Well, yet another adventure in Dream World. Everything about this shoot was more-or-less impromptu and everyone did a great job with it. I'm attempting to forget the insanity that preceded this shoot, but what I do remember is that I had milk fish and rice for dinner that night. Delicious.

P.S. - I'm having issues with presentation of the colors in this pic. Opened in photoshop, the colors are correct. I'm kind of curious about this one, so if you get bored, just IM me with the info on how your monitors read it. Danke!

Yes. I get it. I cropped in a square. I know.

Haha, the best part of this shoot was that I got to work with Sammy, a very talented photographer/designer/all-around creative. If you ask him, he will be modest and tell you he is not a professional photographer. However, his work speaks differently of his abilities.

Obviously taken during one of MG's underwater shoots last week.

I love the camera crew. Hanging with them the past few weeks has been excellent. I have quite the extensive nickname, but most just call me "cheerleader" for short and for the first time ever I love it. After a bit of persistence, they even persuaded me to do a bit of the Penn State fight song. I'm fairly confident that no one has ever coaxed me into doing such a thing outside of a sports venue.

Anyway, these guys are particularly cool because many of them are divers. Our company does so much underwater shooting, that it is a fairly valuable skill to be certified. In fact, aside from most of the camera crew, the director, both 1st and 2nd ADs, the location manager and the producer are all skilled divers.

Just to add to my happy little camera world, Dwight (you met him a few posts ago) wants to get a shirt made that says: "Chicks Dig Camera Crews." I mean, I don't know how valid that is, but I can vouch for at least one.

Jumping back to the feature film, there's just something about this shot that I really like. Gong, the 1st AD and Jack, one of the leads sit in the front with Darwin, the 2nd AD, on the outside.

This particular day was so chaotic and long, but we still had probably too much fun for it being a work day.

It's funny, but there is a lot that I don't really want in writing about my on-set experiences. Not because it's bad at all, but too good. Perhaps too much happens in one day that I would be short-changing the things about which I didn't write.

-And that writing everything would take quite a while.

If anyone is familiar with the standard way of shooting fashion shows, you would know that this shot is not really conventional. True, it doesn't showcase the lingerie the girls were modeling, but scantily clad models aren't exactly interesting to me. Being that I had no constraints on shooting style for this particular show, I had some artsy fun.

Despite what Dwight might tell you, I am totally winning our camera battle. Dwight, by the way, is one of my favorites. He's super chill and knows his equipment quite well - two very important traits in a friendship.

This was taken at the end of the Lady Coco fashion show.

After three fashion shows in 3 weeks, I am make-uped out.

Furthermore, I would like to dedicate this picture to my good friend Lucas Buck, in recognition of how insane it would be to work NYC's Fashion Week. So Luke, I'm sorry I made fun of you.

I'm going to ignore chronological order for the next few posts, simply because there was wayyy too much going on the past few weeks.

This shot just makes me laugh (and probably only me) because whenever guys watch girls do make-up that's always when the "what in God's name is she doing to her face?" moment occurs. The angles just make it look so unpleasant, but still kinda cool.

You know, after you sit through the make-up process of productions enough times it becomes more and more challenging to get really cool shots. As usual, I try.

After a brief hiatus, I am finally returning to my favorite internet hobby and let me just say that my experience was worth the break. For the past three weeks we've been on at least 6 different shoots ranging from feature films to TV shows to photo shoots to fashion shows. As a disclaimer, I'd just like to say that if I didn't respond to any emails it doesn't mean I don't love you guys anymore, but just that production x 6 = 0 time for skyping and emailing.

There are a lot of pics that I'd like to post, but I think I'll just keep them in my personal stash because 2 weeks ago seems so old already.

These next few shots are the make-up shots for the Blush/Arrow Fashion show.

Cool storm coming in from the West.

Shot taken from behind Sound Stage 1.

We had an underwater shoot on Sunday, which would have been totally awesome except I was unbelievably congested. As you probably know, you can't dive when congested because you can't equalize properly- so initially I was bummed.

However, when the dive crew and the actors got out of the water, they were covered with jellyfish stings, so I um, immediately reevaluated my disappointment in not being able to dive.

