Today I drove just under 500 miles..  It is just before 8 pm, writing from my hotel room, struggling to stay awake.  It is the first day of my Mojave adventure, and all indications are that it is going to be amazing.   But the preserve is also incredibly far, and the distances in the park itself are daunting.  Thus, I may have to revisit my original idea of numerous short visits in favor of just a few longer stays.

This is more of a reconnoiter than truly a photo expedition, as until today, I had no idea what I would be facing, other than 1.6 million acres of desert.  Mojave is the 3rd largest national park in the lower 48 (after Death Valley and Yellowstone), and for the most part, full of nothing.  To find and photograph its natural beauty is a daunting, but welcome, task. Thus, half the trip is being spent working out logistics, including meeting up with Linda, my park ranger connection, and the other in trying to find the Fine Art angle of the emptiness.

I may be so blessed as to have found that angle today – the very first visit –  though I will have to wait until I get home to see the pictures, as I have foreseen every conceivable issue save a card reader that’s kaput. So instead of posting something from the my first visit to  park, I will share the first image of the day, taken with my cellphone during lunch. I do believe it augers well for this, or some as yet unknown Adventure:

One of the many lessons I have learned about photography is that you don’t always get what you want. And that’s not always a bad thing.

On this particular day, my photo-buddy Jason and I set out to take some “concept” pictures of The Dominator shipwreck on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. To get to it, we had to negotiate about a mile-and-a-half of shoreline covered in boulders the size of small buses and VW bugs, and eventually coming up against this sheer vertical cliff.  Despite our vigilant eye, neither of us had seen anything vaguely shipwreck-like anywhere on the way, although there was a wonderful old rusted bicycle we both photographed.  Jason decided to brave the rocky cliff to see if there was wreckage on the other side, but I was done rock-climbing and I decided to stay put on this ledge at the foot of the cliff, with waves crashing just below me, mulling over the futility of our little expedition.  It was during that wait that I sat back in contemplation and realized how fortunate I was to be surrounded by such exquisite scenery, and I snapped this picture.

On August 25, 2011, this image was chosen for LA Photo of the Day!!

My session with Mel Gorham and her Isabella was a pivotal one in my photography career.  It was during this session that I recognized my nascent skills, and realized that if I could visualize it, I could make it happen.

I had a very specific image in my mind which I wanted to capture with these two wonderful ladies.  I brought ALL my gear with me, even my two 9 ft backdrops.  It was also my first time working with a hair/make-up artist – the brilliant and highly accomplished Sugano, who has become my patron saint.  We planned on 5 different looks for Mel, which we did over the course of five hours – my longest session ever.  Isabella thought the strobes were evil and barked protectively every time they flashed.  It was a very loud session…

This was the second set-up of the day, and although Isabella was still pretty leery of the strobes, she had settled down into a quieter protective mode.  When she started leaning on Mel, my heart started racing because I could see that my vision was about to become reality. Having Isabella actually sit on the ottoman was a fortuitous, unexpected bonus. “Great Dames” was my first image to be published on 1x – a highly regarded photography website – and has become my most popular image to date.

Although technically not MY photography, here is a blast from my past!!  Many years and several careers ago, I wrote, produced, and starred in a Spanish-language pilot for a show called Oye Juana! (Hey, Joan!).  My friends Richard Yñiguez and Sal Pleitez were my team, who directed and ran camera, respectively

Though it received a lot of attention, like most projects it went nowhere.  One of the many ideas I had was to create a “family” for Juana, which could eventually be used in one way or another both on-line and on-air.  At the time I had virtually nothing to do with photography, other than vacation shots whenever I traveled.  I knew nothing about Photoshop and its powerful mysteries.

Sal photographed me in my various characters (even grandma in the background) – splendidly created by Cindy Calderete – and merged them into this composite.  When I saw it I thought it was a miracle, and could never have imagined that I’d be doing that (and more) just a few years later. Sadly, we could not find the source files, and this very low resolution image is all that remains of the family.

In June of 2010, I did some headshots for the very lovely and incredibly talented Caryn West – a friend from Tango who is a brilliant actor and teacher.  At the end of the session, her very old and arthritic dog joined us, and Caryn asked if I would please take some shots with her and her best friend, as she was concerned he was not long for this world.

The poor pooch had set himself down at her feet, and it was quite clear that he wasn’t going to get up anytime soon.  I took a couple of shots of her sitting in a chair, next to him, but they felt distant, and rather sad  I then got the idea to have her get down on the floor with him.  In that instant, with the two of them sharing such an intimate moment with me, I realized that I wanted to do more of this sort of photography.  A LOT more.  What has become my “signature” niche began with this humble image.

Jonesy is still with us.

Almost every time I go dancing, I am reminded of how the mind craves stillness.  In the absence of turbulence, peace reigns.  When peace reigns, collaboration thrives.  In tango, the process if surrender is discussed endlessly; what it is, what it means, how to achieve it.  To get there, we have to stop thinking of steps; stop anticipating moves;  release the hold our ego has to exist independently of the other.

When I embrace my partner, Johanna ceases to exist, and a shape-shifter takes her place; a being that absorbs my partner’s energetic expression in order to complete his thoughts and motions.  I am filled by him and the music, and he in turn is filled by my bliss.