This is a quick slideshow of the pictures taken during the song to Billie Jean at the wedding reception for Clayton and Lindsay Rue. They did an awesome dance to Billie Jean that was so much fun to capture. I hope you enjoy!
Well....we planned on waking up early...try 11am. We left the hotel and I immediately broke the "No fast food" rule by going to Burger King. It's not that I don't like a good meal...I do! But we had a lot to see and I didn't want to waste time eating when I could be photographing something. Michael really wanted to go to a place on the side of the road to eat so we could experience real Puerto Rican dining. I mentioned that I had done so the world over and more times than not the food is either awesome or an invitation to Montezuma's Revenge. So I affectionately labeled the road side places as, "Diarrhea Joints." So as the day progressed as we would pass these places I would ask Michael if he would like to partake and he would give me a dirty look as he insisted they weren't diarrhea joints.
Our plan for the day was to go to the famous Yunque Rainforest. We plugged it into the GPS (my Garmin from the US worked there without the need for additional maps which was awesome) and we went on our way. Once out of the city of San Juan the beauty of the island was really able to display itself as the traffic cleared somewhat...at least on the highways. We traveled quite a bit and needed some lunch. I didn't say we couldn't eat at a diarrhea joint...but I didn't make it easy for Michael to eat there either I must say. We got off the expressway and headed into a shopping center that had a KFC. I speak a good deal of Spanish and ordered everything in Spanish except for the name of the meal which was listed in English. Ordering through the drive thru the conversation went like this (translated into English except for the name of the item):
Me, "Yes, Id like to order two Big Crunch Combo Meals."
Drive thru speaker, "Two what?"
Me, "Two Big Crunches."
Drive thru speaker, "What?!"
Me, "I'd like two Big Crunches please."
Drive thru speaker, "I don't understand you."
Me, "Two Big Crunches," said with a little more gusto....
Drive thru speaker, "Oh, two Beeg Crunchees!"
Michael and I started to laugh and then pulled up to pay. The lady told me my Spanish was good but my pronunciation of the meal was wrong.....all I could do was laugh. It took us 45 minutes to get out of the shopping center because the traffic was so bad. We got back onto the expressway and found our way to Yunque Rainforest....well we found the Southern road which we found out was blocked off and didn't go through the rainforest like the maps suggest. No explanation as to why it was blocked off.
We did find this amazing house that was only half finished that was in the rainforest and the walls were all missing on the outside....we saved it on the GPS to come back and do a shoot there. We took some awesome shots and just marveled in the beauty of the place which was actually the Yunque city (tiny), not the actual rainforest because the road was blocked.
At this point we realized that Michael's window wasn't rolling up which sucked because it was raining off and on. To show solidarity with Michael I also kept my window down during all the rain storms so he knew I was feeling his pain. We plotted a course to the northern road of Yunque and had to circle around to get there because of the road closure. We got to the rainforest and only had 1 hour to look at everything because it was getting close to 6pm and was closing. There is only one paved road in the park but we managed to find a dirt road that was closed and of course we drove around the cones and went down it! That was where it got awesome. It reminded me of the rainforests in Australia. We went until it ended and did a fun photo shoot where we were certain the Chupacabra monster was hiding.
We left the rainforest and headed back to the southern road to get some shots of the city during the moonlight. Only problem is that the moon never came out. So we were driving in total darkness in a small city where all the locals were coming out to party. I was driving about 40 mph in our Expedition when I hit a major pothole...the car veered to the right and headed straight towards three Puerto Rican men who were walking on the side of the road. They started screaming, "Ay, ay ay!" and we started screaming, "Crap!" I turned the car away from them at the last moment and they started screaming bad words....we sat stunned for a moment and after driving for about 25 seconds we started laughing uncontrollably. It was one of those laughs that you do to release some anxiety.....I felt horrible for scaring the men but I was certain if we went back to apologize there might be some fisticuffs happening....so we decided to keep driving.