I have better shots of Totti with the underwater camera, but I'm going to be super girly and say I like this shot because his eyes match the water.

After a long and crazy day on set last Wednesday, the camera crew sets up the martini shot (last shot before wrap).

Seny's color-checking face.

If someone told me that this image was only slightly lightened in Photoshop, I wouldn't believe them either.

(Fishing boat in Bantayan, taken about 40 yards from the beach.)

(Top: The catch on the boat / Bottom: Lunch!)

After an awesome evening with new friends at a beach-side restaurant, I got up at 5 a.m. to catch the Bantayan sunrise. I was slightly disappointed to see significant cloud cover over the horizon, but I decided to stick it out and was pleasantly surprised to see the sun's rays making cool patterns through the clouds as it rose. However, this light show was soon followed by huge thunderheads and a torrential downpour. One of my favorite moments here thus far.

I grabbed a cup of hot tea, claimed a little thatched hut and watched the storm roll through. I was so enamored with all the life still going on around me, even with the heavy rain. Being low tide, kids and dogs were out playing on the sandbars, crabs scurrying across the sand - it was a great 30 minutes.

It wasn't until the storm had passed that I spotted a group of fishermen about 50 yards out. Curious about their methods and their catch, I wandered over to their little boat.

We got along very well, talking a bit about our different cultures as they fished. Luc, the matriarch of the family, was so very kind. She taught me everything from how they fish to how she takes the catch to market to how she cooks the catch. When they were done with their work, Luc said, "You like to try fish?" Totally.

"Ok, I cook, come back to beach at 10."

I went back at 10, but there was no sign of Luc, even waiting until 10:30. By then I just assumed that she thought I wasn't going to come, so I went for a swim. However, when I got out to dry off, one of the hotel hands approached me with a beautifully wrapped banana leaf, a plate and a spoon.

"Mrs. Luc want you to try."

I unwrapped the leaves to find a pile of cooked fish- skin, eyes, head and all. I loved it, loved it, loved it. For everything it was. That amount of fish would have sold well for her in the market, but she gave it to me instead. Culturally, the generosity here is just awesome.

So after I finished my little lunch I went to go find Luc, but she was nowhere to be found. I asked the hotel hands to see if they knew where she lived, but no such luck.

It is an absolute must to go back to Bantayan at some point to give her the pictures I took and to thank her, face to face, for her one-of-a-kind gift.

The only worry I had on Bantayan Island. Not really, but come on, don't you get a kick out of it too?

To everyone that said I wouldn't move to the Caribbean, well, you were correct. I moved to the Philippines instead. Ladies and gents - my $28.00 weekend getaway.

(Yes Mr. Manuel, I waded out into the water with the camera - no underwater housing.)

Real men carry bolos - arrrg.

This, my friends, is the famous Lapu Lapu, the man that defeated and killed Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521.

I was asked to tell this story at dinner last night when about 8 of us went out to a Filipino seafood restaurant. Two of my Filipino co-workers allowed me to tell it, but I think it was because they just wanted to see if my proclamation of having read up on my history was true. Surprise! Ok here goes...

When Magellan arrived in Mactan in 1521, he encountered two rivaling tribes. Wanting to gain favor with the tribe of Rajah Humabon, he offered to use the power of his Spanish fleet to wipe out the tribe under Lapu Lapu. Typical of pompous Western military force, he and his men severely misjudged the tides, unaware that their artillery would not reach the shore from their position. Sooo what did the Spaniards do? They decided to get off the ship and wade to shore in heavy armor, making them sitting ducks for the opponent.

And that was that. Actually, because Spanish forces seemed so vulnerable and unprepared, Rajah Humabon took the opportunity to slaughter as many Spaniards as he could.

Pretty much a huge bummer, but Lapu Lapu is considered the first Filipino to resist foreign rule, thus making him the first national hero. This statue is part of the shrine honoring him in Mactan. I know, not the most exciting picture, but a very important figure in Filipino culture.

A tiny side note: It has been said that Lapu Lapu took out Magellan in one fatal blow with his bolo (very similar to a machete), but most historians discount that notion.

