Here’s a flyer you can print out, use, and forward to anyone and everyone.  Remember, this event is for this Saturday December 12th, 2009 from 9:30am to 2:30pm.  Come out and volunteer or come out and have your portrait taken…either way, come out to the event!

You can download the flyer here.

Sorry for the darkness and grainy-ness…this was taken by my first gen iPhone!  But this bad boy made an appearance today for about 10 minutes…huge and bright!  So I guess rain is good for something!

Help-Portrait Los Angeles

“Help Portrait is a movement of photographers who are using their time, equipment and expertise to give back to those who are less fortunate this holiday season.”

I will be volunteering my services to a great cause on December 12th.  Help-Portrait.  Why?  Because I can.  I am very fortunate and grateful to have what I have today…a job, a car,  a roof over my head, food, and wonderful friends.  Whenever I get in a funk and start wishing I had this and wishing I had that, I usually take a step back, stop thinking of what I want and start thinking about what I do have.  No matter how bad my situation is, there are always other people that have it much worse and Help-Portrait is just a start for me of beginning the process of giving back and helping others.

Help-Portrait is not restricted to only photographers, anyone can join and volunteer.  It is a movement that’s happening across the globe.  Go to their website to find the closest location near you.

Woke up at 3am and drove down to Temecula for their 26th annual Hot Air Balloon and Wine Festival.  Why so early? …so we can capture the hot air balloon setup and lift off which was starting at 6am!  It was well worth getting up for even though it was cloudy when we first got there.  They moved the launch area about 2 miles down the road because it was a bit windy where we were.  By the time they were launching, the clouds parted and we got some sunshine which made for fantastic shots!  Check it out…

Had a photowalk at Descanso Gardens this past weekend…and man oh man!  The colors were brilliant!   For those of you that want to know, the Descanso Gardens are located at La Canada/Flintridge right at the intersection of the 2 and 210 freeways.  Here are a few of my fav pictures of mother nature: