Where'd All This Heat Come From?

Although the random California weather can be exciting sometimes, it sure catches you off guard sometimes. This heat was just.... wow. Or maybe we're just not used to it yet.

"It's A Prom!.... Boy!" 4/27/08

It started out innocently enough. Two little girls watching as I was doing a prom portrait session come over and ask Jessica and Alyssa "What are you guys doing?". "Oh, we're going to our prom today!". A couple questions, and a bit of curiousity, and suddenly I'm taking portraits with Prom goers and baby shower participants. I love that they were so excited that they got to jump with us. Very cute. It's too bad they're only 6 and 7, and don't have email addresses yet. I would've loved to give this picture to them to keep.

---

First off, lets go take it over to sports today, and the main event of the weekend: the NFL Draft. It's basically like the Lottery for football fans around the nation, myself included. Today though, I was only interested in who Philadelphia was going to draft today. Turns out they made two fairly good choices, a defensive tackle to beef up their D in the first round, and a much needed wide receiver for McNabb to throw to. Even though it usually takes around 3 or so years for drafts to really show their skills after adjusting to the big time, I'm really hoping they'll help out the Eagles franchise. Here's to hoping, to the playoffs next year =)

---

Okay, I'm out of guy mode now, lets switch it over to the business side of things. www.timmonzonphoto.com has been up for a couple of days now, but I'm still making continual changes to the front page. I'm learning all this web stuff as I go, so it's obviously gonna look pretty crappy for a while. But I'm okay with that. I've actually got a few photo galleries up there already, but I'm still working on linking them all to the front page. Feel free to continue to look around the site, even though there's not much to look at.

Also, I've just acquired what's probably the greatest background in the world, hands down. Make sure to look out for it in the coming weeks, because I will definitely be using it =)

---

Now let's slow it down and finish up with the personal side of life. Today was Bryan and Aprille's wedding shower, and it was pretty fun. Although I had to excuse myself for an hour to do the prom portrait session, there was still lots of fun to be had when I got back, with lots of games and just all around fun times with everyone. I really can't wait til Hawaii in a month. I'm so excited for them getting married. I mean, I've grown up with them since we were all kids, so this is a fairly big deal for all of us. And of course, it's Hawaii. It sure is hard to stay wound up when you're in a vacation spot like that, ya know? Suurrrssly. Oooo, that reminds me, I need to buy more recordable cd's, to put photos on. I've got lots of dvd's, but I'm finding out that not everyone has a dvd drive on their computers yet. At least they're pretty cheap nowadays, especially with the advent of DVD-Rs and now Blu-Ray discs.

---

Okay, so here's a great Youtube video, featuring two of my favorite things: Stephen Colbert, and robots. Put them together, and this is what you get:

I Know What's Wrong Now.

I'm letting photography become more about work and less about passion. I need a refresher, that's for sure. A good trip through downtown LA or somewhere else similarly scenic and lively ought to do the trick =).

"Headlights" 11/8/07

I felt like posting something older today, just to help refuel myself and remember why I love to do what I do :). I remember a friend and I were walking back to our cars after a concert, and it was pretty late at night, and the fog was fairly thick. It looked more gray than black, and we were having trouble finding our cars. Suddenly, a nearby car turns on, and the lights just cut right through the dense fog. I don't know why, but I took a picture right then. I'm very happy I did. I'm going to make this photo the wallpaper on my laptop now, haha.

---

Has anybody tried one of those home teeth whitening kits you can buy at the store? Were you satisfied with the results? What'd you use, and how long did it take?

I'm asking because I decided to try one for myself. I bought a new bottle of Listerine, and along with it, came a sample pack for their new teeth whitening kits, a days worth of whitening strips. After falling into their clever marketing scheme, I decided to go back out and buy the full kit of Listerine Whitening Quick Dissolving Strips. Now, this thing says that after two weeks, I should have more noticeably whiter teeth. That kinda gets me excited, since my teeth are slightly yellow from drinking too many Arnold Palmers, hehe. I was thinking about documenting this by taking pictures of my teeth, but I kinda figured you probably won't want to see daily closeups of my mouth. That's pretty gross. After a few days though, I'll let you know how things are progressing.

