To Live and Die in L.A.

We went to Union Station and then Chinatown our last day in Los Angeles. Very interesting place... kind of reminds me of New York City a little. Anyway, I was able to make a few interesting abstract images with my D300. Of course, I wish I had the big cameras with me... but that's for another day... I'll be bach!


An interesting detail of a train platform.


Looking down the stairs from a train platform.


An interesting abstract of a bench in a courtyard at Union Station.


Graffiti on the back of a street sign in Chinatown.

Pictures at an Exhibition...

Well, I didn't get to take the big cameras out during our little trip to Los Angeles. Too much to do, no time to do it in. Anyway, I took hundreds of photos with my Nikon D300, mostly snapshots for family scrapbooks, but a few "artsy" shots, as well. Also a few funny ones. These are my favorites from our Getty trips. More to follow from LA.

The Getty Villa

The Getty Villa is a wonderful place to spend the day. A re-creation of an ancient (very wealthy) Roman villa, it specializes in antiquities. The cafe is a great place to have lunch. We had the Tuscan Seafood Soup, which was out of this world.


Lindsay, getting a "feel" for the place.


Lindsay scaring one of the statues.


Lindsay and me.


Lindsay enjoying a Malibu sunset.


The end of a beautiful day.

The Getty Museum - Day Two

As impressive as the Villa was, the Museum is overwhleming. Their collection is vast and contains excellent examples of artworks of many different periods and disciplines.

Below are a few random shots of the grounds... the modern architecture is a photographer's paradise.





And, they have an original R. Coda on exhibit!



We spent the whole day there, from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, taking several of the tours. They had a Carleton Watkins exhibit on display, with many 16x20 and larger contact prints from Mammoth Plate cameras. They had a replica of the camera, as well... now that's Ultra Large Format! I did have to correct the tour leader, though, as she told the group that there was a mirror inside the camera. She asked how I knew that and I told her that I use similar, though smaller (4x5, 8x10, 11x14) cameras. She did not know that people still use these types of (view) cameras.

At the end of the day we had dinner in their beautiful restaurant. The food was incredible. I had rabbit for the first time... something I want to have again.

Can't wait to go back, as the exhibits change 1-2 times a year.

Hoooorrrrrayyyyy for Hollywood!

Bbbbbrrrrr! We took a short trip to Los Angeles so the girls could see Wicked and to visit the Getty Villa and Museum. We were also able to get Jay Leno tickets... it was a blast.

Anyway, we left right from school, right after Lindsay's last final, at 11:00 AM on Wednesday. It was raining in Scottsdale when we left, but cleared up as we made our way to Interstate 10 in Phoenix. However, around Palm Springs in California, we encountered some very strange weather. It was raining, but we could see snow on the mountain tops to our north. When we started reaching civilization a short time later, we went through a brief snowstorm. We couldn't believe it... the temperature was 33 degrees!





Finally, it warmed up a little and we made it to the hotel. We were running out of time and Hollywood was 35 minutes away in no traffic, and the girls had 8:00 tickets for the show.

We were able to get something quick to eat at Mel's Drive-in and I dropped the girls off at the theater. I decided not to attend as I usually sleep through any type of Broadway-type play. I figured I would photograph Hollywood Boulevard at night. I had hoped to use the big cameras, but it was drizzling, and still cold. So I used my Nikon D300 digital. It was a lot of fun, but Hollywood is so sleazy! Even in the rain. Anyway, I walked around for an hour and a half and photographed whatever caught my eye.







I would really like to come back here with the big cameras when the weather is better and I can take my time... maybe next time I'm out here for business.

More photos will follow after the end of our trip.

Show at Photomark extended... photographs make wonderful holiday gifts!

My show at Photomark has been extended until the end of the year. The show is called "Observations". It is a collection of black & white images from the past 27 years.

Photographs, or artworks, in general, are one of the classiest gifts I can think of. If I had a choice of gifts from a friend or loved one, I would ask for art. Just a subtle reminder that all of my prints in this show are for sale ;^)

Photomark is a complete photographic experience. They have a 6,000 sq foot retail showroom. Photomark retail includes a lighting showroom, a rental department, a repair department, a photographic classroom, an industrial division, and a Fine Art Photography Gallery. They are located at 2202 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85006. Hours are M-F 8AM-6PM Sat. 9AM-5PM.

For more information, please visit their website at http://www.photomark.com/ or call/email Judith Andersen at (602) 244-1133, or judith@photomark.com.

I hope you can make it to the show.