lifelong resident

remember zell?














o gosh, i hope you do. he's just a sweet old man i met last january. it was by chance that i saw his big honkies (this is a word i made up - refer to link above).... and it was by total chance that i saw him again a couple days before halloween, outside of Savers (a local thrift store).














i saw him with his cart, after he went on a shopping spree buying....a LOT of stuff. we got a talkin a bit more and turns out he remembered me.


































and i found out a few tidbits about zell.

• he's now 71.
• he "loves" to shop
• he's retired
• he's lived in redwood city his whole life
• he was a janitor for most of his professional career
• he chose that path for the pension
• he bought a popcorn popper the day i took these pictures because he really needed it
• he doesn't use or have the internet because he doesn't want to complicate his life. (amen, brotha)
  
• &Zell really likes trinkets.

Check out his beautiful, story-full hands (and of course, a trinket that he bought).

it's like a clicking exploration

That's exactly what it is. I click click click around and press fancy action buttons and see what everything does, and with this and that combination...I get -- whoa! Yeah, stuff like this:

















I'm starting to like post-processing more; but I can see it becoming an obsessive type of activity. I don't think my hands, eyes, back, (uh, whole body) can take that.

So the picture is of my colleague Terika, who let me practice photography on her. Posing, lighting, blahbity-blah. It was the day I had to improv that we walked around downtown Redwood City.

Let me get your opinion: What are your thoughts on photo editing?

practice practice practice & a bday

After Scott's workshop, I've been looking at everything differently. I've noticed catch lights in people's eyes, and will get mezmorized by the light and shadows on faces, walls, clothes, etc. (Forgive me if we're having a conversation, and I look like I'm not listening....I am, but I'm also probably thinking about how I could take a picture of you). :)

























































So, when I went to Robyn's bday bbq on Saturday, I couldn't help but notice some amazing light under the trees we were resting under. I even had Mary do the seemingly ridiculous pose (in front of everyone). It's interesting to analyze images now, and think...."man! if only I had them x, y, z!" or "I forgot to...!" or "where are the catch lights?!" I'm determined to nail the shot.

Pri and Mary doing the pose. Chanell just laughing while I was trying to get her to pose.

those are big

Rushing to get home, I speedily made my way through the alley crossing to my car. On the way, however, I saw this man and had to say hello. I've been saying recently that I was "compelled to," or "he was irresistible" or something to that effect and it's true - I just can't resist approaching cute old men that have something oddly eccentric about them. Take this man for example...he has some big gloves on. Imagine how great I felt when he shook my hand with both of those honkies.

Zell, 70 years old, Redwood City

the alley crossing

I've seen Pete several times before, as I make my usual alleyway crossing; but I have never stopped to say hello. I think it's because I've felt uncomfortable walking behind the grocery outlet; there are always men out there, and as a woman, I never know what they're thinking. "Am I being objectified? Do they not give a care in the world? Do they just want me to get out of the way? What if I said "hello" or smiled, would I send the wrong message?"

In any case, Pete (being one of those really threatening-looking types) was alone Tuesday morning, taking a smoke break. He looked so sweet sitting on a milk carton in his beanie/cap combo in the brisk cold of a winter morning; he was irresistable. So I approached him and asked if I could take his picture. He agreed and I shot this one of him; name tag and all.

"Hi Pete!"

o LA: day 4

After good eats at Messob, Cindy and I met these guys on the way back to her car. We stood on the corner of Fairfax and Olympic and started chatting for a while. I found each of them to be fun(ny), full of life and character, and a ball to be with. Though it was short, my time with them was rich and I left with my curiousity piqued. Meet the guys:

George, 43 years old, self-employed traffic director at Starbucks parking lot














Kirk, 46 years old, full of questions














Marshall, 75 years old, bashful but bold



















Ronald, 43 years old, playful and poised

o LA: day 1

A library patron muttered under his breath, "You're so distracting," while I walked by after taking pictures of people reading their books. Mind you, I was probably a couple hundred feet away when I took the pics so as to not be distracting. Apparently, this guy was studying so hard he didn't notice anything around him.





















John's vertically gifted. I doubt most people see him at this angle; I never have.
John, 22 years old, Los Angeles Public Library-Main Branch,

sjc

I anxiously walked around the airport while waiting for my flight and found Brendon sitting at terminal A1 looking adorably cute.

Brendon, 4 years old, SJC