---

Another reason I bought the whitening strips is because there's only a month left before I go back to Hawaii =). Now, this is definitely important. Because, ya know... there are gonna be girls there. And stuff. I know you know. Which reminds me, I ought to finish paying off my ticket. That's real important. But considering I'm still in the process of saving up for my future baby, I don't want to pay it off. Yet. Can't I just wait for my economic relief check to come in and pay it off then? I want my baby first. I'm tired of having to pay to rent it when I want to use it for assignments. Sigh. One day, 70-200. One day.

---

Okay, so I haven't been posting Youtube videos in a while, but here's a recent one that's just simply a classic in my book. Here's a recent Skittles commercial about the guy with the Skittles Touch =). It's so unbelievably sad, and yet.... hilarious at the same time. Oh, and his name is Tim too, so its almost like I feel his pain. Seriously. I'd be so afraid to touch things if I were him, haha.

Loss Of Creativity

I think I'm temporarily drained. This is not good. I need a quick shot of inspiration to the arm.

"The Girls" 4/18/08

Straight out of the camera, this photo's not too bad I suppose. I ran into a lot of problems during this shoot. First off, I wasn't even aware until 2 minutes before that I was going to take group shots. Secondly, I had to pump out 9 couple shots, an all girls shot, an all guys shot, a full court shot, and a bunch of family shots in the course of about 15 minutes, all during dinner. Talk about being pressed for time. The light here was good, but it wasn't spread out as evenly as I would've liked. My dying second flash that night was to blame. Oh, and since this was all done in a large lobby with only a few scattered lamps as my ambient light, all my shots had to be lit by strobe. Argh. I'm sure glad I'm fairly good with pressure.

---

My apologies to anyone that I've been unable to book for weekends for the next couple months. Sessions are continually being filled up, and as much as I'd like everyone's business, I have to give priority to those with important upcoming dates. Now thankfully, with the sun setting later and later as we head into summer, I can open up more hours for everyone. Thanks for everyone's understanding.

---

On that note, for anyone reading this blog, I'm in need of a photo assistant. Dire need. It's come to my attention that during photoshoots, more time is being spent setting up and prepping, than the actual shoot itself. So I need someone who's willing to help setup and breakdown lighting equipment and assist in lighting support and second shooting.

No qualifications are necessary, and I'm looking for someone who's actively interested in learning about lighting, posing, and modeling, as well as someone who'd like to learns the ins and outs of basic photography. You only need to be available a few hours during the weekends, and if you're already experienced in photography, but need some time in professional settings, then we can talk about monetary compensation as well.

Email me at tim.monzon@gmail.com, or leave a comment on the site, or myspace, or whatever.

---

The Rule Of Threes

"Like Puzzle Pieces" 4/19/08

Prom time oftentimes is just as busy as wedding season, but without the full day commitment =). I was hired by DJ to cover her senior prom pics in place of their standard ones, and I let them have a fair amount of freedom over how they wanted to pose. We went through all the standard ones, but they let me do some creative posing, and let them come up with some of their own. Oddly enough, they asked to do the heart thing above, which I found strikingly similar to someone else who's known for putting their hands in the form of a heart..... haha. It was actually their idea to do it, but I was pleasantly surprised and inspired at the same time. I'll have to ask DJ if she got the idea from seeing me wear Kina's shirt, we'll see.

---

Back when I was working with a wedding photographer as a second shooter, I was taught about the rule of threes (not to be confused with the another photography guideline, "The Rule Of Thirds"). Scott taught me that when preparing for important events, such as weddings, always ready yourself with at least three of everything you need. If you tend to use up 1 memory card to cover a ceremony, bring 2 more with you just in case. If you use up 3 memory cards in one ceremony, increase that amount to 9. Bring more than one camera, three if you can. After the wedding, always make three backups of the photos. One to your main computer, one to a hard copy DVD, and one to a backup drive or computer. Et cetera, et cetera.

This weekend, that rule came ended up saving my butt numerous times.