An even smaller side note, but so very comical to me: That day, I tried to explain the concept of "greek life" to one of my German co-workers. After some time of answering questions and providing examples, I still made absolutely no headway. For that I must take this moment to say: kudos to the Germans.

Hiking up a little farther, past the Phu Sian Temple, we made our way to the Taoist Temple. Not only is it an impressive structure, but it provides a fantastic panoramic view of the city. Because the vibrant colors of the city below were sheathed by the dull tones of the clouds, I decided to use the weather as a gradient backdrop to a few architecture shots instead. It turned out pretty well, but mostly because there are very fun lines to work with there.

Though Catholicism is the most heavily practiced religion in the Philippines, there are certainly many other faiths present here.

These joss sticks burn before a memorial in the Phu Sian Temple, a Buddhist temple, located in Lahug. I had never seen a Buddhist service before, so I was excited to see one had just started when we arrived. I understood nothing they were saying, as it was all in Chinese, but it was still cool to watch.

I spent all day Saturday exploring Cebu City with a co-worker who was kind enough to take me under his wing for the day. Most notably, we visited Fort San Pedro, Basilica Minore del Santo Nino, Magellan's Cross and Carbon market. I can tell many stories about the histories, but then I would probably take up the whole page. So if you want to know, ask me about it later or look it up.

This image (and the one below) was take at Carbon. This lady was one of my favorites - just so very friendly. Interestingly enough, Carbon has a bad reputation among the higher classes of Cebuanos to the point where they don't even like going. They talk about the abundance of "snatchers" and cautiously tell me to hold onto my camera.

After all, that yellow print on the Nikon strap is the international sign of "this is very, very expensive."

Gwapa!

First of all, I like this picture. Second of all, I'm sure I will think of a better conceptual image later, but this adorable little girl stared at me all the way down the street. Yes, I know it's a baby and they are generally fascinated with everything, but let me just say that being stared at is certainly not uncommon.

I've been talking to a lot of Cebuanos about this and apparently, they find light skin, light hair, light eyes and Caucasian noses (yeah, I don't really understand the nose thing either) very attractive, so in turn, everywhere you go, you get a ton of gawking eyes. In a country of tiny people, being a 5'7 female doesn't really help either.

Story 1: I had just met a co-worker's friend in the city, very very nice Filipina, but when we left the restaurant 1. she immediately linked arms with me as is typical here and 2. was parading me about town, smiling and waving as we passed. I felt like a prize poodle and I really dislike poodles.

Story 2: It is an old Filipino belief that if a pregnant woman touches or stares at someone frequently, their child will adopt some of those features. You see that happen with both Caucasian men and women.

Also, similar to tanning lotion, whitening lotion is readily available and in most every sunblock.

So an Austrian, a Filipino, a German, a New Yorker and a Pittsburgher walk into a fashion show . . .

Huge fashion show with which the company was involved in Cebu City on Cebu. The event was followed by a traditional Filipino meal and some exploration of Cebu night life with excellent company. Not a bad Friday night if you ask me.

After 30some hours of travel I arrived in Cebu at about 11:30 Thursday morning. Sort of strange skipping Wednesday, but no matter, I was just excited to be here at the cost of a day.

I know I'm back-tracking, but I'd just like to mention that my flight from Salt Lake City to L.A. reinforced the fact that I love watching the sun set from a plane. The colors blend at 32,000 feet in ways that you would never see on the ground, with hues that are so unforgettable that a camera would never do it justice.

Ok, so this is when I say, the blog is probably going to get a little more personal than it has in the past if for no other reason than to give my parents an answer that isn't "Who knows" to the question:"What is Alli doing with her life these days?"

My professional stuff will move to another site when it is finished, so please bear with me.

Oh yeah and this is my window. Kinda cool, huh?

Excuse me Mr. Law, but if you want to be in the picture, could you be a little less stoic?

Taken at 5:30 a.m., I obviously decided to spend my first minutes in Hong Kong playing with the camera. After I finish this, hopefully the light will be a bit brighter so I can start again, but it's not lookin' so good - it is typhoon season after all.

