On Meeting Annie Leibovitz

Seeing Annie Leibovitz in person and getting her autogrpah in her new book"Annie Leibovitz at Work" was by far one of the most thrilling moments of my life. I have admired her tenacity, vision and confidence throughout my life as I have watched her tranform herself into one of America's most well known woman photographers. After hearing her speak, I came away feeling like she was definately in the right place at the right time. Over and over again.
She talked about photographing her family and how those photos are some of her favorites. I too feel the same way. The photos that I have taken of my nieces in particular mean so much to me. There I am with my newly signed book, knowing that an heirloom has just been aquired! Notice the pearls....anyone recognize them?

Annie Liebovitz Talks about Barak Obama

Meeting Annie Leibovitz was by far one of the most thrilling nights of my life. She spoke at the Schnitz in Portland, Oregon last night. This clip shows Annie (tiny figure bottom left) talking about her involvement with Barak Obama. This is an image that she placed last minute into her new book "Annie Leibovitz at Work". Click on the image to hear what she had to say.

The New President of America Greets America

America Rejoices as our new leader takes the stage in Chicago,IL (my hometown) to greet the American public and accept him as their new President elect. Oregon happened to be one of the states that sent his votes over the number he needed to clinch the election. I have friends and relatives that have worked very hard to get him elected. Thank you to my cousin Jake and his wife Mina Neuberg and friend my freind Pam Hellesto! Job well done. Let's all hope that he can lead our country in a better direction and find peace in knowing that it appears that he is a man with good values, a decent education and the guts to try!

What is a Scarecrow?

What Do American's Do With Some of Their Land?
In America, some farmers grow large orange pumpkins to sell to people who cut a whole in the top, take the insides out, bake the seeds and then carve it into a decorative household indoor/outdoor candle holder.

The holiday lasts for one day.
It is called Halloween. Children dress up in costumes and walk from house to house begging for candy treats.

Americans spend their hard earned money creating elaborate costumes, decorations and candy to give away.
This is an example of a scarecrow in a corn field that is supposed to scare the crows away. It is clothing stuffed with hay, with a pumpkin for a head. Why do we need to scare the crows?

Celine Dion Sings to Gail Hand for Her Birthday!

My friend Gail has some pretty important friends. Who knew that Celine Dion would sing to her on the Jumbotron for her birthday. Imagine that, she came all the way to Portland, Oregon to sing for Gail's birthday. I was truly amazed how Celine looked right at Gail the whole time she was signing.
Well, that is what you get when you put in a request from Celine.

Film or Digital? The debate rages on....

Nikki Lieberman
Daughter of Rob and Erica Lierberman



Film or Digital? I just got back a couple of rolls shot at my nephew's Bar Mitzvah and I now understand the role that digital has played in my photographic career. Shooting digital has taught me that I prefer shooting with film. Here is why, when you shoot a digital image you spend hours photoshopping it to create the effects that you naturally get with film.
Proof positive. Look at this image of my niece Nikki.
I shot this image with my Canon F-1 using a special secret film that Joe Buissink ( who shoots celebrity weddings) turned me onto last time we hung out.
Digital photography allowed me the opportunity to shoot
without intention. My photography skills have been enhanced by learning to use Photoshop, but I spend a lot of time emulating film. I love the results that film offers straight out of the camara. I shoot less and get better results. I take my time when I am shooting and I get the shot..the first time! I read a recent interview with Annie Leibovitz who in so many words said, "I don't have time to share my personal souvineers with everyone."

Joy

This is an image that I shot on a boat dock leaving for Reily Beach, Thailand.
This is a boat driver that was just hanging out eating an apple. Of all the images I created, this image is burned into my unconscious mind. The day that I made him laugh out loud so boisterously was the day that I realized that pure joy is the goal of every day of my life.
Being a catalyst for people's joy and revelations was such a huge part of this trip for me.
It was the first time in my life that I was able to test my energy and see what a profound effect it had on people. We barely spoke...but this was his reaction. The real humor came when I realized that I had to drag a rolling suitcase in the sand when the boat dropped me off in the middle of a bay. I was up to my thighs in water. Imagine the laughs they get watching the tourists cope with that!

