Mikes Sumondong on tumblr.

I just started a new journal at tumblr.

And I'm amazed at how easy it is to blog. I mean really!

Hmmmm...

Oh no, I'm not moving. Your Daily Word is Your Daily Word.

The tumblr will have a world of it's own: THE REAL MICHAEL!

Check it out if you may: http://michaelsummons.tumblr.com

Reader Question: Where's the Content?

Reader Adam McAnaney was left feeling both used and confused after the Wired BTS post earlier today. So much so, that he fired back the following question:

I have a sincere question. I know this is going to sound like I'm being a smart-aleck or a pain in the *ss, but I am being sincere. My question is:

What were we supposed to get out of that post or the pictures? There just didn't seem to be any worthwhile content in either. I assume there is something in those pictures that I'm just not getting. To me it just seemed like a random statement that "Hey, we just shot some pictures of Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. Isn't that cool?", coupled with a couple of boring and random shots from the shoot to prove that yes, indeed, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg were there.

Signed,
Confused

Yer honor, the defense will approach the bench after the jump. Read more »

BTS: Wired Cover Shoot

Wired Magazine has posted a series of photos from their shoot of Bill Gates and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg for this month's cover. It was shot by photographer Carlos Serrao, seen above looking pensive.

Gear-wise, it's a mix of Broncolor and Profoto, which may have just been what was available from local rental. A Para is used as a key light, and a Profoto umbrella through a large scrim as fill.

An umbrella and a gridded dish as rims round out what seemed like an unusual setup to me. (But then, I prolly woulda shot Gates with a cardboard snoot.)

The full set of pics is here. And definitely take a look at some of Serrao's other work, too.

UPDATE: There is now a full walk-thru on the photos, here.

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Thanks to Nathan for the tip via Twitter.

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On Assignment: Gas Station Tacos

I did a quick "RestRev" (as they were affectionately known back at The Sun) today at the R&R Deli, a Mexican joint located inside of a gas station in Jessup, MD.

Just small flashes, and working fast. After all, I certainly did not want those delicious Tacos de Carnitas to get cold before it was time to eat… Read more »

Savior Please by Josh Wilson | YourSong

While waiting for my Bible Study contact last night I decided to listen to the newly downloaded songs through my phone. When I reached this song (first time to listen to it), it just struck me real hard that I started to be moved by the song that I started crying, giving thanks and praying to God asking him to "keep on saving me" everytime.

The song is true: a lot of times we try to be tough depending on our own strength. We try to just live our lives on our own: solving problems here and there, doing things based on personal logic and rationalization and deciding without even consulting. And most often than not we try failing time and time again.

This is is just the best time for us to go back to our God and surrender to Him once again. Acknowledging without him and apart from Him, we are nothing.

Listen to the song and I hope that you will be blessed by it as I was.

Savior Please by Josh Wilson

Savior, please take my hand

I work so hard, I live so fast

This life begins, and then it ends

And I do the best that I can, but I don't know how long I'll last

I try to be so tough

But I'm just not strong enough

I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me

I try to be good enough

But I'm nothing without Your love

Savior, please keep saving me

Savior, please help me stand

I fall so hard, I fade so fast

Will You begin right where I end

And be the God of all I am because You're all I have

Hallelujah

Everything You are to me

Is everything I'll ever need

And I am learning to believe

That I don't have to prove a thing

'Cause You're the one who's saving me

new york city polaroid project

I went into Samy's Camera about a month ago to buy whatever they had left in the way of Polaroid film. None. It's gone. Thankfully someone like Andrew Faris got a hold of some of the few remainder boxes. His shots of New York, are great and graphic and very Polaroidy. You can order posters on his site as well.

shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes

Just when it's about to turn flip-flop and bare tanned feet season around here, I seem to be finding shoes, glorious shoes at every turn. Check out what Gap has in store for us Fall 2010. I especially love the top row. No clue as to pricing or when they'll be available. source::refinery 29

the cobbler has new shoes

hand made and perfect for summer tanned feet, in yummy sherbert colors {and snake skin too} sandals by tuto.

**oh, and you might like these too-Jutta Neuman

Test Drive: Mystery Meat 400ws Chinese Flash

Ever tempted to look to the east for a less expensive option on a bigger flash? Not an unreasonable thought, considering many name-brand flashes are made there anyway.

A couple weeks ago I got a chance to play with one of the new Chinese flashes that are designed to compete with the Elinchrom Ranger Quadra.

Short version: Several good surprises -- and one very bad one. Hit the jump for the full test drive, and to find out whether one of these money savers might be for you. Read more »

Just Leave a Message...

Will be back soon. Just leave a message.

FYI.....

The L.A. Mart, in downtown Los Angles will be opening their doors to the public May 1st and 2nd @ 11:00 a.m.

This is a chance for all of you home decorating-istas to have a chance at, to-the-trade product with savings as large as 70% . It's all first come, first serve though. So get on it early.

