Pike's Place Fish and Noelani - Miss Island Mokihana 2010

I seem to have a knack lately for being in the right place at the right time and that continued during my visit to Seattle this month and trip down to the famous Pike's Place Fish at the Public Market Center. I was hoping to get a glimpse of what I had only heard about and seen on TV AND maybe see a fish or two flying through the air.

So I got there and saw some of the most amazing seafood ever but the only thing that was flying through the air was crab and I wasn't too impressed; I could have done that myself. So I turned my head for just a MOMENT and there they went, two BIG fish flying through the air. Well I had only myself to blame and figured it would be a while before any other activity so I walked away and visited other parts of the market. Well when I got back I noticed a crowd and thought, you missed it again man. I did notice that there was a new person behind the counter who had dawned an apron and I just figured it was just a new or late arriving employee.

As I listed and watched, I noticed that the crowd was a bit too interested in this woman (who I affectionately referred to as the "fish lady") and they weren't budging. One of the guys at the market stood about 5 feet from her and through a fish to her, she threw it back, her threw it back to her and the cycle repeated itself. At this point I figured out what was happening or what was about to happen so I strategically inserted myself into the crowd and put my camera into high speed mode. The guy now moved out in the crowd with us and the lady he was playing catch with earlier was all the way behind the succession of counters and now he's about to hurl this fish to her in hopes that she's gonna catch it.

Up in the air the fish went, flexed a bit at the apex of the throw and down right into the "fish lady's" awaiting arms. There was a woman who was taking pictures and I could tell by the way the guys at the market were positioning and talking with her that she traveled to the market with the "fish lady". I talked with her and showed her the pictures I took and promised to share them once I got back home. She tried to tell me who the fish lady was but I wasn't paying attention for checking the quality of the shots I took. Well the "fish lady" got cleaned up and joined us in front of the market. I introduced myself and she again told me who she was and it was then that I realized why there was a crowd. The "fish lady's" real name was actually Noelani Kaui - Miss Island Mokihana 2010, Miss Garden Isle 2009 and Miss Hawaii USA (top 10). I guess patience and a BIG camera pays off in the end.

What a way to give this neglected Blog some lovin'.

The Palms

Gotta give this Blog some love since I've been neglecting it lately. On a recent trip to California, I had this mild obsessions with Palm trees; I really miss California and I guess it was all about the Palms during my visit there. Please send me an email with the dimensions of your monitor if you would like any of these shots as desktop wallpaper.

David

Connections

So how do I frame my quick trip to Tennessee? Well while it was short, I did get a chance to accomplish my primary business reason for going which afforded me the opportunity for everything else that took place during my visit including some great shots. I will update this post with them very soon.

My trip started with a visit to the Gaylord Opryland Luxury which is actually the oldest of the four Gaylord Hotels in the United States. I have had the pleasure and opportunity to visit 3 of the four hotels and two (Gaylord Texan and of course the Gaylord Opryland) within a 7 day period. You also may remember my trip last year to the Gaylord National Harbor and here's a link to that slideshow.

Secondly I was rushing back to the hotel after having dinner with a colleague so I could watch one of my favorite shows; 24. I saw some lights in the hotel lobby I wanted to photograph so I returned with my camera. My camera has turned into a magnet and sparks up a lot of conversation and opportunity for me. While shooting in the lobby a woman (Rose) commented on the size of my camera and asked me if I was a professional? I replied yes and two hours later I shot her daughter Alexia; "Ms. Teen Tennessee Latina 2009_2010". I told Alexia she made the trip for me and that I was honored to meet such a beautiful and focused young lady. She wants to be a lawyer with a focus on animal rights and I have a bead on a Latina attorney that can serve as a mentor for her. I am pretty excited about this possibility.

The next day I got up at sunrise and visited the Pantheon which I will admit was unimpressive but I did eek out a few cool shots. I also visited downtown Nashville and got some shots which are really cool and I believe are the true spirit of Nashville.

As I reflect back on the trip, I will remember the connections I made with the people and the state history. Everywhere I went I connected with people, learned more about the history and tried to make every moment memorable. I started this process while visiting India this time last year and it has spilled over into all of my subsequent travels; including this one.

On a slight side not, I need to thank Alexia's Mom Rose who gave me so much encouragement about my work and the possibilities. I am putting out to the universe to send me someone willing to help me with the marketing and presentation of my work. Taking a page out of the book "The Secret" as I want to open up additional possibilities for me in the very near future and allow everyone to enjoy some of the fruits of my travels.

I will post my favorite photos from the trip to Texas and Tennessee yet this week.

I'll be blogging you...

David

Rocket Man Cronicles

I am in the air on my way to Dallas and have about another 90 minutes of flight time ahead of me in this flying gas can. Well I have gone through Jamie Fox's new album "Intuition" and now John Legend's "Evolver" is in my ear. Did I mention that this is one of the bumpiest plane rides ever; I feel like an egg in the carton and hope I don't crack.