This is a temporary image, but I just needed to prove to my mom that it was, in fact, me emailing her this morning - not an impostor. No one else has my long, bony, witch-like fingers. Well, of course not, they're my fingers!

The last sentence has been edited from its previous version because of this direct quote from Jharv: "What, did you leave your grammar on the other side of the Pacific?"

It was nothing short of an honor to shoot the Wailers at Pittsburgh's first DiverseCity Festival on Saturday. Everything was perfect from the band to the sound staff to the weather. I leave every Wailers' show with such an overwhelming, music-induced happiness that the rest of my day is always perfect. For that reason, the Wailers definitely fall into the category of "I would hop this tour in a second." Oh, and I like saying "Rasta"... Rasta, Rasta, Rasta.

Everyone knows how I feel about reggae. You can never go wrong with a lot of love mixed with a dose of "there's something bigger than you" to reach that peaceful, humbling effect. It's my theory that if you fall asleep to it, you will have the best dreams of your life. Apparently, the subconscious appreciates it as much as your ears do.

Out of all the people in the crowd, she was definitely my favorite... aside from Compton and my family, of course.

I'm actually super proud of my parents for bringing my 11-year-old sister to a Wailers show. Warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

"Little Darlin', stir it up..."

Yvad aka Kevin Davy. As you can tell by the number of pictures, a soulfully animated performer.

Just as each musician moves uniquely when playing, ever notice their different tuning styles? Hm, well, I do.

I. love. this. picture.

But a big thanks to Jon Check for SITTING IN THE DARKEST SPOT OF THE STAGE.

Haha, just kidding - I managed. Great night too. After the show, Jon introduced me to this little osteria and bar, which was unexpectedly awesome. Definitely my kind of joint.

I'm going to plug this kid again though, because frankly, he deserves it: www.joncheck.com

Whilst I wait for the Perseids to peak tonight/this morning, I figured I'd jot down a bit from my Vermont, um, excursion:

Though the view of Lake Champlain from my Burlington hotel was beautiful, my business/hiking trip did not go as I had expected. Perhaps one day, I'll tell you kids all about it, but I'd rather just say that I had the most delicious sandwich that made the entire trip worth it.

I don't anticipate being back in Burlington anytime soon, but if you are, go to Rooney's and get the "Vermonter." Not only will the sandwich delight you, but you will find the best conversation in Burlington from Mr. Rooney, who, might I add, is an avid Steeler fan (no relation to the legendary owners of the team).

Trivia: The Von Trapp family, yes of "Sound of Music" fame, still resides in Stowe, Vermont after fleeing a Nazi-infested Austria in 1938. The movie obviously fictionalizes and errs in fact a great deal, but they get the general plot correct. The epilogue? Opening the Trapp Family Lodge in 1950, the Von Trapps still own and run the now 2400-acre resort.

Although Chihuly's pieces looked fabulous in lights, I almost would have preferred a day trip to Phipps Conservatory. Phipps is part of his "Gardens and Glass" installment, showcased at many conservatories and botanical gardens around the country. His work is cool and the way he creates is extraordinary, but I really was aiming to immerse myself in plants. With such low lighting on the plants and no tripod (Phipps does not allow them), it was virtually impossible to get a shot I liked.

Anyway, I kept seeing this enormous chandelier in all of the ads and papers and wanted to show a different perspective:

Ok, so you're not going to let me have a tripod?
Fine, I'm going to lie on your floor.

Oh and one final note on Dale Chihuly: Any dude with an eye patch is ok by me. Although, based on his insanity and medium of choice, it leaves you asking, "How does he not have two?"

To put this shot in perspective, the building pictured stands at least two blocks behind where I was standing, requiring about 30 panels to encompass the whole reflection. The finish on the glass plates of the building in front of me and the angle at which I was standing created this interesting reflection. These shots are cool too because the building itself already provides a grid and all you need to do is find the right composition for your eye. Also, had the sky been blue (and not filled with lovely Pittsburgh haze), this would have been an entirely different shot.


Enough of the the serious photo talk, let's delve into how easy it is to amuse me:

"First off, do you prefer film or digital?"