For a debut I worked on Friday, I was asked to produce a slideshow in addition to my services as a photographer. Although I can't say I excel at media production services, I happily obliged. The problem came when I transferred the slideshow video onto DVD. I made 2 backup DVDs just in case, and even converted the video into a Flash file should worse come to worst. And worst it did. It turns out that no dvd player could recognize the dvd's I burned for some reason, so I was stressing out that there wouldn't be a slideshow for the debutante. I tried playing it on my laptop, which had worked when I made the dvd's only hours before, but suddenly stopped working.

I tried each dvd, and each one had the same result: it wasn't being recognized. I then figured I could just show the slideshow itself from my laptop, but I realized I had left the files on a backup hard drive, which I left at home. I was about to give up and give the debutante the bad news, when finally I decided to try one last media player on my computer that I never really used before, but only had it because it played certain files that other media players wouldn't. I had totally forgotten I even had it on my laptop, but when I remembered about it, I tried it.... and it worked! Yikes. This was about 10 minutes before the slideshow presentation was to begin. Lesson learned: always have a backup plan for your backup plan.

---

You'd think that'd be enough, but my main flash was having trouble working all night. I had to switch to my backup flash, wish works just fine most of the time. Then that night, it decided that it needed to suck as much power as it could from every battery I would put in it. I ran through 5 sets of AA rechargeable batteries in 6 hours. Thank goodness I bought that 15 minute charger a while back.

---

Always remember to have a backup plan for your backup plan =). In other news, I've finally registered a domain name for my website. Unfortunately, www.tmphoto.com was already taken, so I've taken the long route and you can now direct your browsers to www.timmonzonphoto.com for my new website! Yay! At the moment, I've merely left a placeholder home page, while I work on design and layout of the place. Instead of going the easy way and hiring a web designer to do things for me, I've decided to bite the bullet and purchased Dreamweaver. Ouch, there goes another 400 dollars. But when I think about it, its an investment I can always use as a business deduction, and I know have full control over what I want to do with my site, instead of leaving it in the hands of someone I don't know.

---

Okay, so instead of a Youtube video, here's a treat for ya. Remember that slideshow I wrote about earlier? And how I had it converted to Flash just in case? Well, I uploaded it to my site, and if you feel like it, just click HERE and check out my quick stint at media production services =). If you like it, lemme know. I don't mind learning new things at all. Oh, by the way, its about 15 minutes long, and I don't know how to implement a time bar into the Flash player yet, so if you're gonna watch it, make sure you've got the time =)

Deadlines Suck.

I've always been a procrastinator. So deadlines and I don't get along. And now here I am, sitting at my desk at 3 in the morning, having to finish a work assignment before the next day, or else I'm in real big trouble. Gah. Although I had quite a long night just now, I blame it more on my inability to get myself moving when I have the chance. So why am I writing in my blog right now?

Procrastination.

Anyways, nothing more than a quick update for now, I'll try to be more robust in my next entry. But for now, I must pull an all-nighter because I'm an idiot.

Here's something to keep you visually busy for now. I took it last night. As to what is going on exactly, I'll leave for you to discuss.

Cough Syrup Tastes So Gross.

They really ought to figure out a way to make it taste better. Or something.

"Simple" 4/13/08

So yesterday I did a bit of a reshoot of CJ again. Turns out the web designer of our church's website saw my work and liked it, so he asked us to reproduce it with some posing, for use on the website. For a quick 10 second or so shoot, it came out pretty good. In fact, it took me longer to set up the flash and umbrella, and do testing, than it did for the shoot itself.

What's also pretty cool is that from this, I've now been tapped to do updated headshots for the staff of our church. That should be pretty fun. They've offered compensation for the job, but considering that its my church, I'm probably going to do it pro bono. After all, my church has always been open to me and has been my place of refuge, and they've never asked for anything in return. I should at least try to return the favor.

---

So, I finally got myself a monopod. At a very decent price too. A Manfrotto Carbon Fiber monopod for only 40 bucks. Original price was 120! How'd I get it knocked down so far? Well, for one, I actually had a store credit at Samy's Camera for about 20 bucks, so that brought it down to about 100. Then, in an awesome turn of events, the guy ringing me up asked what types of photography I specialized in. I told him I do mostly portraits and special events at the moment, with the intent of going into full time weddings. Suddenly the guy is very interested, and exclaims he's a wedding photographer as well. In fact, he's got a wedding coming up in a couple of weeks and he's gonna require a second shooter because his usual second shooter had to drop out. He asks if I'm interested, and of course I jump at the opportunity.

