Luke Strauchmans E30 on Interstate 75/85 in downtown Atlanta
Luke Strauchman, Halston Pitmann, and Josh Dahlstrom picked me up at the airport in Atlanta 2 weeks ago today. When I arrived in baggage claim, Luke was holding a sign that said I ❤ Casey. I figured the least I could do was get him some night time rolling shots on our way to the Waffle House for a little 1am breakfast. I figured with Halston at the wheel of the chase car, and Josh holding my ankles, it should be a breeze. Breeze wasn’t the word for it, 65 degrees is cold on my San Diego ears at 75 MPH.
**Please for your own safety and the safety of other motorists, do not attempt rolling shots from one vehicle to another without proper safety equipment and obey all laws in your local areas.**
Looks like we were all getting our picture taken.
Larger photos can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwithersmedia/sets/72157627785152450/
and then we had waffles.
Day 16: My apologies
I just want to take the time to acknowledge my absence from the blog over the past week and offer an explanation for those of you who anticipate regular updates.
I have been experiencing some tenderness in my pectoral area for a little over a month and at first did not think anything of it. I carried on like regular and dealt with the minor but steady pain that was there. Until recently I hadn’t thought much of it.
Upon mentioning it to my wife, she felt around in the area and thought she felt what could be a possible lump. This prompted a doctors appointment which landed absurdly right at the end of a very busy shooting week. I anticipated minimal updates this past week, however I did not anticipate the fear that would overcome me in the days leading to the appointment.
My appointment went well, everything looks normal thus far and it doesn’t appear that any worrying was necessary. I have continued on with conducting business, promoting events, editing, enjoying my children’s activities and even somehow managed a few hours to attend my wifes recent roller derby bout with San Diego Roller Derby.
I just want to thank those who were aware for the kind words and support, and those who were not for the patience and understanding for shortage of new material. I have been shooting, I am nearly caught up on my back log of work and I have been making notes of some pretty fun stuff that has happened over the last week or so. Everything is almost back on track and in addition to all of that, I am preparing to launch my newly constructed website which will become the face of C Withers Media on the internet.
Thanks again guys, I appreciate you.
Casey
Day 15: Long weekends
The end of the summer always seems like a blur. The temperatures are up, the available time is short, and it seems like events get crammed on top of each other. This is the time of year that my body hates me, but the taco shop loves me. I am on the go. From one event to the next, supporting each charity, cause, or group that I can in an attempt to network and give a little back to the community.
My oldest daughter who has a 3 week break between water polo seasons often tags along during this time to hang out and help with the photography. She is pretty crafty with the camera, learns quick, and has a great sense of humor, so it all works wonderfully. However, I think she turned on me over the past few days. She told me her focus was to catch me making as many awkward faces as possible. Some are just too ridiculous to share, but we got all of our events covered and had a great time meeting people nonetheless.
Off to our first parking lot early in the morning.
A quick stop at 7-11
No cutting in line at the Taco Shop.
Made the drive to Carlsbad for Cbad Cars.
Then we headed way South to Eastlake for the Cruise for a Cause bone marrow registry drive. I am on the registry and was selected as a match last year. I answered my call to save the life of a person in need. If you are not on the bone marrow registry, please do so, you never know the impact you may be able to have on a persons life. Literally. If you want to find out more about this please visit http://www.bahbad.org/home/. The Cousineau family whom we know through water polo, are doing great things in the Southern California area to help others in lieu of the untimely loss of their son and one of my hero’s, Evan Cousineau.
In addition to these two events we also shared our support with a Breast Cancer Awareness car show in Downtown San Diego and with the Miss Asia San Diego beauty pageant fundraiser in Mira Mesa.
Next weekend looks to be all roller derby, can’t wait.
Day 14: The X factor
Every decision has many variables that have to be considered. Check out this guest write up from Mark Martinez, owner of http://www.zhpmafia.com. Mark is a great client who has become my friend over the past year or so and this story really made me laugh on the inside because I remember how life changed for me once I had children. If you know me, you know that Algebra is not my strength, but I can definitely find the X in this equation.
“In July, I sold my BMW 330ci ZHP.
When I first bought the ZHP I didn’t have a child (he wasn’t even conceived yet) and I thought the car would get driven. A month later, my wife was pregnant and I no longer needed to drive into work. Not surprisingly, the ZHP didn’t get much use, sitting idle for long periods of time. It was a no brainer to ultimately sell it.
Being BMWless for the first time in 11 years felt odd. Very odd. In an effort to combat that feeling, I immediately started looking for something to replace the ZHP. The search for a Porsche was on!
The Porsche 930, an icon, was the first car that popped into my head. My wife blessed the decision and I was off and running. My budget was $50K or less. That gave me a lot to work with. I wouldn’t be able to buy a museum piece (with 20,000 miles or less) but I would be able to find something with between 40,000 and 50,000 miles. Winning.
After a few weeks of searching, I decided that I wanted a Porsche 993 instead. I promptly notified the wife that I was changing the focus of my search. The budget, meanwhile, would have to be upped as well: to between $55,000 and $70,000. Winning? Uh, no. Not quite. More like losing.
My wife, with baby in tow, sat me down and laid it out in no uncertain terms. It was one thing to buy a car for $50K or less (which still perturbed her, since the car was not going to get driven) but it was really something else when I upped the price to as much as $70K. That was a non starter. And it effectively ended my quest to buy a Porsche — at any amount. (Word to the fellas out there: don’t push it. When you have a deal in hand, don’t push your luck.)
Now that the baby is here, we’ve got a lot more responsibility, the wife astutely pointed out. Our Jeep, which is getting long in the tooth, needs replacing. If we can afford a car that will sit idle for weeks (or months), my wife reasoned, I should have no problem getting her and the baby a new car, too. Ugh. What kind of car, I sheepishly wondered. Something newer. Something with less miles. And something that I’d feel safe putting the baby in.
