It's time to break the rules

With a long weekend approaching, Brian and I decided that we needed to put our time to good use and travel somewhere in this Asian continent, we now call home. At the same time we needed to get some Christmas shopping done.

That is when we decided Bangkok would be our next travel experience. Then straight from left field, news about the Bangkok airport close flooded the media and our travel plans went from 60 mph to 0 mph. Luckily for us we hadn't booked any plane tickets.

Our first thought was to cancel the trip and visit Bangkok another time, but with a little research and many conversations with our local friends, we knew we could put our trip back on the front burner. Eventually the airport opened and we booked our flight a week later.

Bangkok and Thailand in general, can be described best by the architecture of its temples: beautiful, elaborate, diverse, and traditional. But the architecture alone cannot define this place; it's the people that keep the culture strong and vibrant.

Since Christmas shopping was the first priority on the "to do" list, we saved the last day for The Grand Palace and Giant Buddha, which wasn't the best idea in the world, but with an entry fee of 200 Thai Baht or $5 US I think we can afford to go back before we leave this wonderful continent.

These are just some things I kept in mind while taking pictures of this legendary place. Know the rules, but also know when to use them and when to break them. Shooting into the sun is not usually a good idea, but here I went for it. The light was harsh by the time we arrived at the Palace so I had to think of a way to use it to my advantage. It was an opportunity for me to test my photography skills in less than optimal light. It's always a good idea to challenge yourself!

When you can get images that you like in poor light, taking images in good light is gravy!

Phuket, Thailand November 15-20, 2008

It's nice to have friends who don't mind being in front of the camera! I couldn't let the good light go to waste.

Claudio Family ~ September 20, 2008

It's always a great time when I'm with this lovely family. They have so much energy and such warm spirits.

Walking hand in hand without speaking, they know they will always have a shoulder to lean on, someone to talk to, someone to share stories with or someone to laugh with, no matter where life takes them. Family is forever. Family is always forgiving. Family walks through life together.

Brent and Jade ~ September 7, 2008

It's not often that I get to take pictures of family, and when the opportunity arises I am all over it like white on rice. Even though Brent and Jade live in San Diego it is hard to sync our schedules for dinner or trips to the beach, so their photo shoot was a treat for me. Plus I got to join them for dinner and hang out afterwards.

Jade was all about being in front of the camera. As soon as my hands grasped the black body of my Canon 5D, she was throwing poses as fast as Cole Hamels throws pitches over home plate. And each pose was true to her personality: outgoing, animated, strong, charming, goofy and inquisitive.

Brent was just the opposite. He didn't care that I had a camera in my hands, maybe because he is accustomed to being watched. He regularly makes most valuable player for baseball and he has the speed and maneuvering skills that make him a starting running back for his football team. Not only is he athletic, but he has great eyes. The sunset made him squint a lot, so after it dipped into the horizon I told him to open his eyes as wide as possible. His reaction was a bit like a roller coaster face. Nonetheless, I got the shot of his killer eyes.

Fritz Betschman ~ August 23, 2008

At six months Fritz was just about crawling and his happiest moments were when mom or dad held him up so he could stand on his feet. He was probably thinking he would skip the whole crawling thing and go straight for walking.

Also he was up for the entire photo shoot! He did crash as soon as I put the camera down, but so far he has the best track record among all the six-month-old babies that I've had the pleasure of photographing. What a trooper!

The last two pictures were his final moments of distraction before falling asleep. It was amazing to witness his newly developed hand-eye coordination. It was as if he just found his hands and how useful they are for putting things in his mouth.