So, after a quick exchange of business cards, he gives me his employee discount for the monopod as a show of good will. Thank you, Mr. James. You're awesome. And thank God for continuous opportunities for work that keep coming in. My sights only keep setting higher and higher now.

---

Yeah, don't really have much to say today, but at least I updated.

You See, What Happened Was.....

Okay, so I was just about to write another entry in the blog this morning, when my blood decided it was too cool to be kept inside of my body, and so came rushing through my nasal passages.

So uh, I'm gonna clean the slight red mess on my carpet now (grrr....), and hopefully I'll get back to this before I have to go to work.

My Bones Ache So Much.

Darn, you flu! Or whatever it is I have. Haha, I don't even know. I hate having to stay at home and nurse myself back to good health.

"Grace And Jessica" 4/4/08

Here's a shot of my sister and my cousin while waiting in line for Space Mountain. I know you're reading this Jessica, so go ahead and steal it if you want to. I tried to put it on your Myspace, but it was being dumb at the time.

---

So today was a bit interesting. I woke up this morning feeling tons better than I did the day before, so I was pretty excited. Then I walked down the stairs too fast. And I felt like throwing up. Ha, that's what I get. Take your daily dose of vitamin C, kids.

Went back to CSUF today, in what seemed like years. Man, how that schools changed since I've been there. It's pretty nice now. Makes me feel like I wasted my time having to park across the street and wait for the trams all those times when they have parking structures now. And the new rec center and business building... wow. I think our campus looks nicer than UCI's now.

Anyways, hung out with my cousin Hannah, who willingly ditched her dance class today to watch Kina with me. Which is too bad, because due to a bit of miscommunication, she didn't end up going on =(. Very sad.

In an awesome turn of events though, I just happened to run into a whole bunch of buddies I haven't seen in a while. It was good seeing Martin, Hideki, Mike, and Ray. Haha, in an interesting connection, it turns out Hideki's been the one who asked Kina to come perform at Fullerton. So I'm not sure whether to be mad at my friend I've known since elementary or not. And, not all was lost, as I was able to introduce all my friends to Kina, which should be great word of mouth. So, it was good hanging out with Kina for an hour or so, even though all we did was nothing but chat. Man, I really like her fashion style. So classy and chic, while not being slutty or anything. I like that. Hannah liked that too, haha. I guess Hannah knows where to shop from now on =).

---

So I'm probably going to buy myself a new lens within the week. I'm in need of something particularly wide angle. Problem is, my main camera has a 1.5x crop, so it's hard to find something that will go particularly wide, and that's not a fisheye. The Sigma 10-20mm has been looking pretty appealing lately, and I'm probably going to purchase it with the money I make from the debut coming up in next week. After that, when my economic relief check comes in, I'm going to go ahead and splurge on the legend itself, the holy 70-200mm VR lens. I remember trying it once, and boy, have I had lens lust ever since. It's too bad it comes with an average sticker price of.... $1,600. Yeah, I know. For a long tube with glass in it?!?! Crazy. But the results people get with it are so worth it. So I'm looking to invest about $2200 or so on glass in the next couple of months. Yeouch. And that's on top of my expenses for Hawaii in May, Florida in August, and Australia in November. Thankfully though, business has been rolling along quite well lately. Word of mouth really is a powerful thing. And so is networking. If all goes well, I'll probably end up registering the business by July. Pray for me guys.

---

That reminds me, I need to purchase a new monopod soon. My "Lightstick" is working fine and all, but having to lug it around using a lightstand as a handle is getting pretty heavy. I prefer monopods because they're way lighter, easier to set up, and well, I can use it on my camera if I need the stability. It's funny how these simple things, which are pretty much no more than extendable walking sticks with camera mounts, can easily go into the $300 price range. I hope I'm not steering away any prospective photographers with all this talk about money, but in all seriousness, serious photography, whether it be a hobby or a profession, is a real investment. There's a real reason why professional photographers charge the prices they do sometimes for sessions. It's because they not only took the time to learn the ins and outs of their craft, but they put a whole lot of money into the gear that they rely on, and expect it to perform consistently and reliably.

