I am happy to announce that the publisher of the book Ninety-Five: Meeting America’s Farmed Animals in Stories and Photographs (featuring some of my farm animal photographs) has won an “Ippy” (Independent Publishers Award). Coincidentally coinciding with this event I have created new galleries of my farm animal photographs where my fans and admirers can view & purchase the photos featured in the book as well as other gorgeously stunning photographs of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep, ducks and other lovely critters.

Ninety-Five, the latest book by non-profit publisher No Voice Unheard, has won the Gold Medal in the Animals/Pets category of the Independent Publishers Awards (referred to in the publishing industry as an “IPPY Award”). The IPPY’s “bring increased recognition to the deserving but often unsung titles published by independent authors and publishers.” The award ceremony took place on Monday, May 23, 2011 in New York City during Book Expo America.

Brimming with beautiful, full-color photographs, Ninety-Five is a compilation of work by vegan photographers and writers, telling the captivating stories of farmed animals living in sanctuaries and homes across the country. From Justice, the steer who broke out of a truck on the way to the slaughterhouse and who is now the self-appointed greeter at the sanctuary where he lives, to bold and irrepressible Lucas, a pig desperately infatuated with Petunia (the feeling isn’t mutual, but that doesn’t deter him), to Amelia, the turkey anxious to share a hug with her photographer. Their stories are compelling, enlightening, and always moving.

Released last year, thousands of copies of Ninety-Five are already in circulation, causing readers to reevaluate their assumptions about farmed animals. Animal advocates have adopted the book as a personal outreach tool, giving it as a gift to friends and family to “show them why I’m veg.” They are also keeping copies on their desk or coffee table and spreading the animals’ stories via social media. Writes one advocate: “I have been able to get 30 copies in schools and libraries throughout my county. Working on churches next.” (No Voice Unheard offers a special “Giving Package” for such outreach, which includes five copies of the book at a deeply discounted price.)

Farmed animal advocacy organizations are also using the book to educate and fundraise, from the sanctuaries included in the book to organizations as far away as Australia and the UK. According to Diane Leigh, No Voice Unheard co-founder, “For every person who reads Ninety-Five and decides to adopt a vegan diet, we know that approximately 95 animals are spared – hence the title of the book. We publish to honor animals and eliminate suffering; that is our ultimate goal.”

Ninety-Five previously received an Eric Hoffer Book Award, which “honors the memory of the great American philosopher Eric Hoffer by highlighting salient writing, as well as the independent spirit of small publishers.”

No Voice Unheard is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) independent publisher whose previous titles include the highly regarded One at a Time: A Week in an American Animal Shelter and Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos, by Derrick Jensen.

Ninety-Five is available through my website as well as the usual places you might find books. Please check out the galleries of my farm animal photographs on my new SmugMug pages, and show a starving artist some love. I will be adding new images and galleries throughout my foreseeable future.

Ninety-Five: Meeting America's Farmed Animals in Stories and Photographs

This year I had the pleasure of traveling to Tanglewood in the Berkshires to photograph the wedding of Mark & Arend, two musicians from Boston whose relationship has been intertwined with the famous performance space. As with most of this summer, there was a chance of rain, but the skies held out and made for a beautiful day and soft light to photograph with. From the musical performances during the ceremony to the beautiful flower arrangements, everything went smoothly and the families and friends had a great time.

Two weeks after the wedding the state of New York passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. NY is the largest state to legalize gay weddings, and the hope is that it will influence other states across the country to do the same. So far only Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow such basic equal rights. Kudos to Governor Andrew Cuomo for making the bill one of his top priorities.

It is our duty as human beings to question the culture we are born into, the traditions we hold dear, and the assumptions we are given and make ourselves. Looking back into history we see that as a species we are usually wrong about many things, and cause a lot of pain and suffering to our fellow beings because of it. I do not believe that any scripture inspired by truth and love would seek to punish someone for following their heart. If such scriptures do exist, then they should be removed from the spiritual teachings we carry forward as mystical beings having a human experience. The time has come to evolve our spiritual understandings and our crumbling institutions.

I find that each wedding I photograph is unique and beautiful, just as the people who commit themselves to one another. We are all flawed, we are all crazy, we are all trying the best we can. We were all born to fulfill our destinies, and to question who one person chooses to love is to question love itself. All the lies propagated about gay relationships undermining marriage are ridiculous. It is better to question what it is that religious leaders and politicians are really trying to distract us from. What is the advantage to keeping us all divided?