We called the rental car company "Target" and told him the problem. He told us to bring the car back. We drove back to the car agency and told the guy we wanted a discount for having to bring the car all the way back. The guy looked at us cross eyed and told us, "No discount." He told us he didn't believe that we had to drive all the way back from the rainforest....so it wasn't a big deal. We swapped cars and left knowing we wouldn't rent from them again.
We drove back to the hotel and while doing so passed through hooker alley. We stopped at a red light and we were propositioned by one....unfortunately it wasn't a woman...but it looked like one. We realized it wasn't a woman when we heard him talk....we laughed again. We got back to the hotel and then walked to Los Binos for dinner.
We got back to the hotel and I caught the Laker game on TV. This was the game where Kobe hit the unbelievable 3-pointer as time expired for the win. I yelled and screamed so loud I woke up the hotel and Michael came out of the bathroom with his pants half down wondering what was wrong with me.....it was 2:30am over there.....it was a wonderful day with many memories....Puerto Rico is awesome!!!
Left on the red eye at 10pm from LAX headed to Puerto Rico with a layover in New York of all places. Landed in NY and went to the Delta Sky Club Lounge which was heavenly as I was able to shower, eat and sleep during my 2.5 hour layover. Boarded the plane to Puerto Rico and I was off! Landed successfully and immediately upon stepping off the plane I noticed the warmth of the Caribbean air.
My brother in law Michael was joining me on the trip so I waited for him to land, we jumped in the rental car shuttle van and headed to Target Rent a Car. I rented through Target because they were the only ones that had a "Premium" full size SUV available....we got into our Ford Expedition and they told us that this was the same one that Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony rented when they came to the island.....not sure if it was true but we decided to have fun with it.
Upon driving away we immediately noticed two things....there was a distinct odor in the car that smelt like kids yogurt...but old. We determined that J'lo's kids must have spilt nasty yogurt in the car. Good thing was that since Puerto Rico is a US territory my GPS worked there...so that helped. After leaving Target we passed a hooker walking in the middle of the street.
We drove around and found ourselves in the worst traffic known to mankind in old town San Juan. On top of everything else we were exhausted having both flown red eyes and getting very little sleep on the airplanes over. PR is 4 hours ahead of California, so even though it was earlier for us we were wiped out. We didn't have a hotel as we had decided before coming to let PR take us wherever we found ourselves. Initial observations included the large of amount of police...and we found it funny that they kept their lights on no matter what.....just all the time period. Mike declared a rule of, "No Fast Food," for the trip which was admirable but I broke within 1 hour because I needed to eat.
We drove up to the Yunque Rainforest...but by the time we got there the road was closed. We grabbed some shots and just listened to the sounds of the rainforest which was truly amazing....so loud and so beautiful.
By this point it was only 6pm, but we really needed some sleep. We found Luquillo Beach which was very nice. We parked next to the water for a quick nap....and fell fast asleep. It was very dark when we fell asleep as there was no moon. I woke up 90 minutes later and looked out over the ocean and saw one of the most amazing moon rises I have ever seen. There is a distinct gap in time between the sun setting and moon rising in PR, and this was a sight to behold.
Mike was still wiped out so I went out onto the beach and grabbed some shots. I always like to get a shot of me looking at what I'm shooting which is what I did here...because it reminds me best of that moment where I took in the view. I went down to the water, walked past the coconuts, and got pretty wet getting shots of the waves. Went back to the car and we finally determined to stay at the Marriott in San Juan. Still pretty exhausted Mike went to the room while I grabbed a quick burger in the hotel restaurant....and then we went to bed.....an exhausting but great start to our quick vacation.....
My chief photographer Don Atherton had the opportunity to be there for the proposal of Brady Bluhm to Abbie Hampton at Victoria Gardens last Friday. Photographing the proposal is quickly becoming one of the hot ticket items for photographers like myself as couples want to start the chronicling of their union from the very start. I have to admit it is a special thing to be able to create an album that includes the proposal, engagements, bridals, and the wedding.
It's truly a once in a lifetime event and our clients are quickly realize that they want us along for their ride. So if you're thinking of proposing...give us a call so we can capture it for you forever....
