Having worked as a photographer for over 30 years–and most of those years shooting film–I am always in amazement at how changing technology is also changing the way we see.  Ten years ago, I would have never been able to shoot a picture of the interior of a car, in the dark before sunrise, while still being able to balance the light from a neon sign in the background, all of that hand-held without a tripod… while driving.  Here’s the proof:

I have been playing with the Sony NEX-5n, and I find myself shooting pictures that in the past were simply not achievable.  There are two major reasons why I’ll hang onto this camera:  (1) It’s as small as a point and shoot camera, I can put it anywhere, and (2) An f/2.8 lens with 1600 ISO that shows little noise makes it phenomenal in low light situations.

As much as I originally resisted digital, I now feel lucky to have been a part of the industry’s transition.  The post production creative possibilities are truly limitless and we can now shoot pictures of subjects and environments that were practically impossible only a few years ago.

One of the driving forces in my business has always been the process of discovery, learning something new, discovering a more meaningful vision or method to communicate that vision. We continually look to expand our capabilities and to create new work with new technology.  We recently did just that.

There’s a taco shop around the corner from our studio, and we guarantee that it’s unlike any taco shop that you’ve ever been to.  ”Mexican food with a splash of soul” has been the term long associated with Sky’s Gourmet Tacos on Pico near Hauser.  It’s a small restaurant with a small staff, but with big dreams (fulfilled).  It’s the kind of place that when you walk in, you’re made to feel at home.  We thought it would be a great interview project to ask Barbara (owner and visionary of Sky’s Gourmet Tacos) to tell us her story on camera.  Over the course of an evening and some tacos, we shot this promo… check it out:

Ten years ago I spent a little over a week traveling alone throughout the highlands of Guatemala and ever since have wanted to go back  with Mary Lynn. Early this year that opportunity finally arrived. So with some trepidation (she was bombarded with friends asking her “is it safe” in Guatemala) Mary Lynn came with me to visit my sister Carol and her husband Clate and spend some time with the Guatemalan people. Since living in Venezuela 40 years ago as a missionary I have felt very much at home in Latin America and have enjoyed traveling in Mexico, Central and South America. It has been the rural areas that have always been most interesting. I love their simple way of life that is so attached to their immediate surroundings, the ocean, the  land, and the wildlife. Although their lifestyle seems so difficult and underprivileged they are often the happiest people you could ever imagine. These men fish each morning and on a good day might make a couple of dollars. Some spend the rest of the day working in the fields for pennies. I had learned from previous experience that if all the stars align a very moody fog can form just before sunrise across Lake Atitlan. The first morning we were there I was up an hour before the sun but the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. The next morning everything fell into place and I got into a boat with Manuel and slowly crossed the lake into the fog that seems to emphasis the solitude of the fishermen as well as their archaic manner of fishing.

Mary Lynn and I spent the last week in Utah with all of our kids and grandkids. Cold and lots of snow. These windmills sit at the mouth of a canyon and seem to get lost in the snow and clouds. Rhythm, whether found in nature or man made, has always fascinated me.

The LA Auto Show has been open to the press for the last two days before it’s grand opening to the public tomorrow. Having grown up in the LA car culture and having credentials it was a natural for me to spend a few hours there this morning. Below are a few images of some of the cars that interested me.

The new Elantra as it was unveiled today.

The Equus will compete in the luxury car category and when comparing styling, features and price I imagine it will be very comptetitive!

Lot’s of talk about electric cars! Although this image is of a Honda it was the Chevy Volt that won green car of the year. With the good news at the car show and the successful IPO GM had a great day.

Where will headlights go next?

The last two images are of the new Jaguar C-X75 concept car. My favorite.

One of my favorite things to do is to get up early and walk through the flower mart in downtown Los Angeles so last week I met Taylor down on Wall Street long before the sun came up and then came back to the studio and made a few images. The way the light falls on each pedal and the detail with which my H3D 39 captures it is always fascinating to me.

Mary Lynn and I spent most of the last week at the beach and while there I couldn’t resist shooting a touristy shot of the Huntington Beach pier. Whether it is in the studio where we create the light or on location where we work with what nature delivers, a good image is always all about  the light. No Photoshop manipulation in this image. It’s just being in the right place at the right time with the right light using the right focal length lens and making the right exposure.

It has been 10 years since Harman Kardon first introduced SoundSticks to the world, and the passage of time has proven the speakers’ quality, durability and popularity.  Not only are the speakers top sound performers, but when they’re not sitting on your desk, you can find them in the permanent collection in the New York City Museum of Modern Art.

To say that lighting a rounded, transparent plastic dome is a challenge would be an understatement. Photography is all about the light and how the subject reacts to that light. How much, what color, hard or soft, what shape and from what angle. I’ve always enjoyed creating new ways and techniques to light. Tungsten lights with fresnel lenses have been a staple in my studio for a couple of reasons. First, what you see is what you get unlike strobe. Second, they are much easier to control and shape than strobe or other lights without lenses, barn doors and snoots. My experience shooting Simpson racing helmets over 20 years ago came in handy with this project in that they were also round and extremely reflective.

Since I was a kid I have read and dreamed about the Bonneville Salt Flats. It has been said that if you are a Buddhist you go to Tibet, but if you are a motorhead, you go to Bonneville. This August I finally made it!

No matter what you have read or seen you will not be prepared for what you will experience.  I arrived a little after 6 am, well before the sun was up, just as the glow on the horizon began to intensify. Once you leave the paved road and roll out onto the salt, you feel like you are in another world. The expanse and flatness, along with the history of racing, creates a sense of place that is beyond written description. Everyone should go to the salt flats at least once in your life to experience it for your self.

This first image conveys my vision of Bonneville. A very old Indian motorcycle contrasted against the high tech helmet and leathers all set on the expansive white surface communicates what I felt.

It can be blistering hot and waiting for the starter to give you the go ahead while wearing full leathers can be excruciating without some shade.

Randy Speranza has been racing for 15 years at Bonneville. He, along with his father, and brother, have set nearly 30 records, 14 of which are still standing.

Recently Tris Cannon, a friend of mine, bought a new Triumph Bonneville and dropped it off in front of my house with out warning. Seemingly a nice gesture! I’ll always believe he knew exactly what he was doing when he dropped off that bike. I now have an overwhelming desire to buy a motorcycle, one like I had in the early 70′s, a Triumph Bonneville. The upside is I felt a new inspiration to shoot which resulted in the image below.

Tris’ Triumph

Me in 1971 with my Triumph Bonneville

In 1971 I was in Da Nang and before I left to come home I bought the bike you see in the photo above sight unseen. A few days after I arrived home I went down to the port of Los Angeles and picked it up in the crate it had been shipped in from England. In those days there were no helmet laws and so I spent the summer racing up and down Pacific Coast Highway without a helmet, and occasionally no shoes and no shirt. Those were the days! Riding Tris’ bike has brought back some great memories.