Help Portrait

Noal Clavel, 4 of Tustin, begins to focus on getting his picture taken after he sees an image of himself. His family has been living at the Orange County Rescue Mission in Tustin for the last four months. Help-Portrait, a group of photographers, make-up artists, organizers donated their time to help the needy with a portrait and print during the holiday season.

From left, Brian Luengas Jr., his dad Brian, 28, brother Samuel, 4, sister Sophia, 3 and mom Isis, 29, view images of themselves just taken. They were thrilled to get their first family portrait ever thanks to Help-Portrait, a group of photographers, make-up artists, organizers who donated their skills to help the needy with a portrait and print during the holiday season.

Noal Clavel, 4 of Tustin, shows his appreciation to photographer Greg Garcia even before the photo session is over as brother Jacob, 11, watches. Help-Portrait, a group of photographers, make-up artists, organizers donated their time to help the needy with a portrait and print at the Orange County Rescue Mission, Tustin.

Noal Clavel, 4 of Tustin, gives photographer Greg Garcia an unexpected hug during the middle of a photo session as brother Jacob, 11, watches. Help-Portrait, a group of photographers, make-up artists, organizers donated their time to help the needy with a portrait and print.

For information on Help Portrait go to: http://help-portrait.com

Laguna Beach: The Vape O.C.

Here's something we shot this weekend.  It's the new commercial for Vapor Solutions by Julie starring comedians Pat Leborio and Vince Royale.  Also featuring Caroline Fink, Christina Quinones and Bryanna Santillan.  A special thank you goes to production Rhiannon McGuan and Stuart Schryer.

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Vapor Solutions by Julie

Orange County top comic Pat Leborio stops into Vapor Solutions by Julie and is distracted by Hawaiian Mike testing flavors at the tasting bar.

This was shot on location on one of the hottest days of the year and it just so happens that the air conditioning broke down the day before.  Even though it was extremely hot and got even hotter due to the lighting, everyone involved rolled with the punches and managed to have a great time.

Julie and Joe are great and really took care of everyone there for the shoot and from what I witnessed, that same care goes to meet the needs of their customers.  If you're into vaping, just want to check it out or just try some new flavors, visit Vapor Solutions by Julie in Anaheim.  Their staff is friendly, knowledgable and accommodating.  

Vapor Solutions by Julie.com.  2060 S. Euclid St. Anaheim CA 92802.  

714-636-3180

Finding a Family Photographer

When it comes to photography and selecting a photographer, if there's one thing you have, it's a choice.  In this time of digital photography and technology, everybody is a photographer.  Well, I guess that's all on how you look at it.  A more factual statement is everybody has a camera.  It's funny how in this industry, no one has any reservations about calling themselves a photographer just because they have purchased an expensive (in some cases) camera.  I have a lot of records and a large CD collection but that doesn't make me a Dj...   I have a lot of tools in my garage and I work on my car but I don't call myself a mechanic...  So why is it so easy for others to give themselves the title of photographer?  Is it because in this age of digital photography with memory cards with gigabytes in the double digits, you can afford to take thousands of images and just because in the law of averages the odds are there's going to be a good shot in there somewhere?  In contrast, in the days of shooting film, there were costs involved in film purchasing and processing not to mention time back and forth to the lab for pick up and delivery.  In those days, the shots mattered because they cost money.  Maybe...  I don't know.  I can't pinpoint why and maybe that's just part of the reason for this phenomena.  Anyway,  drifted off point.  This entry is supposed to be about choosing a photographer.  Feel free to consider the above when making your selection.

If I had to suggest why you should select a photographer I would say the best reason is because you like their work.  It's really that simple.  Everything else, even though may be a factor, is secondary.  There is a lot of talent out there but every photographer sees things differently and there are just as many styles out there as well.  Select the photographer that you feel most confident that they will provide you with the images you desire.  From there, you can hammer out the remaining details.

I came across a video for Angie's List in regard to selecting a photographer.  There are some very good points in this presentation.  I'd like to share it with you.  To view the video click here. 

Selecting a photographer is no easy task but you do have choices... and that's good!  There are more photographers out there than flavors of ice cream.   Some people would like a double scoop of chocolate and some vanilla.  There are people that like Mint n Chip and those that prefer Rocky Road.  It's all good ice cream but if you were craving Mint n Chip, Rocky Road just wouldn't satisfy.   Of course I would hope to be your flavor selection when it comes to photography but if it's not a Mint n Chip day, I understand.  Keep in mind, unlike your double scoop of ice cream,  your photographic images are going to remain long after you've finished your flavor of the week.

