Robert Schiffner Memorial Service
I just thought I would share a few images from a memorial service I covered this afternoon. About 150 people packed First Lutheran Church in Lake Elsinore to remember the life of former city council member Robert Schiffner, who died of cancer at 86 years old.
Beer Pong Tournament
I covered a beer pong tournament for the first time last night. Believe it or not, this event was a fundraiser for a non-profit taxi service designed to keep drunk drivers off the roads. I guess, then, it makes sense that the cups were filled with water and not beer.
Highway 76 Community Meeting
I’d like to believe I made the best out of a potentially ho-hum assignment this morning. My editor asked me to join her in covering a public meeting in Fallbrook to discuss the future route of Highway 76 through the community.
Fallbrook High School Band Camp
I spent my workday covering band camp at Fallbrook High School. Before you start making jokes, I should tell you that I was in band in high school. In fact, I was the drum major my senior year. And coincidentally, the current director of the Fallbrook band was once my section leader in high school. [...]
Deputy Kent Hintergardt Memorial Highway Dedication
When my family moved to Temecula in 1993, I vaguely recall hearing about the death of Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Kent Hintergardt. He was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call a few months before we arrived.
Protest at the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley
On Friday I joined several other reporters in covering a demonstration at the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley on Rio Nedo Road. A group of about 20 people gathered across the street to protest the center’s plans to build a permanent mosque in the city and to protest Islam in general.
Soul Roll Expo in Fallbrook
I spent over 10 hours Saturday photographing the third Soul Roll Expo at the Village News office in Fallbrook. Feel-good reggae music kept me entertained as I made pictures of the eight bands that performed throughout the day.
Immigration rally in Temecula
Last week, the Temecula city council voted to require all employers to use the E-Verify system to determine the immigration status of all new hires. My assignment was to photograph a protest and counter-protest outside city hall preceding the council meeting.
Corey Pavin at Pechanga
I had the opportunity today to photograph PGA Tour golfer Corey Pavin as he lead a free golf clinic at Pechanga Resort and Casino’s Journey golf course. I used to idolize Pavin in middle school, so it was kind of fun to meet him in person. I even wrote a poem about him for a [...]
Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest
Last Saturday, I found myself at the Westfield mall in Escondido with the assignment of photographing Temecula resident Kevin Ross as he competed in Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. He survived, but not without some pain and a firm, protruding stomach. I also survived, having been sprinkled with bits of meat and bread and [...]
Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival
I rose before the sun this morning and drove to Lake Skinner in Temecula to photograph dozens of hot air balloons rising into the sky. The event was part of the annual Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival. I have covered the event before, but this year the weather was perfect. The lake resembled glass [...]
Ride of Silence in Murrieta
I covered the eighth-annual Ride of Silence in Murrieta last night. Luis Alvarado, brother of recently slain cyclist Jorge Alvarado, was in attendance. Please visit my Ride of Silence gallery for more images.
Solar Cup
I spent the first half of my shift today covering the eighth-annual Solar Cup at Lake Skinner near Temecula. Please see my Solar Cup gallery for more images.
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
I’ve finally found enough time to edit and upload some frames from this weekend’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio. This was my first Coachella experience and I had a great time. I discovered several new musical artists to add to my playlist. With 75,000 unique individuals in attendance, I found it very [...]
Here comes Easter
I photographed an early Easter egg hunt in Wildomar this weekend. Please visit my Eggstravaganza Egg Hunt gallery to see all of the images.
Vigil for Amber Dubois
I am beginning to feel like all I photograph is tragedy. Last night, my editor sent me to cover another candlelight vigil, this time in honor of missing Escondido teen Amber Dubois. Officials discovered her body a few days ago near the Pala Indian Reservation, over a year after she disappeared. Like the vigil for [...]
Chelsea King
I spent all of yesterday covering the Chelsea King disappearance in Rancho Bernardo. I started the day with enthusiastic search volunteers, but I had a bad feeling that their efforts might be in vain. Sure enough, Sheriff Bill Gore announced the discovery of a body around 3:45 p.m. After the press conference, I revisited the [...]
Mark Chavez
I spent four hours last week with Lake Elsinore resident Mark Chavez, a medical marijuana patient. Chavez uses pot to help relieve his chronic pain from a spinal cord injury. He graciously allowed me to photograph him as he smoked in his living room. I love assignments like this because they allow me to meet people [...]
New park opening
This afternoon I covered the opening of a new public park in Fallbrook. I’ve never seen kids so excited about a playground; the county officials had a very difficult time containing the kids until the ribbon cutting was completed. A tall, spinning cage was a particular hit. The children had so much fun simultaneously piling [...]
Tree planting at Fallbrook High School
On Saturday, I covered a group of student volunteers as they planted several young trees on campus. This type of event can be difficult to cover since the subjects spend most of the time with their faces to the ground and the scenes are cluttered. Still, I was pleased with the results. To see more, [...]
Temecula Valley
I awoke early Monday morning to photograph the Temecula Valley at sunrise for an upcoming story in our newspaper. While it’s often a pain to get out of bed so early, I’m always rewarded by beautiful scenery and a peaceful setting. The above image is one of my favorites from the take. It was made [...]
H1N1 flu vaccination clinic
On Saturday, I spent part of the morning photographing VaxAmerica’s swine flu vaccination clinic at Temecula Valley High School. I spent the whole time at the pediatric booths. The kids made great faces as they were poked. I like this picture in particular because the mother’s expression matches her daughter’s.
"Unity in the Community" parade
The city of Lake Elsinore hosted its annual Unity in the Community parade Saturday in the middle of downtown. As always, I was on scene making pictures. The cast of characters was pretty similar to previous years, but I did find a few uniquely dressed dogs. I love that. To see a few more pictures, [...]
Holiday food photography
Whew! I recently finished up two weeks of photographing various restaurant dishes for the upcoming holiday issue of the Village Lifestyle magazine. It was a lot of work, but also a ton of fun. I wouldn’t mind being a full-time food photographer. Due to time constraints, I didn’t have the opportunity to sample most of [...]