Shameless Self Promotion

What a thrill it is to see my photos blown up huge like this-- on the side of a truck. YOWZA. The Music Circus season is just about to happen and I am so looking forward to another amazing season! (I also love seeing my Forever Plaid guys photos in bus stops all over town.) Happy happy happy.

Yosemite

A quick scenic photo on our way out. I shot mostly with my regular camera but you can't see those here since I ONLY show my iPhotos on this blog.

I can't believe this bird let me get this close! And yes, it did take some time to edge nearer and nearer. He's hanging out by the bear-proof garbage cans in the campgrounds of Yosemite. I've been on two major camping trips in my life. What can I say, i was brought up in the city by parents who were more into entertainers, movie stars, journalism and the Atlantic Ocean than mountainous nature expeditions. Last year I tackled the monumental Burning Man, and I would go again!-- yes, applause appreciated. This year Yosemite and the ever-present Bear Boxes. What's next?

Earth and Air

This crazy gorgeous rock pattern is from-- believe it or not-- the concierge desk at the Anaheim Hilton where I stayed recently. I could not stop taking pictures of it! Every angle showed some more wonderful pattern in the polished desk.

And, just because, I thought I'd try to see if I could get any decent pics from the air during our flight. I've never seen a cloud I didn't like or want to take a picture of. We all have our "thing" (or two). :)


I just can't-- or won't-- say for sure but this sure looks like the outline of the California coastline, which would be a very cool thing. Hey, it's shot from thousands of feet up, through a double plastic paned window-- so yeah, it's kinda fuzzy. Sheesh. ;)

Man's Best Friends!

Gotta love our precious friends of the four-legged kind! They bring such sweetness and joy! My buddy Scott is just a big happy dog himself!

Oh why not

A self-portrait.

The Jazz Jubilee in Old Sacramento is a madhouse of activity every year! But walking through the tunnel on our way in was this guy with a Didjeridoo - an Australian aboriginal musical instrument, completely incongruous to the dixieland jazz fare we would be expecting. It was a cool and unexpected musical moment.

No cell phones allowed!

OOPS!

I felt my heart... in San Francisco

Went on the Vallejo Ferry recently with Chris (the BF-- he loves it when I call him that, hee hee) and some of his friends and family members. We hang out for a bit in San Francisco to enjoy a rare few hours as a tourist. The street performers were just so much fun. I go to SF a lot but don't get to the wharf area much these days so this was a fun treat.

These guys blew everyone away. Dozens of onlookers gathered for the "break dance show" and were delighted by the amazing gymnastics. Anyone with a point and shoot kind of camera knows that they don't shoot when you push the button. it's invariably a second or two later. And my iPhone is no different, so I had to plan, time, anticipate to get something out of the high action here-- but I did!

On the way back to Vallejo on the ferry I was mesmerized by the streaking of the water spraying on the windows. it made the most beautiful artistic patterns and looked just like a painting. I could have shot that for hours. Wow.

Beautiful!

A functional storm drain is a very good thing!

Thank you to the very hardworking men who replaced the storm drain in from of my house!

Go Oakland CA!

The Paramount Theatre in Oakland is glorious! The BF and I went recently to see the incredible Leonard Cohen, one of the world's greatest songwriters of all time-- imho. :) It was a wonderful show and well worth it. His lyrics, the way he thinks, deep, romantic-- so brilliant. Had to take an iphoto snap of the neon while standing in line... cuz it's what I do! There are some great interiors too, beautiful art deco sculptural elements everywhere you look.
That's two beautiful Oakland theatres in a row.. hmmmmm.



Chris and I had a really wonderful time! He's so sweet, and so handsome don'cha think? :)

Tesla at the Fox in Oakland

What a gorgeous place, the Fox theatre in Oakland California. Tesla played there last night and the experience was impressive. The sound is great, the theatre is gorgeous. It was built in 1928 but sat unoccupied for forty years before getting refurbished and opening it's doors to great entertainment once again.
The detail in this place is spectacular, reminiscent of a day when grandeur ruled. It's finally playing host again to wonderful events like the Tesla show last night. It was the first time I've gone to one of their shows without a camera-- just for the sheer joy of hanging out, listening and watching. I had fun! But encouraged by a friend who wanted this exterior photo I shot this with an iPhone, so glad I did!

