DEL MAR, CA

Right before I took off to Hawaii ... I got to house sit for friends who live right next door to Torrey Pines State Reserve. It is such a beautiful area. I felt like I was on vacation while I was there.

USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL

The visitor center and the USS Arizona Memorial are located on the U.S. Navel Base at Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship's 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. The 184 ft. long Memorial structure spanning the mid-portion of the sunken battleship consists of three main sections; the entry and assembly rooms, a central area designed for ceremonies and general observation; and the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on the marble wall. A must see while you are in Oahu.

HAU'ULA LOOP TRAIL

The 2.5 mile Hau'ula Loop Trail is a beautiful mountain hike in the Kaipapau Forest Reserve above Hauula. The trail crosses Waipilopilo Gulch and winds up the hillside through an ironwood, Norfolk Island pine and paperback eucalyptus forest with lush fern and moss undergrowth. Fallen needles from the trees carpet the path with a thick matting. There are lots of cool birds. I just love this beautiful trail and have done the hike twice so far. It is a great workout and a lot of fun.

MA'AKUA RIDGE TRAIL

The 3.35 mile Ma'akua Ridge Trail sits above the town of Hauula in the Kaipapau Forest Reserve. The trail winds through lush groves of hau, hala, acacia and kukui trees. There are lots of lilikoi to be found. The views are spectacular.

MOKOLI'I ISLAND AND MORE

I am having a wonderful time on Oahu! Here are some images of Mokoli'i Island, also known as Chinaman's Hat. I've also included a couple beach images from the windward side of the island and Kahana Bay. Aloha!

THE ALOHA STATE

Aloha everyone! I am so excited!!! Tomorrow, I leave for Hawaii!!! I will be wrapping up my 5 year project. In 2004, I set out to capture the untouched beauty of the Hawaiian Islands in Kodak HIE-135 Infrared B&W Film. By the end of December 2007, Kodak announced the discontinuance of the HIE infrared film. Fortunately, I was able to purchase some of the last rolls on Ebay ... though, at a premium price. To view my body of work "A New Discovery", please log on to my fine art website.

For the first time ... while traveling, I am really going to try and update my blog and share photos with everyone. Please check-in often to see my latest adventures. A great way to stay updated on my recent posts is by signing up as a "Fan & Friend" with Google Friend Connect, which is featured on my blog page. It's super easy to do!

GILA RUT AVEDA SALON

On May 17th ... I had a photo session with Gila Rut Aveda Salon. Here are just a few of the images from the shoot. It was such a fun day! The models did a great job. It was great to work with the creative team at Gila Rut. They are such a talented bunch. A big thank you to Chris at Ray Street Studios for providing a great working environment. Cheers!

KIDS!

While going through some of my past portrait work ... I came across these images. I just had to share them with you. ;o)

MIA DELCASINO

Hey everybody! I just wanted to share some exciting news with you. My dear friend (and photo adventure travel buddy), Mia DelCasino, just won ... not one ... but two awards in the notable Photography Masters Cup competition for her work "Kerry Blue" and "Passage Eight". This is a remarkable achievement and I am so proud of her. She is a great talent and I admire her contemporary style and masterful color palette. Her work resonates beauty and peace. Cheers to you Mia!

MODEL HEATHER

A few months back I bumped into Heather at a party. It was really nice to see her ... so I thought I would go back into my film archives and post some of the images I took of Heather. I had the pleasure of photographing Heather a few years back for her model portfolio. We spent 2 days shooting and Karla Lopez-Martinez of Gila Rut Aveda Salon was the hair and makeup stylist extraordinaire. We had so much fun and Heather was a rock star! Thanks to Lucia Lento at Drop Dead Designs for hooking us up!

MODEL MEGAN

One day, when I was downtown ... I discovered Megan sitting at a table at Starbucks. I asked her if she had ever modeled before and she said no. So I gave her my card and asked her if she would be interested in auditioning for a photo shoot with Gila Rut Salon. I thought she would be perfect for the shoot. Megan turned out to be a natural in front of the camera and she was so much fun to photograph. She ended up landing more modeling gigs after her first photo session with me. Go Megan!

GILA RUT AVEDA SALON

Hey everyone! Here are a few images that I took a couple of years ago for Gila Rut Aveda Salon. I have another photo shoot scheduled with the salon in a couple of weeks. I am super excited about it as the photo session will be held at Ray Street Studios in North Park. I am also looking forward to working with the creative team at Gila Rut. It should be a fun day!