Thank you to Mark and Arend for following your hearts, for being courageous, and of course for choosing me as your photographer! I feel honored to be a part of this revolution that is happening in the northeast and hopefully across the entire US soon enough. I hope my images convey the love that is shared, and the happiness that is found in such love. May you live long and happily together, and be examples of love and happiness to all those around you.

This is me at the New Orleans Museum of Art doing a version of Vasisthasana - side plank pose

This post is for you, my friends, family, teachers, and community. Today I paid for my Jivamukti yoga teacher training thanks to the generous donations and support I have received from you!

About a week ago today it looked like I was not going to make it. I had put all of my faith and hope in the universe providing for me, but as the rush of Mardi Gras wore off I saw that I was still quite far from having the money that I needed to pay for the training. I had my moment of doubt.

I posted an event on facebook asking for donations, and many of you came through with small and large donations. My mother, who follows me on the site, gave the biggest of all. I was not going to ask my parents for anything, they have helped me so much in my life. But there it was. Thanks mom!

The biggest relief came today as I called the Omega Institute to make a payment and was surprised that the total amount due was much less than I had expected. It turns out that the Jivamukti scholarship I was awarded by Jivamukti founders Sharon Gannon and David Life was almost four times what I thought it was! I am so grateful to them for extending this opportunity to me, and am making a vow to pass their compassion and spiritual wisdom on to everyone I can as I walk this path.

I would also like to thank everyone who participated in the NOLA Yoga Photography Project, donating money to my teacher training fund in exchange for photographs. The project will continue, and when I return to New Orleans in the fall I will be putting together an exhibit of the photographs I have made at Swan River’s Mid City studio.

To show my gratitude I am posting my favorite photos from the yoga photography sessions I have done so far (hard to narrow down, but am posting one of each), for y’all to enjoy. Blessings to you!

AcroYoga at the Fly in Audubon Park

This was not a commissioned photo shoot, but this was the first one that was exclusively yoga and going to be included in the portfolio. This is AcroYoga, a combination of acrobatics and yoga. Aaron Lind is ‘basing’ Libby Bryan, who is ‘flying’. Aaron and Libby are both teachers at Swan River Yoga and also dear friends to me. The shoot took place in Audobon Park, and the complete set of photos is here.

Mary Kuzmovich doing Hanumanasana in the French Quarter

This is my friend Mary Kuzmovich, one of the first people to take me up on the offer. We went to a building in the French Quarter and took some shots up on the roof, as well as this one on the fire escape. I love the stockings! See all the pictures here.

Dana Shamas doing Urdhva Dhanurasana in City Park, New Orleans

Dana Shamas teaches Jivamukti in Houston, TX. She contacted me after Swan River sent an email to their mailing list out about my project. We went to City Park and had a nice time trying out some different settings and poses.  love the way the curve of her body mirrors the trees behind her. See Dana’s lovely face and the rest of the photos we took here.

Aaron Lind doing Adho Mukha Vrksasana, or handstand

This is Aaron Lind doing Adho Mukha Vrksasana, or handstand, at the Swan River Marigny studio. This picture was taken for more utilitarian purpose than artistic, and I hope to do some more artistic ones with Aaron soon. He needed a picture of himself doing a handstand for his AcroYoga teacher training application and this is the one he submitted. You can see by the electric conduit going up the wall behind him how perfectly vertical he is! Aaron has been a great friend and inspiration to me. He plays in a kirtan band and teaches AcroYoga and Swan River yoga with an Anusara influence. The yoga community and my life in general is full of amazing, strong, and beautiful women so it is great to have a male friend and mentor like Aaron to balance that energy.

Another photo taken at the Swan River Marigny studio – this is Heath Stevens ‘basing’ Rachel Geffen while Ethan McElhinney looks on. Heath has been a good friend and AcroYoga partner and had me take some photos to promote a class he was teaching uptown. We have spent many hours practicing AcroYoga together and we will be doing another photo session soon, but for now I want to include this one to honor his contribution to my growth.

Keith Porteous doing Goddess pose in Audubon Park

This is my beloved Jivamukti teacher Keith Porteous. What you might not notice in this photo is that she is nine months pregnant! I took other photos that show her belly, but the expression on her face here is what really moves me. The compassion and love Keith has shown me since moving to New Orleans has had a deep influence on my life. I feel her recommendation for me to read the book The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life” helped me come into a better relationship with my money and business, and possibly made all this possible. I love you Keith! See our entire photo shoot here.

