Imagination Can Become Reality!

Let’s pretend for a second you are a pilot and can fly anywhere you want. Where would you fly, and why?

This is my son under the flight path at San Diego International Airport pretending he’s flying his World War II era P-38 Lightning over snow covered mountains we can just about see and feel through the lens of my GoPro! This shot was featured by GoPro as their photo of the day on September 2nd, 2019.

We attempted this shot a few times. At first, we went with clothing we thought could work from his closet, but I wasn’t feeling his jacket. Since he is really into old planes and wants to be a pilot when he grown up, my wife bought his this aviator jacket from Up and Away Jackets.

Practicing our moves and getting into position! I can see the clouds lining up to be spectacular!

We waited for it to arrive before going out a second time, and I’m so glad this delay happened the way it did. Every once in a while when shooting sunsets I’ll have my camera set up, pointing out to sea, toward the sunset. Then I’ll scramble to try and find a new composition when nature plays a trick on us and all the beautiful color is in the opposite direction in the sky. I rarely end up with anything in this case because I spent all my efforts focusing the other direction. This time was different. I wanted the setting sun to be the fill light on my son so my camera was pointed away from the sunset. When Mother Nature attempted one of her fake-outs we were ready! Get your shot like this with a GoPro by visiting this link.

Kyle Harrison - The Total Pro

I always light up, knowing I’m going to shoot with Lacrosse Pro Kyle Harrison. He’s a pro in every aspect, on the field and on the shoot. He makes our job easier.

When we get the shot we had scripted, he’s already a step ahead of you as you begin set up for the next one. You can speak to him in production lingo and he understands it. It’s easy to see why since he’s also a pro in social media, co-founded Run & Gun Lacrosse and we all know this isn’t his first rodeo on a photo/video shoot. One particular shot I’d always wanted was this over-the-shoulder immersive target-on-goal shot with my GoPro. The clouds were working this day and we all the means for a practice/workout vibe so I was stoked we were able to get it.

Lifestyle Photo Shoot for Dr. Comfort Footwear

Hello.

Cranston Fire Earth Scar

Idyllwild is one of our favorite places on earth and right before we were set for a weekend getaway there, an arsonist started a set of massive fires, and one that nearly destroyed the town. We had to push back our trip due to the fire, but when we were able to get up there, I had an idea for a shot if I could find the right location to get it. I was looking for a place with a noticeable burn scar next to healthy trees. A before and after, to show the devastation that can be caused by arson. What I really wanted was a winding road cutting through the middle with cars driving through, symbolizing the human element at play. Both cause and observer. I found the perfect spot for this shot on Highway 243, just south of town. I drove up the hill a bit and launched my drone from there so legal altitude of 300 feet was more like 1,000 feet by the time I was over my target area. Choosing the right time of day was also important as the long shadows give that feeling of life being brushed away.

My Photo of a Surfer at Sunset Cliffs in San Diego Has Gone Big and is Now Muralized in a Conference Room at GoPro Headquarters!

I was so stoked and honored to see my image used at headquarters! Photo courtesy Michael Henry

Explore Your World

Luckily we live down the street from the San Diego Maritime Museum so we can take an evening and go explore the tall ships and submarines, all while getting some education on history. We’ve had the opportunity to spend the night on HMS Surprise, the same ship used in Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, as well as in the movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. There we played the role of the ship’s crew in the 1800s, complete with knot tying, deck swabbing and a pot of stew containing who-knows-what. You can feel the years of unique memories on these ships, especially on Star of India, the world’s oldest acting sailing ship.

It's Beautiful Up Here!

Nothing like capping off a wonderful family Hawaiian vacay with a celebratory family pick from our top floor room of the Rainbow Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki Beach in Oahu. This perspective is achieved with a GoPro Fusion 360 camera. No drone needed! Now we just need to get Z a lemonade, or something.

update - Hilton Hawaiian Village liked our photo so much, they chose it as the grand prize winner for their 50th Anniversary Rainbow Tower Photo Contest earning us a four free night’s stay. Extra cheers! Thanks to GoPro for the technology that helped make our shot stand out!

Springing Into Action with a DonJoy Shoot

After long days editing, it’s always good to get outside into the action for a nice shoot! Thanks to the team for a great shoot for DonJoy in San Marcos, CA. Shooting football is good to keep me on my toes when I start to become too much of a desk jockey.

Doing a little cardio with a Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera on a Ronin M gimbal. BTS shot by Ruben Gomez

My Photo Of My Son With Sharks is The GoPro Photo of the Day!

Sharing in the moment where my son’s imagination takes over among his favorite creatures makes this honor so much more special. Thanks for sharing on your social, GoPro!

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My Photo With My Son on a Swing is The GoPro Photo of the Day!

