Cynder-ella

LONG BEACH, Calif. - I was beginning to feel like a stepchild, but I finally had the chance to get out and see the band Cynder. They are local boys from Huntington Beach and Clark is a family friend that plays guitar for the band. Every time I see him he plays me new songs he's written from his phone. Earlier this month they played at a local restaurant/bar and I had the chance to get out with the cameras.

Here's the bio from their website:

"The music of Cynder is a great blend of rock meshed with colorful riffs, topped with amped, melodic vocals. The result is a mixture of deep moods and emotions ranging from aggressive to peaceful, from cynical to melancholy. The band is fronted by Scot Chronister (former frontman for Allergic). Lyrically, Cynder is about the serious and simple moments in life. No issue is left unsung and the band brings heart, precision, and passion to the table for the perfect mix. The music is palatable and radio-friendly, and the infectious guitar-work of Clark and Jerry mixed with the unmistakable driving beat of JBH and Nick's rhythmic stylings give this 5-piece a unique sound of their own".

The following images were captured with the Nikon D3 with the 24mm and 85mm primes at ISO 2500.

Clark - guitar

Jerry - guitar

Scot - vocals

Brett - bass

Nick - drums

Texans vs. Cowboys

Coach Cross asked me to come out and photograph his flag football team earlier this month. The league is called Friday Night Lights in Huntington Beach and it's huge! We could barely park the car. The Cowboys beat them on this night, but they played with a lot of heart and I suspect they will get some games in the left column before the season is over. Here's some selections from the game.

Stock Hoops

I haven't been able to shoot any local hoops, so I made time to get out and shoot some stock photos of the returning players for next year's media guides and press releases. My focus was to watch the subs and make sure to get images of as many players as possible. Needless to say, I ended up with more sportraits than anything. However, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the sound system was upgraded and the cheer and dance teams were greatly improved. Here are a few from the night.

New Women's Head Coach Molly Goodenbour (formerly from UCI)

Bullheaded

In early February, we decided to head to Bullhead City and Laughlin to visit family and hang out for Superbowl Sunday. I also packed the cameras and planned to take some night images of the casinos and surrounding area. Once we arrived and I unpacked the gear and Amateur Hour started. The first thing I discovered was that I forgot my tripod and cable release (necessary for long exposures). Once I knew night shots were out, I figured I would just shoot local stuff during the day. Wrong! I also found out that I forgot my camera straps which ruled out the practicality of carrying around a large DSLR. At any rate, here are some iPhone images from the weekend.

A view from our room on the 16th floor

Bubblicious

Jessica's soccer team (Bubbles) had a fantastic season. They finished in first place and made it to the playoffs. In the first game of the playoffs they lost a close decision to Cerritos (3-2). In the second game they rolled over Los Alamitos (5-2). The third and elimination game was against East Garden Grove where they lost (4-2).

First Place trophy

Garden of the Gods

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (December 28, 2012) - After a light dusting of snow overnight, Curt and I headed out early to visit the Garden of the Gods. The light was nice, although the temperature was about 15 degrees. All shot with the Zeiss 21mm and a circular polarizer.

Happy Holidays

The Hazard's are a family that I met through Jessica's soccer team. As the holidays approached I kept hearing how they go crazy with their Christmas decorations. Last week I was invited to come by and check out the house. Robert, the architect of the whole thing, told me that  people have tried to photograph it but they always  turn out too dark or too light (blown out). Here are a few of my images shot with the Zeiss 21mm f/2.8.