September 16, 2011

"Young Gentlemen Explorers" at the Brothel

This past week, we shot a scene for "Young Gentleman Explorers" at director Matt Snead's studio in Los Angeles. The shoot environment itself was a far cry from the 115 degree heat we endured during our hike out into the desert a couple weeks before. Although the building was cool, the atmosphere was hot due to the young ladies joining us for our "Brothel" scene. "Luckily" (cough, cough), I had my camera with me and took some very nice set shots of all the fun we had. Enjoy!

September 08, 2011

The 2011 Ronald Reagan Presidential Library GOP Debate

My friend, Walter Ruskin, leads a group in San Diego called, The Ugly News Team and reports for the San Diego Community Newspaper. Somehow (lol), he got accredidation into the September 7th, Republican Presidential Debate being held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. Walter rang and asked if I could sidekick along with him and snap off some photos while we walked the grounds and interviewed in the Spin Room. After the debate, two of the candidates stopped by (Herman Cain and Rick Santorum) and Walter scored some great interviews. (And I scored some great photos!). After the interviews, we couldn't help ourselves and decided to have some other fun by making our way into the debate hall. Enjoy.


August 28, 2011

"Young Gentlemen Explorers" and the Goat Canyon Trestle

As many of you know, aside from being a photographer here in Los Angeles, I'm also an actor. Lately, I've been starring in a webseries known as, "Young Gentlemen Explorers", directed by Matt Snead. On Wednesday, August 24th, we did a shoot at a place outside of San Diego in the Anza Borrego Desert called, Goat Canyon. Goat Canyon is a very special place only accessible by foot, mountain bike or railroad.

We began our drive into the desert around 7am using a Toyota Forerunner. Our drive on the dirt roads leading to the parking area, however, was not without incident, unfortunately. Our driver took a wrong turn at a fork and we ended up sinking our back wheels into some ridiculously soft sand. A terrible sight indeed, when the top of your vehicle's back wheels are at the point of level ground. After an hour of finding large enough rocks, some brush and lots of digging, we finally made it out - but still, with the assistance of our tag along friend's Ford F-150 and a small rope. One hour gone and time wasted on a day we knew was going to be hot.

We reached our parking place, grabbed our gear and started our 2 hour h
ike to the canyon. Ten or so years ago I had done this same hike with my father, uncle and a next door neighbor. I knew where we were going and I was bubbling with anticipation. Would it still be there? Would it look just as austere and sublime as I remembered it? I was hoping for the best.

An hour and a half into our hike, we walked around that last mountain corner and there it was off in the distance. Still standing as proud as it did the day it was finished back in 1923.
At 186 feet tall and 750 feet long, the Goat Canyon Trestle still remains to this day, the longest, tallest curved wooden trestle ever built in the United States.

Named for the large, bighorn sheep that thrive here in such desert desolation,
the construction of the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad began during World War I in the steep-walled Carrizo Gorge near the town of Jacumba. Many people were convinced at the time that it couldn't be done, but John D. Spreckels, the "Sugar King," didn't rest until the "impossible track" was completed in November, 1919, at a cost of US $18 million. After an earthquake collapsed one of the main tunnels a few years later, the large trestle was conceived and was duly built to support the largest of freight trains. The line was closed down sometime in the 1970's but reopened again in the late 1990's for a few years. To the chagrin of those who invested in the line, it unfortunately subsequently closed again in 2004.

Lucky for us, however, we had our trestle, our cameras and our costumes for the shoot and created what will, I'm sure be, a dazzling episode for the eye to behold. I certainly hope it turns out as well as my hdr photo of it did. If you make a venture out to the trestle, be sure to bring PLENTY of water if you hike out in the summertime. By the time we left, the temperature was pegging 115.

July 31, 2011

San Diego Comic Con 2011 - The Celebs!

Oh, lots of fun was had seeing some new celebrities this year. William Shatner! Jim Caviezel! Scott Bakula! Jeff Bridges!!! Dr. Who (Matt Smith!) Wow! All some of my absolute favorites.


San Diego Comic Con 2011 - The Costumes!

Oh boy, the costumes were great this year. And, shooting w/ my 7D made everything just perfect. The colors, the skin tones, the sharpness. What a great CC I had.