We worked at this for a bit!

While at the playground with my son, I’m always thinking of new perspectives with my GoPro. My boy was still small enough that every once in a while he’d ask to sit in my lap on the swing so we could go really high and he’d feel secure. In the past, I had strapped the camera around the chains, I had used a head mount and a chest mount. I wanted something different so I was thinking it would be cool to give the 3-way arm pole mount to my son as I worked the swing. The higher and more inverted we went, the better the shots got. Only problem was, they still weren’t quite right, and the sky was empty of clouds. I wasn’t feeling it. The next day looked promising so we set out again, this time I paid attention to even the clothes we were wearing, (with help from my wife) and we nailed this shot by mid-morning, but not until we had some wipeouts along the way!

My little man his first time seeing his work in Target!

Update The point is, If you have an idea, see it through, don’t give up. This shot ended up on GoPro’s social channels, on a billboard in Munich, Germany and as the overhead retail display in every Target store. A massive accomplishment and one my son is very proud of!

Lifestyle Photo Shoot for Bluprint Comfort Footwear

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Returning To My Roots

I’m headed back to where much of my start in the creative world began. I’ve been asked by the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission to be initial jury in helping middle school kids finalize their art for beautification of community CalTrans boxes.

update It was great working with them and providing feedback as well as seeing all the great work artist Kirstin Green was doing with them. She and I had art class together here in high school so it was cool to be a part of a project she’s heading.

Had a Super Fun Shoot With NFL Pro Bowl Linebacker NaVorro Bowman For DonJoy Performance

NaVorro showing off his DonJoy Performance Defender Skin.

It’s not every day one gets to travel to go film an NFL stud of a player. What makes these shoots so much better is when said player is cool and down to earth. You never know what you’re going to get with pro athletes, but NaVorro made this shoot so easy and fun. You can see his laid back personality in this shot. With that said, I wouldn’t want the business end of him on game day though! The shot below is me just about relieving myself in my pants as he comes at me, full steam ahead. Looking through the lens of a camera, he went completely into the frame, eclipsing all background at high speed! I’m surprised I didn’t fall over backwards. Thanks for being such a great sport, NaVorro!

NaVorro doesn’t shy away from sharing some laughs between takes. He’s probably laughing at the fact that I’m winded after one shot! BTS shot courtesy Ruben Gomez.

That bag behind him had no chance. I’m next! BTS shot by Ruben Gomez.

Art Show Tomorrow

I’ll be showing and selling my work tomorrow in Mission Beach, CA at Liquid Foundation’s “Six Degrees of Separation” art show that benefits the Boys and Girls Club of San Diego. I’ll have both illustration and photography prints for sale. Event details are as follows: Saturday, November 14th at 6PM, Mission Beach Rentals

My Photo Was Used As Both a Feature For The GoPro Hero4 Session As Well As On The Packaging For The GoPro Hero

GoPro are using this photo of my boy and I filling his little sand bucket as a featured image to market their new GoPro Hero4 Session camera. It’s so cool to see these happy times we’ve had playing at the beach from cool perspectives and even cooler that other people like them too! What a time we live in where we can happily dump whatever we want on our camera and it’s all good!

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update - I was in Target with my son shopping and we noticed something pretty freaking awesome! Both the sand bucket shot above, and a shot of our friend’s son Ozzy that I took are on the packaging for the new GoPro Hero! What a cool freaking thing to see! Nice to share the stoke!

Sand bucket shot, far left, Ozzy, far right.

Getting After It Today!!

There’s no better place to be than right here, having fun with my son and his friend, feeling the warm sunshine and just plain happy to be alive and living in San Diego. Shot with my GoPro on the end of a 3-Way Pole Mount.

My Photo is Now The Face of GoPro Music

Standing on Hollywood Blvd and looking up to see my photography (and me) eight stories tall is a trip. Many thanks to the good people at GoPro for trusting in me to get the shots they wanted. This photo is on the front of the packaging for the new GoPro Hero3+ Music Mount camera as well as the new Hero4. It stands proudly on all their billboards and social media.

Getting the shots took a month of very hard work for not only me, but my band and my family. We scouted locations, paid for locations, borrowed locations, experimented with lights, learned what worked and what didn’t and fought the frustration of some nights where nothing worked at all. It takes some learning to shoot stills with this camera because the iris is automated based on what amount of light the camera is pointed at, much like your smartphone. GoPro sent me four Hero3+ cameras to work with as well as a large box of mounts including all their new prototype music mounts that had yet to come out like the sticky mounts, jaws clamp and microphone stand mount.

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Our first set we borrowed Iacon Studios big recording room and attached the cameras in different spots while we recorded our set. While the room is nice and spacious and professional the lighting in there makes everything pretty flat and less interesting from a photographical sense. On to the next spot.

