The beginning of this week I shot the new team photos for Kathleen Russell Consulting- an awesome group I’ve been working with to help bring about awareness of the corruption and negligence in the Family Court system here in Marin County and in many other counties across the country. We’re getting lots of press on the issue and are working on putting together an audio-slides presentation of the photo essay Kathleen and I worked on with victims of the system.

I’m still holding out for the next generation D700 which should be on shelves by the end of the year, of course there’s no guarantee on that.
(Here’s some info on the new D300s- http://www.dpreview.com/news/0907/09073007nikond300s.asp)

For the most part, it seems like the main improvement on the 300s is that it adds HD video capability to the 300. There are a few other additions, but that’s the main selling point, and with the direction journalism is going, it’s a pretty big selling point these days. And it looks like that will be the main addition to the D700x as well. My good friend and colleague, Jason Motlagh (http://88zero.com/Motlagh) has been working overseas continually for awhile now and has had great success selling full media packages of stories- article, photos, video. In this tough market in a threatened industry, the more you can offer a client, the more eager they’ll be to work with you. In that respect, this new upgrade adding video could be a big asset to many photojournalists. Why do I recommend holding out for the D700x upgrade if you’re looking for a new pro-level DSLR? From my time using both cameras (300 and 700), the D700’s biggest advantage is how its full frame sensor results in getting wider angle shots, which are so important in photojournalism, especially in environmental portraits (people active in their environment). The other big advantage of the 700 over the 300 platform is that again due to a larger sensor, the pixels aren’t as crowded on the sensor, meaning the images show more detail and have less noise at higher ISO’s. I’ve shot very usable images at 2500 ISO in low light that resemble images shot at 400 ISO with my D200. God bless technology- it has made our job so much easier.

The project I’ve been working on with the Center for Judicial Excellence regarding exposing the corruption, collusion, negligence and overall lack of accountability and oversight prevalent in the Family Court system has culminated in some real-world political action! Senator Mark Leno sponsored an audit of the Family Courts in Marin and Sacramento counties and it passed today unanimously! This project has made me very cynical about the legal system and politics in the United States, so I am surprised and delighted that this is actually going to happen. Go here to find out more info on the photo project, and on the family court crisis.

I have a couple of pieces that have been included in Nest Design’s collection for their new gallery.  The gallery is geared toward pieces for interior designers, so it’s a good opportunity to show some of my work that was shot outside of a series.  Here is the invitation to the opening, and also some of my pieces that will be featured in this month’s exhibition titled Birds and Branches, and then in their permanent collection.

This symbol signifies endless or continuous prosperity. This symbol is closely associated with Chinese beliefs where the sound of 8 is “fatt” which means Prosperity and Abundance. Also, the figure 8 is also known as the symbol of Infinity. Therefore, putting these two together, we have the symbolic meaning of “Endless/forever Prosperity”.
The Chinese also believe that eight is sacred and powerful as it is associated with:
· The legendary eight immortals ;
· Eight triangles of the I-Ching or book of changes,
· Ancient Chinese System of Divination.
· Eighty- Eight also resembles the Chinese pictograph for “Double Happiness.”
Chinese feng-shui beliefs:
It activate abundance when place at your Sheng-Qi success direction and at the Wealth Area (South East) of the office or shop.
The figure 8 is also a Remedial Symbol to help balance occupants when negative symbols or a bad Feng Shui house affects them. The use of Two Eights just doubles the effectiveness of the cure.
When a house has Feng Shui design problems- a corner is missing or a wall creates an obstacle, it is suggested to use an 88-to create space and harmony, instead of using mirrors which only create the illusion of space.
The 88 symbol is also used universally to help create a flow of energy and unblock stagnant chi.

Olympic Torch Protests, originally uploaded by 88ZERO.

Last week I went and photographed the Olympic Torch protests in the city. It was a very surreal scene- a huge pro-Chinese presence that tried to confront and contain pro-Tibetan protesters. Many of the pro-Chinese protesters had been bussed in from outlying areas by the Chinese embassy; and the basic idea was to try and dilute or mask the Tibetan protesters. One tactic I noticed was the flanking of flags- a Tibetan flag would go up and soon two Chinese flags would be brought near it and would sandwich it so that it would be far less visible. As a result, most of the Tibetan protesters remained on the move, trying to maximize their impact. The pro-Chinese supporters also tried to neutralize the Tibet supporters in the auditory sense as well, carrying bullhorns and using them next to pro-Tibet protesters using bullhorns. The result was simply noise- this epitomized most of what I saw- just a lot of screaming at one another; often it would begin in a relatively civilized debate-like manner but in less than a minute would devolve into name-calling, pointing, and fury. Surprisingly with all the intentionally antagonizing (chanting “One dolla, one dolla” behind a group of Chinese supporters, or “Dalai Liar” next to Tibetan supporters) I never observed any violence; it always seemed to push as close to the edge as possible, but strangely never seemed in threat of going too far. Like most people there, I didn’t see the torch since they whisked it off to a random street to run along for a couple of bus before it hit the bus and went to the airport, but also I think like most people there, I didn’t really care- this was more about the protests than the torch.

David Roche, originally uploaded by 88ZERO.

I recently did some photos for the newspaper of author (and speaker) David Roche whose book, The Church of 80% Sincerity, just hit the shelves. We talked so much when I got there that we ran out of shooting time and I came back later that day to finish up. He gave me a signed copy of his book and I read it in one night. David was born with a severe facial disfigurement due to a benign tumor on the left side of his face. As a child he was subjected to numerous surgeries and heavy radiation treatment. What fascinated me about David’s book was how many times it made me realize my own preconceived notions about what his life would be like, and how wrong they were. Like that he had a very happy childhood, or that he sometimes got annoyed when people said how much he inspired them. He doesn’t see himself as a hero or an inspiration, it’s just a part of his everyday life; he says his face is a gift “because my shadow side – my difficulty and challenge – is on the outside, where I have been forced to deal with it.” There are many singular moments in the book of both extreme beauty or horror that must be read to be fully understood, but what is captivating about this book is how it draws the reader out to reflect on their relationship to David’s words, to examine their own fears and hopes. In structure the book is a kind of hybrid between memoir and philosophical reflections, small revelations, and loaded with humor and pathos. It is life-affirming and shocking, and everyone who is reading this should go out and get it and read it tonight. Find out more about David at davidroche.com.