Jesus Loves Laura?

Jesus Loves Laura, San Gabriel Valley, California

I have been hiking regularly for over a month now, both with and without my camera. Two days ago I encountered this in the hills near my house. The only words I could make out was the + Laura. I figured it was a guy doing something romantic for his girl. How sweet! Then I went back last night with my camera and once I looked through my viewfinder I was able to see what it said. All of the sudden, it felt sobering to realize this perhaps didn't have such a happy ending. However one question remains for me, what does it say between the names Laura and Michael? It appears to be a "1 43" but I'm not sure. I looked on the internet, and no biblical passages fit. Nor does it say, "and". How it reads to me is, "Jesus loves Laura and Michael" but I can't quite connect the dots due to the ambiguous nature of those three letters. I even looked through the local news sites and search engines, came up with nothing.

Laura and Michael?

Does anyone have any answers or theories about what this message represents?

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UC Berkeley Tree-Sitters Part II

Photo: Female Tree-Sitter "Dumpster Muffin", UC Berkeley, California

In a recent blog post I discussed the UC Berkeley Tree-Sitters. Well last night, UC Berkeley moved in to remove the tree-sitters at the Memorial Oak Grove.

Here is the story from the San Francisco Chronicle: UC removes tree-sitters' gear before ruling

Here is a YouTube video of yesterday's events: UC Police Extracts First Berkeley Tree Sitter

Update 6/20/08: Food supply support lines have been cut. "Dumpster Muffin" is still in the trees however and not planning on coming down anytime soon according to the Mercury News.

70-300mm @ 70mm, f7.1, ISO 800, 1/400 sec., AP mode w/ pattern metering +1 exposure compensation, flash w/ omnibounce diffuser

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UC Berkeley Tree-Sitters

I was looking on the internet the other day to learn about the tree-sitters in Northern California when I saw one story about UC Berkeley. The university was planning to chop down the Memorial Grove of old oak trees in favor of a weight lifting facility for football players so a group of protesters climbed the trees 553 days ago and haven't left since. There is a whole community of activists camping in the trees held together by ropes and various other devices.

In response to the actions of the activists, the police have barracaded the group in with fencing and reserves the right to arrest anyone supplying them with food. However, every Sunday at 2 p.m., environmental activists show up in numbers to support them. Presumably with the strength in numbers philosophy.

"Ki Jones" here has been for the past two months. Jones is originally from San Antonio and heard about the Berkeley tree-sit on the radio so he decided to come out west. Prior to arriving in Berkeley he was tree-sitting in the Northern California Redwood coast, and in Oregon.

As he was discussing his background and living situation, a group of Jewish missionaries walked up to us and started questioning Jones and his friends motives. The missionaries didn't seem to see much validity in environmental conservation. Naturally, the tension started to rise, as Jones explained his position while the missionaries remained skeptical.

Among the positions adopted by the tree-sitters:
- Memorial Oak Grove is situated on a fault-line as well as the adjacent Memorial Stadium
- There has been evidence that this was an ancient Native American burial site and thus is sacred grounds
- The world is over-developed as is and the world cannot sustain it's natural resources at the current rate of consumption
- Even though this is just fighting for a small part of the world, we need to celebrate Earth's natural gifts
- The oak trees were dedicated to World War II veterans so they have historical value

Photo: Memorial Oak Grove Tree-Sitter, UC Berkeley, California (Apologies for the poor file quality. I'm using my laptop and have minimal software installed.)

Personally, I found Jones to be a nice guy and passionate about what he believes in. Among his interests is art. He sketched a telephone pole that had morphed in a tree. He intends to make it into a painting eventually. We also discussed photography a bit as well. His grandfather was a professional photographer back in the day so he developed an appreciation for the artform. In fact, here he is posing with my business card! Before I left, I mentioned that I was interested in talking with some of his friends from the Redwood Coast.

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May Day Illegal Immigration March, Downtown Los Angeles

Disclaimer: I generally stay away from taking political stances on my website except for environmental issues. With that said, I take pictures and I talk about photography experiences. That's it.

Picture: May Day Illegal Immigration March, Los Angeles, California


Yesterday morning I took the Metro Gold Line from Old Town Pasadena to Union Station because most of the streets near the Civic Center were shut down for the various protests in Downtown L.A. From there I walked all the way down to Broadway and Olympic where the illegal immigration rights group gathered. Initially there were about as many LAPD officers there as protesters but the crowd grew the closer it got to the 2pm starting time. It was easier to get pictures when the crowd was smaller in size, but the peak moments of action happened once the march started heading down Broadway toward 1st & Temple where The Times Building and Civic Center are located.

It may seem really obvious, but the key insight about photographing these sorts of events is the people want their picture taken. Unlike day-to-day scenes where it would be rude to do so, here it is a tailor-made situation to shove a 17mm lens in the faces of the subjects. The difficulty in shooting something like this with a wide-angle is that when you find an interesting sequence for taking pictures, five other photographers suddenly show up right after and often end up in the edges of your frames. Hit the delete button and hopefully you have 5-10 other similar images to pick from.

This photo was taken at the front of the pack with the entire crowd behind the flag. It was a pretty fast moving march so it required backtracking while taking photos others you will get trampled. I don't know very much Spanish but the crowd was generally speaking out against federal raids that arrest illegal immigrants and deport them back to their country of origin. The separation of families was a major theme of their argument. There was also a strong anti-Bush sentiment in the crowd and a desire to elect either Clinton or Obama to the White House.

My ultimate goal was to get a photo that captured tension between the LAPD and the protesters but it was mostly peaceful in this group aside from a few arguments between security and marchers.

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Portraits, Arlington West Memorial

Picture: Portraits of American Military Casualties in Iraq War, Arlington West Memorial at Santa Monica, California

There are soldiers everywhere at Arlington West - pictures on the crosses. Pictures on boards. Lists of names from Iraq and Afghanistan. Combat boots. Helmets. The American flag.

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U.S. Flag Flying Over Arlington West

Photo: U.S. Flag and Crosses at Arlington West Memorial, Santa Monica, California

This makeshift cemetery has been set up on the north side of the Santa Monica Pier each Sunday since February 15, 2004. As the death toll in Iraq rises, the Veterans for Peace organization has started to use a number of red crosses to symbolize 10 soldiers killed in action. Previously, there was a white cross for each death but the toll is so high now that it would take up most of the beach.

I have previously photographed four anti-war rallies and those were bursting with energy. However, the Arlington West Memorial is the most introspective demonstration that I have witnessed to date. There is no need to scream at people here demanding for justice. The work speaks for itself.

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Arlington West Memorial, Santa Monica

Picture: Tally of American Military Killed and Wounded in Iraq War at Arlington West Memorial, Santa Monica, California

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Living on the Edge

Out of Control Sledder on Mount Baldy

I photographed this on Sunday with a 300mm focal length. What I want to do next time is use my 17-35mm wide angle lens while actually sledding down the slopes myself! I don't know how I am going to keep control of the sled while shooting photos but I haven't seen anyone else do this before so it is worth a shot.

One scenario might be to set my camera on a one or two second time-lapse (gotta read the instruction manual...) while dangling around my neck. The perspective should be about ideal as I'd want my feet showing with snow flying all over the place. The hard part would be keeping the camera facing in the right direction.

The one-handed approach would probably yield the most consistent compositions but the degree of difficulty would be really high. Even without cameras, the people I saw weren't able to consistently make it down the slopes without wiping out. There is another method that I will most likely use but I'll keep that a secret for now. Though if you've read some of my previous blog entries then maybe you might have an idea for what that is.

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Pig Racing Part 2

Photo of Pig Race, L.A. County Fair

Two weeks ago I photographed the pigs near the starting gates, but it wasn't quite what I had envisioned. I had wanted a down and dirty sort of image. In order to do that with a wide angle lens, it would require the pigs to run closer to my camera.

So on Sunday morning I walked to the other side of the race track where the finish line was. The finish line area narrows considerably so I knew I would be able to get the pigs running right past my camera. To get the perspective that I wanted, I knew I had to stick my lens underneath the vinyl barrier and half onto the race track. Before the first race I was nervous that the pigs might step onto my lens or hand. Luckily that didn't happen.

Since I was shooting "blindly" on rapid fire, it was nice to be able to review my pictures after the first race and make some slight technical adjustments for the 2nd race. This photo here resulted during the 2nd race. I would consider this to be in the barely-missed category of image quality but I thought this would be a good blog picture to illustrate the location of my camera. That is a combination of hay and dirt flying up onto my lens on the right. I'm not scared to compromise my camera for the sake of attempting something unique but fortunately it didn't come down to that as the slop didn't stick onto my lens.

I did manage an image or two that I am reasonably happy with but if I have another opportunity to photograph another pig race in the future then I will likely try to improve my images with a similar approach if the logistics will allow me to do so. Shooting a photo without being able to look through the viewfinder is commonly referred to as "shooting from the hip", which is a technique often used in street photography situations. It involves pre-visualizing of the composition, a wide angle lens, appropriate aperture choice and a lot of luck. This method of shooting often evokes a very raw, high-impact look at the subject but is obviously a hit or miss affair.

Click the link to see more of my L.A. County Fair photos.

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2007 L.A. County Fair

There's not really an appropriate blog post to follow the previous one, so it's probably best to shift directions into a happier one.

