A wet evening stroll in Buenne, France

A wet evening stroll in Buenne, France, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

I had a lot of strange looks as I explored the wet streets of Buenne on this particular evening. Rain, and lots of it, so of course I thought "reflections!" None the less, I still had a lot of "what in the hell is this guy doing out in the rain" looks.

The hardest part about my wet outing in the cute little French village was how to keep the constant spray of that bulbous 14-24mm Nikon lense. Have ya seen that thing?! That things like a magnet for water!

I decided not to fight the color temperature of the city's architectural lighting as I processed this one. Like a post from a couple of days ago, I also used a bit of texture to bring about a little interest to the sky and some of the architecture. I kinda like it :)

Infinate beach in the Bahamas

Infinate beach in the Bahamas, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

So, unlike the image I spoke of the other night in which I was able to "visualize" the final look I wanted in post as I composed and clicked the exposure, this is quite the opposite. I love creating these other worlds that up until I let myself explore a bit, they don't exist (and thank goodness I suppose LOL!)

Night sky at Raffies in Singapore

Night sky at Raffies in Singapore, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

Alrighty now...

Here's another taste from the Singaporean buffet of images I have. Ok, that sounded kinda stupid.....but I continue....

I waited a bit outside of this rather cool hotel in Singapore called Raffes, or was it Raffies, or Raffles, definitely not waffles.....Aaannnnyway...

There was a lot to explore inside and my memory card proves it. I set up this shot just outside of the front valet area and tried to blend in. Kinda hard with a Nikon D3 and a huge Gitzo tripod, but I tried.

After a bit of processing the images in Photomatix and Photoshop CS4, I had a hard time getting rid of the incredible amount of popcorn sized noise nuggets in the sky, so I tried a different approach. I decided to mess around with a few textures that I combined together until I had a color and feel that I liked. I then used a little radial blur trick I picked up from Trey Ratcliff from Stuck in Customs, used a layer mask of just the sky (remember the noisy one that I wanted to get rid of), and then painted in my own little creation. Sure its fake, but its fun....and looks kinda cool I think!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Freedom Flyer in Singapore

Freedom Flyer in Singapore, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

Well, I'll be the first one to admit that this ones a wee bit of a disaster. Having never really cleaned it up or liked what I had so far, its been staring at me as the first image in my "ready to post" folder for quite sometime now. I tend to work on these images a few at a time but usually like to release only one a day, but that pools getting a bit shallow.

The air here in South Florida has been freaking stifling and incredibly humid lately. I have made several references here on the blog to the humidity in Singapore while I was there as it might be one of the most humid places on earth. I remember taking this shot with a couple of my photo buddies late in the evening as the sweat poured over my glasses and into the viewfinder. We arrived back at the hotel a few hours later, memory cards full and drenched from head to toe!

I hope to post a few more from Singapore soon as I have received some really great comments and possible opportunities from that part of the world. As always, I sincerely appreciate the views, so I'll keep em coming :)

A final look into the harbor

A final look into the harbor, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

During our final "goodbye lunch" from the marina side cafe called Snappas (I think that was the name actually), I found myself a bit distracted from the conversation at the table. Not that I wasn't fully engaged as we were all in various stages of brainstorming about a million things (I love that by the way), but a scene that was being created just over my shoulder had me leaping from the table mid sentence to capture the foundation of this image I had in my head. I find myself doing that alot more often now (not leaving the table mid sentence like a hound chasing a squirel mind you), but previsualizing the scene and what I intend to create with the shot later.

Visualization and the law of attraction....powerful stuff. I find myself kinda deep in alot of that lately. Ask and it is given ya know. There's a million ways to phrase it, but getting a clear and focused vision of where you want to steer your life, visualizing it, and acting on it. Seems simple really, but it works!

I found myself doing this exact process this evening...with my nine year old. She has had this vision of multiple income streams for a while now. An art teacher that owns a highend cupcake bakery. Very creative for a nine year old I think. So I told her about a little place that just opened up in CItyplace the other day....a highend cupcake shop! She couldn't drag me there fast enough. It was a precious site watching her walk thru and take deep mental notes. After buying a couple of the "competitions" little morsels of goodness and a couple of business cards, she couldn't wait to get home to brainstorm with me and journal all of our thoughts on design, color, business plans, ingredients....heck, she even drafted out a floor-plan of the new place. Talk about visualizing.

Not sure where I am going with this actually, just felt like a bit of a ramble here.