While I was in Vegas during the Photoshop World Convention I had the great opportunity to do a bridal shoot with the beautiful Kristen in Nelson, NV. We found this location that is a secret for movie studios and everything is real....which is what makes it so cool. From a photographer's perspective it was amazing because we were able to use the amazing lines in this building with the available light coming in. I especially loved the Coca Cola bottle dispenser and I couldn't have personally ordered a set that would have worked out better than this. Part 2 of the Bridal shoot we went outside where there was an antique gas station that was just awesome!
This is the latest video slideshow we created as a compilation of the bridal shoots I've done over the past couple years. I absolutely love the song which has a sultry, sensual feel to it. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be a Jason Lanier Bride this should give you some idea. I hope you enjoy it!
I'm so pleased to announce the release of our newest presentation, "Has Jason Lanier Shot You?" This video represents a culmination of our work from the beginning when we started shooting weddings just back in March of 2007. We have been so blessed that our company has achieved the level of success that it has in such a short amount of time and I am personally so grateful to each and every one of my clients for making my dream possible.
Since launching 2.5 years ago we have been recognized as the, "Best Photographer in Los Angeles," by Fox TV, been featured on Lifetime TV, shot all over the world with some of my most memorable shoots being in front of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, in front of castles in Segovia, Spain, inside the Cleveland Indians baseball stadium, and right smack in the ocean in Pensacola, Florida, and most recently we had our photography gifted at the Latin Grammy Awards.
I have to personally thank the following people for helping me achieve my dream...and for their contributions to this company. Kara Lanier, Don Atherton, Cameron Lanier, Michael Atherton, Lorie Atherton, Brady Bluhm, Leslie Roark, David Jay, Joe Buissink, Chris Cahoon, Karly Cahoon, Heath Orrell, Christi Cano, and for all those who have participated in the intern programs over the years. Believe me when I say that this company has only just begun and the future is going to be even more dynamic and explosive than our beginning.
Last of all I want to thank Brittany and Greg Ethington for being the first wedding we ever shot....for their belief in what we do and their continued friendship. We have very exciting changes coming to our company as we look to expand our baby portrait business for all the brides and grooms that we shoot who end up starting their families. I am so blessed and grateful and can't thank my wife enough for supporting me through this amazing experience.
Jason
I was honored to be asked to have my fine art prints featured as a gift for the Latin Grammy Awards that occurred last night in Las Vegas. I was contacted by a great colleague named Christi Cano who asked that my limited edition prints be featured...and I was the only photographer featured in the whole show. I can't thank Christi enough for asking me and am very grateful for the opportunity. The shots below are some of the limited edition prints we offered that are signed and have a limited number of prints in each collection. I hope you enjoy!
We had another great year spending Halloween at Disneyland. This year we were so blessed to be joined by both my Mom and Kara's Mom and Dad so the boys got to spend Halloween with both grandparents which was great (I'm sure my Dad was watching and laughing from heaven). We got to the park in the early afternoon and grabbed a great lunch and then went onto Splash Mountain where we got soaked...some more than others. We then went and hit Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear, and Space Mountain which they changed for Halloween which was pretty cool.
We grabbed some dinner and then had the funnest part of the evening. Since we weren't trick or treating we took the boys to the Candy Palace where they had a blast. They chose their lollipops and then had a blast making their own 18 inch long pixie stix where they got to choose their own flavors and fill up their tube. We then bought the most expensive caramel apples on the earth ($10 bucks each!) and the boys were in heaven. We then fought through the crowds and found a great place to watch the fireworks show in Fantasyland. After the fireworks show we ended the night riding the kiddie rides with the merry go round, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and Mr. Toads wild ride. The funniest thing was when the boys said they weren't tired when we were leaving at 11:30pm....I could only laugh. As soon as we got to the car they were all asleep in 1 minute...it was priceless. I love days like the one we had yesterday....my hope is that we will have many more to come.....