Lily Virginia Filson flying on my feet

When I first started the project I was not getting much response, so decided to go to the Model Mayhem website to see if there were some models who could do yoga to get the portfolio going. For this I did not receive any donation to the project, but got a chance to work with some great people and make some fun images. This is Lily Virginia Filson, and in exchange for helping me out I gave her an AcroYoga lesson. Here she is ‘flying’ on my feet while I take the photo, which was a bit difficult for me! I love the expression on her face and the sunlight refracting in the lens. See our entire session here.

Andy Craig in Trikonasana

Andy Craig wanted some photos of himself so that an artist friend could paint him using them as references. After a yoga class we went to my house and did these in the back yard. Much of what I love about New Orleans is the old houses and peeling paint. The background is actually a shed that one of my roommates lives in. I hope to add more stuff like this to the portfolio.

Steph Smith in tree pose at City Park

I had a fun session with Swan River teacher Steph Smith. We took some photos on her back porch and then headed to City Park, where this image was captured. Steph is a wonderfully genuine person and we had nice conversations and got to know each other a little better. Here she is doing tree pose, Vrksasana, in front of some gorgeous trees.

My Jivamukti teacher Libby Bryan

One of the coolest jobs I got from the project was a chance to photograph the Lululemon Athletica ambassadors. Lululemon is a store that sells clothing and accessories for yoga and other sports. The company looks for outstanding yogis and athletes in the community to represent the brand. Lululemon is socially responsible, environmentally sensitive and community oriented. Their clothes are pricey but super comfortable, stylish and sweat-absorbing.

This photo is of my Jivamukti teacher Libby Bryan, who has been one of my main pillars of support as I move towards my teacher training. She runs the Swan River Mid City yoga studio and organized a benefit class there to raise money for my training. She also had me photograph her wedding, the very first shoot for this project. Beyond all that she has been a great friend, and an inspiration as a teacher. I love you Libby!

Cat McCarthy, lululemon ambassador and Anusara certified teacher

Cat McCarthy is another one of the Lululemon ambassadors. She teaches Anusara yoga at her own studio, NOLA Yoga. Anusara is a style that I have studied a bit at the Yoga Sanctuary in Northampton, MA. It is focused on proper alignment and celebrating the joy of life, and I will definitely be integrating it into my practice. I was blessed to have this opportunity to meet Cat, and we will be doing another photo session soon. I love how the root of the tree in this photo mirrors the arch of her back. Thanks to Lindsay Leaver and all the folks at Lululemon for hooking me up with this job! See the whole Lululemon shoot here.

Lynn Austin at City Park

One of my favorite sessions so far has been this one with Lynn Austin. We hit City Park just as the sun was setting and caught some of the beautiful golden lighting of late afternoon, and then kept going on into darkness. This image is of Lynn in the crook of a huge tree that extends out over the water (I was balancing above the water to take it). The branch over the water had partially split from the tree and created this cool clamshell, and I had Lynn pose in a way that was organic to the shape. One of the great things about the project is getting to meet the people in the yoga community, and Lynn and I hit it off over the course of the session. Lynn also took the photo of me at the top of the page! There are so many great pictures and you can see them all here.

This is the last session, with another of the Model Mayhem models, Emily. We went to the Botanical Garden at City Park and spent a nice afternoon taking photos. I have not edited them all yet, but this one is one of the ones I like best so far. Emily was very sweet and fun to work with, and we got to climb a tree together as well. I love my work!

This is my beloved teacher Michele Baker in her home. Michele is my “Jivamukti Sistah”. Those who know her do not really need much explanation, she is just a sweet, loving, dedicated and compassionate light to the yoga community and to New Orleans. When I first arrived here and took her classes the New Orleans Saints were working their way toward the Superbowl and her dharma talks often included them. I was in a sad space and this integration of sacred and mundane filled me with happiness, and taught me much about being a yogi. More recently, ss I was facing the possibility that I wouldn’t have enough money to make the teacher training, she counseled me and helped sooth my anxieties with practical and loving advice. Michele is the co-founder of Swan River Yoga, which currently has four locations in New Orleans. I love you Michele, thank you so much for being a light to us all!

