Southern California | YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN-tz

So some #%$^!* stole your camera...

Sep 142012

If you’ve found your way to this post through a Google search, some asshole has probably just stolen your camera. My sincere condolences. The good news is there are numerous ways to help you recover your gear! How do I know this? I’m sorry to say, through my own excruciating experience. I recently had a Nikon D700 and an attached 80-200mm f/2.8 lens stolen – seemingly during the millisecond or so my eyes closed as I blinked – from a table I was seated at in the lobby of the Long Beach Convention Center. Fortunately, my insurance didn’t have a clause excluding blinking, so I was covered. I was cheap with my insurance, thinking nothing would ever actually happen, so that still left me with a $1,000 deductible to pay. But that’s better than the $3,000+ replacement costs! It’s also given me a sense of renewed vigilance when it comes to protecting my assets. Anyway, I’m sorry your gear was taken. When it happened to me I was looking for a consolidated resource on what to do, but couldn’t find anything. So, after research and asking around for advice, I thought I’d write my own. What’s the picture above have to do with this post? Nothing really, other than, like the thief who took my gear, I don’t know this person’s identity.

What I’ve learned about how to recover lost or stolen camera equipment:
Disclaimer! Unfortunately, none of this so far has resulted in my gear being returned, but I have heard success stories. Should my gear turn up I’ll be sure to update this post, noting which method did the trick. In the meantime, hopefully you’ll find this helpful in the event of stolen or lost gear. If you have anything to add to this or have had one of these methods work for you, please leave a comment below!

The new Gold's Gym?

venice No Responses »

May 182012

In case the recent acquisition of Gold’s Gym by Google takes the character out of the Venice landmark, there’s still a place where power lifters can go to pump iron. Out for a stroll on the Boardwalk this afternoon I came across a group of rather large gentlemen doing what they called “JJ’s workout” on a patch of cement next to the sand pit behind Muscle Beach. There, exercise enthusiasts can build mass by lifting and dragging gold-painted dumbbells and chains to their pounding hearts’ content, all equipment provided free of charge by JJ. Unusual, yes, but it had lifters, including Rob Renfroe – an out-of-work body guard who I’d say is at least 6’8″ – panting with his hands on his knees after a couple 50-ft. drags of a 160-lb. chain cluster. Whatever works!

Immigration issue divides campus

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Feb 162012

Christian Torres at home in Fontana, Calif.

A couple weeks ago I worked on a story for the Chronicle of Higher Education that brought national attention for the small Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. In late December, due to a complaint from an employee to the Board of Trustees that the school wasn’t properly vetting its employees’ immigration statuses, 17 workers who could not prove their citizenship were fired. One was Christian Torres, a 25-year-old kitchen worker who had been employed by the college for several years. Torres – who is pictured in the room he rents in a house occupied by two other families – and 15 fellow kitchen workers were among the 17 fired. The sudden termination of the employees resulted in immediate protests by both students and employees of the liberal college that prides itself on promoting Latino culture and continues to be a topic of debate. Meanwhile, those affected, like Christian, are moving on and trying to find new work, which he was hoping to land soon so he didn’t have to sell his car. Without getting into the debate of who’s wrong and who’s right, the situation is understandably a difficult one in areas such as this, which are primarily Latino.

You can read more about it in the Chronicle and in the New York Times. The Chronicle also posted a slideshow of images that include photos from the protests.

Venice portraits cont'd.

portrait, venice 2 Responses »

Dec 182011

Venice portrait - 2Much

Venice portrait - Skaters

A couple weeks ago I went out to continue a series of portraits I’m doing with people I encounter on or around the Venice Boardwalk. I’m still not sure where I’m going with this project, but so far I’m having fun doing it. I do know I’m trying to avoid shooting the typical boardwalk scenes, such as street performers, vagrants and various eccentrics, and am mostly shooting people who are just there to enjoy the scene. For now I’m just going to keep on shooting and we’ll see where this goes. Previous photos from this are posted here.

Ocean on fire

Fine Art, landscape, Nature, venice No Responses »

Sep 022011

Flames in the sand, Venice, Calif., 2011.

I was browsing through some photos and found this miscategorized gem in a folder from a portrait shoot I did in January. Erinn and I apparently went out for a walk that evening and came across this cool pattern in the sand just north of the Venice Breakwater. I loved the suggestion of flames where the water recedes, and all the better that the flames were accentuated by the warmth of the setting sun. Lesson learned to either stay more organized or at least go looking through your old photos from time to time to see what you missed.

