Category Archives: Beyond the lens

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2008

December 31, 2008 – 11:42 am

2008 is almost over and what an incredible year it’s been! I can’t believe it’s already gone, 2008 seemed to zip by so quick!! I officially launched my photography business just over 1 year ago and it’s been an incredible journey so far. 2008 has given me some of the most amazing clients and photo shoots. I have to give a really big thanks out to all my clients this past year. You’ve all believed in me and each of you have been so incredible to work with. I’ve met some really cool and amazing professionals in my online photography communities. I’ve been fortunate to network with some really great photographers in SoCal in person and getting to shoot with some of these folks has been a real pleasure!

2008 has been just awesome and I can’t wait to meet 2009 and find out what’s in store!

For my POTY (picture of the year) my family and I spent a weekend in Cambria, CA this last summer and it was a great trip. We all had a blast, the kids loved the beach (even though the ocean was a little scary for them). I know it’s not from one of my official shoots of the year but it’s one of my favorite photos of the year because it’s just us. Just my camera on a little gorilla pod in the sand with the self-timer set. Out of all the things I enjoy and love there is nothing that tops the time I get to spend with my family.

So happy New Years to all of you; I hope that 2009 is better then ever for everyone out there!! Woo hoo!

By Mike | Also posted in Personal - Misc | Comments (3)

Friday Free For All - Episode 10 (belated)

December 29, 2008 – 11:31 am

Sorry for the delay but with the holidays things have been more then a little crazy at our house. We’ve had 12 houseguests staying with us this last week and a half so I’ve barely been able to touch a computer and pretty much took last week or so off. In a lot of ways it’s been nice not to be constantly clicking on a keyboard, editing images, surfing and networking on photography forums. It’s nice to get a bit of a break and get back to ‘real’ life. I had an incredible Christmas with all my family. As crazy as it is we had a heck of a time and besides baby Jesus, being with family and making these memories is what the holidays are all about to me!

I watched the movie “Click” last night and it’s a funny show and all but left me with a simple but powerful message. Family should come first. If you always put off time with your family until tomorrow so you can focus on work and other ambitions then you may go through your whole life on auto-pilot until it’s too late and there are no more tomorrows. So a happy holiday message to all is to think about what’s important and focus on your family, friends and other loved ones. If you haven’t seen it, I thought it was a great show and recommend it!

No photos over christmas? What? Really? Yep, I’ve made an effort to make sure I’m not busting out the camera at all the family functions. In the spirit of keeping family first I want to enjoy the time I’m with my family and not be the photographer everytime we’re doing something. I love to make photos of my family every chance I get but I need to balance that with just enjoying the moments as well.

I’m getting stoked for New Years. I always love going out and partying way too late with my gorgeous wife. I just don’t like having to get up the next morning at 6:30AM with the kids and paying for the night out the next day :) We’re going out with a few other couples to a house party, nothing too out of control. Just some good wine, some good food and good friends!

I hope you’ve all had an incredible Christmas week and have a fantastic (and safe) New Years! As always, thanks for visiting!!

By Mike | Also posted in Friday Free For All, Personal - Misc | Comments (0)

Friday Free For All - Episode 8

November 21, 2008 – 8:49 am

Hey kids, welcome to another episode of Friday Free For All!

I spent Monday and Tuesday in the LA area and met up with a few photographer friends for some cool Cuban food at Versailles in Culver City. That was a treat as I never had Cuban food before and it was yummy! I had the Ropa Viejo which translates to old clothes. It was shredded beef in a tomatoe sauce and very good. I highly recommend Versailles! Plus it was great to get together with Jen Berry, Henry Chen, Jenny Hsieh and Brian Dreisbach. They’re all cool cats, thanks for coming out guys (and gals)! I had an awesome time!

On my way back home from Los Angeles I went by my favorite place to pick up flowers - Costco. Yes, that’s right, Costco! They have amazing deals plus the flowers always are way fresh compared to the local mega-mart.  So I picked up 2 dozen roses (12 yellow, 12 red) for like $16. But I saw these crazy flowers I had never seen before. Maybe I live in a cave or something but I saw these crazy colorful flowers and just had to get some. The big bouquet was only $8 so I brought those home to.

They’re tinted flowers. Somehow they dye the water holding the flowers and the pigment actually goes into the petals. Check these babies out, aren’t they totally wild?

 


So you all have a great week! Oh and if you’re not already, come follow me on twitter! http://www.twitter.com/mlcampbell

By Mike | Also posted in Friday Free For All | Tagged , , | Comments (5)

A salute to our soldiers - Veterans Day

November 11, 2008 – 10:52 am

Having lost a grandfather who fought in WWII and several family members who have served in the Air Force and Navy I have a deep awe and respect for our men and women in uniform.  We owe everything to those who have fought for our way of life. We should all make sure that we hold true to the values of our constitution and not let the sacrifices of our brothers and sisters in uniform ever be in vain. 

I think the lyrics to our national anthem are an appropriate read for the day. Enjoy and God bless America…

Oh, say can you see,
By the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed
At the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
Through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched
Were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there.
O, say, does that
Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free
And the home of the brave

By Mike | Also posted in Personal - Misc | Tagged | Comments (0)

Friday Free For All, Episode 6 - Happy Halloween!!

October 31, 2008 – 9:37 am

BOO! I feel like Halloween has just snuck up on us this year, I’m just not ready yet! The kids and I attempted a pumpkin carving last night and let’s just say let him R.I.P. Oh it was scary looking but not in a good jack-o-lanterny way :)

A couple random halloweenish facts about me:

My favorite scary movies of all time:

5) Evil Dead II
4) The Exorcist
3) From Dusk Till Dawn
2) Alien
1) Army of Darkness - possibly one of my favorite movies in any category

My best costume ever:
A waitress - while I was working as a waiter. I was a waiter in my late teens for a while and it was classic to go up to a table with people only half paying attention and call me miss or ma’am. The really funny part was when I would ask them for their order in my husky male voice which would snap them into a doing a double take.  Simply awesome.

For a photo today I wanted to share a before and after editing example. The first is obviously the original image straight out of the camera except for my watermark and a slight sharpening. Nothing wrong with the image but the next one has a little more umph.

This second image is the results after treating the photograph with some editing. Nothing too crazy but you can see the difference some simple processing makes. It just gives the colors a little pop, some contrast and finishes it off more to my style.

Have a happy halloween, everyone!

By Mike | Also posted in Friday Free For All, Portraits and Clients | Comments (2)