Sharing The Roijoy

The Police Station at Dangriga But not completely. I'm on vacation mainly but am also keeping busy with stock photography (as in my last blog). But more about the vacation. Today for instance, I spent much of the day trekking in the jungle. The heat I endured and the sweat that poured out of me was well compensated for with the many wonderful things I saw. A huge hairy tarantula the size of a fist, myriads of butterflies that seemed almost tamed, reptiles, birds, enormous and magnificent spiders, amazing trees, plants, the list could fill this page.  And then there are the long lazy tropical days by the beach, while at other times, fierce but refreshing thunder and lightning storms. During some of the rainstorms, the concept of drought anywhere on this planet is severely challenged. There is no real timetable that I'm living to at the moment except for spectacular sunrises and sunsets. But time is moving along regardless and a few more days from now I will b...

I'm in Belize presently taking a break but also stocking up on my stock photography. The rainy season has just begun so there is an amazing array of natural lighting conditions to shoot with. Right now as I'm writing, the sky is a perfect caribbean blue while the golden rays of the sun shimmer on an almost perfectly still blue sea. It looks very much like the perfect tropical paradise seen in movies, travel documentaries, and on postcards. As I look out to sea from our deck, and look just past one of our coconut trees, the picture is completed as Antonella swims by the beach with a li-lo in tow. My polarizing filters are spending a great deal of time attached to my lenses to capture the amazing colors of nature here. And as mentioned earlier, the dramatic changes in light. Tropical idyll to dark and dramatic skies that suddenly release streaming downpours. These in turn suddenly stop and everything dries up once again looking as if it hadn't just rained.  ...

A company named Proposal Perfect hired me to cover a proposal (well what else?, I hear you say) for one of their clients. The girlfriend had no idea it was going to happen on this day so the brief to me was to cover the whole event as best possible without giving the surprise away. The location was Hawk Hil l from where you have amazing views over the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. It's a popular spot with sightseers and photographers so I wouldn't stand out holding a camera up there. I included a long zoom lens in my kit for the day so I was able to spot and isolate the couple from the time they arrived in the area. It was beautiful day and Alyssa, from Proposal Perfect, had a surprise picnic set up on a quiet spot high up on the hill with a hamper, balloons, and champagne! As the couple moved passed me and on to the picnic spot, I followed them over the hill and blended in with the surroundings as much as I could. The girlfriend seemed surprised ...

Shy Sayar at Yoga One in Petaluma, CA. April was another really busy month I'm happy to report. It seems to have just whizzed by leaving a blur of memories but a mountain of photographic proof that it did happen. Included in the assignments I completed in April was a great day at the opening of Yoga One in Petaluma. Here I captured Classical Yoga, Pilates, Belly Dancing, Salsa, Capoeira, and Reflexology! The work I've been doing with the sororities and fraternities continued and I shot around 500 individuals. The only real downer was that an individual in one of the frat houses I was working at, demonstrated his questionable sense of decency by disposing of his chewing gum and attaching it to the underside of the seat of my posing stool. It was easy to notice as I cleared my gear away because my fingers stuck to the still soft nastiness as I lifted the stool out of my car! As well as adults I had some younger clients too and did a really fun photo set with this grea...

I've  been regularly delivering corporate shoots in the Bay area. There seems to have been a recent wave of funding for some companies in the area. As many of these start-ups gain more confidence based on good track records, they're moving into their next phase of doing business. Like many of the companies I have been working with of late, Grio.com designs, develops, and provides very smart technology solutions. Many of these companies who are finding successes daily, have a very similar look and feel about them. The offices spaces are often completely open plan with no individual offices. There are meeting rooms and often a quiet room. Kitchens and dining areas seem to be a prominent feature in many. I've also noticed a strong return of the chill out and recreational areas too. So while many of the established corporations continue to struggle with monetizing every breath each of their employees take, a lot of these smaller agile companies seem more intent o...

I spent 3 days on campus this month split between Sonoma State University and UC Berkeley. I shot 450 portraits and met lots of interesting people. I'm Art educated so being surrounded by people talking about quantum mechanics and such is a little like being on the first day in class learning a new language. It was a lot of fun shooting everyone even if there were contradictions such as blaring background music by Trillville as the choice in one of the fraternity houses I shot in. I also completed some more family shoots and luckily each one coincided with good weather breaks from all the unsettled days we've been having recently. Even though these clients wanted a studio shot, they had also hoped that they might get some fun outdoor shots too. I did do a rain shot for a personal project. Even though the camera I used for this shot is weatherproofed, I still tried to not get it too wet. Can't say the same about myself though! I'd been out in the pouring rai...

They had looked through some of my online images and called me to arrange a photoshoot for their family. They liked one of the styles that I use a lot and they also wanted the quirky approach that I like to take when shooting my subjects. They have a lovely home and some great children. We spoke and exchanged a few emails including sketches that I sent to them to show what I had in mind for them. Sometimes my sketches and ideas make people a little stage frightened at the beginning, but this family loved the ideas and even came up with additional concepts that continued to push the boundaries of tradition. Well I was hooked and knew it was going to be a fun shoot. They had even agreed to bake cookies specially for the shoot, which turned out to be some of the tastiest props I've had in years! I already knew what their living space looked like before I arrived so setting up lighting and angles for the shots was very quick and I already knew how I would childproof ever...