Secular Student Alliance

news, portrait No Responses »

Mar 242011

Attendees of the Secular Student Alliance Southern California Leadership Conference pose for a photo in front of the Luther Statue at California Lutheran University

Cal Lutheran Secular Student Alliance founder and student body president Evan Clark

Last month I shot several assignments for the Chronicle of Higher Education. I always enjoy shooting for the Chronicle, because I get to meet fascinating people working in the numerous universities of Southern California, including leaders in cutting edge stem cell research and Academy Award-winning physicists responsible for the lifelike animation in the film “Avatar.” One of the more interesting of my recent assignments was for a story on a national leadership meeting of the Secular Student Alliance at California Lutheran University, a school of about 2,000 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The event was brought to the school by the founder of the school’s first ever SSA chapter, Evan Clark, who also has the unique distinction of being the school’s first ever atheist student body president. The meeting centered around strategies that the chapter leaders at various schools around the country can use to run their chapters, peacefully spread their message and handle confrontations with those who don’t share their views. Although the day was pretty much a series of meetings (i.e. not visually stimulating for this photographer) the fact that it was taking place at a religiously affiliated school with the blessing of the administration was very cool and is something to think about. Should everyone be so open-minded!

Recent AP work

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Oct 272010

Home foreclosure auction at the LAX Hilton

Here are a few photos from recent AP assignments. The most recent was to cover a home foreclosure auction hosted by Auction.com at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport. More than 100 homes were on the block, with starting prices of only a small fraction of the stated value. It wasn’t the most exciting thing to cover, but it was interesting to see. Some were there just to check it out, while others walked out with multiple new properties to add to their investment portfolios. The second assignment (photos after jump) was from a bomb scare that cleared out around 100 guests at the Clarion Hotel in San Pedro. Early reports received by most of the news outlets painted a much scarier picture that what the reality turned out to be. Most of us had rushed to the scene expecting to see a fire caused by a car that had either blown up or crashed into the side of the hotel. What had in fact happened was that someone had lit an M-80 firecracker around the same time that an SUV had been vandalized in the parking garage below the hotel. When the sound was investigated and the vandalized car was discovered, authorities jumped to a worst-case scenario and evacuated the building, also closing down access to the area within 1000 feet in all directions. Hotel guests were escorted up the street and eventually loaded onto a bus that took them to the nearest police station. After a while they apparently protested and were allowed to leave, according to a female guest with whom I briefly spoke. After an hour or so, the scene was declared safe by the bomb squad and we were allowed to come see the damage. Other than being a nuisance, it was pretty much a non-event in the end. Except for the guy who owned the car. He had just returned that day from a cruise to find his car messed up and a bunch of reporters and police surrounding the scene. And it was his birthday no less. Bummer.

San Onofre

Fine Art, landscape, Nature, random, travel 2 Responses »

Aug 092010

The official line at San Onofre State Beach

Biking at Camp Pendleton

Erinn and I spent a couple days last week camping at San Onofre State Beach and surfing at nearby Surf Beach. The camping, sandwiched between the bluffs and I-5 and an active Amtrak rail, leaves something to be desired, but Surf Beach may be my new favorite place in Southern California. As a novice surfer, there’s really no place better that I’ve found in my limited experience. The beach is a mile or so long with low waves steadily rolling in for most of the day, making it a great place to learn without fear of getting thrashed about.

Aside from 4 trips out into the surf, we also went for an afternoon bike ride on a trail that runs through Camp Pendleton, which begins on the south side of the park and extends for miles down to Oceanside, just north of San Diego. Not really the prettiest scenery there, but it made for a good ride.

We also met up with some friends Erinn knows through work who frequent the beach despite the 1 1/2 hour trek from LA. They do it right though, cruising down in a late-model VW camper complete with a bed and small kitchen. We met up with them on the beach and then joined them at their van, where they treated us to a home cooked meal.

Oh, and despite the beach’s reputation as a nude beach, we saw no sign of it other than numerous signs warning would-be nudists to keep their shorts on.

Nude beach or not, I’m sure we’ll be heading back there soon and often.

Bright and shiny things

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Jul 202010

Bald heads on the 4th of July Marina Del Rey fireworks

4th of July fireworks, Marina Del Rey

Just a quick post of a couple shots from the 4th of July. For this year’s 4th Erinn and I, along with my visiting mom and kid sister, hiked a mile or so down Speedway Avenue to join thousands of revelers in taking in the annual fireworks spectacular held in Marina Del Rey. Having shot fireworks numerous times during my newspaper days, I wasn’t that interested in shooting them again, but couldn’t help myself from taking a few once they started booming. I’m a sucker for bright and shiny things I guess. Speaking of bright and shiny things, I tried to at least put a different twist on the photos after noticing the glare of four balding heads staggered perfectly in front of me, tilted upward as their respective owners took in the spectacle. Possibly mean, but kind of funny I thought. From there I noticed that fireworks were as pretty out of focus as they are in focus, so I took a few that way as well. When the show was over we hiked back home, ready to call it a night after a long, active day that included a bike ride to Manhattan Beach and plenty of good food and beer.

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN-tz

So some #%$^!* stole your camera...

The new Gold's Gym?

Immigration issue divides campus

Venice portraits cont'd.

Ocean on fire

Secular Student Alliance

Recent AP work

San Onofre

Bright and shiny things

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