Aaron Riveroll | Photographer

So, this morning, as I was getting ready for my awesome shoot with Sara, I thought I’d get a little work done…so I opened up the laptop and…

nothing happened.

Hmmm…

Maybe the battery died over night?

So, I plugged it in and tried to power it up.

Again, nothing.

So, I sat there in total shock and amazement. And terror. And annoyance. And then sadness. I went through about 7 different emotions in the span of 15 seconds.

Anywho, took it to the Apple Store and had them diagnose the problem. The computer is working…the hard drive is fine…it’s just the monitor that isn’t turning on. But, thy don’t think it’s the monitor…they think it’s the video card.

Anyway, those are useless details…long story short: I’m pretty much useless until I get my Mac back. No photo editing. No video editing. Limited internet on my iPhone and my MacMini (thank God!). But it’s going to be annoying until I get my machine back. It’s amazing how much we depend on our technology…I don’t know why I’m surprised…and it’s amazing how much it hurts when it’s the basis of our livelihood.

I seriously feel pretty useless. It’s not a good feeling. It’s like when I didn’t have a camera to shoot with. Sad, sad, sad…

So, I had dinner with Ennis, Crystal, and Zack at the Olive Garden and that cheered me up a little and took my mind off the fact that I can’t get any work done.

I also had a GREAT shoot with Sara. I, unfortunately, can’t post pictures…I would have had about a dozen shots done by now so that I could share…but not tonight, sadly. But we had a lot of fun. She’s got amazing ideas and is just so much fun to work with. We’ve got some other ideas cooking…great locations, wardrobe, and shoot concepts we are cooking up. It’s going to be fun. So definitely stay tuned.

And with that update, I will leave you.

If you happen to wonder why there is a lack of photos or whatnot, this is why. I’m hoping to be up in running in the next week or so. So….I guess I’m sort of on vacation now. :)

If anyone needs me to mow their lawn or something, let me know. :)

I’ve been doing a few web projects this summer in addition to my own web site…one of which has been for my best friend, Laura.

There’s still a few things that are being worked on, but for the most part, we launched the site last night and fans are already raving. :)

It’s simple, professional, and…pink. :)

We will be launching our friend Renee Calvo’s new web site in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that! But for now, check out Laura’s site.

My special friend and fellow nerd, Jessi, kicked booty on ABC’s new show Wipeout a few weeks ago. I was continuously thinking, “WOW! I know her!”

:)

Anyway, she was the only girl to make it all the way to the end…and she was seriously impressive.

Check her out:

If it hadn’t been for the phone call I got from my pal, Jessi, I probably wouldn’t have gotten up today. Sometimes I have moments where I feel it just isn’t worth it to get out of bed. Today was one of those days.

But if I hadn’t gotten up, I wouldn’t have spent time with one of my favorite goobers. :) Jessi and I instituted our very first official Nerd Day today, complete with surfing MySpace together and acting like the dorks that we are. We even listened to Nerd in the car. :)

We can even spell words with our faces. What does a cow say??

Anyway, it was lots of fun. :) The rest of the evening was spent buried in a pile of old mail. Why? Because, that’s what I do with mail. Put it in a pile until I can go through it. Not the best way to organize, but what can I say? :)

Last week, after a hellish few days of moving, Brian and I decided it would be cool to grab a few drinks downtown…so along with Schmidt’s Gay, we headed down to the posh Top of the Hyatt lounge. We enjoyed a few outragously priced cocktails, lavish decor, and spectacular views of the marina and downtown skyline. We shmoozed and looked dapper…which is what we do best.

It’s 5 in the morning and I’m still awake. Yay.

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July.

Anyway, I’m going to take a little nap before I have to get up and head to Qualcomm for some photo taking…but all of you know I’m always changing things up. When I was a kid and finally got my own room, I was notorious for rearranging the furniture in my room at least once a month. I’m OCD, I swear.

Anyway, aaronriveroll.com’s got a new look…so check it out. I didn’t really like the other one to be honest with you. Color scheme was cool, but not me. Wanted something more dramatic…something cleaner…something without flash…and something that would work with the blog too.

After playing with CSS, this is what I’ve come up with. Functional, clean lines…and still delivers the brand.

Let me know what you think…

Good morning…

I think the mark of a great anything is the aspirations to be greater. I mean, who stops just when the going get good? If you climb mountains, you have this drive and desire to climb higher mountains. I think that great people who settle aren’t really all that great…and that’s why when I achieve goals, I make it a point to become better…it’s really a never-ending journey. And I’m alright with that.

