Hello Nicholas,


If there was just one word to describe our first few months back in California, it would have to be 'Exciting'. The perfect mix of freelance, family, vacations and finally time for personal photo projects. You'll see a mix of all of this in these newsletters. 


Besides shooting assignments, a lot of what I've been doing recently is photo archive work. Basically re-organizing my archives, reworking images and transferring them from disks to hard drives. And in the process, I've been looking for photos I can send to Zuma press as well as adding them to my web site. It doesn't sound like exciting work, but actually it's kinda fun.

OCR and PE assignments


When I got a call from The Register to see if I was good to go to freelance for the Southern California News Group (SCNG) ... I was pretty sure I said yes before she finished asking. 


I'm now set up as a Freelancer for SCNG which includes my former employer, The Orange County Register, plus The Riverside Press Enterprise and many more local papers in Southern California. 


Here are a few PDF's from recent SCNG work ... I did not expect this A1 centerpiece though ...

From the Archives


As mentioned above, I have started the process of gleaning freelance work from my archives, re-editing images and sending noteworthy people photos and other things to Zuma for possible sales. One will never get rich doing this, but they are much better in a global marketplace than in storage where nobody would ever see them. 


This may sound crazy, but I'm pretty sure I have images of absolutely everything I have ever shot professionally which includes negatives, transparencies, page copies, pdf's, published work, etc.


I will say, however, it's been pretty challenging to create a solid digital archive for everything. I'm working on it, but I'm also thinking that with both professional and family photos ... this could take a really long time. 


This is kind of random ... but here are a handful of photos from the archives of well known Conductors photographed at the Rene and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall ... kind of a throwback Thursday :)


Conductor Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Rene and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

Composer John Williams conducts the Pacific Symphony at the Rene and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. 

Conductor Carl St. Clair leads the Pacific Symphony at the Rene and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. 

Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman leads the Pacific Symphony at the Rene and Henry Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa.

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Rene and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

Music Director and Conductor Valery Gergiev leads the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra (From Petersburg, Russia) in music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky at the Rene and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

German-American pianist, composer, and conductor Andre Previn is interviewed on stage by Alan Chapman prior to the Pacific Symphony performing music he composed as a tribute to him.

 North Olympic Discovery Marathon


Sequim to Port Angeles- Washington State


When my oldest daughter told us that she was training for a marathon and would be running this one in Washington State, well there was no question we were going to be there. This was not a photo mission, but more about proud parents watching and supporting their daughter do something amazing.  


I already thought she had topped the charts when she summited Mt. Ranier, Mt. Baker and other peaks in Washington .. but this ... this was a whole different kind of accomplishment. And as a former competitive runner myself, it further impressed me.


Since it was her first marathon, I suggested going out slow and saving some gas in the tank for that 20 mile wall that you will hit. That was based on experience ... back around my high school days when I ran a marathon and I remember that wall well.


The setting for this race could not have been more beautiful as our seven person support crew would drive ahead and meet her at several crossing points to cheer her on and see if she needed anything. 


The course was basically rolling hills between two beautiful towns situated next to Puget Sound and the weather could not have been better. The rain waited until the end of her race to start.  It was almost enough to make me consider coming out of running retirement, but I think I'll stick to hikes, walking and the treadmill.


Idyllwild, CA


If you look at my website, www.nicholaskoonphotography.com, you'll see quite a few galleries of photos from awesome hikes ... most from when we were living in Washington state.


This was a long weekend camping trip in Idyllwild, CA. Our first trip since moving back to SoCal. We hadn't visited here in a long time, but it was just as beautiful as ever. 


We decided to do a moderately easy 5.5 mile trek on a trail called the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail ... pretty close to the start of the Mt. San Jacinto trail that I have hiked on many times starting when I was a Boy Scout. 


It's not Washington State, but I have to say that California definitely holds it's own when it comes to outdoor beauty.


Big Bear on July 4th


We actually owned a small cabin in Big Bear once, so we know the area pretty well.  This tie we had a cute airbnb cabin up in the Moonridge area. And we finally got to take our cruiser bikes out for a spin.  We also did a little hiking and hung out at the lake so we could see the fireworks show. 


The Ranger we talked to said that it's a fairly high rated show and that some folks come up to see it and drive back home afterwards. That sounds crazy considering the location, but she was definitely right about the show ... it was spectacular.  


 A very serene Big Bear Lake as we wait for fireworks on the north shore.

The ski slopes were lit up so folks could take the ski lifts and watch the fireworks from the top of the mountain (Above the boom).

This is kinda cheating ... it's an iphone video frame grab. I just wanted to show an example of how the fireworks looked ..they were pretty awesome. 

Just a few more ...


Mt. Ranier in Washington peaking through the clouds on our flight back to Southern California.  Talk about amazing...

This image got quite a few hits on Facebook when I posted it.  The total lunar eclipse (Blood moon) on May 16th from our front porch. 

OK, I have to throw in this cute photo of our Grandson Liam experimenting with water and gravity.  He was staying cool on a hot day.

Lastly ...


You may have noticed a change in the selection of images compared to previous newsletters. Instead of only showing professional gigs, I'm mixing in family gigs as well. Great photo opportunities can surprise you at any time, including on fun family trips. 

 

If you have any events or assignments coming up that need photography, please contact me to see if I can help. There's lots going on these days, so earlier notice is always better so that I can lock it in on my calendar. Contact info is below or you can also reach me through my website at www.nicholaskoonphotography.com.


More photos next time ... but in the meantime, stay in touch and your comments on these newsletters are always welcome. 


Take Care,


Nick


Nick Koon

Nicholas Koon Photography

www.nicholaskoonphotography.com

nkphoto@aol.com

714.932.1714


714.932.1714 

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