I’m smart enough to realize that the Porsche was out the window at this point (I couldn’t afford to get two European cars; I knew my wife would want a BMW for her and the baby). The wife was employing the M2 Gambit. And she was playing it masterfully. I quickly changed gears, knowing I had already lost. Maybe I could still make lemonade out of lemons.
Dear wife, I said, I see your point. I see your position. You’re right. I lost my head there for a second. (Guys, don’t lay it on too thick here; you’re transitioning into a new game plan.) I am not going to get a Porsche, I said, so let’s figure out what we should get for the family. She smiled. I smiled too (inwardly), knowing I still had a chance to grab a car that I’d like to own.
How about an E39 M5? I asked. You loved our E39, I said. You always liked how big it was, I continued. It’s four doors. It has plenty of power (400 HP) and you know it’s safe. I have to tell you, I thought she’d go for this. Apparently I was wrong. While she loves the car, she told me, it wouldn’t make a great car for her to tool around town in. She’d be shopping at malls and doing all kinds of things that would put the M5 into harm’s way. It just wasn’t utilitarian enough for her.
Okay, fine. How about another ZHP? There is a ZHP — a sedan! — for sale right now with just 14,000 miles on it. I’ll put in an offer on it. She said I could put an offer on it but she didn’t believe that it would be big enough for the family. Feel free to make an offer, she said, but I don’t think I’ll drive it a lot. Hmmm. I made an offer on the ZHP but realized that the car search would not end there. Even if I got the ZHP, I’d still have to buy another car for the rest of the family. I put an offer in and continued a parallel search for the wifemobile.
Babe, I asked, what car would make you happy? (See, guys, at this point it’s time to throw all of your support behind the spouse. You already know you’re going to lose. Do not resist when you know you’re going to give in anyhow. Score some points here by gladly getting behind the decision.) It couldn’t be a sedan, she said. It would have to be an SUV. In particular, she said, I really like the newer X5s. It’s a BMW. It’s safe. It’s a good, logical decision for our family. I didn’t marry a dumbass. She had me dead to rights.
Sounds good, sweetheart. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind if I had some input on the features of your new car? I asked. Not at all, she said. (While we’re figuring out which X5 to get, my offer for the ZHP gets rejected. I thank the seller and tell him that we’re likely moving onto an X5. As such, I lower my offer and tell the seller that my offer is on the table until he sells the car to someone else or until we get an X5. We eventually find an X5; I tell the seller that I’ve withdrawn my offer.)
The X5, if that’s the direction we’re going, must be a 4.8. That’s my only requirement, I tell my wife. I’ll leave everything else up to you. She agrees. We’re now on the hunt for a newer X5 (E70). We find a few that we like but we don’t like the prices that are being sought. They’re unreasonable prices that we won’t bow to.
After hours of searching, I eventually find a 4.8 in Los Angeles. It has 12,000 miles on it. It’s being sold by a BMW dealer. It has CPO until 2014. The only negative was that it was black on black. Since this isn’t going to be a garage queen, we can live with it. I start negotiating. After two days, I get my price. We agree to buy the car.
When we get to the dealer, I ask about another X5 that’s on the lot. It’s fully loaded. It’s space gray metallic. It might be a very good fit for us (my wife and I already knew we wanted this one more; we talked about it the night before). The car is not available for sale yet, the dealer says. My wife shows her disapproval and says that she won’t test drive the first X5 (we’re in negotiation mode here; if the second X5 cannot be made available, the dealer will have to reduce the price on the first car even more to get a sale from us). My wife is playing her role beautifully. I couldn’t be more proud.
At this point, the sales guy is scrambling. He asks us to hold tight. He’ll see what he can do. After a few minutes, he comes back and says that he’s still trying to track the car down (it might be on another lot they have; he needs a few more minutes). Fine by us, we say. See what you can do. We wait a little longer. The sales guy, ten minutes later, offers us something to eat and something to drink. No thanks, we say. My wife and I both understand reciprocity when it comes to negotiations. We’re not taking anything! LOL. We’re hungry and we’re thirsty, but we’re not going to accept any “gifts” from our sales guy. We wait a little more. Eventually, the car is made available. My wife test drives the car. She likes it (she holds her enthusiasm in check, though, so that she doesn’t weaken our negotiating position).
I head back to the sales guy’s office and start negotiating. The car was already a steal at its current price, so I didn’t try and beat the guy up. However, I did notice a small imperfection on the car’s front, right bumper (a very small scuff that no one would notice). I use it as a bargaining chip. I chisel the price down a bit and close the deal.
About an hour later, we’re on our way to Manhattan Beach, where we will meet our good pal, John Randolph (johnrando), for lunch.
I didn’t get the car I originally wanted but that’s OK. The family will be safe. The decision was a smart one. And I still have one of the best marriages extant.”
Day 13: A fish out of water
This blog post actually requires some back story. I am the official photographer for an automotive forum called http://www.zhpmafia.com and frequently share my photography work there with the car guys. I had received a private message there from a newer member to the forum about 3 months ago simply remarking that he would love it if I could be his wedding photographer. I took it as a compliment, but did not really take it seriously…..at first. That message was followed up by other messages and then dialogue over the next few weeks that led to me being hired to fly to Central Wisconsin and capture the memories of Matt and Julie Christiansen’s wedding.
Good news, I love photographing weddings and Matt really liked the journalistic approach I take to shooting weddings. There is a reason I love shooting weddings, and that is because I believe photography is about your subject and their little nuances that make them individuals. Weddings seem to be the place to see a full range of emotions and that is a photographers dream.