Admission is $10.00, 2 days only

1933 S. Broadway {you can't miss that giant chair out front}

More info at www.lamartdesign.com

Dave Hill Verizon BTS

L.A. photographer / Photoshop stud Dave Hill has been cranking on the behind-the-scenes videos lately. Lots of new stuff on his site, including this one from one of his trademark composites for a Verizon ad.

Lots to glean in this 5-min segment if you are willing to look closely. And I can't imagine there are too many people are shooting components for national print ads in their living rooms, either. I always love the garage band ethic Dave brings to his high-level work.

Oh, and he calls Paul Buff out on the (non) wind-tested flash mount, too. Final pic and links to more, after the jump. Read more »

peace out

spring flowers, originally uploaded by stephanielevy.

happy weekend, to you. If you're in L.A. this weekend, there are some great events occurring:

The L.A. Times Festival of Books at UCLA

The Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, Like God ate Cheetos and then wiped his hands.

&

one of my faves, Unique L.A.

Follow @God

No it's not GOD as in the one true God we believe in. He's Richard Dawkins naming his twitter account as god with matching quote: "Hells yeah, it's me! You can email me at god@omnipotent.com"

I'm not here to advertise him. I won't even encourage you to follow him. I don't think he's a christian.

I'm here to ask a question. With thousands of people we follow: from celebrities to politicians to friends and online buddies, have we forgotten to really follow the one who so deserves to be followed?

Have we forgotten to follow GOD?

His tweets (TheBible) said: "Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you.#Bible" John 15:4 (The Message)

Before we get all caught up with technology and modern things, let us never forget GOD!

Have you prayed today?

Follow YourDailyWord @MikesSumondong

Earth Day: Give Earth a Hand

I am an advocate!

Let's all just give Earth a Hand and a Chance!

PocketWizard MultiMaxes Get Major Firmware Upgrade

Own a PW MultiMax? Is it a newer one, with a little USB port on the side?

If so, then today is your birthday. PW has just uncorked a set of new capabilities for pre-existing MultiMaxes, via firmware upgrade. Oh, and if your MultiMaxes are the older ones (without the USB ports) you probably don't even want to keep reading. It's just gonna piss you off.


With the new firmware you can:

• Double the range when using the unit to trigger a remote camera

• Shift your custom channels if something is stepping on your frequency

• Use the PW as an RF noise meter to figure out the best channel to use in a marginal environment

• Daisy chain PW MultiMaxes in relay mode to boost range for strobe triggering


This is all completely theoretical for me, as I shoot with the standard Plus-II's. But today, I am just a little more jealous of you MultiMaxers.

:: More Info ::

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lurking and loving

This week I've been lurking and loving over here....

Nina van de Goor's blog over at Mooiedingenweblog.

Nina, a 27 year old design student who shares fabulous crafts, designs, fashion, interiors etc. all with a Dutch touch. I was particularly digging all of her bright, happy photos from a surf village excursion at a beach in The Hague

I'd love to have this image blown up, huge and hung as art.

oh, and she's a great artist as well using vintage pieces re-imagined. Check out her work {all of which is for sale on etsy}

bungalow living elsewhere

Living in a bungalow has had its ups and downs. The upside is that the, diminutive, central living space is on one floor. The down side, is that, we're all on top of each other. A close knit family that sometimes wants to unravel because of those pearls/purls. But it has its charm and history.

manhattan beach cottage, 1902 torn down in 1987. here is this same location, as it looks today.

Once upon a time, this little beach town was nothing more than sand dunes dotted with these charming beach houses. The one I live in was built with the intention of summer use by those who lived inland, like Pasadena and other places that soared with heat in those hot summer months. They were built with small galley kitchens and maybe 2 bedrooms- one for the children and one for the parents.

the child of the first owners in the front yard of my beach bungalow {early 40s}

Over the years, one by one, these bungalows have disappeared giving way to larger...much larger homes. Homes, I suppose that are more suitable for modern lifestyles.

...............................................................................................................................................

a little, bungalow, back history:

In the late 19th century, the bungalow style house spread in popularity across America. With its beginnings in India, as small, single family homes, the structures eventually became holiday homes for the British Colonists. In time the idea of making these, small homes into year round dwellings gained popularity. Over the years, architects have used the bungalow concept as an inspiration to recreate varying versions of the original holiday house.

I love this, Seattle, pagoda style bungalow, originally built from a 1920s Sears catalog.

A second story was added by architectural firm, Bosworth Hoedmaker, maintaining the integrity of the design while adding space.

factoid to add to your useless knowledge bank: Chicago, sometimes known as the 'bungalow belt' is home to more bungalows than any other type of architecture. There are approximately 80,000 within the city limits alone.

Chicago bungalows are usually brick and have the distinctive design element of the roof gable being parallel rather than perpendicular to the street.

another notable: most bungalows have a distinctive front porch and a low roof line.

the large front porch created community among neighbors, as a place to sit and visit.

this is my kind of bungalow...