"Uh, mostly cameras... I figure to take a real photograph, you need a camera... I did one shoot where I didn't use a camera. I got some amazing images... but it's hard. I've never had to concentrate so much."

Photographer humor courtesy of Shasta

In order to improve Market Square's reputation, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership needed to come up with ideas that would attract both natives and tourists alike to the area. What makes more sense than 10,000 water balloons? Yeah, I don't know either.

After the battle cries had ceased, I was walking back to the car only to spot this chick going to her secret stash of ammo. Naturally, I followed her and am still laughing about how (dare I say it?) cute these two were.

This was the biggest urban water balloon fight I have ever seen - wait, it's the only urban water balloon fight I've ever seen, but holy cow it was hysterical.

It was a war zone. Literal, taped-off war zone. To be honest, I was there and cannot account for 90% of the water in this picture. Can someone please explain how water balloons can have that much of an explosive impact?

Regardless, the fact that it was a "city-approved water-balloon fight" makes me love Pittsburgh all the more. Hands down one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

"I never trust a girl who doesn't like icing."

I really find that to be an invalid assessment of trustworthiness, but whatever. For the record, I had no intention of offending the cupcake.

The Pittsburgh Blues Festival held at Hartwood Acres Friday through Sunday showcased many of the country's coolest blues groups. Not only was the weather perfect, but the musicians were, well everyone knows how I feel about musicians. I found a little soft spot for a Louisiana musician named Eric Lindell and his band, so I encourage everyone to check him out.

www.ericlindellband.com

www.myspace.com/ericlindell

I apologize for having an incorrect link posted a little earlier - cheerleader moment.

I really really enjoy musicians.

"Heartbreak, loneliness, despair and you can dance to it"

The blues are an extraordinary phenomenon in the musical world. No matter what, by nature of the blues being what they are, you know you will never be short-changed because of the energy and experience it takes to write good tunes. They are one of very few genres that allow you to take the very saddest of the human condition and turn it into a lil dance. When it comes down to it, I think the blues are a perfect cure for the blues. Life got that musician down and what did he do? He wrote an awesome song.

I'm a little embarrassed to say that the only pictures I'm posting of the entire festival are of Eric and his band. That's how much I enjoyed these guys.

There is so much about Pittsburgh that I love, but one of my favorite (non-music related) hot spots is definitely the Strip District. Aside from the original Primanti Bros., the Strip offers a collection of ethnic markets (Sunseri's meatball subs? Eccellente.) and the freshest foods in the city. Although I do like food a great deal, I find the most enjoyable thing about this area is the consistently genuine conversation. Apart from my experiences, just watch Penn Ave. on a Saturday morning and you will see a street full of complete strangers delightfully engaged with one another, behaving like old friends. I don't know why that is undervalued elsewhere, but I've had some of the best conversations with noodle-makers, florists, grocers and meat-packers - having never met any of them previously. Knowing why and how they do what they do is a passionate confirmation of dedication and loyalty that I don't come across often and seek out all too much. And yes, I'm sure it's not always easy, hell I know it isn't always easy, but they continue with it anyway. And that, my friends, is love, which sometimes seems like stupidity, though somewhere in me, I know it's far from it.

All this over a picture of corn.

"What, you couldn't fit the Statue of Liberty in there too? A copy of the Declaration of Independence? A Bald Eagle? C'mon the eagle was doable."

Interesting how my impromptu run to the roof of Matt's building created a more patriotic image from post-Pirate game fireworks than from the overzealously red fireworks of July 4th.

So, I thought that I was just going to fight a speeding ticket in Williamsport, but somehow I ended up at a carnival in Brooklyn. Who knew?

Believe it or not, it's actually a pretty sweet story having very little to do with the picture of creepy carnival characters. I just like the colors under the cheap fluorescent light.

Giant orange slicker, makeshift camera rain gear - I looked ridiculous photographing flowers in a torrential downpour.

Fireworks from Matt's roof downtown was certainly a new July 4th perspective for me. Although we couldn't really see the fireworks shot from PPG, the ones from the barges lit up the horizon of buildings in front of us.