Updated Website Design

I have made further updates and revisions to the website design that were started last month. I’m far from a professional web designer, so any suggestions on improving the look and feel of this website are definitely welcome.

Revised Categorization

I have expanded the three previous categories within which photos are organized into the following groupings: 

• Urban / Architectural
• Abstract / Manipulation
• Rustic / Naturescapes
• Animals
• Macro
• People

 
While my interest in architecture initially drew me to photography, over time I have come to enjoy taking pictures of a broader array of subject matter. To better reflect this variety, I have both reorganized old photos within the above listed categories and added new images throughout the non-“Urban / Architectural” galleries. I have also increased the online viewing quality of all images on the site.

New Photos Added

I have added a number of new photos, some samples of which are thumbnailed below. Most were added to the Macro, People, Animals, and Rustic / Naturescapes galleries, and one was added to the Abstract / Manipulation gallery (the one thumbnailed on the bottom right of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City).

              

       

Click an image above to view an updated gallery   

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I've lived in Houston now for exactly three years, so it's a little disheartening that I've only recently started taking pictures of this city. For now, I've posted seven dusk / night downtown images taken with an old Leica SLR in May 2008, plus one additional picture taken by another individual, Daniel Santamaria (his picture is of my camera sitting on a tripod with skyscrapers in the background, taken as I was setting up for long exposures of the same scene).

Houston is a large and fascinating city with in-exhaustive photographic possibilities. I plan to add many new H-Town images over the coming months and years.


Click to view the new gallery

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After another long hiatus of neglect, this website has finally undergone a much needed update in design and organization. I’m pleased with the overall look and feel of the site, but plan to make further refinements in layout and enhancements as I continue to learn more about my newly acquired web authoring software.

New images will soon be added covering a variety of subject matter, including Houston architecture.

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These photos were taken in late March 2005 when I traveled to Savannah for my sister's wedding. The wedding was held at Mickve Israel synagogue, which is the third oldest Jewish congregation in North America, as well as the only gothic style synagogue on the continent. In the few days I was there, I managed to take these few pictures. I had a wonderful time at my sister and brother-in-law's wedding, but need to return to further explore this wonderful place.


Click to view the new gallery

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These are images from early March 2005 when I drove eight hours from my then home in Austin to meet my sister and her friends in this small, eclectic, ranching town in the west Texas desert. We all had an amazing time exploring the area and hanging out at the retro Thunderbird Motel (which is incidentally the sister property of Hotel San José in Austin). No fleeting glimpses of the mysterious Marfa Lights this trip, but will return to see that and much more in and around this amazing and beautiful place.


Click to view the new gallery

Additional images of desert landscapes near Marfa are displayed in the Rustic / Naturescapes gallery.

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Yes, you're reading this page right. I have not updated this website with new content for about four years. In that time, I have moved from Los Angeles to Fort Worth to Austin to Houston, and photography slipped through the cracks. However, I am now settled in Houston (been here for exactly one year) and plan to start regularly updating this website again with new material.

For now, I have tried to give the website an aesthetic facelift, utilizing a new visual scheme which I believe is more conducive for viewing photography online. In the near future, I plan to add some new architectural and landscape work from Savannah, Marfa and Houston.

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A place I once called home — if only for a brief time — I had not returned to visit for more than a year. Driving up for a weekend earlier this month to spend time with friends and family was long overdue and made me remember how much I enjoyed living in the Bay Area. These new photos are a product of several long hikes during the course of the weekend and reflect a visual rediscovery of the Mission, North Beach, SoMa, and South Beach neighborhoods.


Click to view the updated gallery

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Obtaining permission to take pictures in the L.A. Subway is a process (at least if you're planning to use a tripod). It required at least fifteen phone calls to the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority), three faxes, and several mind-numbingly irrational arguments with both MTA officials and even a few subway drivers. Eventually, I received the required permissions for a brief shoot in October 2002 of my favorite station at the corner of Hollywood and Highland.


