Open mic night in Shenzhen & a surprise

I'm trying to get things organized for a two week trip to Portland, Oregon.  Leaving in a couple of days to go home to visit family and a few friends.  Need some clean air too.  However, I wanted to share with you my experience on Saturday at the open mic Poetry and Music night at Cafe 5 that was organized by the Shenzhen Buzz.  The event started at 8:30, but when I arrived after 10, people were still getting up and doing their thing.  I did hear a poe...Read more

My afternoon with Jet Li and Jackie Chan

Mark Moran called me at the crack of noon and asked if I was available for a photo shoot.  The gig was not necessarily my niche.  Long ago, I left portrait work and weddings behind for a more meandering style of shooting.  However, since it was to shoot Jet Li and Jackie Chan for their new film, The Forbidden Kingdom, I quickly determined it would be foolish for me to turn it down.  Basically, I figured if the legion of Jet Li fans ever found out I had de...Read more

Yeah, my Chinese is like that

So, I've gotten word that I'm slacking in my postings.  It's true.  I've been busy doing nothing particularly interesting.  Rather, I've almost done some interesting things.  Okay, I've just been slacking.   Meanwhile....

A fellow slacker sent me this video which I think completely sums up how I feel about my own Chinese after living in Shenzhen for three years. 

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRq82c8Baw

Focus on Film!

What is our responsibility as artists to share our art, our passion, with the next generation?  How do we give back to the community that, hopefully, supports our creative energy?  Two women in Hong Kong have faced that challenge head on by taking their love of film making to the youth of the city.  Their method: Focus on Film. Elissa Rosati is a Director and founder of Focus on Film

I cannot speak highly ...Read more

The truth about Starbucks?

Beijing Mug

It was the mug clenched in his hand that distracted him.  Filled with Long Jing tea, it was not the steaming pale green contents that caused him to ignore Diana, but the writing on the outside.  Beijing.  His mind processed this word; Beijing.  Out of some forgotten geography class he recalled that this was the capital of China.  The tea was Chinese, so it should not have boggled him so, but just above the word Beijing, waiting in mental ambush, was the smaller word “Starbucks”.  He mulled these two words over i...Read more

Eye Candy for You Audio Freaks

I'm too tired to write about today, and the rest of the week for that matter.  So for now, let me just share a little eye candy for all of you who love to play with sound.  Here's a little mixing board for you.  Sure, it looks big, but how does it sound?  I guess that depends on who's hands it is in.  More on the weekend.

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Old town in Shenzhen?

In the heart of Shenzhen, or maybe one of the kidneys, there is an old village that is the closest thing to a hutong in this city of high rise buildings.  The place is so easy to miss and ignored, that it took me three years to even hear about it.  Last week, Jesse Warren invited me to visit Hubei Old Village with him and one of his Chinese friends, Ross, so we could shoot some photos.  Though the owners are Hakka people, most of the tenants are from Chaozhou, in eas...Read more

Shades of Shenzhen

Shades of Shenzhen is an ongoing personal project of mine.  Although I live in Shenzhen, until recently, I have neglected taking photos here.  This is, in part, due to my fascination with new places.  Making photographs in my own backyard doesn't hold the same appeal for me, so I must force myself to get out, explore my own neighborhood and capture the images.  If you are in the area and you want to shoot together, I welcome company on night shoots.  Read more

Audiotraffic Delivers

I decided to make the pilgrimage from Shenzhen to Hong Kong this evening to pay homage to audiotraffic by attending the release party for their latest CD - 5 years in the waiting.  At least, that was what I heard from some fans who were giving the band members a hard time during the reception.  That Read more

Crappy cell phone photos

The following photos are mediocre at best As a photographer, I'm grateful that my mobile has a camera as I frequently do not carry a decent camera with me, but I dislike being without one.  Even though the camera on my phone sucks, it still better to have a bad camera than no camera at all.  Usually I use it to remind me to go back and reshoot something, but often times, that never happens.

For a long time, I had the idea of doing an exhibition of photos only taken with my cell phone camera.  The pictures on the wall woul...Read more