This is the album cover that I shot for the band El Nono about 6 months ago. It was really fun to see the shot all over Amazon, iTunes, etc. We had a great time and I'm glad the shots turned out well. You'd never know it but we shot this just off the side of the canyon roads just north of Los Angeles. Thanks again to Don and Chris for the help they gave and to Cassandra and Steve for setting up the opportunity!
I know it's been forever since I've posted a blog post and I apologize things have been crazy! This is a rundown of the past three weeks for me:
- Photoshop World- I went to the Photoshop World Convention in Las Vegas at the start of October. It was awesome but I ended up missing a good portion of it because I was rear ended by a knucklehead in my car on Tropicana Ave.....but more of that below. The convention was great and it was the first time I've ever gone. If you aren't using CS4 you need to be because the software is amazing.
- Car Accident- as I mentioned I was hit. I was sitting behind some traffic and the guy that hit me tried to make it through a red light and I was the first car past the crosswalk....he didn't see me and hit me at about 30-35 mph. My Diet Coke flew out of the cup holder spilling all over the car, my GPS crashed off the dashboard, and I got whiplash. The guy was pretty nice but I ended up not liking him very much because he told his insurance Geico that there was no damage to the car and on a scale of 1-10 in severity the accident was a "1". I laughed when Geico told me this and told them to wait and see what their body shop said. After the shop told them that there was several thousands of dollars of repairs needed they changed their tune a little on my settlement. What's even funnier is that I had a rate request into Geico right before the accident. Two days after I put my claim in they sent me an email letting me know they wouldn't insure me because of "Claim History" even though they admitted total fault....what a joke....made me want to choke a Gecko and punch a caveman.
- Buffalo Flu- I came down with a nasty flu...my wife thinks it was the Buffalo Flu....might as well start a new one right? I don't know if it was the Porky the Pig Flu but my family didn't get sick and I'm all better now.
- BYU Football- went to the BYU-SDSU football game in San Diego on Saturday...it was a ton of fun and the boys loved it. We are headed up to Utah to do the game at Provo against TCU this weekend....that should be a blast.
- Pictage Conference- I'm going to the Pictage conference in New Orleans in two weeks...that should be awesome...can't wait to do some shoots there.
What's really cool is Delta's new inflight internet service which is what I'm using right now to write this blog. I love using the internet while flying...what a novel concept! Long overdue and definitely a perk worth paying for. I promise to blog better.
Thanks!
Jason
Recently I was in Pocatello Idaho and had the opportunity to do a great shoot while there with Melissa Frederickson. We located an abandoned gas station, brought out the video lights and started shooting. It was a very fun and interesting shoot because it was raining and for some reason cop cars kept passing like we were some place in Los Angeles. I hope yo enjoy the shots!
I am so happy to release the wedding slideshow for Danny and Christine married recently in San Diego, California. It was such a beautiful wedding and a wonderful couple. I can't thank Don Atherton enough for coming and helping on such a scorching hot day. We drank enough water to last a week it was so HOT! The wedding was wonderful and the Father of the Bride said something so nice to me after the wedding was over. He walked over to me and said, "You are the first person I've ever known that can bear his soul through a piece of mechanical equipment (meaning my camera)." I really appreciated his comments and the relationship I have made with the entire family. Congratulations Danny and Christine!!!!
I get a lot of new photographers who ask me questions when they're starting their business. Recently I received some questions from a photography student in South Africa named Shelley and I thought I'd share the questions and my responses in the hopes they might help someone else....
1. What type of camera will you be using while you are taking the photos? Nikon D3
2. Where do you prefer to take photos, outdoors or indoors? Both, preferably outdoors.
3. Do you have an assistant that works with you while you are taking the photos? Yes
4. Is there and extra charge for the assistant, if so how much? No, it's included in my price.
5. Is there a back up plan if the weather turns out to be misserable and unpleasent? Yes, I will shoot anywhere. Being a great photographer means being creative and creating something out of nothing sometimes.
6. What would happen if you fall ill, and you can not take photos on the wedding day? Send a replacement photographer.
7. Can other people take photos while you'r taking photos? Not if they're not one of my team members...if they are using pro-type equipment. Others using smaller cameras can use them as long as they don't use their flash during certain moments where they could ruin our lighting.