You wouldn't trust the construction of your house to someone who'll do it for 5 bucks just because he has a shiny new shovel and hammer, and just wants to "try something new", would you? No, you entrust it to a company with real experience, a real reputation, and the equipment and know-how to build it. Yeah, the price will obviously be way more expensive, but it's like the saying goes, "you get what you pay for".

Wow, did I just go on a rant there? Sorry.

---

Okay, here a great Youtube video for tonight. Have you heard of Flight Of The Conchords? If not, then you're behind. This duo from New Zealand are some of the funniest guys ever. Check out a song they made from their comedy special:

My Busy Weekend, Pt. 2

I'm not down with this sickness stuff..... Ugh, darn this flu bug that's flying around everyone. My prime suspect is Annie, although I haven't ruled out other potential subjects yet. Time for an interrogation.

(Dun Dun!)

"Post It's" 4/8/08

I went into Robeks yesterday to buy some good ol' freshly squeezed orange juice, in an effort to consume enough vitamin C to defeat this bug that's debilitating me. I happen to run into Nicole, who's getting smoothies for her study buddies that she's meeting up. I walk her outside while I wait for my juice to finish.... juicing, and to her car. When I get back, each of the girls working are wearing a Post-It, and it ends up saying "Thank You Tim". Haha, I'm not sure why they did it, but I thought it was cute. There are definite benefits to being a business' number one customer. I decided to pin it up to my bulletin board, so I can see it every day. It's quite refreshing to see every morning, I must admit.

---

Okay, so where were we? Oh yeah, onto Friday. Well, this day was pretty cool, cuz I finally got to go to Disneyland. Well, I go all the time, but I haven't been in more than a month, and for me, that's loooonnnngg. Anyways, I was especially looking forward to this day, cuz not only would I be hanging with my sister, but also my cousins Grace and Rachel (who's pretty much my official Disneyland buddy), my good friends from church, Jed, Tori, and CJ, and whoever else felt like partying with us. I'm glad they all go to the same high school and are in the same choir, haha. Thing is, the main reason I wanted to go this day was because I was informed that their choir was gonna be performing at Disneyland. So I brought a good chunk of my camera equipment to capture their performance. To my disappointment, Grace, Jessica, and I were all misinformed, and I ended up having to carry about 15 lbs of camera bag around for the day =(. Jess, Grace, and I had to leave a little early though, because Grace had to coach a basketball game later on. So we left, but I managed to get a nice little group shot from one of the Disneyland photographers. Too bad he sucks at his job and clipped out the top portion of the castle. Ugh, this is why I don't like letting people use my camera:

"Disneyland Fun" 4/4/08

---

Later that night, we held the college bible study at my house as always, and it was a very productive night. Problem is, I'm pretty sure that's when Annie passed her sickness along to me, cuz I know she was pretty sick herself. I've really got to take better care of myself =/

---

Now on to Saturday. Bamboozle Left!! How exciting this day was! Jimmy Eat World, All American Rejects, Paramore, Daphne Loves Derby, Reel Big Fish, RX Bandits, Streetlight Manifesto, Alkaline Trio, The Starting Line.... ahhhh!!!! It was great!

Except when I got knocked down twice in the pit. But then I crowd surfed 4 times. But then I got dropped on my head once. Lesson for the future: DO NOT crowd surf during Paramore's set. Now, I love Paramore as much as the next person, but going to their show poses a major problem: a majority of their fanbase is little teenybopper girls and their mothers. This is the third show I've been to of Paramore, and it seems to get worse each time. So here's what happened: I'm rockin out to "That's What You Get", and I tell the guy in front of me to give me a boost. He's a big guy, so he ends up launching me. I thought it was completely awesome to actually be 6 feet in the air, until my body decided that it should land in the middle of a bunch of girls probably no older than 17. I'm also guessing that it was their first time at a show, because when they all saw me coming, all they did was scream and.... clear the way for me. I still have a nasty bump on my head because of it.

Let's do some quick word relations, a la the SAT's. Paramore is to this generations teenybopper group, as The Backstreet Boys are to my generations teenybopper group.

