Grab a chair and your favorite beverage!

Grab a chair and your favorite beverage!, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Whaddya say we just kick back for a few and enjoy the beautiful Texas sunset here for a moment shall we? This might be my last chance to enjoy the quiet for a few days, so I'm glad you could join me :)

Not to destroy the moment or anything, but you might not be hearing from me in a few days. You see, in the events industry here is South Florida, we are blessed and at the same time cursed with an unpredictable flow of work. Barely anything one week and then BAM, slammed the next. Off and running we are indeed into one of those weeks.

So far, we are off to a good start. Tomorrow gets a bit trickier however, taking us into a crazy Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. As always, my team and I area up to the challange!

I am not sure if I will even be able to post until next week, so stay tuned. If you are so inclined, you can follow me on twitter or friend me on facebok however, as I may post from time to time on the job sites from the good ole Iphone.

Here's to a fantastic week!!!

"Hy-Lite Productions.....Illuminating the world, one event at a time."

Chasing the light in Iceland

Chasing the light in Iceland, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Iceland. Light, beautiful light.....everlasting light in the summer. Endless landscapes, waterfalls, color, mountains, glaciers, ......a quiet and unique environment to escape and create. Nuff said.....

Colorado Rockies National Park

Colorado Rockies National Park, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Nothing earth-shattering to report. Just taking the day to get caught up, clean up, and rest up for the up and coming slaughter this week. Having 8 events in one week is a little bit of a juggle, but all systems are go. More on that as the week progresses!

And for now.....yes, its time to take down the tree...the CHRISTMAS TREE that is. Yes, on February 21st, its time to say goodbye to this crispy little fire hazard!

Waiting on a train in Avignon

Waiting on a train in Avignon, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

The power of lavender.....

I had never bumbled about this part of France until last year. Provence. Great food, incredible wine, lavender fields, rolling vistas....there must be something to this place to have attracted many of the great artists and writers, and I wanted to find out.

While researching this area before I left, wonderful images of vast lavender fields seemed to dominate the collections. How silly of me to realize that they are in full bloom in the early summer...of course after I arrived in September!

My idea for tonight's image and post was sparked by a little routine that my daughter and I go thru. As is always the case when she is with me, out little ritual before her bedtime consists of using a little lavender pillow spray that I bought for her while in this region. She loves to spray this just before I read to her at night. Just before we dive into the story of the evening, we both lie there and breath in the scent a few times and clear our thoughts. What a great time of the day!

Anyway, just a silly little insight to tonight's search for the image. Hope you find you own ritual to share with your loved ones!

Austin - State Capitol

Austin - State Capitol, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Having been somewhat buried in work and other opportunities I am working on, I must say that my image creation and posting has taken somewhat of a back seat. I know, the world continues to spin, no great loss right?

My thoughts this evening before I turn in though, are with a few unfortunate in Austin. How sad that for the actions of one unstable pinhead, the lives of several stable, law abiding, tax paying, families will forever be effected. I read the silly little rambling off of the pdf on CNN's site from this jackass just this evening. The real tragedy in my opinion is evident in the shallow perspective that this murderer possessed. How sad to have not truly embraced the opportunity that this country presents to every one of us!

Proudly describing his work

Proudly describing his work, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

So after the excitement of the implosion was over, it was time for Kevin and I to of course get a closer look. Most impressive was the neat little pile of debris that this 30 or so story structure created. Sheer brilliance in execution for sure.

Here is a shot of a member of the team discussing a few detail of his craft with Kevin.

After the Implosion

After the Implosion, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

As far as implosions go, I had no idea the artists that engineer this spectacle could execute it with such precision! Just after the building disappeared from the West Palm Beach skyline, my friend Kevin and I decided to do a little investigation of the area. I must say, within minutes, it seamed as it the pile of debris was neatly swept into its tiny little 45' tall pile quite literally in the center of what used to be 1515 Flagler Blvd. Damaged during the 2004 Hurricane Emily, this eyesore has been the poster-child of what bureaucratic red tape is all about. After this exhaustive process took its course, the developers were finally allowed to put it to rest.

For more images, check out the little collage below as well as the video I shot. Look for a few more images tomorrow!

A night of pink at the top of the Pointe

A night of pink at the top of the Pointe, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

So, a first for me. I was actually able to see the lighting for an event we were doing this evening....from my apartment balcony! Kinda cool. See the pink on the top floor of the left building? Simple event with pink uplights and dancefloor lights, but still kinda fun to see from my balcony. I know, I'm a geek!

And now for something completely different.....

Check out the shots below. Could be some of the last images taken of the 1515 building on Flagler. As of tomorrow morning at 9AM, that puppy is coming down! FYI, its the tall and thin building that is stripped of all of its glory. Kinda sad actually. Not that it was any great masterpiece, but at one time, it was the result of countless hours of planning, design, engineering, financing, and of course....plain old hard work! Well, like I said, in about 8 hours, boom!

I hope to capture a few cool shots as my friend Kevin has hooked us up with a cool place to view it. Not sure what I will come up with as I have never had the chance to photograph an implosion. We'll see!

Icelandic groundcover

Icelandic groundcover, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Without a crystal clear plan of what to drone about, I decided to search for the the greenest image I have. Why you ask? Well, I have been privileged to be included in a small group of people to tour a very unique home tomorrow. What is being described as the first of its kind.....the worlds largest Green mansion and spec home called Aqua_Liana....is on the agenda for tomorrow. Built by world renowned real estate artist Frank McKinney, this incredible spec home will hopefully soon be the home to someone very special. I am sure I am about to be amazed. I hope to post a few images later next week. I will post a link below to the home, so check it out!