I would also like to thank Sarah Quintana, Nathalie Croix of Shanti Shala Yoga, Gregory & Vincent from Deity Arts of the Orient, the mysterious Sparro, and Sean Johnson at Wild Lotus Yoga, all of whom had me take photos of events and beautiful subjects that don’t fit into the yoga asana portfolio, but contributed to my yoga fund. Thanks to all of you for helping me on my path!

I hope you have enjoyed these photos, please leave some comments for me on this post. Thank you all so much for your support! If anyone would like to set up a photo session please use the contact form on this site. Lokaha Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu – May all beings everywhere be happy and free!

Jacksun Slaughter leads class while Libby Bryan gives an adjustment

This morning I was blessed to have a yoga class at Swan River Yoga’s Mid City Center given in my honor. I do not have any words to fully express my gratitude to my teacher and mentor, Libby Bryan, for organizing the class. She has been a champion of my cause, a light who gives me hope and strength, and the example of what I aspire to be as a yoga teacher.

This class was led by Libby and her friend and fellow yoga teacher Jacksun Slaughter, who I got to meet through this process. Jacksun is an activist and gave a beautiful dharma talk before the class, about the power of giving and the emergence of a gift economy that we are all pioneers in creating. The proceeds from the class are to go to my Jivamukti yoga teacher training. I am but a monk holding out a begging bowl at this point in my life, taking a giant leap of faith and believing that the universe will catch me.

Libby Bryan demonstrates the peak balancing pose

I used to wonder about the spiritual seekers of the East, wandering with their begging bowls seeking alms. To the Western mind this seems like a selfish way to live, expecting others to support you while you follow your bliss. In the East, however, there is the wisdom that we are all connected by our karma. When we help another person on their path we receive benefit on our own. The more selfless we are, the happier we become.

We will play with a child or scratch a dog’s belly because it gives them pleasure, and also gives us pleasure. It is much the same with helping each other in more profound ways. For example, when playing music, we can become shy and nervous when we think of how other’s perceive our talent. If instead we play with the thought that the music will bring happiness to others, or that we are playing in devotion to the divine, then we lose the inhibition and our hearts open, and our music becomes beautiful. It is in selflessness that we reach our highest potential.

Jacksun Slaughter in Warrior pose

I have a gift inside of me. I am a teacher, a healer, and a visionary. I say this with an inevitable tinge of ego, certainly, but also with infinite humility and gratitude. I follow this path of a yogi to temper my qualities and teach me to be a peaceful warrior. I have found such a wellspring of love in this community, and hope to give back. To deepen and share my wisdom, to honor the sacred web of life that connects us all. To save the animals, the humans and the planet.

This morning’s class was so amazing. I hardly knew anyone that showed up. At first I felt a blue note that none of my closest friends were there to support me. Then I realized how auspicious it was that this room full of strangers had come on my behalf. My friends support me every day in my happiness. These people came to help a stranger. Between the two I am infinitely blessed.

At the start of the class I sat to the right of Libby, with Jacksun to the left, to sing kirtans. Libby said that when we help one person amongst us on their spiritual path it lifts us all up. I am humbled to be in this position, and hope that I will uplift those around me on their path. I hope I can return the support I have been given exponentially to this community. I am in love with all of you. My heart and life for you. I am your warrior and servant, your friend and companion. I bow to the light in you, and am here to help keep it burning bright in all of us. Namaste.

Om Bolo Sat Guru, Bhagavan, Qi. Jai!
(God is the only Real teacher, Alluleulia!)

Libby and Jacksun, thank you so much for all you do.

I can still remember the day I met Dave DelloRusso. It was a day of connections that branched out into many adventures and opportunities for me. I imagine Dave & Maggie don’t even know the full story, so I will relate it here fas a little wedding gift to them and to you, my readers, who I am married to through this thing called life…

It must have been 2006 and it started with the Virginias. I have a friend Virginia, who is in her golden years and who has traveled the world and done many wondrous things. She has a daughter, Virginia Jr, who is my age and also very worldly and wise. They are quite a pair, telling quirky stories of their travels and the people of different cultures and times. They are both quite fond of me, I am something of a wonder to them with my interests and adventures. On this particular day they took me and my friend Scott to Ashfield Lake, about 45 minutes from Northampton. What they didn’t know was that Scott and I had dropped some LSD on the way and were experiencing quite a strange reality by the time we arrived.