Greg Garcia Photography

Hot Liquor Overflow - Brew Life

Hot Liquor Overflow

#noblealeworks #beer

Cabbage

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Not sure if I’m doing this right but it looks good to me! I decided to #harvest the first #cabbage from my #garden today!  Now does anyone out there have any good cabbage #recipes ?  Please share.  I have a lot of cabbage to eat!

ROCKSTAR Rehearsal - Tuning Up for Russia

Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy, Dio, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot) James Kottak (Scorpions, the Cult)  Keri Kelli (Alice Cooper, Slash's Snakepit) Teddy Zigzag Andreadis (Guns n Roses, Carol King) and Tim Ripper Owens (Judas Priest, Dio's Disciples)  Getting together for the first time to rehearse for project ROCKSTAR and their tour to Russia.

ROCKSTAR Billboard Pose

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The boys in front of my image of the boys on a billboard. #James Kottak #Rudy Sarzo #Ripper Owens #Teddy ZigZag #Keri Kelli

Russian River - Pliny, Porter & Salvation

Russian River w/Chris and +Beth. Trio: Pliny, RR Porter & Salvation. (Taken withInstagram at Russian River Brewing Company) 

ROCKSTAR

Keri Kelli calls  me and needs to get some video interviews of the members for a project he's working on called Rockstar.  The turn around timeline is very short but I am game.  For this shoot I called in my brother Chris and good friend Ray C for assistance.  We had one afternoon to get all the video coverage for the promoters of this tour in Russia.  Today we were to interview, Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy, Dio, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot) James Kottak (Scorpions, the Cult)  Keri Kelli (Alice Cooper, Slash's Snakepit) Teddy Zigzag Andreadis (Guns n Roses, Carol King) and Tim Ripper Owens (Judas Priest, Dio's Disciples)  Tim was flying in from Ohio just for the interview and rehearsal and flying back just a few hours later.  We had to nail this.

My help couldn't meet me until later so I went to the rehearsal space to scout and set up early.  Robert from Mates was awesome.  He ushered me to a vacant area and said I could basically set up anywhere I'd like.  I moved the couch from against the wall and set it up cock eyed in the room.  I found a yellow anvil case in one of the other rooms and brought that in for background.  There was a Slash's Snakepit picture hanging in the hallway and the text happened to be yellow like the anvil so I grabbed that and set it next to the anvil.  I set up my lighting and Chris arrived and set up audio.  We were good to go!

The guys came in one by one and we did the interviews.  We did a three camera shoot with the main camera being a Canon 5D mkii.  The footage looked good and we wrapped up quickly.  As an after thought, we decided to shoot some stills for promotional use.  I shot those in the same room as the interview.  We moved the couch over to the wall, set up some strobes and in about ten minutes, we had our shot.

The guys took off to another building to rehearse and we packed up the gear.  I kept two cameras out just incase and Chris kept his Tascam digital recorder handy.  We entered the rehearsal room and decided to get some impromptu coverage of the guys playing together for the first time.  I asked Chris to record audio and shot some video of the rehearsal.  This footage made it into the final promo and there's a compilation of it located here, and in this blog.

After the rehearsal, Keri needed to take Tim back to the airport and the following day he left for Vegas on business.  The following night we corresponded  into the wee hours as we picked a promo shot and began the editing process.  Thanks to cell phones, texting, email, ftp and today's technology, we were able to have the video and stills in the hands of the Russian promoters within three days.  Now that's the kind of pressure I like!  "I love it when a plan comes together!"

ROCKSTAR INTERVIEWS

RockStar Interviews -From bands like Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, Quiet Riot, WhiteSnake, Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Slash's Snakepit, Scorpions, the Cult and Guns n Roses.... Rudy Sarzo, James Kottak, Keri Kelli, Tim "Ripper" Owens and Teddy ZigZag Andreadis talk about music, Rock & Roll and project RockStar and their upcoming tour of Russia.

Andy Johns - Saints of the Underground

 

This weekend we sadly lost engineer/producer Andy Johns.  Before his nineteenth birthday, he was working as Eddie Kramer's second engineer on recordings by Jimi Hendrix and many others. In a career spanning more than forty years, he engineered or produced records by artists ranging from Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones to Van Halen and Rod Stewart, whose sales total in excess of 160 million copies.  He also mixed the Saints of the Underground record "Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner".  Here's one of the songs from that CD accompanied by my images of the band.  This video was put together by Madina, AKA "Red".  Enjoy!