---

Overall, fun day though. Probably another reason why I'm sick, cuz I decided to subject my body to physical extremes that day.

Anyways, here's a funny Youtube video for ya. Personally, I like Leno more than Letterman. Especially Jay's sketches, they're some of the best. I find myself almost to tears at times. Anyways, here's a pretty funny one of Jay's special correspondent, Mo Rocca, interviewing Spring Breakers on the Presidential Primaries:

My Busy Weekend, Pt. 1

First off, just to let everyone know, my weekends have already been booked for sessions from now until the beginning of June. If anyone wants to set up an appointment during the week, or if its a quick session, call or email me, and I'll see what I can do for ya =D.

"Heart And Mind" 4/3/08

So here's a quick shot of Kina and Emi at the Hotel Cafe show last Friday. I was particularly excited at not only getting to see Emi perform with her sister, but they also introduced a new song by Kina to us, titled "Heart And Mind". Even though it's an acoustic song, its got a very catchy hook to it, almost pop like. I can definitely hear this one on the radio eventually.

---

So the Hotel Cafe show last Thursday was amazing. And to think, I almost didn't go! Shame on me. Kina played a wonderful set, and I got the chance to finally meet Emi, as well as listen to her sing along with her sister live. They were just wonderful together. My pictures don't even come close to doing the night justice.

After Kina's set, I went back to the lobby to reacquaint myself with the Grannis family, as well as purchase a new shirt for myself. I could've just easily bought a shirt that just had her name on it, but I was particularly drawn to Emi's design featuring Kina's yet to be trademarked heart handsign. While waiting in line, I found Ernie, who was also taking photos during the set. He is quite the busy man. I've also noticed that he's incredible at networking and connecting, something I need to be more aggressive at if I want to increase my exposure as well as my business. The man's got skills for sure. Also got to meet Emi, and she's really cool. But then again, which of the Grannis' aren't?

We chatted it up for a few minutes, the three of us, and Ernie took a shot of Emi and I together. I'm sure I look stupid in it, but I wanna see it =). Finally I get to the front of the line, and I'm greeted with a wonderful hello by Mrs. Grannis herself. It's feels kinda cool knowing I'm recognized with the family, especially considering how many new people they've had to meet within the last few months. All I had intended to do was buy a shirt, but my purchase ended up stretching into a 15 minute conversation about family arguments, embarrassing moments, the blog, and Mrs. Grannis plan to kick Kina out of the house =P.

I end up chatting it up so long, I almost forget to watch Tim Myers' set. I manage to catch the last two songs, but I didn't get a chance to take any photos. He's got a great sound, very indie, with a little country twang to it. I like it.

---

So after a little bit of waiting, on finally comes the last act of the night, Schuyler Fisk. I know I shouldn't have been, but I was surprised to find out that she's a very talented musician and artist. The only downside to her set was the unusual amount of technical difficulties arising throughout the set. Nevertheless, she was really cool. I'll probably end up buying her cd on iTunes sometime within the week.

Schuyler Fisk 4/3/08

Another really cool thing that definitely caught me by surprise was the fact that her mom was there. Now, usually that wouldn't be a big deal, unless you know who her mom is. Even though Schuyler's last name is Fisk, her mom just happens to be.... Sissy Spacek. Probably most famously known for her role as the titular "Carrie". Yep. When she mentioned her mom was in the room (she didn't even say her name), I kinda went into some kind of starstruck mode, haha. And... she touched me! Haha. I just assumed it was some older woman who wanted to be up in front, so she grabbed my shoulder and asked for some passage through. Little did I know that my shoulder had been grabbed by The Coal Miner's Daughter herself. I liked how she was very casual about the whole affair, not a single bit of Hollywood in any of her mannerisms as I observed her. She was just there, being a mom, supporting her daughter. Very awesome.

Sissy Spacek 4/3/08

---

Wow, having been there for a whole three hours, it seemed like time just flew by. The drive back home to Diamond Bar actually felt longer than my stay at the Hotel Cafe. By the way, I got into a small car accident on the way to the venue, but I'd rather not talk about it. It's more of a nuisance than anything. I'm just glad it wasn't anything bigger than what it was.