There is a boathouse/bar on Ashfield Lake, and that is where Scott and I set up with a guitar and some drinks. We proceeded to entertain the locals with song and story while the Virginias donned flippers and went off to swim around the lake, as is their ritual. The medicine was quite potent, and the summer heat was creating waves of mirage around me. The people on the deck of the boathouse all seemed strange and fascinating, as if I was in a scene from The Naked Lunch. After some amount of endlessly blissful time the Virginias returned to retrieve us. We took a quick jump in the lake, a sensation not unlike being baptized in a cold refreshing pool of divinity.

Upon returning to Northampton we were still peaking. I had an office downtown at the time, and we retrieved my hula hoops from it and crossed Main St. to join some hoopers that were in Pulaski Park. Megan LaBonte, aka Hoopmaster Sass, was there with her boom box and a small group of her devotees. I had been drawn to this beautiful woman for quite some time. She was known for her flamboyant costumes and her hula hooping skills, her amazing artistry and her exquisite beauty. I had always thought to myself that if she got to know me we would be lovers, and this was to be the day that that thought began to manifest into reality.

Megan LaBonte hooping at the Primate Fiasco 'Happy Pill Circus'

Scott and I began hula hooping, which I had recently become good at. Megan noticed me in her sassy but anxious way, and the waves of strange reality washing over me vibrated with a high frequency of intensity. I danced and pranced out of sheer joy, a courtship ritual that humans have been doing since long before we were tree monkeys.

For me tripping on LSD has never been so intense I hallucinate visions that are not there. It is more of a distortion of the visual world accompanied by an opening to synchronicities and deeper levels of understanding as to the nature of the real. So when the saints came marching in playing ragtime on banjo, tuba, clarinet and trombone, I knew it wasn’t a dream but rather a gift from the universe. Further waves of pleasure swept through my being and there we all were, perfect expressions of the divine, the cosmic giggle, the mystery of Shiva and Shakti. Inside of me that summer day has blossomed.

Dave DelloRusso playing banjo with Megan LaBonte hooping

The man playing the banjo turned out to be Dave DelloRusso, who has led his band the Primate Fiasco through several incarnations since then and up and up to be one of the best known acts in western Massachusetts. For some time I was their primary primate photographer, and I am sure I will document them again in the future. Megan LaBonte and I became lovers for nearly a year, hula hooping and creating art together in a whirlwind of chaos until the forces of nature sent us spiraling outward into unpredictable directions. Still we are best of friends and I am blessed to be so close to her mystery. Through the two of them I met the wonderful Maggie Antill, who is one of the sweetest and warmest of people in Northampton, always making me feel at home in her presence.

Dave and Maggie, I hope your love will burn bright and long, and keep giving to our community the vibrance that makes the valley such a special place. In a recent yoga class I was given the thought that the divine has chosen to manifest itself as each of us. It has chosen to wrap us all together even though we have never been separate but in our own limited understandings. Relationships are subject to constant change, just as everything that exists is. We are molecules in a constant state of rearrangement. We are dreamers pretending to be awake. All is full of love. May you always be reminded, and always be able to share in it. Namaste.

Maggie and Dave Kiss at their second ceremony. The wedding had two parts, one for family and then one for friends. I love the effect when someone else's flash goes off at the same moment my shutter does, in this case at 1/60th of a second. what are the odds?

I believe that this is the part where Dave dropped the ring and then had to make a joke to recover. I love to capture these moments.

Dave and Maggie cut the cake. This is how to cut a non-vegan cake, BTW.

The LaBonte sisters with their father, Richard Richardson. They all disappeared soon afterwards, as LaBontes are known to do.

Dave and Maggie under a tree. Love the backlighting.

On July 31st, 2010 Petrina and Kevin got married at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in Woodstock, NY. This was the second vegan wedding I got to photograph at the sanctuary this year, which makes for a good year! I met Petrina a few years back at a Farm Sanctuary Gala in NYC. She was assisting WFAS founders Doug Abel and Jenny Brown in videotaping the event for posterity. Since then we have all become good friends and Petrina has been very helpful volunteering for WFAS in various ways. Somehow she ended up in Great Britain with her future husband Kevin, who she came back here to marry.

