become a mother someday, and that still remains. Teaching hasn’t changed my mind. I just know now [that] I'll be a slightly more educated mother, and with that I can rest assured!

Can you recall an experience teaching a particular student that was especially memorable to you, as well as describe what it was like and why it was memorable?

For many months I was trying to get one particular child to settle down in the classroom. She was a bright bubbly three year old, and it was very obvious to my coworker and I that she had a lot of potential, as far as academics was concerned. The thing was, that she was just everywhere! [She] couldn't stand still, couldn’t sit still, and interrupted us every chance she got. We were starting to get worried, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, so I set out a plan for her. I proposed that we set aside a special amount of time during the day (of course it takes away from the other children's time, but this was crucial) and work with her one on one. I did activities with her, work on her attention span, her fidgetiness, etc. Seemed like no progress was being made, until slowly we observed her finally realizing what her role was, in and around the classroom. Now that was rewarding! She became a little helper when around us, stopped all her disruptive behavior, and even started giving other children directions on what is right and what is wrong.

Any other memorable experiences in your career so far?

Of the four years I've been working as a preschool teacher for three year olds, I can not decide on one specific memorable moment during when I've taught. Highlights include when students that have graduated from our program who come back just to visit. Although they are five or six when they graduate, it is evident that we do make the impact we hope for. The hugs, notes, pictures, drawings are all worth it. I keep each and every one.

Thanks again for being a part of the project, Madlena! The shoot was fun, and learning about the Montessori Method was fascinating. I’m sure it will pay off greatly for the students who were lucky enough to learn it under your guidance!

If you're interested in being a part of In Your Element, check the casting call here!

NEW BLOG SITE + In Your Element: Episode 1 - Ann Phong

2011-09-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I've decided to create a blog, since having a Facebook page doesn't quite feel like the ideal way to keep you guys updated on my shoots & activities. You can only say so much when you're limited to several hundred characters per status update, you know?

To be honest, I think I might still be in the process of finding myself, as a photographer - starting out, I think people saw me going down the Wedding photography route, and while I have tremendous respect for the genre, it's not really me. Granted, I still do weddings when asked, and gladly, at that... but this blog is dedicated to the photo projects & endeavors that I'm most passionate about.

I had always envisioned myself, not alongside the likes of David Jay and Jerry Ghionis, but traveling the world as a news/ editorial/ documentary photographer, going to interesting places, meeting amazing people, and giving a chance to tell their story to the world. Things like the last presidential election in Iran, the revolution(s) in the Middle East, the disastrous tsunami in Japan and the beautiful outpouring of love that followed from the rest of the world... what wouldn't I have given to be able to let others see those things through my own eyes?

Having such high ambitions, however, did not blind me to the fact that there are a multitude of interesting things to do, places to go, and people to meet in my own community... and I figured that, before I hop on a plane and leave to photograph the rest of the world, let me start with Southern California and see what I find here first. That's how my newest project, entitled In Your Element, was born.

What I'm doing here is setting out to find people who are passionate about what they do in their career, and have an interesting story to tell about it. The first person who volunteered for the project was my former art professor at Cal Poly Pomona: Ann Phong

This woman was the one person that all art students at Cal Poly Pomona had to study under first, as she was the one who taught the classes that would serve as the foundation for the rest of our education at Cal Poly: Introduction to Drawing, and Introduction to Design. And let me tell you something - looking back, I don't think I would have wanted anyone else to teach me the fundamentals of art and design. She felt more like a mother to us than a teacher - classes were never boring, her passion for art was infectious, as well as her sense of humor... and in spite of the high standards she had for us, I for one never felt judged harshly when it was time to the class critique student work, even when my work sucked.

For the In Your Element project, I decided to visit Ann in her home, photograph her in the process of creating a new painting, and also interview her on what influences her as an artist. It's something that I feel very few of her students ever got the opportunity to see, and from the very start of the shoot, I knew I was going to capture something incredible from the session...

Truly, it was my lucky day! What you're seeing in the above photo is Ann doing something she's never done before. Ann has traditionally been a painter, and while her paintings have often been layered to the point of almost being 3D, she has never created any work in which her viewers could interact with, until now. I walked in to find her laying down canvas strips (painted blue) onto an orange background. These strips of canvas can be removed by the viewer, as well as kept and written on. While it certainly looked cool, learning the meaning behind it all made it that much more unforgettable. Ann was kind enough to do a video interview for the project and explain not just her new work, but her biggest influences as an artist & teacher, as well as how her efforts to escape Communism in Vietnam have shaped her into the person she is today.

You can view the interview below:

Thanks again, Ann, for giving me the privilege of diving into your mind & heart to get a better sense of why you do what you do! As it is with everyone who participates in this project, I hope that those who see these images/ photos will have a lot more respect for you, and be inspired to positively change the world in their own creative way.

To everyone reading this post: if you're interested in seeing the completion of Ann's new work, she'll be having a show on Saturday, October 8th in Westminster, CA. You can see the event details here: Art Exhibition - Tandem Solo

To see even more of Ann's work, check here: Ann Phong Art

If you're interested in being a part of In Your Element, check the casting call here!