I guess if I had any morsel of parting wisdom, it would have to be.....don't forget to dream! Stop and give yourself those precious moments in the madness of the day to be whatever you want to be. Its free to wander in this other world and you never know where it might actually take you. And in case that finds you running a cupcake shop, I'll have a double fudge please.

And, if you ever read this my little sunshine girl....thanks for those special moments you have given me to slow down and see this wonderful world thru your little eyes. I love you :)

Rich color in the Bahamas

Rich color in the Bahamas, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

I find myself a bit of a confused state this evening. The chosen career path I have enjoyed for the better part of the last 25 years indeed has its spikes of energy, emotion, and focus. I must admit, I have never been much of a nine to fiver.....just the sheer thought of that scares me to pieces! Instead, my schedule takes that path of chaos. I used to blame that on the business itself, but to be brutally honest, I guess I created that for myself. So after lighting an insanely successful weeklong destination wedding in the Bahamas, I am somewhat cursed with the mixed emotions that follow such a rush of focused energy and adrenaline on a project. Exhaustion, exuberance, relief, anxiety, confusion, fear, laziness, sadness, happiness, and of course an incredible feeling of accomplishment. I know, strange isn't it?

More to follow soon from the trip as it seems like a blur at this point.

One thing is crystal clear though. Take a fantastic crew, and mix it with a beautiful location, an incredible event designer, a tent company crew lead that goes the extra mile, a wonderful wedding planner, a happy client, a few golf carts, and a wickedly cool after hours party on a lit lagoon that rivaled the best clubs in Ibiza or Mykinos, and you have lived my life last week. Thanks to all who lived the moments with me!

More to come over the next few days and weeks.

View from the pad

View from the pad, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

This post finds me chilling out on the porch here at the Pirates Cove Tiki bar here in the Bahamas. In just a few minutes, I will be heading out on a boat to another Island to catch a plane to do a fly-over of the event sites we are working on to capture the setup. Should be kinda cool!

As far as the image, this has been our view from the wraparound patio at the guest house my crew and I have called "camp Hylite" for the past week.

With spotty internet service coupled with really long days, my posts have been a bit limited, so look for more updates soon.

Bahamas....day 1

Well, we are off and running here in the ole' Caribbean. Although we intended on beginning the day first thing in the morning, a bit of a snaggle with the container deliver put us right back on island time LOL. A 1:15PM start put us a weee bit behind, but my stellar team put it into high gear and I think we are back on track. Internet is a bit spotty except for the little bars down by the harbor, so don't expect too many updates. I had this wacky idea that I was going to be able to update with a video post every night. HAAAAA.....not gonna happen, sorry. I am getting a bunch of clips as we progress though, so I can only guess that an epic video might appear on this blog someday, so stay tuned. As I type this, the waves are splashing off to the right side of me and the cool Bahamian breeze reminds me of how lucky I am to have been chosen for this project. More to follow soon :)

A playground of images - wedding details

A playground of images - wedding details, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

I've often referred the the business I am in (providing lighting and effects for special events) as getting the chance to play with a really big toy box filled with goodies. I know, kinda silly, but its felt that way since the beginning. This season, more that average, has found us lighting quite a bit of weddings. It seems only natural that I approach these environments with my camera like a playground.....with goodies to photograph all around me. I know, REALLY silly. Speaking of silly, check out the video I uploaded this evening. I don't know where I could have possibly thought that I would have the time to video blog from the event in the Bahamas we are leaving for in the AM, but I decided to record an intro video this afternoon. Well, an on camera talent I am NOT! As I looked over the clips for a shred of anything useful, I realized that what I had actually created was a bunch of out-takes. Check in out if ya get a chance. Lets hope it gets better as the week goes on!

In the wine caves

In the wine caves, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

To get away from one's working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one's self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change. ~Charles Horton Cooley

I've been quite fortunate to have traveled this great world for both pleasure and for work. Although tonight's post is from one of those carefree explorations of Europe that I love so much, my focus now is gearing up for a pretty cool trip up ahead. I must say, its always rewarding when a client decides to trek our team out of the country, and although the Bahamas is a quick 1 hour hop across the Atlantic pond, its still kinda cool!

Tomorrow will be a bit of a packing, gathering, and a last minute collection of clothes, camera gear, and computer gear for a 1 week destination wedding that we are lighting in the Caribbean. As I did on the last event, I will try to blog a bit as we progress thru the setup and complete the events. I am sure we are in for a few challenges on this one, but thats what we look forward to. Check back soon for more fun :)