Category Archives: Photography

Rest in Peace Fred Bauman

Recently, I lost a dear friend and mentor, Fred Bauman.

He passed away 2 weeks shy of his 95th birthday. We associate the word ‘mentor’ with someone who influence and shape lives but Fred was more than that.

Fred Bauman, doing a standup routine in a hole-in-wall bar in Pasadena when he was in his 80's.
Fred Bauman, my dear friend and mentor, was in his 80’s when he pursued standup as a hobby. He would perform without any sort of cheatsheets or cue cards unlike many of the other younger comics.

I shared this on Facebook, at first on the former Press-Enterprise employees’ group and then afterwards on my personal page.

Fred who retired from the Press-Enterprise newspaper, before he was really ready was the best boss ever.

Fred was a one-of-a-kind boss. After he retired, in his 80’s he did some standup comedy. I drove him to and from the evenings he had gigs. While many (younger) comics had cheatsheets on index cards, Fred never needed them.

So why was Fred so special and dear to me?

One teaches, two learn

This being “Teacher Appreciation Week” reminds me of so many photographers today who are so proudly claim to be ‘autodidacts’ so-called self-taught.

Many don’t realize that had it not been for the internet, youtube and the generosity of content creators who share their knowledge about photography, those autodidacts would be still stuck trying to get out of Automatic or Program mode. Continue reading One teaches, two learn

Christmas toys for photographers

It’s that time of the year and if you have a photographer in your life, I have some suggestions for you.

If your photographer mostly shoots landscapes, a tripod and a set of graduated filters are no-brainers.

The trouble with my suggestion of a tripod is this. They can be expensive.

You should only be buying a tripod once hopefully it’s just like marriage.

But just like in real life,  we sometimes have more than 1 spouse  and we often misplace our photo toys.  My feeling is that it’s best to buy the best tripod you can afford because they really don’t break. Continue reading Christmas toys for photographers

El dia de los muertos 2017

I came across this Catrina figurine at White Park. It was beautifully crafted.

This year’s Day of the Dead festival which is always held on the 1st Saturday of November, fell on November 4. The weather was cooler than previous years.

By sunset around 6 pm, the throngs of people many with faces in sugar skull makeup, made the 4 blocks of Market Street between University Ave and 12th St nearly impassable.

Every year I face the same dilemma.

How do I get from one stage at one end of Market St to the other to catch a performance? Continue reading El dia de los muertos 2017