Christmas 2006

Merry Christmas everyone. May there be Peace on Earth.

Tech Art Press Photos

Check out pictures from the reception on the AMPAS Press Area page.

Tech Art Opening Night Reception

Thanks to everyone who came out in support of the Tech Art reception. It was a great turnout and I really enjoyed hooking up with friends and meeting new people. The Science and Technology Council put on a great evening in a welcoming atmosphere. Thanks again to Andy Maltz, Julio Vera, Maryrose McMahon, Rebakah Parr, Alex Yust, Brett Davidson and everyone else behind the scenes at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who made the evening very enjoyable.

Here's a few shots:

Me with my lovely wife Donna

Christopher Painter, Kristin Lazarian and Richard Horvitz

John Bryant, Heather Welch and I break out into song

Hanging out with Alan Heim

Television Goddesses, Nancy Sullivan and Kathleen Noone

Gav Gnatovich, Hallie Gnatovich and Steve Berman

Peggy Jo Jacobs, Me, Dan Cortese, Nicole and Richie D'Ovidio

The Boyajian Girls, Barbara and Sue

Nina McMullen and I enjoy a corner

Frank Weiss says: Fogetaboutit!

My Big Sis Marla, Cecelia my niece and Hollywood gossip columnist and style maven Greg Chostner

Little Costia, Chris Battle, Mike Myles and Nile El Wardani

And finally, I ain't saying she's a gold digger but...Donna fantasizes about another man named Oscar

Tech Art on Photoinduced

Photoinduced, which is a great resource for amateur and professional photographers, gives a mention to Tech Art. Thanks Damon.

Tech Art in the Academy Foundation Events Mailer

The Academy Foundation events mailer for December
includes details of Tech Art. Check it out.

Tech Art Invitation

As Tech Art draws near I can’t help but swim in appreciation of the talents and vision of everyone at the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who will make the exhibit a sure success. I have to give a big thanks to
Brett Davidson who designed the overall look of the catalog that accompanies the exhibition. I’ve been very fortunate to be paired with such a brilliant layout artist.

Tech Art

In case you haven't seen it..., It's on their website!



Tech Art The Photography of Vince Gonzales

Gonzales & Gonzalez

I’m not much of a name dropper but…

Here I am sharing a scene with Tyson the famous skate boarding Bulldog. I was cast in the upcoming USC student film “Gonzalez” as a homeless man giving aid to the wayward canine. Tyson is a trained method actor and totally upstaged me.

Later we hung out at The Standard and split a bottle of Cristall but were soon asked to leave when Tyson got fresh with a waitress. Dog.

Tech Art, Coming Soon

The last few weeks I’ve been enjoying shooting new images for my series on antique motion picture equipment
(see the bottom of the article: Good Times, Aug 12). I am now in the home stretch preparing for my exhibit. The Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be displaying 30 of my images in the Dunn Theatre at the Pickford Center here in Hollywood. The Academy has been opening doors for me at Panavision, Mole Richardson and their own archive. You can’t see me right now, but I’m grinning like an idiot as I write this. I feel like a kid in a candy store as I rummage around these great old things.

Here are some of my favorites from the last batch. You saw it here first.

Mole Richardson studio light.

Panavision motion picture camera, front view.

Tilt wheel, Panavision camera.

Bears and Roses

I’m not a big fan of the multiple production companies discovering our quiet neighborhood and deciding it’s the perfect place to shoot their movie or commercial. I am however a big fan of the absurd!

Don’t get me wrong; I totally support film production staying in Hollywood as opposed to being bussed out to the great white north (Canada, for those who didn’t see “Strange Brew”). But when those crews show up three times a year with multiple trucks, generators and staff with walkies, robbing us of our precious parking spots… it gets a little annoying. It doesn’t help that some twenty something craft service kid with a tattoo and a headset walks with an attitude that being involved in the “business” is as important as curing cancer.

I had to smile though when I saw a crew a few weeks ago late in the day shooting a dumptruck unloading teddy bears and roses into an open convertible. No lie! If I didn’t have the picture to prove my story I probably would not have mentioned it for fear of being locked up. I hope you enjoy the humor in this image as much as I do.

Adoption Option

Despite popular belief, not every dog that lives in Hollywood wears a diamond-studded collar, sleeps on a Prada bed or has an heiress for a Mom.

Some dogs in Hollywood simply are in need of a warm loving home.
Like Rusty here.


Last Sunday I volunteered to photograph dogs for Jill Blackstone who runs Thumping Tails adoption agency here in Los Feliz. The idea was to take pictures of the pooches for her web site that would make them irresistible to potential adopters. I can tell you first hand they were all a joy to be around. I hope the images help their future. Here are a few more.




For more details about all the dogs, visit Jill’s site:
www.thumpingtails.org

Dogz on the Hood

Since creating the tote bag with the Amber Louise artwork, I also wanted to print on hoodies. See below the custom made version in white.

New Doggie Bag

Speaking of pets. I took a shot of a french bulldog named Amber Louise some time ago and the owner asked if I could make a custom tote bag using the photo. Not one to simply print the photo on the bag I tried to create something a little more dynamic. Here is a peak at what I started out with and the final result.

Original photo of Amber Louise getting a good scratch.

I cut out the background, removed the hand on the rump and tweeked the color. I was inspired by the Juicy Couture logo and created Amber as a double image. The crown in the center I pulled from the tag on her collar. The background design was something I scanned from a magazine and knocked down the opacity. This was a blast to create and I ‘m still excited about it since I only just finished it yesterday.

Here it is finished, modeled by the beautiful Donna. I plan on printing a whole mess-o these things in different styles so stay tuned.