8. What if we decide to change the date of the wedding is there a cancellation cost, if so how much? As long as I have your new date available I will transfer your retainer towards the new date...if you choose a date that I can't do I keep the retainer which is usually 25%-50% of the wedding cost.
9. Should the event last longer than scheduled what would happen, would there be an extra cost, and if so how much? I don't usually worry about staying longer unless it's significantly longer....like 2 hours or more. The extra charge would be pro-rated at the package price amount for my time.
10. How long after the event will the proofs be ready? 3 weeks....we do quality. Anyone doing them super fast isn't providing quality.
11. What reccomentdations do you have for the the bride and groom to wear during the *photo shoot* other than there wedding outfits? Usually tell the bride to not wear a bra if she has a strapless dress as long as the dress will cover her appropriately...the reason is because the extra padding in there can make her skin bunch up. Other than that it's their wedding and they should wear what they want. I try and give them direction to make sure their wardrobes don't clash.
I hope it helps. If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach me at jason@jlpros.com.
Thanks!
We left the Monastery and and drove to the hills above the castle and the whole city and stopped to take some shots. By this point Ryan started taking shots of me taking pictures and I didn't mind because my wife Kara wants more shots of me anyways....usually I don't have many because I'm always behind the camera. It is amazing sometimes to be a photographer when you get to see the things I get to see...like the shot of the castle, cathedral and city below that looks straight out of a fairy tale novel.
We headed down the hill, went down some one-way roads the wrong way (not on purpose) and found our way to the castle and went inside. I was unbelievably thirsty and there was nowhere or no one selling drinks. Outside the castle there were gypsys selling cloths they had sewn together. I asked them in Spanish if they would give me a drink of water if I bought a cloth. They laughed and asked who the cloth was for and I pointed to Ryan. Ryan called me an idiot and walked away which made all of us laugh even more. Ryan truly is the funnest guy in the world to travel with....
Well, they wouldn't give me the water with the deal so I bought nothing. We went inside the castle and asked the security guard where we could buy water or if they had a drinking fountain. He told me to use the bathroom. I was soooooo thirsty that I did. I went inside and using my hands to scoop the water from the sink I began to drink from the sink. This was done out of desperation...but it was very hot and I was literally needing water bad. Ryan rolled his eyes when I asked him if the water was going to make me sick. Ryan and I were born only 18 months apart and we have always been close....so if you watched us it would be like watching the "odd couple."
We toured the castle which was beautiful. I don't really know the history of the castle in Segovia but Ryan said that Walt Disney modeled the castle at Disney World after it...I thought that was cool. I imagined all the cool stuff that had happened here and wondered what scandalous things had happened...because we all know castles and royalty are synonymous with scandals. We went out to the front of the castle and looked down at the massive drop from the castle wall. Ryan mused as to how many people they had dropped off the sides of the castle when they found traitors or people they didn't like....who knows?
My leg was hurting pretty bad but we had paid for the privilege of climbing 200 steps to the top of the tower of the castle. Ryan was very kind and offered to carry something for me so I could make the climb. He was surprised when I said I would do it with him....but who knows when I'll be back at the castle....so I decided to do it.
The stairwell is a continual winding staircase that seems to go up forever and and is literally only 3 feet wide. So all people going up and going down are using the same staircase...needless to say it is a circus act to try and pass each other. The funny thing is that everyone is struggling to make it up the stairs...sometimes you pass people and sometimes they pass you, and everyone is sweating buckets. A few ladies coming down the stairs looked at Ryan and I and told us in Spanish, "There is lemonade and water up at the top...very refreshing." This livened my spirits and as soon as I reached the top I realized how stupid I was for believing it. Ryan just laughed at me.