It looks like maybe it was added onto? check out all of those windows! I can only imagine how beautiful the light is in those two front rooms.

While the bungalow was introduced to California in the late 19th century, the fad spread up to our Canadian cousins over the next 10 years. Houses like these Ontario, Canada bungalows, started showing up around the early teens.

above, another example of the 'pagoda' or 'aeroplane' bungalow. I love these. They're so quirky.

all of the limestone ( i think?) above reminds me of the bungalows found in the Kansas City, Missouri area .

I'm always a sucker for vintage ephemera. It's great to see these homes as they were intended.

:: in case you missed it:: a manhattan beach bungalow tour

Lee Stanton:: L.A.'s leading Antiquarian pays us a visit on The Skirted Round Table

Please join us as Lee sits with us on SRT

Back when I lived in San Francisco, often, from various sources synonymous with great style, I would hear tips along the lines of , "You know 'Lee',right? the guy who sells European antiques with the warehouse down South, in San Juan Capistrano?" "you don't know of him? Oh, if you can.... find out when he's got a new shipment coming, then you MUST get down there. The fur flies, when that new crate comes in but his finds are the best and his prices very fair"

During those days, I never did get down there, the whole thing sounded a bit daunting and intimidating. I mean, really. I could just picture myself with a newly acquired French Trumeau mirror, hanging out of my saab convertible as I buzzed back up the coast. And in those days, I was busy having babies and redoing an old Queen Anne, DIY style, "Real" Antiques were fairly low on my to-do list.

But the name continued to come up as I migrated South. Only this time around, it was "Lee Stanton and his gorgeous show room on La Cienega". As Stanton's outposts and reputation grew, his ego, refreshingly, did not. His unerring eye collecting a vast and ever changing stock, his willingness to share and generously educate along with his gentle demeanor, has made Stanton a favorite among major collectors, designers and just plain old "regular" folk, who happen to have a discriminating eye and a love of Fine European antiques.

Lee sits with us, this week, and talks of antiques, design and the upcoming design event, Legends of La Cienega, of which he is a founder.

The Lee Stanton warehouse, still functions and is open to the public, by appointment {just to be safe} For more information please see his website or pop by his showroom M-F 10-5

769 N. La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Telephone: (310) 855-9800

If you'd like to know more about Legends of La Cienega events, please visit the website here.

photo credit:: John Granen

On Assignment: Earth Treks, Pt. 2

One of the coolest things about the recent Earth Treks shoot was the variety of scale the assignment contained. With the 5-story canyons, we kinda threw everything we had at it and built the whole thing on an ambient base.

But with the bouldering shots, we were essentially lighting a hole -- with a person inside. The geometry of that problem knocked me for a loop on the first day -- resulting in a big ol' FAIL.

But if at first you do not succeed -- try, try again. Read more »

GOOM* Trip: UK

[UPDATE: London and Birmingham are now fully booked.]
__________

(*Get Out of Maryland)
See that thing on the left? That's oak pollen.

It is the most vile substance known to man. Or at least to this man, as it has conspired to ruin every single one of the otherwise beautiful Maryland spring seasons that I would certainly have enjoyed otherwise.

It is because of this hideous practical joke of nature that my allergic nose will, along with the rest of me, be escaping to the higher latitudes of the UK in late May and early June.

While in the UK, I'll be giving four lighting presentations (in London, Birmingham, Leeds and Edinburgh) hosted by the folks at The Flash Center. If you are in that area and interested to know more about the seminars, hit the jump.

Otherwise, keep moving along -- nothing to see here. Read more »

Hachiko: A Dog's Story| Movie Monday

It's Movie Monday again!


Today I'll feature a movie I haven't heard about until last two weeks when my agent asked me if I have heard of it. And because I'm fond of dogs, I got interested and searched it in Wikipedia right away. Right there and then, I got amazed and was impressed with the story and it's based on a REAL story.


The movie is about a dog of Akita Breed named Hachiko. He was adopted by a man who found him in a train station. This dog and the man then became so close that Hachiko walks with his owner and waits at the station's entrance everyday until the owner returns from work. When one day, his owner died st the school where he works , Hachiko still waited in the same place till it was dark.   And this he does evereyday. And I mean everyday for the next 10 years: same time, same place until he died.


Note: Hachiko is from the Japanese word Hachi which means "lucky" according to the movie but according to baby names websites, Hachi simply means 8.


Starring Richard Gere, this is one movie who will move you to tears, kiss your dogs again, and thank them for their loyalty.

Hachiko: A Dog's Story

 Rating: 3/5
- The story is the story. I mean nothing more. Yes, I'm touched with the story and all but that was just it. It's still a passing 3 out of 5 though because it's good to see the story come to life no matter how simple it is. Enjoy!

:::roland bello:::

Can you say that a photograph is 'still' in its beauty ? {seems a sort of obvious observation} hmmm...maybe 'quiet' is a better word. Either way, the interior and still life work of photographer, roland bello's mesmerizes, with the quiet dignity of spaces.