As we scouted possible spots to borrow, we rented the big room at Rock n Roll San Diego and turned on their par cans. I also brought some extra little LEDs for fill. We invited our friends down and performed a concert for them. This is where I got the money shot used on the packaging and billboards. On this day I think I took over three thousand photos on time-lapse mode.

Our next location was borrowed. We decided to illuminate the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park in San Diego with colorful LEDs and haze. It looked fantastic, but many digital cameras don’t play well with LED lights and the fall off between gradients gets ugly and not smooth. So while the shots were cool, the lights were a no-go.

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A friend owns El Camino, a restaurant and bar in San Diego’s Little Italy so we asked if we could use the location for a shoot since they have a stage and thankfully they were fully supportive. I then asked our good Friend Brian Sheerin of the band Mower who has been featured in one of our songs in the past to come down and shoot with us. Some of these shots turned out really great. I worked hard to diffuse some of those LEDs to make them a little smoother on the walls and ceiling and we again brought in a lot of haze.

My contact at GoPro requested a shot at a bonfire on the beach at sunset would be a great shot to focus on and we shot bonfire shots several times, working to try and get it right, One day, the sunset was looking to be epic so I posted up down at North Beach in beautiful Coronado, CA to get a good pit. My wife and son came a long on this one as well as the singer of my band, Asher. One of the shots taken here is currently a featured shot for the GoPro Hero4 and also featured in the 2015 catalog.

Our friends had this beautiful home next to a golf course with a resort-like backyard with a pool and hot tub. As I’m in the pool looking at the surroundings I started getting some ideas for shot. Here I am surrounded by gorgeous people and a stunning environment, so let’s break out the GoPro! Sitting on the edge of the hot tub was perfect, but we were all just standing there looking at each other, which seems weird. Then, my friend mentioned he has this cool vintage Ovation guitar, and since music had been a theme, this ended up working out perfectly. This shot was featured in the printed catalog for GoPro, on their social, and on the packaging for the GoPro Hero3+.

What a wild ride that month was, eh? One I’ll never forget and one that led to what has felt like a lifetime worth of unforgettable adventure. Thanks to GoPro for making such a fun camera to shoot with and for being a supportive family-like camera company for us who have the passion for it.

They Look Like Normal Household Items Until You Realize Where They Were! Welcome To The Bizarre World of Sounding

I was asked to photographically document some items for a urologist who is about to retire. When it was explained that these items were things purposefully inserted into urethras, there needn’t be further explanation. I was in.

I believe there were about twelve to fourteen jars filled with items, each with a date of extraction. Every jar contained at least two items, sometimes up to eight or so. While there were a few patients these items were removed from, most of them were from just one very sick man. While this behavior, called Sounding, isn’t totally rare, I was told that what set this person apart from others is his intent on self-mutilation.

Ordinary items, not so ordinary anymore.

Rather than insertion for pleasure, this man customized the items he inserted for the sole purpose of destroying his penis. A clear tube with a nail driven in to it diagonally to create a reversed-barb, a large set of tweezers, a razor blade bent at one corner. Many of these items couldn’t be backed-out and had to be removed through a lengthwise incision in his penis.

All the jars with items retrieved from this man were from a period of about four years, which would place him in the clinic for surgery every couple months or so. His habitual mutilation was so constant that there came a point where there was nothing left to save and his penis had to be removed. This didn’t stop him. Months later he returned with items stuck in the area where his penis once was. Soon after, he stopped coming in so one can only imagine what happened to him. I didn’t photograph every jar’s contents, but this is a collection of some of the more noteworthy objects.

Not surprisingly, these images have gone on to become very popular among oddity sites around the world, and the like. It’s a weird world out there sometimes.

Devices Concert Poster Art for My Band's Show This Weekend

My band Devices plays this weekend for Cinco de Mayo at Bar D! Here’s the gig poster I made for it. There will be art and giveaways, not to mention our good friend, the talented Fingers on the plastic! Buttabeats!

My photos of Janeal at Aero Club are featured in the September Issue of Maxim Magazine

My photos of the lovely Janeal, bartender at Aero Club, in San Diego was featured in the September issue Maxim Magazine. I hate my job. With girls like this bartending, it’s hard to imagine a bar ever hiring a dude. This is why my stint in bartending was so short-lived! Thanks to Aero Club and Maxim Magazine for trusting in me to go into a bar and take photos of a hot bartender!

It’s with equal pleasure I was able to do this shoot, since Aero Club is a stone’s throw from my house and I’ve spent so many fun evenings in there with friends celebrating milestones, birthdays, and promotions, and just simply enjoying a few beers and a game of pool.

To see one of my local spots that I love so much get some national attention is always nice to see. Support your local businesses!