As horrible as it was the climb was worth it. The view from the top was phenomenal. We took some shots and regained our consciousness and then headed down the stairs. I couldn't help but perpetuate the lie I was told by telling those coming up the stairs that there was refreshing lemonade and water awaiting them at the top. Ryan who was much more honest than I was during the time down the stairs and would quickly tell everyone I told this to that I was lying. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of it. I managed to grab a quick 10 second video clip to show what it was like.
Well, this post has been long enough so I'll have to continue the rest another day....I hope you enjoy!
So we woke up late, Ryan found these chocolate donuts and bought and ate a ton. We left the hotel and Ryan was still hungry so he grabbed some sandwich baguette thing while I really went out on a limb and stopped off at Burger King. We went to the parking structure where I paid $45 for overnight parking (car was only there 12 hours)....you have to love the value of the dollar compared to the Euro!
We started off on the hour long drive from Madrid to Segovia. While driving on their highways I noticed two things...(1) they have those stupid automatic traffic ticket things like Australia. So if you speed you automatically get nailed for a ticket. I have a fond recollection of this because when I returned form Australia I found three tickets mailed to me. One cool thing is the Tom Tom GPS actually alerted me of some of the speed traps by blinking and beeping anytime I went into one of these speed traps....I'm kind of scared to see how many tickets I ended up getting.
The second thing I noticed is that road rage knows no borders. Ryan and I witnessed one of the most violent and aggressive road rage incidents I've ever seen. These two cars were purposely swerving and trying to hit each other and eventually pulled off the road to fight. We were just glad they got off the road because they were risking the lives of others to fuel their rage.
We got off the road after paying the appropriate tolls and drove into the beautiful city of Segovia. This is exactly what you think of when you imagine old world Europe. Small, narrow streets, medieval architecture, and a beautiful cathedral and castle. We drove around the city wall (yes, it has a very old city wall just like you'd imagine) to survey all of the town. We turned around and I found myself on the wrong side of a one-way road. I honestly have no idea how we made it...but through very creative driving, pulling off onto the sides of the road, getting the funniest looks I've ever seen from Spaniards we made it through it. Ryan was so embarrassed he turned and said, "These people are going to kill us." I replied, "That's why I keep looking straight ahead, if you don't make eye contact with them you don't feel any guilt."
We worked our way around and found this old Monastery that Ryan said was straight out of an Indiana Jones movie...and I agreed. Ryan caught this shot of me just taking in the moment and enjoying the view of this beautiful historic place.
The coolest thing about doing what I do is the opportunity to sometimes just sit down and talk about what you're seeing...not to do the tourist thing to come and see, snap a few shots and get back on the tour bus. Ryan and I just sat there and spoke about the place and took 30 minutes to enjoy the surroundings...it was awesome.
We left the Monastery and headed to the hills to shoot the castle from high atop the city....but this post is long enough and that story will be saved for part 2....
So we left the hotel, passed the hookers, paid $10 for parking the car for 30 minutes and took off to Retiro Park which was the former hunting grounds for the Royalty in Spain. I had a bridal shoot set up there at the Palacio Cristal. We tried to find a parking spot which is very difficult to do. While trying to make a U-turn and finding no legal way to do it Ryan asks me, "What are you going to do, there's no place to turn around?" I turned to him and said, "I believe life to too special to obey traffic laws." At this point I made sure it was safe and made a quick U-turn in the middle of the road and quickly found a parking space.
We went inside the gates to the park and it is beautiful. The park is huge and we spent the next 45 minutes trying to find the Palacio Cristal. I quickly learned to love the Spanish but if there's one thing I learned it's that they give horrible directions. I literally asked 5 different people how to get to the Palacio Cristal and I received 5 completely different answers.....I became tired due to the time changes (at this point I'd been up for almost 30 hours), and Ryan had already been in Europe for a week so he was much more energetic. He offered to go and try and find the place. I sat down at a little cafe and ordered a Coca Cola Light (no diet drinks over there) and waited for Ryan.
Well, he never came back. After waiting 30 minutes I decided to go and find him. I walked around and stopped at this beautiful fountain. I started taking some quick shots and was only 5 feet from my case when a man on a bike rode up to me and said in broken English, "Do you own that case? You should watch it better before it flies away....this is Spain, if you're not holding it, it goes bye bye." I thanked him for his help, grabbed my case and went to find Ryan.