I am from the city. I love the city, and I will probably never leave the city. That said, if I do leave the city it will be because of the unique experience I had in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
The Christiansen’s welcomed myself and Chad Moon (Chad Moon Photography) not only into their town, but they welcomed us and treated us like a part of the family the entire time.
This is something that is unusual for me as I try to seperate myself from the emotions of the day and uphold the fact that I am nothing more than hired help for the event. This is not the case with the Christiansen wedding. We were treated like royalty, driven and accomodated every step of the way. As Matt continuously pointed out, “It’s just the Wisconsin way.”
I was out of my element, having gone from the 8th largest city in the US to a small town in Central Wisconsin and it was clear to everyone. I spent the first two days calling the town by the wrong name. I was wearing Chuck Taylors and board shorts. It was clear I was the new guy. Thank you citizens of Stevens Point for your patience with me as I giggled every time someone said, “awwww crayup”, and thank you Matt, Julie and family and friends for making your wedding one that I am still emotionally attached to. No longer can you be considered just a client, or just a guy on a forum from Wisconsin. You are my friends and I wish you the best in your lifelong journey.
The white, black and silver scheme was super classy.
If you met these guys, it would come as no surprise that they were fishing 20 minutes before the ceremony.
Turns out, I wasn’t the only fish out of water.
We have a chapel, rings, and a bride…..All we need now is a wedding.
A few of the magical moments after the short and beautiful ceremony.
A kid from the city isn’t getting out of here without some industrial style contrast shots.
Matt got the garter off of Julie, and with his teeth no less.
Congratulations Matt and Julie. A day hasn’t gone by since I left that I haven’t thought of “Point Stevens”, even if it was just a craving for Polito’s Pizza and Point beers from the Top Hat.
Day 12: Lakeside Rodeo
Okay so this happened a little under a month ago and I haven’t talked about it, but it warrants the attention.
I received a call from some good friends Mark and Michele Corneglio to come check out their new house and we could hit up the rodeo. I grew up in a community much like Lakeside and to be very literal, this wasn’t my first rodeo. I have never really ventured out into Lakeside, but was pleasantly surprised with its small town charm and feel. People were definitely dressed the part and it had a country feel to it. Men with boots and cowboy hats, women with far too little clothing and big hair, and the smell of livestock in the air. The first thing I noticed was that it was a community event. People knew each other by name, sat together and hollered to other people they knew across the stands, and many beers outlined the landscape.
There was much pageantry, a lot of liberal hippy jokes from the PA announcer and some brave people climbing on wild animals all for our amusement. Good times for sure.
Day 11: A trip to the podium.
At some point, regardless of how hard my daughter works, how tough she acts, and how competitive she is, I always have to remind myself that she is only 14 years old. She is not a machine, she is a little girl. Junior Olympics is always a great reminder of that, because regardless of well they do in the tournament, this could be the last time some of the girls ever play together. The bonds that have been made and tested over the last 3 years are now going to be seperated, and that can be tough for a teenage girl.
With most of the tournament behind us and the emotions of knowing this could be your last game together set aside temporarily, our girls ventured back into the pool one last time with the opportunity to win a Bronze medal by finishing third in the United States. It was by far the best team effort they put together all season blowing out Laguna Beach who they had beaten the previous day in a shoot out. A balanced offensive attack, led by team captain Hanna Carrillo, and solid defensive play from all 15 members of the team, Shores had defied the predictions of the naysayers and their comments that they were too small, they were too slow, they didn’t play as a team, they weren’t mentally tough, and they lacked the ferocity to close out big games.
Let the celebration begin.
Throw the coach in the pool, cool him off.
We’re number 3.
It wouldn’t be a normal day if one of my kids didn’t photo bomb a shot of mine.
On the podium. A memory that will last forever.
The club trophy.
One proud mama.
Day 10: The opportunities in front of you.
Woke up and went to an intense water match that ended up being a Shores victory which resulted in a short day for me on the pool deck. Tracy and I decided to head out of the hotel and do something. I wanted to be around people, I wanted to network, and I wanted to shoot. If I am not doing these 3 things consistently, I have no growth.
We ended up just going to the Irvine Spectrum mall to hang out with Kailey and walk around. One of the stores that caught my eye was a frame and print gallery, so we stopped in and took a look. I look at photos everyday on the internet, why not take a look at some prints and get some inspiration. As we looked around the shop owner noticed my camera, asked me where I was from and we began talking. Turns out, he too is from San Diego and commutes to run his store. I asked him about getting a few prints displayed and for sale in the store and we looked up my websites on the web, he mentioned that he would be very interested in seeing them printed in a 20×30 format and would be willing to buy 2 or 3 of them for resale in the shop. So, I am currently in the process of preparing some prints of 20 photos and basically making an oversized portfolio for him to review and select from. It’s simply an opportunity that was right in front of me and had I not asked the question, would have walked out of the door with me.
That little boost of confidence was all that I needed to get my day rolling. We continued on our path and came across a local musician performing in the middle of the mall area. Abe Gurakar is an acoustic artist singing mostly covers. He is very talented and Kailey, Tracy, and myself sat and listened to 3 or 4 songs while taking some shots. I slipped a $5 bill into his jar along with my business card and waited for him to finish so we could chat. He gave me a card so we could collaborate on a future project for his upcoming album. Whether or not anything comes out of it, I identified a great local musician and enjoyed his music. You can check out his music at Abegmusic on youtube.
I tried to get a few nice shots of Kailey and Tracy, but Kailey had other plans.
We checked out Wet Seal so Tracy could look for some new roller derby gear and the girls behind the counter were cool, so I got a quick shot of them.
While photographing the girls behind the counter another employee came around to see what was going on and asked for my business card, hopefully that leads to a future shoot. She was a beautiful girl and I would love to work with her.
With the better part of the day behind us and some good family time under our belts, we headed back to our hotel to relax before a final day of water polo.