Karly

For anyone who has seen my VINPET site and read the About Page, you know that the whole idea of taking photographs of pets was in large part inspired by our friends’ dog Molly. Molly was a 12-year-old Brittany that I was able to take pictures of before she passed away. Now her owners, Gug and Lori, will forever have a beautiful record of their beloved family member.

As any dog owner knows, lost pets can never be replaced. I am happy to report though that Karley is the latest member of the family and a positive new chapter in their lives.

She is a young small mixed breed that was rescued from a local Santa Paula shelter. Being in constant play mode with that puppy exuberance, she lights up any room she enters. When you look at her bright eyes and perpetual smile, its hard not to feel like everything is going to be OK with the world.

Here are a few snapshots I took.

Get the ball, get the ball, get the ball.

Karly in action.

Jump Shot.

Ready for her close-up.

Thanks Karly for being a continuing part of my inspiration.

Jonielle's Kids

A few weeks ago I was hired by my friend Jonielle Schmitd to take portraits of her office staff. Jonielle is the Program Specialist at USC’s School of Engineering, Information Technology Program. Don’t let the big title intimidate you, she’s cool. This was probably the most fun I’ve had shooting corporate shots. Their attitude of creating a welcoming image to potential students gave me a lot of freedom. The director, Ashish Soni and the entire staff let me do my thing and capture everyone’s personality. I wish them luck and look forward to working with them in the future.

Take a look at some out-takes.

Ashish and Jonielle not taking it seriously.

Anna Koo, tree lover.

Just to prove I can take a real photo...

Miss Schmidt

To see the rest of the portraits, visit the ITP Site and click on Faculty and Staff:
http://itp.usc.edu

Nancy Sullivan, My Favorite Star.

Nancy Sullivan who plays Audrey on the Nickelodeon hit TV show
“Drake & Josh” invited me on the set for rehearsals a little while back. The stage is right on the Sunset strip and I got a chance to take a peek at the backstage antics and snap a few shots of her in action.

Is she wearing a…? That looks like a…? Why yes, that is the VINPIX short sleeve Rotation tee in red! What are the odds?!

Thank you Nancy for your encouragement and support. You are a true class act.

Giving the words life.

"... but I said red M&M's only!"

Good Times

The Los Angeles Times has been bery, bery good to us. My favorite person on the whole planet and biggest fan of my work (my wife) was profiled a few weeks ago in the Los Angeles Times Calendar section. Donna is a casting and voice director in animation and was approached because of her amazing work on Cartoon Network's hit animated TV show "Squirrel Boy". Since she casts and voice directs on the series The Times thought she would be a good profile in the "Working Hollywood" section. They were not wrong, she looks great and her interview is interesting and witty. Congrats Babe, you deserve it.

Here's the article, aint she cute?


To read the full article go to:
http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/suncal/cl-ca-working30jul30,0,3543895.story?coll=cl-suncal

LA Times photographer shooting Donna in the studio as she directs the actors in the booth. Everett Peck, the creator of Squirrel Boy is just to her right.

What do I get out of it you might ask, well...
In the picture she just happens to be wearing the black short sleeve VINPIX Poison tee. This is the first time VINPIX appears in a major newspaper. Yes, It excites me.

OK, not to be upstaged but I have a LA Times story as well. Creatively, I'm like Cybil. I suffer from Artistic Multiple Personality Disorder (AMPD). Look it up. I have a line of clothes based on my photography, shoot pet portraits, shoot travel photos, yada, yada, yada. Back when the LA Times Magazine became West Magazine, my good friend Nancy heard on the radio that they were looking for local Los Angeles artists. By the end of the day I had images submitted to the editor and four weeks later had one of my photographs published in West. (Note to other artists, response time to opportunity is critical.)
Back in 2000 I started a fine art series based on antique motion picture equipment. My photographs feature the design and style of the great machines of Hollywood’s golden era. I’ve had good success with this series and getting published in West only added to that.

Here it is.


To read the blurb, go to:
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-spmetropolis17apr23,1,4973038.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

To see more of this photo series go to:
http://www.artdecollectors.com/categories-artists.asp?id_rubros=73&categorias=Photographs&id_categorias=28

Diet Coke, Mentos and VINPIX. Do Not Mix!

You’re not worth watching, unless you’ve been on You Tube. I coined that phrase… just now. To honor my new law, VINPIX makes it’s first showing on our favorite video-sharing site. Christy who makes a beautiful appearance in my earlier entry can be seen in this short video wearing the Mickey Mouth tee as some dude in the background pretends to be a human chemical lab.



Got no snappy comeback for this one.

vinpiXgames

This past weekend I found myself at X Games 12 in Carson, California. This was my first experience at an event like this and I had a Blast! The truth is I had personal motivations for going. My friends Christy Nicolay and Pam Z were both going to be there working and I convinced them to model VINPIX for me. Designing tees based on my photography has always been a good time but it is made that much richer when I get to involve friends and family in photo shoots. My goal has always been to shoot beautiful people (inside and out) with interesting gigs. The girls did not disappoint.

Christy is a Producer in sports programming and I caught her at the end of a long day in the control booth.
Here she is wearing the Mickey Mouth short sleeve tee.



Pam and I spoke the day before and made plans to hook up at the event. When I got there I was unable to reach her but had this mellow feeling everything would work out. Sure enough I practically ran right into her. She was fresh from interviewing pro BMXers for her podcast The Core, www.thecoreradio.com.

See her below in the Poison short sleeve tee.


Thanks to Christy and Pamela for making my clothes look good.

Since we are on the subject of X Games, here are a few more images I snapped during the day.

Moto X Freestyle

Media Blitz

Wide Eyed Fan

Rally Car Air

BMX Freestyle

Winners