Dominique Surfing in Seaside with Long Board Lisa

This is Dominique my Friend, client and great surfer!
We spent the day in Seaside, Oregon shaving the waves.
She demonstrated her surfing prowess on a beautiful sunny day with her surf buddies surfing the outside cheering her on. Go Dominique!

Japan meets Oregon

Todd Wilson and his group Monmouth Taiko played at the Tillamook Seafood Festival on
October 5, 2008. It was fantastic!

Visit to a Cambodian Orphanage

While visiting Siem Reap I had the honor to visit a Cambodian Orphanage. Out of 100 residents, only 8 children actually showed an interest in living in America. My research showed that there is a moratorium for adopting children from Cambodia after Angelina Jolie had some problems clearing her adoption of her first child. So, those interested in adoption from Cambodia need to do their research to find out if it is possible to take your newly adopted child into the US.
These children were delightful, sweet and there was a lot of love surrounding them.
I gave donations directly to students who were brave enough to meet with me.
It was by far one of the most touching and meaningful things I did on this trip.

Who is Kamerah?

Kamerah is a dear sweet woman who runs the Ankorean Spa in Siem Reap. She has a staff of nine girls. She is generous, kind and loving.
She is hard working honest and knows how to celebrate life.
She put together a going away party in Cambodia of 25 people for me. It was the highlight of my trip to Cambodia. She is off to leave her country for the first time. She will visit Thailand with a man she met while I was visiting her. I hope she has a great time on her adventure and will bring back a lot of good memories.
She is truly like the daughter I never had. We e-mail and call as much as we can and I can't wait to see her again and most of all attend her wedding someday!

Who is Xing?

This is a photo of Xing. He is a former monk in LP. He now works at a cafe in LP. We took in a waterfall via motorbike and spent many hours trying to figure out how he can use his love of math to make a better living in LP.
I taught him and his friends how to bake cupcakes and found the cupcake liners at a local store. Which was a miracle!

The day after I gave him the recipe I came to the cafe and he presented me with a plate full of cupcakes that he made. They were pretty good!
I played GO FISH with he and his co-workers and watched videos at his cafe with the other tourists. We became good friends.
Xing always carried a tiny little drawstring bag everywhere. I asked him what was inside the bag and he explained that inside are two little beans that were given to him by an elder monk when he left the temple. When I left LP Xing reached into his pocket and gave me one of his two beans. The beauty in this moment was beyond compare and the joy that I felt was truly profound.

Deep Thoughts about paper umbrellas

After 3 months in Asia, I have had a lot of time to compare and contrast the cultural differences between Laos and Cambodia and America. In Asia, the hub of the umbrella represents the wise elders that keep the family together by providing spiritual strength and moral guidance. The paper thin material is held together by the spokes which are the family members who each work together to keep the delicate structure of the family together.
Whereas in America....the hub of the umbrella represents the TV set that sends out the messages that the family happily digests and mistakes as spiritual sustenance. The paper thin material is the ever thinning barrier our children have to keep them safe from the harm that lurks on their computer screens, ipods and and cell phones. The spokes separate and divide the families making them even more isolated than ever.
So in the beauty of such a delicate umbrella, I pause to consider if being a member of a westernized culture is protective or isolative. Your comments?

Meet a Buddhist Nun

In Luangprabang I met a Buddhist nun. I went to meditate with the monks as was my routine each day at 5:30. On this day after all the monks rose to leave the temple, I noticed she was still on the floor.
I reached down to lift her up and realized that none of the men helped her get up because the monks aren't allowed to touch women.

So, for years she has been getting up off the floor with ease...but on this very day I was lucky enough to help her. She was actually smiling just moments before I took this image.