Day 9: Junior Olympics
Nothing creates the buzz or excitement around our house quite as much as Junior Olympics. It is the pinnacle of the water polo year and provides an opportunity for our daughter and the team she plays with to measure up against the rest of the country. This years tournament is throughout Orange County, CA and looks to be a great one. Kendrie’s team has had its shares of ups and downs this last season but continues to work hard and stay focused towards that crowing achievement of a gold medal at the Junior Olympics. To remain competitive and sharpen their skill sets, they have been competing in a high school league and playing against 18U and womens teams in tournaments.
Their day one victories of 18-1 and 19-4 seem to show that their bumps and bruises over the past few weeks may have been the right formula to get them to their overall goal of gold. Inspired by shark week and the physical and mental toughness the girls have recently started to exude, the team motto “Blood in the water”, seems appropriate. So turn off the pregame radios bumping Snoop Dog’s “Drop it like it’s hot”, put on the sunscreen and lets go…..The next few days are going to be fast, fun, emotional, and incredible. Go Shores.
Day 8: The Surprise Phone Call
While running errands I received a phone call from Mike Crouch of Glamour Girls Headquarters, an upstart brand and specialized website featuring glamour models and photography. I have known Mike for about 6 months, but was well aware of his work for as long as I have been shooting glamour. When you want to get good at something, you study one of the best and learn as much as you can. So it was not the call so much that surprised, more the reason for the call. Mike bounced a few ideas off of my head and we continued into the discussion about some different parts of the business model for his site and the pre planning stages and ultimately I was asked if I would be interested in participating and helping out with some future projects. My immediate response was yes.
Always wanting to learn, and being humble enough to know when somebody has the ability, equipment, and knowledge to put me in my place, I offered to help Mike out on one of his upcoming shoots just to put in some time in effort to help promote the cause. Turns out that shoot was in about 3 hours. I made my way home, grabbed my equipment, and headed to the beach. I met up with Mike, Jay Lee (another great glamour shooter in the San Diego area), and the models.
The weather was pretty chilly by San Diego standards and during the models breaks to try and warm up I tried to get a few shots of them as well.
The shoot was going pretty well from my vantage point, but we were between some of the rocks that shape the coastline in La Jolla and above us perched 6 or 7 very hormonally charged teenage boys. They were a bit distracting, a bit perverted, and not deviating from their plan of watching every move the girls made in their bikini’s on the sand. Finally, one of the models just yelled up to the boys in a very joking manner that she would take a picture with them and give them an autograph for $20 each. The next thing I know, there are 6 pubescent teenage boys on the beach with us saying they only have $85 but could they get a group shots and signatures……why of course you can.
Still freezing, but happy to be counting their money, the models called it a day and offered to take us out for California burritos. If you know me at all, you know my answer.
After a delicious burrito from Ortegas in La Jolla, I headed over to a local car meet to say hello to some friends that I knew would be in attendance. The meet was the same as usual, overcrowded, mostly riced out hondas, and a bunch of hard ass kids revving their engines. I met up with my friends for a few minutes, took a few shots and headed home to work on photos for the new project I am excited to be associated with. Expect more to come in the future.
Day 7: The mysteries of Ocean Beach.
Ocean Beach, you are a weird place. You are kind of charming with your retro beach vibe, your great local shops, your cool pier and nice surf breaks.
What I don’t get is how an area with so much charm and potential has turned into a haven for the homeless, with the constant smell of bum piss and weed in the air. Occasionally, under the pier I get the fresh scent of recently huffed spray paint, and the constant bombardment for money or cigarettes. A good friend of mine once told me, “Even the seagulls will bum a cigarette in Ocean Beach”. I want to take my family to your area and enjoy a great burger from Hodad’s or a day in the sand, but it is hard to justify doing so when I see people doing a line of cocaine off of their guitar on the boardwalk and passed out above the no alcohol signage.
To your credit OB, you do draw a crowd of some San Diego’s most interesting people and I love that hula hoopers frequent the park near the beach. You have the best dog beach in town, and local merchants are incredibly friendly.
No, I don’t want to join Greenpeace, No I won’t buy or sell you weed, and no I don’t have any cigarettes. Yes, my dogs love it here, Hodad’s is the best burger joint in San Diego, and your beaches are fun to hang out at. I guess it’s okay Ocean Beach, you just keep being what makes you different. If you lost all of your nuance and charm, you wouldn’t be the classic surf community and you certainly wouldn’t be as awesome as you are.
Day 6: The surfer, the superhero, and some gold.
If you don’t know, my oldest daughter plays competitive water polo for the San Diego Shores Water Polo club and will be competing at the Junior Olympics starting tomorrow. This 4 day tournament is physically brutal and typically involves 8 to 10 games. The competition is the best the US has to offer and often results in an array of bumps, bruises, smiles, and tears.
My daughter is coached by Ian Davidson, a regular surfer bruh, who also played through the Shores program and then competed at the collegiate level, even while continuing to coach. Ian is the kind of guy who cruises into practice with a surfboard taking up 80% of his interior space and a soggy wetsuit hanging over it. Young, determined, and very wise for his age, he is one of the bravest guys I know to take on the challenge of 14 year old girls playing competitive sports. Often heard yelling the phrases, “Are you serious right now?”, “Are you kidding me?”, “Don’t be lackadaisical!”, and “You choose to run the play correctly, just like you choooooooose to run the play incorrectly. Make good choices!” Ian is real competitive character, who keeps the best interest of the girls in mind, even when he has to make the tough decisions that coaches often have to make. I have never seen him wear sneakers, only flip flops, and a beanie hat, light jacket and board shorts are always on the wardrobe list.