---

Let's see, what to Youtube tonight???? Oh yeah, now I remember what I was gonna post up! Haha.... oh man. Let me just say, my friend RJ is probably one of my best friends, and also one of the funniest guys I've ever met in my life. I don't know where it comes from, but everything he does is so random and so funny. Here's a great video of him doing.... I don't know what. Who would've thought you could use an empty room so well? =)

And his mom just kills it for me:

I Want To Be A Music Producer Now.

That job looks way more fun sometimes, ha.

"Robeks After Dark" 3/28/08

So these fine people are a few of the workers at my local Robeks smoothie store. The great thing is, not only are they just the people who make my smoothie almost every day, but they've come to be great friends too. They're great people, and they definitely exemplify what it means to love what you do. My hats off to you guys =). Hopefully one or two of you will read this.

---

In regards to the title of todays post, I finally got the chance to see up close all the cool kinds of work music producers do. My best friend Jon (we've been best friends since 7th grade) asked me to come over to his studio and help me out with some sampling. So I come over with my guitar, and all I did was play a few chords for him, nothing too big.

A few minutes later, after he's recorded and cleaned up my samples for him, he loads them up, and just plays with them and throws a drum track behind them. Then he plays a piano track to help back my guitar chords. A bit of computer help, some mixing, some stirring, and some baking, and BAM! Suddenly I'm listening to this crazy hip hop beat with MY guitar chords laying the groundwork. Words can't even explain how cool it was to see him at work. When he finishes the track, I'll have to ask if I can get a copy for you guys to check out. He made it all look so effortless too.

Pretty cool stuff, I tell ya. Producers are just as musical and creative as recording artists and bands, although I never thought previously.

---

So my weekend pretty much starts for me tomorrow, and I've got a whole lot of great stuff lined up. Here's a pretty rough outline of my goings on in the next few days:

1. Thursday - I've got work, but I get off early, then myself and a few friends are gonna party it up at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood with none other than Kina Grannis and Schuyler Fisk. If you read my blog, you probably know who Kina is by now. Schuyler, on the other hand, just happens to be a wonderful surprise in the lineup for me. I actually first heard of Schuyler (pronounced "Skyler") when she played the female lead in "Orange County" with Colin Hanks and Jack Black. The movie holds a special place in my heart because 1) its about The OC (although very stereotypically), and 2) the movie was filmed at my high school. Anyways, back to the point, I didn't know she was a singer too, and now that I've got the chance to explore her music, I'm pretty excited to see her too. I wanna ask her if she remembers my school (if you've been there, its hard to forget it).
2. Friday - Disneyland again! Okay, so I go there all the time, but this time I've got a couple cousins along for the ride. So its gonna be me, my sister, and Rachel and Grace. And hopefully, Grace will be getting her first season pass on this day. Super score. Oh, how could I forget? Tori, CJ, and Jed will all be there too, so I'm sure we'll have lots of fun.
3. Saturday - BAMBOOZLE LEFT!! Yay! It's finally here. It's like a music festival and a carnival, all rolled into one! Paramore, Jimmy Eat World, All American Rejects, New Found Glory, Daphne Loves Derby, RX Bandits, Reel Big Fish, The Starting Line, and more! The above bands are the ones I want to see the most though. And whenever there's a lull in the day, we can go on the carnival rides =). Yay for Kelvin, Rhea, Zahara, Samantha, and Amanda as my buddies for this day.
4. Sunday - After church, I'm gonna go take photos of CJ's debut practice. Yeah, technically its work, but I love what I do. So this can be fun too, right?

Quite a bit packed in this weekend, but I know overall it'll be great.

---

Oh, I just remembered, I got myself a booking for a graduation photo session at the end of the month, so I figured I might as well put it out there now... if you're having a prom soon, or are graduating this year, and you'd like someone to do a cool photo session for you, call me!!!! Haha, sometimes I'm more excited about the booking than the actual session itself.

---

Okay, I was looking for a Youtube video to try and show you guys just how innovative and creative music producers are, and I think I finally found the right one. Here's a video of Ryan Leslie, a producer who does a lot of work for Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment label, as well as his own independent label. Man, this guy is awesome. Not only are the tracks he lays down so sick, just look at how much fun he's having!!!