Hey!  …let me be the first to let you know about something really cool that’s happening in Rancho Cucamonga! 

It’s called “Rock the Keys”! 

The newly opened night-spot that really does rock and provides outstanding entertainment and fun!  I learned about it through a friend …so my wife and I along with some friends went there on the first night of the Rock the Keys grand opening. 

I watched the incredible performance of what I can only describe as …stand-up comedians (not actually standing) that were hilariously funny and performing songs with amazing musical talent which had been requested by the audience! 

These fantastic and uniquely entertaining piano playing comics are beyond description… (just like the Matrix) ...you have to see it for yourself!

When I asked if I could take some photographs of the grand opening, Eddie and Robbie (the owners and managers) gave me carte blanche!  So, not only did I have a great evening …I had a ton of fun capturing these images!  

Rock the Keys gives a whole new meaning to the song “get your kicks on Route 66”! 

I hope you enjoy the slideshow …and be sure to checkout their website for more info!

Recently I learned about a "trash the dress" photo shoot event taking place with a dozen or more recent brides and happening at Laguna Beach.  Wild horses could not have kept me away!

Sure enough when I arrived ...there were brides and photographers gathering at La Casa del Camino! (the rendezvous point)  Together...  everyone walked a short distance down to the beach and voila! ...brides in gowns in the water! What an awesome combination!

The idea of photographing a bride in the water was not new to me.  It was something I had planned to pursue with some of my bride/clients for some time ...but now!  ...suddenly I find myself in wedding photographer's heaven!  ...with so many beautiful brides participating all at one time and at one place!

I should mention that for this wonderful experience I have to thank a student in my wedding photography class, Rafael Alcala and a new acquaintance, Nataly Lemus, this partcular event's organizer. 

Prior to this...  whenever I heard the term "trash the dress" I immediately had images of a rock star on stage destroying his guitar  ...so the idea of a bridal shoot destroying the dress ...well, I wasn't too sure how I felt about that.  That's why I had to go! ...to find out for myself what this was really all about. 

To my great delight I observed that the brides were having the time of their lives in this photo shoot and extremely excited by the prospect of getting images that are truly "cutting edge".   

As a wedding photographer...  I am always looking for new ways to distinguish my work and the images I create for my client in order to set their album and portraits apart from everyone else's.  So I had planned for some time to place a bride on the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean in the shallow water with the sun setting in the background and the bride in the arms of her new husband.   But...  trashing the dress!  That's not at all what I had in mind! 

Happily I learned that the dress really wasn't trashed by this experience at all!  In fact..  it was reported by some of the brides their gown was now cleaner after being worn in the ocean than it was at the end of the wedding day!  And...  what came out of it were some very compelling images that both the brides and myself as the photographer are very proud to be associated with! 

So...  no matter what you call it ...it can still be mixed into a recipe that's not bent on destroying anything! ...but this approach can definitely produce images that are outside the box and raise the bar once again! 

These are a few of my shots from that day...