Talk About Huge

One of the most thrilling things I did in Thailand was ride an elephant.
For those of you who disagree with this practice, sorry. I had a blast and I will never forget it for as long as I live. I smiled non-stop the whole time. When in Phuket, you can take the road to Kata and you will see a small sign leading you to a small elephant riding camp. Tour guides will try to send you on a 45 minute journey by bus out of town, but ask a Tuk Tuk to hook you up with this local adventure.

Thai Sunset in Patong

My last night in Thailand, I witnessed the most stunning sunset.
It made me wonder If it gets any better!
I felt a sense of completion and peace knowing that I would share this sunset with my friends and family even tho they weren't there to share it in the moment.
All ways ask your self: "Where is the sun setting and seek it out, it is always worth the effort."

Pink Airplane Lands In Tokyo Boutique

This store in the Harijuku District was about as pink as you can imagine and had an airplane lodged right in the middle of the store. This not your average Barbie Airplane.
Check it out....

The Art of The Internet Cafe

In Tokyo the internet cafe serves many purposes. Many people who live far outside the city prefer to "visit" an internet cafe than go home. In this case, visit means....sleep, eat, shower, read comic books and basically lounge all for less than the price of a hotel room.
The cafes offer free beverages, soft ice cream, food and showers for those who choose to stay all night. One of the newest additions to the internet scene is Manboo.
Check it out..

The most pretty food I've ever seen

I found this at Tokyo Station. Can you imagine finding such pretty food in a train station?

Tasteful Tinkling In Tokyo

Toto toilets found everywhere in Japan have a sound effect that allows you to mask the sound of your pee with the sound of a flushing toilet.
Some come complete with infant holders.
So clever!
.

Looking for a Harijuku Girl

Gwen Stefani sings about the women in the Tokyo Harijuku District. I love the song, so I put on my headphones and hit the pavement in search of the Harijuku District to find out what all the hype was about. What I found were specialty accessory shops filled with the latest Tokyo street fashions. There were whole stores dedicated to sox, hats, and faux jewels.

Here are just a few of the images from my pilgrimage to the Harijuku District.
Funny enough the most striking Harijuku girls were camera shy? I wondered why anyone who would go to such great lenghts to be so original wouldn't want share their fashion brilliance with the world....?

Wedding Photography at The Ritz Carlton

One of the most exciting things I did in Tokyo was to learn about Japanese Wedding Photography from one of the most powerful and influential people in the industry. I visited a studio that has been in the business for over 100 years. This family owned business has procured the contract rights to all the weddings that are photographed at the Ritz Carlton, Tokyo.
Here are a couple of photos from my visit to the Ritz.

Good Morning Tokyo

If you have ever spent any time in Tokyo, you can relate to the fact that each area has a distinctly different vibe and energy. My last night in Tokyo was spent in the Roppongi Area.
The tradition is to stay out all night there and wait for the trains to start running at 5 am.
After hanging out in internet cafes and with friends I looked up and sawa Tokyo crow and thought: " Oh my goodness, it is daylight!"

The Best Thing About This Trip Was The Freinds I Made

I am so grateful to have met some of the most wonderful people on my trip to Asia.
In Cambodia, Sokemerah had a going away party for me and 25 people attended.


In Tokyo, Yummi whom I met in Cambodia traveled 2 hours by train to see me off to America.

YounYee drove Chanda around on his motorbike over rough terrain to visit orphanages to play with the children and make donations.

Makoto San in Tokyo took time from his busy schedule to teach me about Japanese Wedding photography at the Ritz Carlton and his other venue.

People were just amazingly kind and took such great care to become realiable and fun companions. Some, will surely become lifelong freinds!

The Trip

I left Portland on June 11 and set out for Thailand.
My starting point was Phuket. There was a T-shirt in a window that said: " Good men go to heaven, Bad men go to Patong. I will tell you more about that later.

I visited Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Tokyo.