A day on the Ranch
My brother Bill took me out to his friends Ranch outside of San Diego. His friend is a pioneer in heart transplants and is probably the foremost expert in the world, having developed a technique in the mid 1970’s that made transplants work. The Ranch has exotic animals, two lakes, two homes and a helicopter landing port – an amazing opportunity for me to see something special. While there, we met his friend – Sir Terrence – who is an actual crowned Knight from the UK. He too was an amazing person that revolutionized transplanting in the UK. What an amazing day on the Ranch.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Photography/The-Ranch/19751542_DF8MRT
Black and White Photography
I have always enjoyed black and white photography; the simplicity of it and the beauty of it. Good black and white photography can really highlight emotion and mood better than almost any other type of photography. The lack of color forces you to really look at the composition, shadows and subject and it can really focus the eye on what you want. I took a black and white photo that I liked of the Pier at Scripps (one of my favorite places to photograph) as you know. The pier looks very moody and calm at sunset – almost peaceful even.
Mary
I got a chance to take some pictures at Mary (my sisters) house yesterday. Irish had his Homecoming Dance this weekend so I was there taking pictures of him and his Homecoming date Ashlyn. Mary decided to do some portrait poses before I left and she is a great model – a natural. Mary is a great sister and a great mother with a great family. I see them often and they are a great source of joy for me since we have so much fun. We actually have been going to Charger games for years and/or hitting up the BBQ Pit on Saturday nights (which we actually did again last night).
When Mary was growing up everybody would comment on her beautiful eyes and long hair. Well you can tell from the photos here why that was the case. I hope you can check out some of the photos in the gallery, there are just a few but Mary makes them all look great.
Foster the People (View from the Backstage)
One of the best new bands to emerge in the last couple of years is Foster the People. Their song. “Pumped up Kicks” has been on the charts for the last 12 months and has hit #4 recently despite being recorded awhile ago. The band was formed in LA by Mark Foster hence the name “Foster the People”. The band was originally called Foster and the People but the name Foster the People stuck. I had a chance to check them out live in San Diego this week and they put on an incredible show at SOMA. The songs are incredibly singable and the whole place was jumping and singing the songs along with the band. I was particularly excited because they gave me a photo pass to the show so I got a unique vantage point (right up front and back stage). You can check out the gallery of all of the photos in my Music gallery.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Music/Foster-the-People/19737548_6zRdQM
Cults Play San Diego
My niece Madeline McKenna formed a group with her boyfriend Ryan Mattos (phenomenal songwriter and musician). They exploded on the indie music scene over a year ago with a single they recorded in their apartment in York called “Go Outside”. The single was meant to be played just for their friends and they uploaded it on the internet. Within weeks the single had gone viral on the internet and was even picked up by Perez Hilton who claimed that this was the next big group. Well he was right and The Cults went on to sign on with a major record label and began to tour the world non stop since they launched.
Just this last week, I had a chance to watch the Cults again as they played one of their largest shows I had seen. They were playing with another indie group – Foster the People and the place was absolutely packed. I was thrilled to watch her and they even gave me a coveted “Photo Pass” which allowed me into the photographers pit and also back stage. It was a phenomenal night and I loved every minute of it. Check out the band photos for the Cults on the link below.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Music/Cults-San-Diego/19660799_Zp3F6C
Roseville for a Wedding
I just got back from Roseville after spending a weekend up there for my friends Chris and Vanessa’s wedding. Chris is one of my very good friends from college (we were dorm mates), and his wife is a very nice girl that is a Librarian just like him. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful event that they organized at a small hall called “Portuguese Hall” near Auburn. I got a chance to see the beautiful wedding but also to see the historic town of Auburn which is a great place to shoot for weddings or portraits since the town is very old and beautiful. The wedding pictures will be up within a week and I am looking forward to sharing them.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Portraits/Chris-and-Vanessa/19604464_KG5hgB
Catamaran
It’s amazing how the Golden Hour can really help make a mundane subject look much more than it is. I took this picture of a Catamaran that we passed by as it sat on the beach, and with the right amount of lighting and color you might have a hard time telling where in the world this is. This was taken at the Catamaran Hotel on Mission Bay. It is right in the heart of Sail Bay – the part of the Bay that has the longest stretch of free sailing than any other part. Sail Boats traverse the long stretch back and forth and on any given weekend you might see hundreds of boats out there.
Autumn Moon over Mission Bay
If you have ever walked around Mission Bay at night you have probably noticed how the lights from the buildings and houses that surround the Bay glisten on the still water. Tonight when we were taking a walk around the Bay we turned to the left and were surprised by what we saw. A beautiful Autumn moon that was appearing right over the horizon. The moon in October is exceptionally big and bright. It was an amazing sight to see.
