gundo beach day

blurry portraits

Chinatown walk

winter in MKE

The first time I bring a surfer home to Milwaukee with me, I see three guys surfing Lake Michigan in the dead of winter.. The waves actually looked decent, but still not convincing enough to leave California for them. I will say I can't wait to surf the lake in the summer for the first time! My whole life just a walk to the beach and never once did I attempt it. As long as there's snow on the ground in the motherland though, I'll stick to the non-neoprene boots and gloves and hang out on dry land.. 

Cayucos, Nov 2011

Yosemite

Words can't describe. Either can this photo, but it gives you a pretty good idea of what Yosemite Valley looked like the morning we woke up to the first snow of the winter. Granite peaks emerging out of the shifting clouds, covered in veins of white. The quiet of the valley further muted by the soft layer of snow. A welcome fireside game of chess at Ahwahnee. A herd of deer playing, uninterested in the people walking five feet away (and finally, the 12 point buck I had a stare-down with alone on the trail).

Like those granite peaks, I was stuck in the clouds most of the weekend, in a fog of introspection. It's difficult not to get lost in self-reflection in an environment like that. I re-emerged from the valley floor on Sunday with some new ideas and an appreciation for the snowy winters I have come to miss. 

San Onofre

morning air

ethereal

Chantry Flats

santa barbara

Venice // March 2011

This is what I've been working on lately - multiple exposures. I hate digital photo manipulation, so I'm going to keep shooting this way until I get some skater busting a crazy air.. Frustrating because this would have been infinitely better, but that's what you get when you shoot multiple exposures on actual film and don't photoshop! Repetition yields results... we'll see what turns out on the next roll..

PV cove // 4.02.2011

getty fotografia

Watts, B&W

Some more to snack on from Watts

sk8 park, part dos

The sun was going down when I headed over to the skate park to see my friend Tim dominate..the lighting produced some gnarly grainy film when I shot into the sun, but fun to see what I got a month later. I love shooting film and constantly being surprised by what comes out of that tank when I finally get around to processing! 

-L

Watts Towers

First, I cannot believe I neglected to post for over a month. New Years resolution...at least one post per week..

That being said, today I took an adventure with some friends to Watts where you can find these towers hiding out amidst one story houses and old workers' bungalows. The story of Simon Rodia is intriguing to say the least. After divorcing his wife and setting out to "do something big", he spent the next 34 years building this elaborate world of towers (which are remarkably structural...) and adorned with hundreds of thousands of tiles and found pieces of glass and ceramic. After 34 years he moved to Oakland and gave the property to his neighbor. Eventually two men bought it for $20 and worked to restore and protect it. Insane.

So, seeing this brings forth the question of whether the need for creative expression in some people leads to isolation and self indulgence....or can you have it all? But then maybe it takes people like Simon to sacrifice their life to the making of gems like this one.

palos verdes 11.7.10

These colors and perspectives can only begin to describe the scene Sunday afternoon at Bluff Cove in Palos Verdes... a super low tide uncovered thousands of creatures creeping around the rocks. The hike lit up by constantly changing light from the approaching sunset - you can even see the colors starting to change in the panoramic I snapped on my phone. Surfers paddling in as the last sunlit wave rolls into the cove. Dogs running around off leash - in particular one adorable floppy-eared (a must) dobe. I have to bring a sketchbook here next time. And a beverage. 

...the pink and blue clouds may require 3D glasses, no?

Pano - Santa Monica/Venice are wayyyy off to the right on the horizon, the cove is to the left, and see if you can find the hiker...ok it's not that hard actually.

-L

Santa Barbara

Finally, checking things off the list - our first day-trip to explore some of the amazing places in Cali. Driving up the PCH, we saw a lot of good surf spots and a million precarious looking houses hanging onto the hillsides. Santa Barbara was our first destination. Next time it will be longer than a day trip, and we won't make the mistake of renting cruisers to go on this bike route. We did get some great shots though (I need to steal some from KT's SLR), but here are a few of my snapshots. Stopped at Brophy Brother's in the Harbor for some amazing seafood and a great view looking back on the city nestled in the hills. 

Lost and found

I just ran across these old negatives from circa September 2009 - an adventure with Ms Goebel to Starved Rock. Destination: Tonti Canyon. Light was low in the canyons, but made for some ethereal photos. Wish some others had turned out. I guess you'll just have to go see for yourself ;)