After walking around for another 30 minutes out of sheer luck I run into Ryan. He had found the bride (Panambria) and was trying to find me. I went over and met the bride and started the shoot. Ryan left to go have fun with his friends from Spain while I started an unforgettable shoot. The thing you have to love about Europe and Spain is no exception is the liberal manner in which they express themselves. There was a small neighborhood band playing in the park and when they saw Panambria they started playing, "Here comes the Bride."
We had planned on having the sunset for our shoot but because of the delay in getting started we had to improvise with a night shoot. Out came the video lights and we got going. We started shooting in the park and moved over to a beautiful Roman/Greek looking structure. There's no way I can post all the shots now but I have completed one so you can see what it looked like. The greatest thing was all the guys whistling, cat calling, and screaming for Panambria. There were about 40 of them playing soccer inside the structure and they couldn't get enough of her. Please see below....
We finished up there, did some shots down by the water which were great and ended in the royal gardens which were stunning. The shot below is the last ones we were taking when I heard the gates being locked.....I couldn't believe it....it was midnight already! I became so consumed in the shoot that I had shaken off my exhaustion and completed a 4-hour shoot that was amazing. I raced down and asked officer to wait which he did. While I was down there Panambria changed into her clothes and came down. When the officer asked me in Spanish, "Que estan haciendo aqui?" (What are you doing here?) I replied, "Sorry, no speak Spanish," which wasn't entirely true but it did get me out of any possible permit issue.
We hopped in the car, I dropped her off and then I went to park. I passed the hookers, went into a Burger King (it was now 1am). I can't believe how late Spaniards stay up. There were so many people on the street and in the stores you would have thought it was 1pm, not 1am. I went back to the room and fell asleep next to my brother in our cozy adjacent twin beds. The day started off horribly, but ended wonderfully....that night I truly fell in love with Spain...more to come later....
I left for Spain on a typical day in Southern California....way too much traffic on the freeways and having to take 3 times the normal amount of time to get to the airport. I finally got there and made my way to the American Airlines counter to find out they cancelled my flight. One question...why do they take my email when I buy my flight if they can't show the courtesy to email all passengers on a cancelled flight letting them know it's cancelled?
Well, it took awhile but at long last they found another flight and I took off first flying to Miami and then to Madrid. I landed in Miami rushed to the next plane only to have it sit on the tarmac for 1 hour. Second question...why board the plane when you know it's not going to take off???? We took off for Madrid and had a pretty seamless flight. Spain is 9 hours ahead of California so by the time we got there it was 9am in Spain (midnight in California). My brother was supposed to meet me in Madrid but he was having his own troubles. By the time I cleared customs it was about 10:30am and I was exhausted.
I went to pull money out of the ATM which is what I always do when I travel and nothing. Stupid Bank of America froze my account. These knuckleheads did the same thing to me when I was in Australia. I didn't anticipate this happening because I hadn't even had any transactions yet in Spain....so why freeze it? The only phone I had was a Global phone I rented from Sprint that charges $2/minute for talk and the data package on it wasn't working....so no emails. I have a blackberry that is only 6 months old but Sprint explained my network isn't global.....very frustrating....so I had to rent this phone.
So I have to wait 2 hours for Bank of America to open their customer service lines and I'm very hungry. I piece together my loose change and a $10 bill from the US and exchange it for about $7 Euros. The only place in the airport that was cheap enough for me to eat was a McDonald's. I was so tired and hungry that I can tell you a Big Mac never tasted better. After I ate I used my "platinum gold rental phone" and called my bank and let them know that I had already informed them I'd be in Spain before I left and if I had my card shut off again I would terminate my account when I returned. They released the hold and life was getting better. I went to the Avis Rental Car kiosk and rented a car. It was now around 1pm and I couldn't wait to get out of there.