 

Rockstar Project Billboard

Billboard with one of my images used to promote the Rockstar project in Russia.  James Kottak - Scorpions, Rudy Sarzo - Ozzy Osbourne, Tim Ripper Owens - Judas Priest, Teddy Zigzag Andreadis - Guns n' Roses and Keri Kelli - Alice Cooper.

Aces & Ales Taps Sierra Rarieties

WHAT'S BREWING

 

Aces & Ales Taps Sierra Nevada Rarities On December 1 Aces & Ales devoted 18 of its taps to Sierra Nevada, many of which are rare and hard to found. Some of the beers from the brewery sponsored beer camp were pouring, including Hopsichord and Snowed in Stout, both of which have a local connection. Local homebrewer Dave Forrest named and helped brew Hopsichord during his camp experience, and Aces & Ales co-owner Ryan Johnson collaborated with his fellow ‘campers’ to create the Snowed in Stout. Both Dave and Ryan were in attendance and were joined by Sierra Nevada’s Brewery Ambassador (that’s really his title!) Steve Grossman and SN reps Brian Dewey and Kellan Bartosch. Other rarities worth mentioning that I enjoyed were the Hellraiser Chocolate Chili Stout (infused with cocoa and dried ancho chilies, real chili flavor without the heat) and Bourbon Barrel Trippel (very big on the bourbon flavor, compliments of its being aged for 5-months in bourbon barrels). Steve shared some interesting and exciting news about the brewery that his brother founded just over 30 years ago. Beginning January 1 the brewery will begin canning two of its best-selling beers, the Pale Ale and Torpedo, which happens to currently be the number one selling IPA in the US. The brewery is again expanding, with an additional brewing location somewhere to the east being sought out. Steve’s nephew, Brian Grossman (owner Ken’s son), is collaborating with Russian River brewer/owner Vinnie Cilurzo to make Brux, Sierra Nevada’s first ever beer made with a brettanomyces yeast strain, which will give the beer a distinctive Belgian character with a slight sourness. Steve also related that Brian is being groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps and has been working in all aspects of the brewery. Las Vegas Winterfests Aces & Ales will help us celebrate the winter season with two beery events. First up will be the “12 Days of Decadence with Deschutes” from Dec. 12-23, with multiple Deschutes rarities on tap, visits from reps, giveaways and the Abyss Vertical Tasting on the night of the 23rd. Next up will be the 2nd Annual Winter Beer Festival, January 20-22, with more than 40 hand-picked rare specialty beers from the best breweries in America and Europe. Each day at noon new beers will rotate into the line-up, so it’s worth showing up for more than one day. Big Dog’s Brewing continues to host quarterly beerfests, with its Winterfest slated for Saturday, January 28 from 2-9 p.m. Admission is free, and after purchase of a commemorative pint glass for $5, tastes of more than 30 beers will run from $1-5 depending on the style and pour size. Debuting will be Big Dog’s still-to-be-named Black IPA, which is being brewed by the students in the 9th installment of its Brew School, convening on January 7. To sign up for the school, or for more info. on the fest, visit www.bigdogsbrews.com. The fest will be held at the Draft House location at Craig Rd. and Rancho Dr.

What’s on Tap Richard Lovelady at Gordon Biersch has released his annual Winterbock, an 8% abv dark, malty strong lager with elements of roast and caramel. Matt Marino at Triple 7 Brewpub at Main Street Station has his annual Dunkel Lager, a smooth dark malty brew with lots of Munich and Honey Malt. He’s also tapping the Bourbon Klaas. Named after his good friend, he saved enough of last year’s Santa Klaas to fill up a bourbon barrel. This 8% abv Imperial Porter was brewed with cocoa nibs and peaberry coffee beans and the barrel aging will give it a whole new dimension. Klaas actually custom-made a tap handle for this beer that rings every time a glass is tapped! Last but not least, is another annual favorite, the Monique V 2.0 Belgian Quad. This year’s version checks in at 11% abv and Matt claims it’s even smoother than the previous version. He has a bourbon barrel version of Monique aging that will come out in about six months. Beer Spotlight This month the spotlight shines on Stone Brewing Company’s Cali-Belgique, a California-style IPA with a Belgian influence, indicated by the word “Belgique” (which is how Belgium’s French-speaking population says the word “Belgian”). This beer is Stone’s IPA fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. Weighing in at 6.9% abv and a hop presence of 77 IBUs, typical of almost all Stone brews, there’s a generous dose of hop flavor and bitterness. The aftertaste is what sets this IPA apart from its IPA twin, with a slight spiciness that’s derived from the yeast. Available in 22 oz. bottles, look for it at retail stores that carry a worthy craft beer selection As always, great beer happens in Vegas!