Also, on the radar for the weekend are a couple of events that we are lighting. One of them actually has us illuminating one of my all time favorite artists ever! The chance to program for this famous performer has me quite excited I must say. More on that of course, next week.

A bit west of town and a bit of an apology

A bit west of town and a bit of an apology, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Taken a wee bit back during a late afternoon of wandering about out west on a "chasing the light" session. (Good grief, what a horrible opening sentence to a blog. Hope it gets better!)

I feel like I have let down the viewers of my images here lately. While I have a million or so on the hard drive to work on, with many other opportunities to create around me, I haven't been allowing myself that time. Sure its busy this time of year here in South Florida, but I somehow was able to focus a bit on the art of it all last year about this time. I must say, however, that I have also been spending a bit of time developing a few new strategies in a totally unrelated field, so that might have a bit to do with it. Only so many hours in the day!

As I progress a bit in my life and head towards the big five o' (hey, lets not rush the next 5 years now), I seem to be pretty clear with a few goals. More than ever, I plan to become a bit more active in my real estate investments. I have been spending most of my time outside of Hy-Lite educating myself in all aspects of acquisition, planning my next moves, and fine tuning my strategies for the next few years. I don't want to head too deep into this just yet (in my blogsposts), but I am pretty excited about the whole process. I will say that a little further down my goal statement, say a couple of years or so, I am pretty passionate about rehabbing smaller apartment units "Green." I feel there is a tremendous opportunity there and in its infant stages. My other and more immediate goals are all part of a strategic plan to get me there.

So, why all this Mike? Do you think we even care?

Well, good point and well taken. Guess its just a quick excuse for my lack of energy here in my little art world getaway. I guess the real trick is to find that balance as to not overdo it in any one area. Yeah, balance.....always had a bit of a problem with that, but thats another story altogether!

More on all of this later.....

PS.....was that a cool halftime show or what! Lights were awesome and well programmed. Hats off to the artists on that one. You should be proud of yourselves :)

Jammin'

Jammin', originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Jammin' hamsters........might sound a bit silly to those who don't know me. Actually, it might sound silly to those who do know me! That we are this weekend......jammin! Tis the season here in Palm Beach. We are in the middle of a weekend of 3 events this weekend, and as of now, all is going great. I have a rock star team along side of me, and I must say, it feels awesome. Thanks guys.....

(So Mike, whats with the picture?)

Actually, nothing at all! ...... Yeeaaah....nadda......

Catch it quick!

Catch it quick!, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Not too much to ramble about, just a little touch of warmth to end the day. Don't you just wish that moment when the sun is about to hit the horizon could be frozen a bit longer? Guess thats why Iceland and Norway are a couple of pretty awesome places to be in the summer for the photographer. Hmmm, summers coming up soon, isn't it? Food for thought :)

And a little music to go with the scene :)

Love the melody at about 1:24 into it. Look for this to be released soon in the states!

Alley in Montmartre' - Paris, France

Alley in Montmartre' - Paris, France, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

We all have our reasons for working. Sure there's the obvious reasons for basic necessities, but my drive for deeper success is fueled with additional desires. One of my many many reasons is to feed my appetite for wanderlust. I am lucky to have a career that allows me this down time to reward myself. Quite the contrast to the day to day requirements of running a business and utilizing the entrepreneurial spirit, but a nice contrast. As I opened my Lightroom folder of images ready to post, I was reminded of that carefree feeling that I occasionally allow myself to experience.

Whilst wandering about Paris this summer, my wanderlust spirit fond me up till the wee hours of most of my evenings capturing my perspective of the City of Lights.

Up in Ez

Up in Ez, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

While taking a little while to explore some of the smaller villages of the Cote de Azur in the South of France, I happened to stumble upon this little town called Ez. Well, I didn't really stumble upon it, as it was a couple thousand feet above sea level. I was a little disappointed in this side trip only because I was in search of that little out of the way village that time forgot. You know, cobbled stone streets, laundry hanging out in the Mediterranean air, the smell of bread baking coming out of a small window where an older lady was preparing the evenings meal, weathered frenchmen sitting on a bench talking about life. As the bus let us off at the base of the steep climb up to the walled in village, the trinket shops were a dead give away that I was on the road to sheer disappointment if I didn't correct my course. So, as the crowd headed into the walled old city of overpriced souvenirs and tourist commerce at its worst, I bee-lined it for an off the beaten path excursion. You know, I have never given my final resting place a 2nd thought (well, perhaps as I was wheezing for air on the steep climb with the heavy camera backpack on, it may have crossed my mind), but somehow, this calm and peaceful view overlooking these Mediterranean hills seemed to feel like an ok place to take that eternal nap.

Event in the Cathedral Room at the Boca Resort

Event in the Cathedral Room at the Boca Resort, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

This past week had the Hy-Lite team and I rockin' out a few cool events. And, as luck would have it, before the dust settles we have a few more right around the corner! Tis the season around here.

Our week started out with a 3 day event for Loreal in Boca. I was personally around for the 1st and 2nd evenings events. Monday was an ice breaker event poolside. As the load in schedule was a bit tight, all right....REALLY tight, I wasn't able to get any shots :( I must say though, it looked awesome, and I wish I did. I hung around to actually help tear down (sometimes its the only exercise I get), and must say that the cool South Florida air coming off the ocean coupled with the sound of the ocean waves actually served as a bit of therapy. What a great evening it truly was. I guess its all in the perspective sometimes.

This image was created from the 2nd evenings event. Bruce Sutka and his team of artisans created what most of the resort staff referred to as the most impressive use of that room they had ever seen! I must say, its always great to be part of the magic :)

Look for more from this event soon.

Oh yeah, I gave up trying to straighten up this one!