Two weeks ago was the opening of this year's L.A. County Fair and I went on that first Sunday morning. I had read on the website that there was going to be pig races every day of the fair so I knew I HAD to photograph that. I had never heard of pig races before so the curious person inside of me compelled me to go for full price admission. (Wednesday and Thursday after 5 p.m. is $5 admission compared with the $15 weekend admission.)

I go to the fair almost every year because I live nearby but there is always new stuff at the fair. Besides with so many people and interesting attractions happening along with the classic american fair sort of subjects, it is impossible to thoroughly cover the fair. It is one of my favorite things to photograph. Photographing the L.A. County Fair really puts a test on your photography skills because there are so many people and things happening so fast that if you aren't prepared mentally then it probably will drive you nuts trying to photograph this event.

My approach to photographing people and events is similar to that of street photography photojournalism. My goal often times is to use my wide angle lens and get as close to the subject as possible without affecting the scene or moment. I rarely zoom in on anything, I just get closer if need be. I try to stuff as much into the foreground as possible and have a layered composition of related elements in the background. The goal is to tell a story in a single frame.

Picture of Barnyard Racers Pig Race at the L.A. County Fair, Pomona, California

What you don't see in my photo is how funny the pigs were when the race started. The pigs just sort of stood around sniffing the ground like a dog until one pig would start running and they would all follow. During one of the races, there was a pig that walked around the track instead of running. The whole crowd was screaming for him until he finished then broke into a large uproar of cheering. It was hilarious.

An interesting aspect to shooting "on-the-fly" is that often times the most interesting details are of the smaller details not originally seen by the viewer or even the photographer sometimes. Many times the people or objects in the background can help tell the story as much as what is in the foreground. Studying photojournalism is probably the best lesson a photographer can learn, no matter what genre you prefer to shoot because it is about the art of visual storytelling. Good, well-versed photographers study outside of their genre in order to bring a new perspective to their work. Those who don't seek evolution and are closed off to new ideas stagnate and are doomed to repeat themselves no matter how good they think they are. Look at dinosaurs for example. They are the most fearsome creatures to have ever ruled the earth and yet they are extinct. The little mammals who adapted from that era have evolved into the top predators of today's world.

Okay, back to the fair now. In my previous shooting sessions at the fair I have focused mainly on livestock and a little bit of the midway carnival. There is so much more however so I plan to focus on "fair food" subjects (ie. deep-fried, chocolate-dipped twinkies) and more carnival games in my upcoming visits. Now if only this storm will pass through today so I can do some shooting tomorrow...

Click the link to see more of my L.A. County Fair images.

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Return of the Swallows 3-19-06

The Return of the Swallows Celebration takes place every March at Mission San Juan Capistrano, California. Historically the swallows arrive on the 19th from Peru to the Mission but in recent years the swallows have gathered in the parking lot next door because Mission has been under construction to ensure the buildings are preserved for future generations. Experts predict that the swallows will return to their traditional home once the construction is completed in several years.

I didn’t know this beforehand as I went to the Mission and was looking around for the swallows but didn’t see much happening. I heard many birds chirping, but saw only several flybys of few birds. The celebration on the other hand more than made up for the lack of birds I saw. Native Americans were performing Aztec traditional dance routines, and the local mission parish school performed traditional dances on a large makeshift stage. For a photographer, (of which there were many) the festivities provided many opportunities to capture colorful cultural images we wouldn’t have local access to otherwise.



I arrived around 9, and the streets were already packed with cars so I drove around the neighborhood and ended up parking near the freeway overpass. Not bad, about a 10-15 minute walk. I didn’t drive 50 miles just to give up and go home that early in the morning. When I got into the mission, there was a mariachi band playing in front of the koi pond. My pictures were mediocre as the sky was overcast and sun was behind them. I would have benefited from bringing my flash along but somehow elected to bring my 70-300 instead when I couldn’t fit anything else into my bag and photo vest. Foolish mistake as I never needed the 70-300. I took all my shots with the 17-35mm and 60mm lenses.



Next I went to the chapel as I knew it would get more crowded as the day progressed. I shot several photos of the candles but since I’d already had plenty of those types of images I tried to do something new by including people in my prayer candle shots. Yes! That’s what I’d been missing. When I finished with the chapel, I went outside to the courtyard, and there were hundreds if not over a thousand mainly kids dressed up in costumes waiting to go on stage. Very colorful outfits but was difficult to photograph because there was so much extra “junk” (aka. tourists, trash cans, concession stands, folding chairs, etc…) cluttering up the scene.