My daughter has adapted well to Ian’s coaching style, having gone from bobbing in the corner 3 seasons ago to one of the players that can be considered for making the big defensive stop, or the offensive threat, when a game is on the line. She is not the most skilled player on the team, nor is she the most knowledgeable. She does have some great intangibles. Her desire to win is unmeasurable, she has heart, and she is fearless. Kendrie is the type of kid that will still be in the pool trying to score and get her team back in the game with 1 minute left of a 20-2 blowout. (This actually happened to our girls 18 months ago and Kendrie registered both goals). Influenced by the likes of Herm Edwards and his “You play to win the game” tirade, and Bart Scott’s “Can’t Wait!” attitude, Kendrie may not have the skill set of some players, but she has the heart of champion and her effort supercedes her talent.
Have a great tournament Kendrie and good luck…..Remember, it takes more than a cape or a mask to be a superhero, keep your John Stockton mentality and work hard in your role to be a threat and make those around you have an opportunity for success and you will go far in life, not to mention water polo.
Best of luck to all of the clubs from San Diego Shores participating in Junior Olympics and regardless of the outcome on any scoreboard, when you walk off of the pool deck knowing you played like a champion and gave everything you had in you to be successful, you have done what was asked of you. The surfer has shown you the way, now it’s time to execute the plan.
Eventually the water will calm, the sun will set over the pool deck and some kids will have gold, while others will only have the memories of knowing that they competed at the highest level in their age group and the pride associated with playing like a champion.
Imagine the satisfaction of having both, and go achieve your dream.
Day 5: Winner’s Win.
Carla Gilmore is a woman that I met roughly three years ago. She has no idea I am writing this about her and while I hope she sees it, it does not matter to me. She probably doesn’t even remember me taking the photo I will share here. She is upbeat, funny, full of energy, and always sweet to myself and to my family. Carla is a former competitive water polo player, collegiate coach, and still currently coaches kids under the age of 12 for San Diego Shores Water Polo Club to learn the fundamentals of the game.
One of my favorite things about Carla besides her incredible personality and genuine love of the kids and water polo were her awesome ringlets. She has amazing hair and she is a beautiful woman. She is the type of parent who puts her children first, believes in doing things the right way, and wants to win. She is a competitive person who wants a victory, but wants to win with integrity. The kind of person I admire. Genuine, positive winning attitude, and integrity.
Carla was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Life changing, right. Not for Carla. Currently in chemotherapy treatment after having a double masectomy, Carla is still at practice everyday encouraging young people to achieve more than they imagine they can. I asked her how she was feeling one day shortly after starting chemo, she turned to me with the biggest smile you could imagine, looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Like Shit.” She then followed up by saying, “but the kids need me out here and I don’t want to mess up their routine. If I don’t keep things normal for them, I let this become their problem.”
Carla, you may not realize this but you are the type of person that inspires me to be great. You have never coached me. I only know you through water polo. Yet, everytime I see you and talk with you it inspires me to achieve more than I ever imagine I could. You probably don’t remember this but when I took this picture, you asked me to photoshop some eyebrows on you. I didn’t. Simply because you are a beautiful person whether or not I post a picture.
You are a winner. Winners Win. It’s in your psyche, which is why I know you will be okay in this next challenge of your life.
Day 4: Building the network.
Today was pretty busy, but it was fun. The weather was nice, and I was around good people for the better part of it. I started off in Santee at the Executives Garage bikini car wash at 10:30 am. The guys and girls at Executives have always been good to me and are fans of C. Withers Media, so it was a great opportunity to make my way to the shop and hang out for a bit. I arrived and helped out with the set up, chatted with some of the employees and grabbed a few quick shots. Unfortunately in the 2 hours I was there, the bikini car wash never really developed. No cars to wash and no girls in bikini’s. Either way, it was cool people, and they were happy that I came out to support them. Sure they have cool cars, sure hot half naked chicks were going to be running around, but isn’t the whole point of this to support the people who support you. Plus, I got to see my old friend Anna aka. Uglee, as she enjoyed some Olde English malt liquor for breakfast.
Decided to make way down to Qualcomm stadium in Mission Valley, the heart of San Diego, for Socal Euro’s annual BIG meet. I pulled in and noticed two things right off the bat, there were a lot of cars and there were a lot guys walking around with cameras. This is mutually beneficial to me as a photographer. I find shooting cars at an event like this to be pretty irrelevant. There are hundreds of people with cameras taking pictures of several hundreds of cars, and ultimately when everybody starts posting the same pictures of the same cars, it becomes counterproductive to them. So I just let them shoot the cars and ultimately they saturate themselves out of the market. I go to network, meet new people, and try to create and nurture client relationships. A car has never paid me to shoot it, but several car owners have. Inevitably, I end up shooting a few cars, but its not my purpose for being there. I have come to the conclusion that the DSLR camera is the gold chain of this decade, everybody has one and in most cases it just looks cool hanging around someone’s neck. As the pictures from the event begin to filter out, it’s simple to sort the photographers from the fauxtographers. I saw and visited with several of my clients and chatted it up, these events are always about the people for me. I enjoy people much more than I enjoy looking at cars, and then of course, there were hot chicks who recognized me and wanted me to get some shots of them.
I met up with Mark, owner of http://www.zhpmafia.com, to hang out for the rest of the day and shoot it with a lot of our old friends in the BMW community. I want to give a shout out to 420LTD, 2M autowerks, and http://www.Euroautospot.com for combining booths and bringing out the best girls and the best dj we saw all day. As always, those guys were getting crazy and having a good time.
While Mark, Gary, and myself walked around the lot it became apparent that our reach is growing. We were continuously stopped to give a dap or a handshake to someone who knows one of us or is familiar with the work. Even I was surprised by the amount of people who approached us to say,”what’s up”. No snobby attitudes, no running away in fear, and no negativity. Just hanging out, having a good time, enjoying some cars, and most importantly having the opportunity to catch up with a lot of our friends who we wouldn’t know without this car scene. The cars are what bring the people together, but the people are what’s important. Eventually, these young guys will figure it out. Photography is the same way, when you make it about the client or the person, it’s more than just a bunch of pictures.