I also think that some of my heros, photographically speaking, make me want to be better. So I thought I would list a few of my photo-idols, if you will. Maybe you can see a little of their inspiration in my work? And then maybe I suck so much that you can’t. But nevertheless, here they are…in no particular order…

The first, would have to be a long-time favorite of mine. Fred Egan has been the epitome of who I’d like to become as a wedding photographer. The hugest thing for me, aside from his technique, is the way he captures personalities. When he gets couples together, the photos he takes make you feel like you know them. Bright colors, open and airy, contrasty and outside-the-box…Fred hits his mark everytime. He’s also a music lover, which I can definitely get behind. Check out his blog too…

The second, whom I found through Fred, is a commercial/lifestyle photographer named Nick Onken. Again, Nick captures priceless moments with a very open and light technique. The ability to take photos with very little equipment and a good eye is rare these days…but he definitely is the definition of a lifestyle photographer.

It takes a lot of patience and a great and talented eye to capture the beauty of children and newborns. I have done only one shoot with a 1-year old and let me tell you…you thought 20-something models were difficult to work with! (just kidding…I love you all!!). But jeez, kids are so…unpredictable. I don’t know how Anne Geddes does it. But Anne isn’t really the one on the list…even though her work is phenomenal, so I guess she’s sort of on the list…

The photographer I am speaking of is a gal by the name of Molly Hilton. I actually stumbled onto her work by accident…but she’s local shooter at that. Gotta rep SD, baby! Her work is seriously amazing…so I recommend you check it out. She captures the beauty and innocence of children and it’s really pretty cool.

In another realm, a few photographers who I really admire technically are glamour photographers. Totally different look, different equipment, different technique and mindset…but still a very polished look. Johnny Crosslin’s lighting techniques, warm tones, and superb composition really yield amazing results…and it doesn’t hurt that his models are stunningly beautiful.

Chad Martel from Florida also has some amazing models…and his outside-the-box composition style and flair makes his photos eye-catching and unforgettable.

Justin Price, another glamour photographer…effing kicks booty. His shots absolutely rock…and I am continually amazed with every shot he takes.

On the commercial side of things, I highly respect the work of photographer Jeremy Cowart. He’s been shooting musicians, celebrities, and other notables with a really unique style and flair. His work is totally unreal…sort of along the lines of Dave Hill, who is also another amazing commercial photographer. Check him out as well.

Anyway, there you have it. I will probably be adding to this list down the road…but know that these guys rock.

So if any of you who read this are photographers, you should probably know already to have filters on your lenses. Each filter does something different, whether it adds a little tint or gradient, or just filters the light a little. I have UV filters on all my lenses…and it’s a no brainer, because it also protects them.

I knew this before…

And I know this now…

I had a filter crack on me…I don’t know how…but it did. I’m usually very careful with my shizzle…but for some reason, the UV filter on my 70-200 f/2.8 cracked on me. And yeah, there was a split second of “Oh $!%*$!” And then I realized it was just the filter…the lens was perfect and unscathed. And that’s a good thing too, considering it is a $1700 lens.

The thin Franklin that I used to buy a replacement is WELL worth it, in my humble opinion. :)

In other news, the wedding was perfect. Talk about an amazing San Diego day…this was it. Rob and Michele looked perfect. The cake, which I had a brief nibble, was perfect. It was just a great day.

Pictures to come later…right now, I’m off loading my cards then heading to Wine Steals for the after party.

So last week, at the last minute, I drove up to watch my best friend graduate and get her diploma.

Congratulations, Laura! :)

And I have to say, I am one goofy looking mother trucker. :) At least Laura classes up the picture a little.

And speaking of Laura (gotta love my segues as of late…), we had a great time today hanging out, planning out her web site and taking pictures at Balboa Park. Couldn’t have asked for better weather and funner times. And “funner” isn’t a word.

So…with that…I give you pictures…

You’ll probably notice a little different style than my usual look. Just trying something out for a little more dramatic-osity. I usually am all about the colors, but I’m bringing out the textures and dramatic light in these for a change of pace.

So, I’m working on a few web projects, including getting Essence Digital’s web site up and cool, as well as fine tuning my site’s wedding section and NGS Media’s wedding site. I’ve also been working on Laura Baker’s new web site, which should be launching very, very soon. We’re actually meeting tomorrow to shoot and talk about the site, so it should be a pretty fun day. Cross your fingers for good weather. :)

But I added a new feature to AaronRiveroll.com, inspired by some of the features I’m putting on Laura’s site…I decided to start a video section to host some of the videos from some of my photo shoots and other adventures, etc. It’s fun…so check it out. It isn’t terribly pretty now…just a lot of links…but it’s still entertaining. Don’t worry, I’ll get around to making it pretty. :)

One of my favorite people to shoot with is Casie…and she is by far the hottest Charger girl ever.

Maybe I’m biased..but who really cares? :)

Anyway, imagine my surprise when last week, while watching the NFL network during a late-night editing session, the NFL Cheerleader Playoffs came on…and Casie was one of the girls reppin’ the Bolts. :)

After chatting with her about it, Casie sort of ruined the ending for me by telling me they won the entire competition…but I think that was a little obvious…even though this competition took place in 06, anyone can see SD has the best cheerleaders around.

I capped this little clip of the dance competition from the episode before the finals…and I gotta say, Casie’s got some moves.

Damn, girl! :)