Click here to view the updated gallery

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Three new photos have been added of downtown Dallas from Ross Avenue near the Fountain Place Tower and the Dallas Museum of Art at early dusk.


Click here to view the updated gallery

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I had the opportunity to rediscover Austin during the better part of this past July and August of 2002. The city experienced an unprecedented population boom during the late 1990’s which many feared would forever alter its uniqueness. However, the essence of what has always made this city a unique oasis of disorganized cultural spontaneity is still very much in place. Even a "Keep Austin Weird" campaign has recently emerged reflecting the population's resolve to maintain an embrace of the anything-goes, friendly, laid-back, engaging atmosphere that has for years shaped this city into a progressive concentration of genuine cool. Some additional photos of Austin are also displayed in the Abstract / Manipulation gallery.


Click here to view the new gallery

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Designed more in the European tradition, the city of New Orleans is no less than one of the most aesthetically beautiful urban centers in the United States. This gallery is the result of a four day exploration of the French Quarter, downtown, the Garden District, Tulane and Loyola Universities, city parks, cemeteries, as well as a nearby plantation. Additional images from New Orleans can be found in the Abstract / Manipulation gallery.


Click to view the new gallery

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Images on this site are now arranged among the following three categories:

• Urban - Architectural
• Abstract - Manipulation
• Nature - Animals *

Although my focus remains on compositions of the American urban landscape (found within the first category), I thought it would be useful to separate out those photos which are sufficiently different from my primary emphasis.


* This gallery has since been split into Rustic / Naturescapes, Animals and Macro.
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I have added three new photographs of Burnett Plaza, Landmark Tower, and the Water Gardens.* It has been a long time since I have been able to add new work to this website, but I will hopefully have the opportunity to add many new photographs from Austin, New Orleans, and elsewhere over the next several months.


Click to view the updated gallery


* The photo of the Water Gardens is not currently available, but may be added again in the future.
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Information has been added under "Prints" about acquiring prints of photos displayed on this site as well as headshot and portrait sessions.

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New photos of Venice Beach, California have been added in the Los Angeles - Metro gallery.

Originally founded in 1905 as a "West Coast" version of Venice, Italy, by the 1960’s Venice Beach had been incorporated into the city of Los Angeles, its water canals had been filled in, and the first wave of "Hippie Invasions" altered the cultural landscape of this beach community forever. Today it remains one of the best places in California for "people watching" — a bohemian neighborhood bursting with scenes reminiscent of its short yet colorful history.


Click to view the updated gallery

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The downtown Dallas area has developed into a remarkable urban center with an outstanding concentration of architectural excellence, and unquestionably lays claim to some of the most phenomenally designed commercial structures in the southern United States. Because I had very limited time in the area, the majority of these pictures focus on my all-time favorite skyscraper: I.M. Pei's Fountain Place. However, I will hopefully have an opportunity to photograph more of Dallas in the near future.


Click to view the new gallery.

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This building caught my eye while I was taking exterior photos of the nearby Temple Beth-El. Although I grew up less than a mile from the area, I never took much notice of this building before. Its distant glimmer at sunrise made me notice for the first time its interesting shape and remarkable reflective qualities. For the most part, its design consists of a pie shaped circular cut-out with reverse stair-stepping elevations along a cylindrical axis. However, its strict compliance with a relatively basic geometric shape does not seem to detract from its unique and interesting style.



(not currently available; however, images from this gallery may be displayed again in the future)

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The East Texas Piney Woods is one of the most beautiful regions in the state. These pictures were taken around towns known to few outside the region: Athens, Seagoville, and Frankston. Although this set captures outdoor scenes during a mild Texas winter, I hope to return to the area around early autumn when the landscape's colors really come alive.



