Caitlin

I shot my friend Caitlin Custer, an amazing actress, and Tom Hill, the lead singer from Purple Melon. My friends Matthieu and Elfee Duquette were the stylists. We all piled into a car and drove around Silverlake & Downtown LA. When we saw a cool location we'd stop the car, get out and shoot. We hit up the .99 cent store, skid row and an empty tunnel.

Dairy Queen

Here's an outtake from my Texas road trip. This was shot at a Dairy Queen in West Texas.

San Diego

I drove down from LA to San Diego for a gig....but on the way I stopped at Vista Point and saw a bum, some birds and the beach.

Jesus 2

I shot these photos of Nik Jung as Jesus around Christmas time. I just recently saw them again and played around a little in photoshop. I thought it was fitting since it's Palm Sunday.

Tony

I shot my good friend Tony Tigner at his home in LA. He was watching Dr. Strangelove on his movie projector.

Purple Melon

I went to see Purple Melon perform at Fais Do-Do with my friends, Matthieu & Elfee Duquette. These guys rip it on the guitar, the drums and bass are super tight and the songs are just catchy enough without being too commercial. They just moved to LA from London and are already attracting quite the following. With their 70's vibe, superb musical skills and technical ability, I have a feeling they will go far. We are planning on doing a shoot together soon. Can't wait!

iPhoto 2

These are my most recent iPhone mobile uploads from the last few weeks. Most of the shots taken were in LA. I document everyday activities that strike me as interesting and visually appealing. I like to shoot while driving in my car or just during routine activities like going to the barbershop, video store or when I have some downtime on set.

Blu Note Band

Today I shot the Blu Note Band. We shot at the Gleason Estate in Hollywood. What a talented and great group of guys! They all come from classical jazz backgrounds and perform as an ensemble. Thanks to my good friend Nate Pratt at www.BluNoteJazzband.com for hooking the shoot up!

Facebook vs. Myspace

Is it me or is Facebook way cooler than Myspace now? I mean, I hardly ever check Myspace anymore. Is that bad...should i do both? In the last few years Facebook has become increasingly popular. I recently stopped using Myspace as my primary social networking site. In the past year I have been more and more active on Facebook. I use it on a daily basis and when I don't have access to my computer I can access it from my iPhone.

Recently, I asked my friends, colleagues and peers the same question: Why is Facebook so much cooler than Myspace? These are some of the answers I have received..."Like any great fad you just have to ween yourself off... R.I.P flare jeans" or "Facebook is myspace for grownups-- it should be added to the 21-up list" or "agreed. i haven't checked my myspace in like months! oops..." or " Myspace is sooo 2006."

Basically, Myspace has become more of a hub for bands, youth and people promoting their businesses. You also get a lot of random people trying to become your friend even if they don't know you. Artists, musicians, socialites ask you for friend requests without even sending you a message first introducing themselves. Facebook is more personal and is a much "cleaner" site. By this I mean, you get less spam and the people who friend request you are actually doing so more for personal reasons.

That being said, I still have a lot of my photography and art on display on Myspace. It has really cool slide shows and other special features available for artists and musicians to display their work. I have been a member for the last 3 years. Actually, Myspace just celebrated it's 5 year anniversary and is still going strong. It can still be a useful tool for certain individuals. So, if Facebook is the new kid on the block, what's the next new social networking trend gonna be...hmmm?

Well, now Twitter is it's taking off at a very fast pace. If you haven't checked it out, you should. Once you discover the power of Twitter the possibilities are endless...I just signed up a few months ago and can't put it down. You can follow people and groups that you are interested in and you can post links to photos and other sites for people to see. It is immediate and ever evolving. You also are one DM, "direct message", away from celebrities, professional athletes, so-called social networking gurus and anyone else that Twitters. Even if they never respond to your DM, at least you know they got it and possibly read it. That's pretty cool. The only downside is some people Twitter way too much. They constantly update their tweets with useless info, so sometimes you have to stop following specific people who clog up your page or use a tool called, Tweetdeck, to help oganize your followers by groups. The cool thing is you can follow people with similar interests as you.

These sites are mostly fun and games, but there is also proper etiquette that should be followed, so don't be fooled. For instance, don't be too into yourself...people like to have a conversation. If you constantly tell everyone about your fabulous life without ever asking questions they may become unsatisfied with your online "friendship". It is also a big deal if you "unfriend" someone on Facebook. You better make sure you really don't like the person and don't value their friendship, b/c this is like an online slap in the face. However, on Twitter, it's perfectly okay to "unfollow" someone you may not be interested in.

Remember, you are supposed to be social, so don't just sit back and watch everyone else talk, join in the discussions and be a valuable participant in the community. All social networks have a limited lifespan...it's better to jump on the newest ones early before the crowd leaves you behind! Twitter + Facebook + Myspace + Blog + Website = lots of time spent online! For me, I know I have spent too much time online when my art begins to suffer. I have to remember the reason I am on these social networks is to stay in contact with people I care about. It is also a smart way to grow my business as a photographer.

Below I have posted some photos from my different accounts just in case you were interested in seeing what they look like.

iPhoto

Lately, I have been addicted, if not obsessed, with taking pictures from my iPhone. My Facebook account is literally bombarded on a daily basis with mobile uploads from my everyday life. If you are already friends with me then this is definitely old news, but for those of you who are new to my site, I have taken the liberty of uploading some of my favorite shots from the old camera bag. It's camera is just good enough for me to feel like it's worthy of a photo...it's almost like taking a digital polaroid in the sense that, the original file is small, but also very effective for conveying a certain aesthetic. If you are a photographer and you haven't discovered this little gem of a tool, then I suggest you run to your local apple store and buy yourself an iPhone. Not only can you take photos and upload them immediately to your website and other social networks, you can do virtually anything else that you do on your laptop or home computer like email, iTunes and the internet. Either way, it will most certainly change your way of seeing and being connected to the outside world.

Knitting Factory

Last night I went to the Knitting Factory in Hollywood to see my good friends Gautam Dua aka Gotham Green, Haps and Icon perform. They opened up for Aceyalone and Myka Nine. It was my first time at the Knitting Factory. The venue is really nice...it has two main stages and 2 bars. It's the perfect size, not too big, but certainly not too small. It was nice to see a really good hip hop show again...it's been far too long since I have seen them perform. LA hip hop is really on the move and these guys have some sweet lyrics and beats. I have shot my friends live shows ever since I can remember...always happy to do it. N Brown Clothing sponsored the shoot and some of the apparel in the photos. Check out my flickr pics to see the whole live show.