Oh Deer

Went to Boreal on a recent assignment and while scouting around for just the right spot to shoot a snowboarder extraordinaire I saw this lovely scene-- luscious untouched snow except for the deer tracks leading into the wood-- It was a beautiful day, quite a contrast to the previous the week where they had a major storm.

Legion of Honor flowers

Went to the Legion of Honor Museum over the weekend and saw the Faberge, Tiffany and Lalique exhibition. Gorgeous, Exquisite, Breathtaking! On the way out saw this beautiful display of flowers and could not resist. Perhaps it was partly frustration of not being allowed to shoot pics of the show-- so much to be inspired by I wanted to take home a reminder but alas, could not. So this flower bed serves...

That's my boy!

Toby, the luscious lounging of a happy and much loved pet.

Isn't she lovely...

kim.jpg
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

It was Halloween, or close enough that wandering the streets people were in costume. My friend Kim and I were outside a friends office and for some reason I had this stuff in the car so Kim put on a little fashion show for me-- and my iPhone. ;) It's kind of a fun little series of pics. We girls love our wigs and feather boas! And I sure wish I could find those sunglasses again!

Def Leppard and the amazing iPhone

Yeah, that's right, I shot a concert with the iPhone.
My experience with camera phones was never very good so I didn't take this one seriously either at first. I just did a couple cursory pics of friends to add to their contact file but never really tried it out to see what it could actually do-- until this show. Holy Cow! Color me kaleidescope-- I'm thrilled with the results.-- Sent via email straight outta my iPhone and made into a slideshow online. No Photoshop at all, not even a smidge.
Imagine what I could have done with a real camera-- but that's not the point of this. The point is living the experience is everything-- so last night it was a joy to step back without my camera for the rare experience of seeing as a participant and not the professional voyeur I usually am. Yes, I still had a camera of sorts but it was to capture the moment in all it's glory. Sometimes clarity and perfection just don't matter. These photos, imperfect as they are, are a wonderful visual record of a great musical experience. Def Leppard were incredible. You could almost feel the weight of their passion, their skill, their love of performing with each note. Foreigner and Styx performed first and overall it was a completely fun rock and roll night.

I love my kitties!

Seriously folks, I can't even believe how cute this picture is... but then again it is of my most beloved kitties, Leeloo and Toby, in an extremely rare moment. More on them later, let's get to the point...

Professional photographer here! Yep, I've been doing this so long that a jaunt out into the world without a camera on occasion is a delight. But there are those moments when you wish you had a camera nearby, at the ready. Enter the iPhone, oh my goodness! It takes great photos, no kidding, and to prove it I started this blog to show them as I go along. As it is with my other blogs I'm not a daily blogger, know that upfront. But I have a few already so I'm gonna start posting, starting with this.

Now, back to the kitties. Leeloo is a newcomer to the fold. I was shooting a job in someone's backyard a few months back and looked down to discover this teeny tiny little ball of white fluff at my feet. The poor thing was so young, and so sick even his little eyes weren't open yet so the only way he could have found me was by heading towards the sound of my voice. It was love at first sight, I took him straight to the vet and now he's a delightful part of the family. Toby was skeptical at first but tolerant and accepting now, even when the kitten is in a crazy mood, which is anytime he's not napping. Leeloo is a biter, and I can't find any thing to get him to stop, and I've tried everything I can think of! It's playful but annoying! Oh but in contrast when he's in a sweet cuddly mood, he's so loving and precious you can't help but melt.

So one night I noticed this rare friendly moment between the two of them. The only thing handy was my iPhone and I moved so quietly, so slowly to capture the moment without getting their attention in a way to make them move. Just as I was about to shoot this Leeloo reached out and put his paw on Toby's as if he knew just what I wanted. So precious!