I did figure that since I was around a sea of cars, I would get a few shots.
Stanced hard and was still hitting the High Performance Drivers Education course.
The E30 M3’s had a strong showing.
I see a lot of people trying to cut the booths out of their shots. That’s cool, it makes it easier for me to market to a vendor when I have a photo relevant to them.
I don’t know what happened, but it looks expensive. Expensive damage = Street cred.
This E30 was putting in work on the skid pad at the HPDE course.
I was digging the color combo on this car. I also have a nice appreciation for the level and quality of work in that engine bay.
An upper radiator hose leak is a bad thing to have to deal with before heading back to Arizona in late July.
Fan and client of C. Withers Media, Jim Powell’s Porsche 996 TT.
Not sure what happened here, if anything, but tow truck companies need cool photos too. If Jerr*Dan Star Towing can handle this Ferrari, they can handle your Prius…
Ultimately, we had a great time, saw some old friends, kicked back and enjoyed doing what we do, networking. I somehow also managed to end up in the winners circle…..Seemed appropriate.
The heat was beating on us, it was getting late, the lot was clearing out, so Mark and I headed up to a local taco shop called California Burrito and picked up 10 rolled tacos and took it back to my place for a bite to eat, more market strategy planning, some light editing on the photos, and the wonderfully working AC courtesy of Arnulfo.
Day 3: Adventures with Ruby.
Always a light schedule for me on Fridays, after all I work close to 70 hours a week including weekends and Friday is a great day to just hang out at the beach and have a little fun. Seriously, it’s San Diego and Friday is when I cash in my sunshine dollars.
Ruby (my mom) decided that she wanted to go check out Coronado and see what the fuss was about that all of the “foreigners” like to vacation there. So we packed up and headed out to let her visit some of the local shops and then we were off to the beach. Our first stop was at the Ferry Landing, and Ruby was pleased with the volume of trinket shops that she could scour for crap she doesn’t need. I was pleased with Spiro’s Gyro’s and opted for Greek lunch.
After finishing my lunch, the ferry loading dock was our next stop. I was stopped by two men of Middle Eastern descent and was handed a Canon 7D and asked if I would get a few shots of them with the city in the background. It was no problem, and being courteous I asked them where they were visiting from. One gentleman replied Kentucky, the other Laguna Beach. No big deal right, but then Ruby asked them, “Where are you reallllly from?”. I have said it before and I meant it, Ruby means no harm, she just has a bad delivery. My jaw dropped, both of their jaws dropped, and they looked at me, then looked at Ruby and answered, “Palestine” and “Cyprus”. As if that wasn’t enough, Ruby then went on to tell the two gentleman about her Bosnian neighbors and her friends that are Russian. I gave them the apologetic nod and they thanked me for the photo, and I knew that today was going to be a winner.
Then I caught Kailey enjoying the city.
It became apparent that Ruby and Kailey were hungry so we started making our way back to the shopping area. This is where we met Boomer. Boomer is from a good home, his previous owner developed severe allergies, and now Boomer is currently residing short term at the Coronado animal shelter. If you are local to San Diego and looking for an awesome pup, Boomer is available for adoption and is looking for a great home.
On the way to Kailey’s choice of Burger King for lunch, Ruby and Kailey decided to hit a few shops and touch every item in each store.
Then Kailey roped her Grandmother into an $8 candy apple from an upscale chocolate store, and before lunch no less. I wish I was ballin’ like that.
Finally making our way to Burger King, I ask Ruby to buy me a drink. When she arrives at the table, no drink, she forgot. More on forgetting in a minute. Let me explain this, Ruby assumes that every city or town is the same and has a hard time adapting to change. The ladies pull out their food and immediately I see a french fry fly by in my peripheral vision. Keep in mind, we have signs everywhere in San Diego to not feed the birds and disrupt the ecological cycle. Especially in Coronado, where feeding birds is illegal and punishable by heavy fine. So the fry flies by my head and my initial is reaction is “What the hell are you doing?” Ruby’s carefree response, “Feeding the birds.” I point at the sign directly in front of her and explain the severity of doing that and getting caught as pigeons began landing on our table. Her reaction was priceless.
I think we better get out of the area as the birds have now found the one person in San Diego willing to feed them fries, however, Ruby wants to make another stop at a trinket store. In this trinket store, Ruby removed her sunglasses to view a price tag evidently and then walked away so we could leave. Within three steps of the door she feels her head for her glasses, but they are not there. At this point it’s pretty simple, you were wearing them when we ate and then we made one stop and now you don’t have them. Ruby had a different plan, she ran back to the table we were sitting at in the BK dining area and yelled at the people who had replaced us in the seats. They had no idea where her sunglasses were, my attempts to calm her were ineffective, and the people actually seemed scared. I corralled my mother and veered her away, explaining that the table was empty when we left the area. Still convinced that the people at the table had stolen her prescription sunglasses we made our way back to the store she had taken them off in, and low and behold if they weren’t sitting right in front of the shirt she had been looking at. It’s definitely time to go.
We headed West to the ocean side of Coronado for a visit to the beach.
Kailey and Ruby had found a hot spot for sand dollars and Kailey rounded up about 20 still alive, and then decided she could bring them back to our neighborhood and sell them for a dollar each. I was cool with that.
As we made our way back to the car, I was approached by a beautiful young lady holding a point and shoot camera who asked me if I knew C. Withers Media, as I was wearing my shirt. She had a heavy accent and I responded politely, “I am C. Withers Media.” It turns out that Elena from Spain was already aware of the work and recognized the name on my t-shirt and asked if I could take some shots of her with her camera. I agreed and got a couple of cute shots of her, then I asked if I could get one with my camera and gave her my business card. I am not sure if Elena knew of us before she arrived from Spain, or if she heard of us while she has been in San Diego, but it was really one of those humbling moments when you start to realize the scope of your reach.
