This has been one wild summer, and the result has been no blog posts since May. In short, I finished Photography 201, conducted a Summer Photography Workshop, had my logo embroidered on some shirts, continued working with former students to get them to their goals, advised my youngest niece as she takes on photographing her first wedding, prepared photos of mine and my students for display at a new boutique’s “Artists Corner”, and personally photographed one graduation and party, one wedding, one 80′s-style birthday party, a “trash-the-dress” session with five young ladies, several really cool senior portraits, one memorial service of a friend, and several football games. And I still have a day-job (thank the Lord). Whew!
It is amazing that with only one wedding and a handful of portrait sessions, I was this busy. For one thing, the teaching has become such a large part of my life. Not only do I get to instruct in photography, but I gain friends who I care for deeply. Most are high school age and going through the teen years with the typical (and some not-so-typical) bumps along the way. I have been privileged to help them get through these times.
One of the most fun things I did this summer was to raise dresses for Marissa’s Closet. What started out as a for-profit idea, became a for-charity project as soon as I read about Melinda Shaw, who was carrying-on the charity work of her daughter, who took her own life last December. A top high school senior, Marissa had begun collecting donated formal dresses to give to girls who could not afford their own. Our photo session along 17-Mile Drive’s tidepools raised 20 dresses and four pairs of shoes for Marissa’s Closet.
The 80′s-style birthday party was a hoot! But it was also a challenge, as I used a green screen for the first time. You must light the screen perfectly to avoid problems later removing it and placing the background behind the subject. That was not the problem. What made this so challenging was that the birthday girl and the party host both wore some clothing that matched the green screen, causing those parts of them to disappear altogether when I removed the green screen! Anyway, the end results were almost as fun as the party itself.
One senior portrait session took an unexpected turn before we even got started. While discussing what we were going to do, it came to my attention that there was a dirt bike track alongside the airstrip where we met. I suggested Zach ride while I shot. The result was fantastic! Later, as planned, his crop-duster-pilot dad buzzed us on the runway. Talk about trust!
I had only shot one high school football game before getting the opportunity to shoot Beyer High games this season. But I jumped at the chance and have had great fun doing it. The time-consuming part is not the shooting, or even the processing. It has been all the organizing and promoting of the work. Coach Alkire has been quite appreciative and complementary. My only other hope is that the parents become customers 
.
The saddest and most difficult photography I have ever done was in August, when hundreds gathered to say goodbye to Nate Baker. Nate was a great man. While expected to be a judge someday, Nate was totally down-to-earth, willing to do any job if it served the Lord, and known as being fair and kind to everyone. At age 42, he left behind a wonderful family, friends, and many colleagues who loved him dearly. It was his wife that asked me to photograph the service, but I won’t post any photos here.
Well, I need to get going. Shooting a Manteca High School football game for my good friend Chris Leonard, who can’t be in two places at once no matter how hard he tries. And then tomorrow I’m off the the California Capital Airshow with Ryan Baker (son of Nate), where another friend, Sagar Pathak, has arranged some special treatment for us through his connections as an aviation photographer (www.horizontalrain.com).