I get to my mid-size car which in American standards is a moped....but I didn't care...I had wheels. Even more important the car had a mp3 input for my Ipod which I have to have for any car I rent. I hadn't driven a stick shift for about 1 year and it felt good. I plugged in the Ipod, cranked some Michael Jackson and sped down the highway to get into Madrid. It was hilarious to see the Spaniards watching me rock out in the car to MJ...I was just having a brief moment of adrenaline so happy to be out of the airport. Well...that was short lived. I couldn't get in touch with my brother because of my rental phone not working so after driving around for 45 minutes I needed to sleep.
If you have never driven in Europe....let me tell you...it's like driving with 1 million 16-year olds. Lot's of honking, yelling, cutting off, driving on sidewalks, driving down the wrong way of the road, etc. After 5 minutes I fit right in....I had to find a place to park and the only place I could find was in front of a University...I didn't care, I had to sleep. I tried to lay back my seat in my moped car and it wouldn't go back. I finally found the lever which was one of those manual wheel things that you have to turn to get the seat to go back....all I could do was laugh because I was paying $95/day for this car....I got the seat down and slept. I woke up and called Sprint on my "PGR" phone and they tried to fix the problem but they couldn't..only the phone would work. About 30 minutes later I get a call from my brother Ryan that he had arrived at the train station. He was surprised to find out I had rented a car because that wasn't the plan...but it was the best decision I have ever made.
I go to pick him up and we go to our hotel. We get to this place which is in the middle of downtown and as we walk to the hotel after having to park in a parking garage (no parking offered at the hotel) we pass a row of hookers (prostitutes) and I ask Ryan if he specifically chose this hotel because of it being on hooker row. Ryan was very offended by this question and regretted the choice of hotel...I just found it funny. It's hard to describe but Madrid is truly a beautiful city and our hotel was in a very nice area....prostitutes are just much more allowed in Europe...in America we usually banish them to the nasty parts of the city. The hotel room that was supposed to be spacious with two beds had two twin beds smashed together. Ryan asks me, "Can you sleep next to me like that?" I replied, "Sure I can....just gives me a chance to get to know you better." Ryan gave me a look like, "Don't even think about it," and I just winked at him. That's when he said, "We need to get out of here."
Spain-Day 1....Part 2 will be continued tomorrow...trust me, it was just as fun....
I figured since the last post was about the California wildfires...I might as well show some shots that can cool us all off a little. The shots below can only be captured with a fast shutter camera like the D3. Canon has a very fast 10mp camera as well that could do this. The D3 and comparable cameras that should around 10fps (frames per second) are instrumental in capturing the vivid details you see in the shots below. Many times I feel the speed of the camera is overlooked when photographers choose their camera...and so many focus on the mp only.
I believe of course the best cameras have both high quality and fast speed. There are Nikon's and Canon's that have cameras that shoot at 20mp or higher but you lose the speed. The fast cameras are mostly used by sports photographers but I couldn't do without the speed for my wedding business. I utilize the speed for bracketing, HDR, and for capturing the fast never to repeat moments like a crazy bouquet toss. Brides always get a kick out of seeing the trajectory of their bouquet in flight when they see their wedding images. I love high resolution...my only recommendation is to also place a lot of emphasis on speed...it does matter and makes a huge difference.
It's amazing how fast things can change in life. This shoot that I did two weeks ago in the Angeles Crest forest is now engulfed in flames in the annual wildfire disasters we have here in California. As I drove yesterday on the 10 freeway through downtown LA I looked over to the mountains and couldn't help but wonder how much of this will be left after the fires have had their way.
It's surreal to work on these pictures while I'm doing the editing and to imagine this whole place of peace and water filled with flames and fire. Thanks to California's conservation efforts we are pretty much a sitting tinder box...so much forestation that hasn't burned for 30-50 years so when it does get lit it burns and creates the disasters we have today. Being a nature lover I can't help but think that anyone who commits arson should have some serious consequences....say like...dangling them over the fire with a helicopter to teach them a lesson? I hope you enjoy the shots and that I'll have the chance to shoot here again if it isn't all gone...