We made our way back to the car safely and did not have any more crazy encounters thankfully, but at least I can rest easy knowing what I will be like in the future. Ruby is a blast to hang out with, and there is never a dull moment. Thanks Mom for an incredibly fun and funny day.
Day 2. Lifes simple pleasures.
Throughout my life I have worked at big corporate jobs, served 2 combat tours in the US Army, worked for local mom and pop shops, traveled, been married for 15 years, have 2 great children and had a number of “big events” that seem to landmark points and time. As I get older though, the big things are still there, but its little occurrences of my daily routine that seem to fascinate me. As you will see that today’s entry is not about any major occurrence, its about all of the little simple pleasures we often take for granted, get excited about, or find solace with their presence
Today started off like any other day: Wake up, check email/twitter (@cwithersmedia)/facebook/ZHPMafia.com and the other places that are important to my business. Watch a few videos to find my inspiration for the day and then delve into photoshop to process images for clients. I was putting the finishing touches on infant shots of Zippy Martinez when my batteries in my wireless mouse died.
Mouse needs batteries, not a big deal, just head to the local Target and pick up some AAA’s and get things moving again. As I got my socks and shoes on, I noticed a drip coming from the fan area of my ceiling and called maintenance on my cell phone to come fix the problem with my air conditioning. Pretty routine stuff, but as I had a little drive ahead of me to get the batteries, I started reflecting in the quiet of the car. I need batteries to function a tool that allows me to be efficient in my work, I had to make a call on a cell phone that had the maintenance number pre programmed in it so I could have someone come fix my air conditioning unit, I am driving to get the batteries in a car with my cell phone and air conditioning both on. These simple pleasures alone saved me massive amounts of time and rather than be upset that I was knocked off of my routine, I just basked in the convenience of technology knowing that it could be much worse.
Batteries now in hand, I headed back to the dungeon to meet up with Arnulfo who was going to fix my AC.
Arnulfo is a cool guy, he speaks little English, works his ass off and always has a smile on his face. When he came downstairs to tell me that he had to remove the closet flooring to fix a broken hose, I was a bit perturbed. Yet, I took a minute to realize that here is this guy, looking like the Mexican version of Ron Jeremy sweating his ass off, doing his job….I have nothing to be fired up about, I just told him no problem, we moved stuff out of the closet, and he pulled up the floor and fixed it. Here is where simple pleasures will bite you in the behind. It was warm, the AC was off, and Arnulfo was looking pretty beat up when he came downstairs. I offered him some water and he declined, so I offered him a Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper in our house is liquid gold. The dilemma, I only had one left. Of course, Arnulfo wanted a Dr. Pepper and I willingly gave it to him for his efforts. I went ahead and had water.
Having had a highly productive day and wanting to get out and shoot, I convinced and eventually dragged my mom to La Mesa for the 50’s night car show knowing she would have a blast and I would get content. We arrived in historic downtown La Mesa to see streets lined with cars ranging from the 40’s to the 70’s, rat rods to rolls royces, and enough muscle to make Arnold tremble in fear. Music from the 50’s was blaring up to keep the mood right and we saw many people getting into the role with era appropriate outfits.
This was one of the cars that quickly caught my eye as we made our way up the street crowded with nostalgic onlookers.
As we continued looking I noticed a super clean VW bus with its doors open and a beautiful young lady sipping some wine in a small chair, I peeked my head in and introduced myself. Justin and Cache were more than willing to let me grab a couple of shots of the interior and we talked for a few. I then warned Cache to watch out for Justin because people with a couch and curtains in their van cannot be trusted. Justin laughed as obviously I was joking, this perfect example of a Southern California Surf Cruiser was not typical of the Free Candy type of van that we warn our children about
If you like characters this is definitely a place to meet some, we saw several vendors up and down the streets including the beautiful Jackie Henry, who is known affectionately to me as #100 as she was the 100th person to like my facebook fanpage. We also met a cosplay pinup model, an Elvis looking dude, and the “Don’t Shoot, or I’ll Shoot” laser tag guy.
This was just my type of event, all about the people and not so much about the cars. However, there were some cars…..
This was the type of event where you could just go kick your feet up, lay back and hang out.
I even found time to enjoy one of my favorite little simple pleasures. Bacon wrapped, cheese and onion covered, hot dogs. I only had one, but man, talk about 5 minutes of unhealthy heaven. Even the sign to the left seemed to be directing toward the stand as if to say, “there is only one way”.
Then of course we come to Ruby. Ruby is my mother, and she is pretty funny. She is a simple person with a complex personality, but I am sure that will come up later. For now, lets just focus on her simple pleasures. Ruby collects antiques and loves anything red. I was not there to go into all of the vintage apparel, wares, and furniture stores that line the streets of La Mesa and did my best to contain Ruby, but this next series of pictures will tell the story. As we were leaving, something caught her eye, and like a mosquito to an electric zapper, we were in the store. The rest is history.
That was it, knowing my mother and her willingness to part ways with money for stuff like this, I figured she had taken all she could handle and I got her out of there before we left with a trunk full of goods.
Day 1: Busy as a bee.
Having just returned Wisconsin (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?3971-C-Withers-Media-Nice-weekend-for-a-white-wedding.) and being inspired by some fans to make this a daily journey, I decided to go ahead and get started sharing what I see through my lense and share a little bit about the people I meet and see.