(not currently available; however, images from this gallery may be displayed again in the future, and new photos from this region have since been added in the Rustic / Naturescapes gallery)

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The recently completed Temple Beth-El represents an outstanding architectural addition to the city. A contemporary design reminiscent of the "Old Temple" of ancient Jerusalem, this structure embodies an impressive array of themes emphasizing light, space, color, comfort, spirituality, and functionality. Rather than competing with one another, these numerous thematic elements blend together harmoniously to create a tasteful and unique congregational center.
 


(not currently available; however, images from this gallery may be displayed again in the future)

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These skyline photos were taken from atop a Hollywood high-rise on the same morning that I shot the Rooftop Reflections* set. The clearing of the skies after a rain storm created a beautiful sunrise behind the downtown buildings. They have been added to the Los Angeles - Downtown gallery.


Click to view the updated gallery.


* The Rooftop Reflections set is not currently available, but images from this gallery may be displayed again in the future.

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The Pacific Design Center is an enormous compellation of bulky glass structures conspicuously flaunting their size and color in a manner that creates a harsh contrast with the Melrose Avenue neighborhood in which it sits. As I was leaving the recent "What's Shakin' - New Architecture in LA" exhibit at the MOCA next door, I couldn't help but appreciate the interesting visual possibilities created by this structural oddity. Although their security personnel are not amicable to people taking photographs of the building, I managed to sneak in a few shots before being asked to leave, one of which I’ve added to the Los Angeles - Metro gallery.


Click here to view the updated gallery

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These images were taken on a rooftop of a Hollywood building the morning after a heavy rain. The storm had cleared the all too often smoggy skies while leaving the roof covered with shallow puddles of water. These two elements came together to create a temporary reflective effect which I attempted to capture in these photos.



(not currently available -- images from this gallery may be re-displayed in the future)

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I have rearranged and added many new photos to the Los Angeles - Metro gallery, most of which are the product of several very long strolls through the Hollywood and Hollywood Hills neighborhoods. Although there are several images of famous landmarks such as the Graumans Chinese Theatre, most of this set is intended to focus on every day scenes in Hollywood. The gallery includes imagery ranging from densely populated stucco apartment buildings to the famous Roosevelt Hotel.


Click here to view the updated gallery

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It’s challenging to find an ideal categorization for organizing photographs. Because many of my photos are geographically specific, most of this site is organized by location. However, I wanted to experiment with at least one alternate format of display. As such, I created a 10 page, thematically organized compilation. It remains a work in progress but hopefully provides a coherent way to explore the images in a manner that highlights key visual concepts which are common across a variety of locations.

(not currently available; however, this gallery may be displayed again in the future)

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San Francisco is a city of such stunning visual diversity and aesthetic qualities that it almost overwhelms the senses. On the one hand, it's hard to take a bad shot in so beautiful a city. On the other hand, no matter how well a picture comes out, it can never do justice to experiencing the sights first-hand. I choose the commercial center as a fitting environment to focus my first photographic exploration of the city. I tried to discover new ways to capture such overexposed landmarks as the Transamerica Pyramid as well as to seek out a variety of interesting street scenes and other lesser known structures of architectural interest. But with so many neighborhoods crammed into this tiny 49-square-mile peninsula, each with their own unique characteristics, I hope to have many more photographic adventures throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.


Click to view the new gallery.

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These enormous structures allow for a tremendous degree of play with geometric patterns, reflective surfaces, and proportionality. One of my favorite images highlights these three elements with a pedestrian being dwarfed by the tall, curving, reflective glass corner at the north end of the Staple Center (thumbnailed below). These photos have been added in the Los Angeles - Downtown gallery.


Click to view the updated gallery

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Website launched with the following photo galleries:

• Fort Worth (Downtown, Botanic Gardens)
• Los Angeles (Downtown, Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, USC / Exposition Park, Subway) *
• Chicago (Downtown, Hyde Park)
• Long Beach (Long Beach)


* This gallery has since been split between Los Angeles - Downtown and the Los Angeles - Metro galleries, both under the Urban / Architectural category
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