I managed to work my way to the stage and after some time evaluating the openings in the crowd I made it to the stage side. I stayed low about stage level and shot upwards with my wide angle for the majority of my images. If I needed close-ups, then I brought out the 60mm lens. What got my heart racing was the Aztec dancing. Their performance was a rush! The tribal music and huge head pieces were amazing. I was in the rear portion of the stage with the other photojournalists there jockeying for position. I think I got the most intimate images as I was really up close with the wide angle trying to capture the action. I worked and worked a scene with an Aztec woman’s headpiece feathers filling up much of the frame ala. David Muench composition-style and tried to balance it out with a dancer in the background facing her but wasn’t able to get my desired results after viewing the images back home. I really thought I had something there but it failed to materialize as visualized. That is what I find most challenging about shooting people. To pre-visualize and not have all the elements fall into place. With landscape photography, it is fairly easy to visualize and put things where you want but live action is very spontaneous and unpredictable. With a landscape there are two variables you can count on every day. The sun will rise and the sun will set. Everything else is up to you. With people, anything goes.



I wonder what the other photographers in my area managed to get. One guy had two D200’s outfitted with a zoom and wide angle presumably, while several others had medium length white zoom lenses. I’d never buy a white Canon lens by the way. Too ugly. Judging from the perspective of which they shot from, I think my images were significantly different from theirs. Mine were mostly low, wide and close, had foreground elements and filled the frame with a mass of people. This had to be the most difficult shoot I’ve ever done and one of the most exciting. There were so many elements not to mention the PA speakers and crowd in the background waiting to creep into every frame, that half the battle was just finding a composition to minimize that stuff. For the last song, I managed to work my way from the rear of the stage to the front. I spent almost as much time looking for a spot I could sneak into without pissing anyone off. Luckily I’m not that big so I was able to sneak in fairly discreetly and get my low and wide perspective. I’m not sure about my results from the day, as my biggest accomplishment from the day was probably being able to maneuver from all four corners of the stage all during one song but it was time well spent. I truly enjoyed myself. My heart really was racing after the final song.

Tips:

1. Open your eyes and try new things - If it works it works, if it doesn’t it doesn’t. This is my 5th visit to the Mission SJC and what worked for me in the past bored me this time. Boredom is the catalyst for change in my experience.

2. Bring your flash and get one if you don’t have one - I left mine at home and regret it. Noobish mistake on my part. Next year I won’t make that same mistake.

3. Don’t be shy in taking people pictures - There is a lot going on during the festivities so people are too busy to worry about you as a photographer anyway.

4. Manual focus is your friend – With so much going on, I would have lost a lot of shots with the autofocus misfocusing. Thankfully I didn’t use AF that much.

5. Get there early! Otherwise you won’t be getting in. – It’s busy enough on the weekend, and the Swallows Celebration is the busiest weekend of the year at San Juan Capistrano. After I finished, it took me over an hour to drive the three blocks back to the freeway by the way.

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Rainout 1-2-06

Last year was the first time I’d been to a Tournament of Roses Parade. Rain was predicted but it nearly missed. It hadn’t rained on the parade in 51 years so my family was optimistic the weather would hold up for this year’s parade. That was not to be.





My mother gets very good seats near the beginning of the parade route on Colorado Blvd. because she works for the city of Pasadena so two of my uncles, aunt, cousin, cousin’s fiancée, my mother and I decided to go any despite the weather. Things appeared optimistic early on as the rain settled down but picked up again once the parade started then gradually got worse and windier as the parade went on. We were fine for the first 1.5 hours until the wind started getting us soaked. It became hell. My two-month old, 20D was wrapped in plastic but even then the LCD readout screen died and the viewfinder info died as well. The camera was still capable of taking pictures however so I ended up with 594 pictures despite only staying for ¾ of the parade. I shot blindly as my vision was impaired by the water but it was a very enlightening experience. Something that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

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L.A. County Fair 9-16-05

I like to shoot the simple things in life.






The fair offers plenty of opportunities for photographers including several photography contests. I found the Heritage Farms area to be interesting photographically with all the kids and animals running around.



The carnival area was interesting for pictures as well although I didn’t quite capture it the way I had pre-visioned. It was very crowded as it got later in the day at the carnival so it was difficult to get the right angles and moments in. There’s no excuse though for poor performance, so I will try again in the future.

The home and gardens area had potential with some old rusty doors and gardening equipment mixed in with flowers.

The California history area was small but had some of interesting structures and activities. Not on par with Columbia State Historical Park obviously, but this is a county fair after all.

The one negative thing about the fair is that some people get way too drunk. What spoiled it for us was when a drunk came up next to us while we were “talking” to a cow. He kept saying how he (sexual act) the cow and would like to do it to the other cows as well. Then he proceeded to ask me why I was taking pictures of it. Part of me wanted to say something sarcastic in response to his bestiality fantasies but I ended up just growling “Because I feel like it.” and walked away. His behavior was quite disturbing even for my twisted mind. The rest of the visit to the fair was pleasant as it was before the drunken idiot came along.

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