Thanksgiving in Asia

These are the images of yesteryear's Thanksgiving celebration with coworkers and fellow filmmakers at Bigfoot Entertainment on Mactan Island, Philippines. I must say, turkey has never tasted quite this good! Up above (L-R) Lori, Keith, Katie and Daphne.

Lori and Daphne have some silly wide angle fun!

Katie and Mark pose with Jenni Trang, the 1st AD for Tears from Afar.

Gaffer Brad Draper, Daphne, Mauren, and Nick group hug for the camera.

Konstanze, John (very new at the time) and Daphne in a candid moment :-)


John Sabato poses with Sunny.

Justin Cronkite enjoys a drink at Abaca.

Brotherly cinematographers: Steve and Ken

Halloweiners

Last Halloween was a blast at Tiki bar in Cebu, Philippines! We all dressed up, played music and listened to comedy by Richard Hearsey. There was even a Sarah Palin Impersonator!


Tara & Tabatha as vampiresses!Lori, Lawrence, and Daphne


Some guy dressed as a triangle warrior. Hey, at least we know he's not a square! HA HA....ha.
Denisse and Ben
Myself and Rick Robinson

Taiwo dressed as something - Mr. Bond?

"I'm Chris...I eat people"

Kind of Blue

The color was blue a few weeks ago, for those who had the blues and those who love to play the blues. I hosted a shindig in honor of being, because sometimes it's just great to be, and to be blue. You will certainly enjoy simply being more when you celebrate it more often.






Photos by Taiwo Badejo, Paulo Bel Monte and Michal Garcia

Just another day in paradise...

While job-searching, you must give yourself adequate rest and relaxation time to be sure you can focus when the time comes to continue the search. Many people are searching for an answer for how to cope with more stress. The answer is simple: Don't get stressed in the first place. And if you're in the vicinity of Cebu, a 3-hour trip north (plus a ferry boat) will take you to the lovely island of Malapascua. This is where your friendly blogger and host has been spending a few days away from the computer. Now back to work and off to Hong Kong on February 22!


I'm not actually pictured in this post. The first photo is Chris enjoying a drink on the beach, followed by an awesome sunset (nevermind the jellyfish sting), and Daphne below with the fish that would soon become dinner.


Daph, Chris and my sister Lia (visiting from Viet Nam)


We enjoyed watching the locals skimboard. I gave it a go, but I'm out of practice and the shore ate up my feet, figuratively speaking.


What better place to sit, relax and enjoy a book about the Holocaust....um, wait up?

Blue Party

Taiwo Badejo took this awesome shot yesterday at the Blue Party at my apartment. We were having a little shindig because we all needed a break, and there have been some recent changes...I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you! There will be more blogs to come in the near future, so brace yourself for some really great Denton music. Mmm, it's sounds so good I'd like to put it on top of my Nachos with the jalapeños.

Masters

Photography by participants of my Photography Masterclass.


I led a Photography Masterclass at Bigfoot Entertainment and the participants took some outstanding pictures in the process. I'm proud, yay! The photographer's names are placed below each of the photographs except for the first, which was taken at the Shangri-La by Konstanze Pelargus. I picked it as the first because it is reminiscent of Brigadoon, a very cool old school drama. For more of their work, visit bigfootphotoclass on flickr.

Self-portrait by Fiona Cross, she says:
"trying to get my reflection in the glasses, and have my pictures and family in the back ground.
I chose the sunglasses as a reflection for various reasons: because you are what the other see, because you wear sunglasses to hide yourself from others and because i just love those sunglasses"

Macbook abstraction by Tascha Eipe

Filipino boats by Nathalie Heugas

The sun at noon (yes, it's the sun) by Tascha Eipe

Melinda with a hoodie, by Nathalie Heugas

Cowrie's Cove by Konstanze Pelargus. Konstanze says:
"These water photos are inspired by Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir. Her photographs make water and other landscapes look otherworldly and mystical. I am transported into another world when I look at her photographs. They look magical to me and I wish I was there and even that this particular world really exists."

Sunset, sea, and the Hilton by Charles Lastierre

film school

The International Academy of Film and Television is featuring a number of my photographs on the newest version of their site. Click on the small image above to view to view it larger and my three photographs headlining - the large group shot, guy with a boom microphone, and students editing at a computer. Below are a few different shots that are among my favorites :-)


Bya explaining a few concepts in the editing room


Taiwo, slate in hand and ready for action!


An end of the day group shot - I even jumped in on the right :-)

The Outpost: Pinoy awesomeness!

Photography by Nathalie Heugas

The Philippines is an intriguing place when it comes to music. The club scene is playing a lot of house music these days and the live music scene is about 85% cover bands or what I have termed "Karaoke Favorites" bands. That's what makes Cebu's venue The Outpost such a joy to listen and play at. It is the little chunk of Denton or Austin, Texas in its own way. The Outpost plays predominantly Reggae music, but the beauty is in how they pull it off. Nathalie took these shots of Coolie Dread and the Microphone Commanders (CDMC) and they play a mix of Reggae, Rock & Hip Hop plus yours truly adding jazz licks over the top. Rock on CDMC!
I love love love to hear new creative music (especially improvisitory) and I wish that not more groups in the Philippines followed suit with Coolie Dread. Historically, the Philippines filled with mostly love songs but there's so much talent lying dormant, but like a Phoenix it will rise. Oh yes, you wait and see! But, I guess for now it's just gonna be "Apple-bottom jeans and the reeboks with the pumps..." which I'm, admittedly a fan of. As for George Michael and his "Careless Whisper" - well, that's my cue it's time to leave.





Thanks for shooting Nathalie!
PS - I'm playing at outpost tonight!

Mika, Mika sitting in a tree

Currently, I'm working on a new set of photographs for my portfolio and possible site redesign. Here are a few of Mika I'm considering:







photographed on Mactan Island, Philippines