Still wishing I was at WPPI with my mentors and other professional photographers I follow so that will be a 2010 goal of mine. I should have brought my laptop with me as I have two slideshows to finish and some editing to do but they will have to wait another week.

Today I shot two teens for our MIY project; the acronym puts me in the mind of Mission Impossible. Our teens for the project are Brie and Ashlyn. Brie is all over my website and blog banner; she's the half face young lady. I heard back from Brie's Mom that the girls had a great time meeting me; well who wouldn't, learning about the project and lightened up when I said "fashion" type shots. I made up a new term just because I could. I call it photojounalashion" - it's where photojournalism and fashion meet and when I get the pronunciation right I will let you know. Did I mention the flight was a little bumpy and that I wish I was at WPPI? Just checking and any mis-spellings in this Blog entry WILL be blamed on the pilot of American Airlines flight...

Well Brie and Ashlyn were a lot of fun and as you will see; very photogenic. I snuck in a few shots of Brie's Mom but don't tell her. We've been friends for a very long time so she get over it as long as I don't post the one where she looks drunk. LOL.

After today's meeting I believe we are just about done meeting and greeting our models and so ends the easy part of this project; now comes the hard stuff. Going through all the paperwork, release forms, data sheets, remembering the conversations, personalities, do's and don't, good sides, not as good sides, remembering how they responded in front of the camera, preliminary ideas for their shoots and the list goes on and on.

From here we will have individual meetings with some models where we will bring forward our ideas and possibly ask more questions about who these people are. I feel we have an awesome group and this is going to be a lot of fun.
Angel and I met with Phil and his wife Christine on Thursday of last week. They are a very fun couple with a fun story about how they met and how she stalked him until he said yes; she's going to kill me because it really didn't go down that way but it does make for a great story. I could go on and on about these two as she's a school teacher, he works by day and plays guitar by night and they sing karaoke together after a few umbrella drinks. We will be doing some road trips with these two to catch them in their environments.

Anyway, did I mention that the ride was bumpy? The pilot just walked by me and I thought to myself I really need you to get back up in the cockpit so handle your business quickly. The flight attendant is very funny walking around with her Walmart plastic bag picking up the trash. I need to make sure I have my receipt for my $15 check bag fee; pretty soon their be a fee for using their "air" on the plane and coins for the restrooms with the blue water and turbo flush; wonder where all that stuff goes after it's been..... Ok, I won't go there literally. You can tell I have a lot of time on my hands to write.

Being up so high and helpless makes me realize how blessed I am. For the opportunity to fly and to just be in my right mind with no health issues and a family that is well. So many of my friends and their family members have had their share of painful discoveries and loss and my heart and prayers go out to them BIG time. Sometimes we don't realize how blessed we are with our current set of circumstances until we find reason to count our blessings. Well I am on solid ground, in my hotel, re-energizing for Dallas tomorrow, my business and some great shots.

I'll be blogging you....

David

Reach

From time to time, ok well almost everyday, I check my website and Blog statistics to see where the love is coming from across this Big Blue Ball we call planet earth.  Provided I have taken my own visits out of the equation, yes I do like to look at my sites sometimes; I am blessed to report that in 2008 you have visited my website and blogs 5,000 times across 100 countries. 

Now when I started my presence on the web, I never knew that it would grow to the level it has and that other photographer and Bloggers like Ross Oscar Knight would mention my blog on their blogs.  This has definitely helped with the stats and the love.  I also didn’t know that other Bloggers like Lisa Brady, Angel Sallade, and Doug Rutter to name a few would put links to my blog on their Blogs.  AND to have such world renowned destination photographers like Ross Oscar Knight and Scarlett Lillian comment on my work has been an awesome compliment to my work.  When I look at where I started the year and where I am ending it, I have definitely developed as a photographer and a student of the world.   There is still much to learn and I have to send a “shout-out” to Ross for helping me figure out how to use my flash and the constant encouragement.  Thanks to Scarlett for giving me many ideas on how to market the business and add “punch” to the photo’s.  It’s been a amazing ride and it’s just the beginning of something wonderful.  Thanks to everyone who’s supported me and sent some love my way; God knows I need it at times.

Stay Blessed!

David

My Book

I know it's been a while since I've posted to this Blog but I have been working on a book of my best photo's from my trip to India earlier in the year. Not sure when I will have it completed but here are a few of the shots that will be included. Please stay tuned and thanks for being patient with me.

National Harbor

Several months ago, I had the opportunity to go to D.C. for a conference. I previously blogged about the wonderful resort the conference was located on and now wanted to display it in a different slideshow format for everyone. I hope you like this format as I plan on using this venue again for my photography from and about India. I got some Indian music from a friend and plan on completing this project in the coming week.

David