My day started fairly early converting my living room into a studio to shoot baby portraits for 9 week old Zippy Martinez. The set up is fairly quick, my sliding glass door provides ample light for shallow DOF shots and I use some studio lighting if necessary. Zippy arrived on time and his gracious parents were prepared with multiple outfits. Zippy wanted no part of a photoshoot today, so we did what we could to get a quality set and made arrangements for future shoots over lunch. The Martinez’s are great clients who entrust all of their special occasion and important photography to me, so finding another date for them is not a big deal at all. They are first year baby package pre purchase customers, so they have the benefit of calling on me at their convenience.
After a delicious lunch and great conversation, I was on to my next shoot with Todd Johnson. Todd is an up and coming photographer in San Diego who had asked me to come along on a shoot with him to consult, help out, and work with his model who was a minor on her first shoot. We met at Windansea beach in La Jolla, California. A recent hurricane off the coast of Mexico resulted in a tide that was very high with 8-10ft. crashing waves.
Completely soaked after being hit by one of the said waves, upset because my mother dumped my camera bag into the sand trying escape said waves, and freezing from the ocean breeze as sunset neared, I pulled it all together and managed to get some shots of the young girl we had been working with.
After finishing up and sharing results with a pleased fellow photographer, the models mother, and the model, I decided to get a few shots of my mother while we were at one of Southern California’s most pristine locations. It’s easy to take it for granted when you are there 2 or 3 times a month, but it truly is amazing. Ruby, my mother, has had some pretty severe medical problems in the past but has just as much piss and vinegar as she ever did. Some folks believe I get a little bit of my “craziness” from her. A former painter, and interior decorator, Ruby has a very high standard of what she considers art. The problem is often her delivery. She reviewed the photos I took and said, “yeah, they’re okay”. Knowing how my Mom is, I took it as a compliment and look forward to the day I can meet her photographer. 
It was late, I was tired, and still had more work to do. We stopped off at Little Caesar’s for some pepperoni goodness and made our way home.
Behind the Scenes Video with C Withers Media
Check out the behind the scenes video made for us by Alain “the Juggernaut” Alba at a recent shoot we did for San Diego Roller Derby.
C. Withers Media hits the shelves again with Francine Sablan.
Francine Sablan/Muscle Mag
Figure competitor athlete Francine Sablan is a rising star in the competitive Figure Modeling circuit.
C Withers Media recognized on Cruzine.com
Just wanted to share that we had a recent photo run at cruzine.com today. Big thanks to all who continue to support and follow, even when there are a lack of updates. We try to keep things fresh, but the work involvement sometimes overrides my ability to keep this blog moving as it should.
Expect some more edgy and exciting stuff in the near future.
Just a basic one light beach set up.
This set up allows me to shoot into the sun and maintain soft even light over the model. It also gives me the ability to blend the light from the strobe naturally with the ambient light.
The size of the soft box is directly related to preventing light falloff near the legs and feet.
By shooting into the sun with enough light to properly expose the model and blend the ambient, I am able to use the natural sunlight as a backlight or rim light and create dramatic seperation of my suject to the background.
BWWCCA Clean Car Competition, HIstoric Show, and Charity Auction.
Hundreds of Southern Californias rarest and most well kept BMWs converged on Spanish Landing in San Diego for their annual charity event. A relaxing environment with a great group of owners and enthusiasts help this event maintain itself as a great annual Sunday get away. For visitors and guests its an opportunity to see rare option packages, rare cars, and classic BMW body styles in mint condition. It’s over this year, but mark your calendar for next as we have covered this event for 3 years running and it continues to grow all the while maintaining its charm and greatness.
Photographing cars in harsh daytime sun.
We always hear about soft light and shooting cars when the light is low in the sky. Unfortunately, client requests don’t always accommodate what works best for you as a photographer. You just have to find ways around the obstacle. So what is the solution to “too much light”? Ironically, it’s more light. Overpowering the sun is no simple feat and requires an understanding and ability to balance natural or ambient light with strobe lighting. Here is an example of a recent set up and the resulting shot of the set up.
Set Up
Result
Creating “The Scissor Kick” with Jess R. in San Diego.
After 2 weeks of planning, a lot of rain in San Diego, a major break that lead to a location change, and a lot of email communication, I was finally able to pin down the amazing Jess R. for a photoshoot session. Jess is a fitness/athletic style model who enjoys running and soccer, so rather try and pull her out of her element, we aggressively pursued some shots within her element. The question loomed though, how do you provide a fitness model who has fitness shots, something dynamic that will upgrade her portfolio. The decision was ultimately made that the first half of our shoot would be spent getting warmed up with some fitness style stretching, running, and lifestyle fitness type shots in Balboa Park, but for the second half of our shoot we would need to really bear down and focus on getting that one shot just right to make her stand out in the sea of fitness models. This is how “The Scissor Kick” came to life.
The scissor kick is an aerial maneuver performed by high caliber soccer players and is often used a potent offensive weapon. It requires tremendous strength, balance, agility, and hand eye coordination. It is the type of aerial maneuver that a small percentage of soccer players in the world can accomplish effectively.
Once arriving at Balboa Stadium and being given the opportunity to shoot there thanks to Joel Goetzinger of www.flightactionsports.com, we waited for about an hour to give us the lighting we wanted on the shot. Being a sports shot and in our attempt to keep the level of realism very high, we opted for natural light. Then came the setup…..
A shot of the empty environment.
Once the environment was in place, it was time to add Jess into the shot… This required a little help from the amazing Tracy Withers who does more to support the creation of art than anyone could imagine.
With our environment covered and our star in place, the image still felt flat with the empty space on the left, plus this type of levitation shot would require a little bit of action in order to make sense..I mean we can’t just put a pretty girl out there and have her doing Ninja moves. It has to make sense. So we added some action and some depth to the shot with one final frame.
This was exactly what we needed to create. Here is the final product which we aptly call, “The Scissor Kick”.
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