A vegan for life handbag hangs off a guest's chair

The timing of the wedding was very auspicious for me, as I got to go take a Jivamukti yoga intensive the next morning right up the road from the sanctuary. It turns out Jivamukti founders Sharon Gannon and David Life live within a short bike ride from Woodstock Sanctuary! Every year they host a month of intensive classes at their Wild Woodstock Ashram home studio. I got to officially meet Sharon and David, which was an honor. I gave them a cd containing the Vegan Radio Podcast I produced featuring Jivamukti yoga in New Orleans.

Upon Sharon’s urging one of her friend’s and advanced yogini named Julie Kirkpatrick took me to visit the Catskill Animal Sanctuary that is a few miles from WFAS. I am slightly embarrassed that I have never been there, since I am known as a photographer of sanctuary animals and it is so close to Woodstock. I guess I feel a fierce devotion to my friends Jenny and Doug and their sanctuary. But as with all love, the more we share the more we find in our reserves. I did not take any photos on this trip but I am now resolved to return in the future and spend some time photographing the critters there.

All in all it was a great weekend, spent with good friends and practicing the yoga that I connect to the most. I feel so lucky, as if the universe arranges itself in a lovely asana just to tickle my fancy. Of course it will slap me down to size every now and again too. Annica, annica! Petrina and Kevin, I wish you all the best as you spread your vegan happiness across the ocean. Just come back to visit us every now and again.

Bride with Annie the goat

Kevin and Petrina being playful by the river

Jonathan Safran Foer speaking at the Farm Sanctuary Thanksgiving event in NYC

Last Weekend I went to New York City to photograph the Farm Sanctuary Thanksgiving Dinner at the Tavern on the Green, which is located in Central Park. I was looking forward to hearing the talk by guest speaker Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated and the new and controversial book Eating Animals. I first heard of the book when news of it convincing Natalie Portman to go vegan was circulating around the Internet (Anyone who knows me knows I am a big fan of Ms. Portman). All the buzz around the book was surely one of the reasons the event sold out so quickly.

Performance artist Laurie Anderson introducing Mr. Foer

I have had a chance to read Eating Animals since the event, and it is pretty good. I think it will get lots of people thinking about veganism, and the atrocities of factory farming. I can’t say I agree with Mr Foer completely in his views and ethics, as he still condones some forms of animal exploitation even if he does not participate in them. It seems he avoids products from factory farms and is vegetarian, but is not completely vegan.

I find the strong points in the book to be his critical insights into the power of tradition in influencing what we eat and the stories we create around food. His book and his talk at the event revolve around his grandmother who is Jewish and spent the final years of WWII running from Nazis and scavenging for food, but who would not eat non-kosher meat even to save her own life. Her explanation was that “If nothing matters nothing’s worth saving”. In this Foer finds the kernel of reason that should convince us all not to support factory farms and to boycott their products. I applaud him for calling Michael Pollan out on his wobbly ethics, pointing out in Eating Animals that Pollan will still eat factory farmed food even though he knows the facts. Like Pollan, many people who believe the myth of humane meat will try to eat only “free range” or “organic” meat but are easily swayed into eating factory farmed meat when it is inconvenient to get the feel good flesh. Humane meat, besides being a ridiculous concept, is a slippery slope. My belief is that the commodification of animals always leads people to a system that is oppressive, violent and unnecessary. We are better off evolving towards a more compassionate and sustainable way of being in the world. Foer may find my stance unrealistic, but I am a visionary and not a skeptic. We need a critical mass, and soon.

Below are some of my favorite photos from the event. If you would like to see more check out my flickr page, but I would love to have you comment on this page first!

Thanks to my friend Andreas for putting me up Saturday night and buying me dinner!

Danielle Konya from Vegan Treats poses in front of King Kong. She says she loves gorillas.

Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur giving a thankful talk.

Farm Sanctuary’s new Executive Director Dr. Allan Kornberg gives a brief talk.

A close up of Jonathan Safran Foer

A plate full of decadent vegan deserts, mmmmm…

Me with Gene Baur and my good friend Paul Saccone

I interviewed Emily from Baby Cakes for an upcoming episode of Vegan Radio

Here I am with my dearest Farm Sanctuary friends: Samantha Ragsdale, Gene Baur and Susie Coston

Buy the Books!

Chaya has been my friend for about half the time I have been in the Valley, and I have never seen her as happy as she is with Dave. Some wedding photographers won’t photograph a friend’s wedding, but I usually will because I have lots of confidence in what I do, and I know that my love for them will show through in my photos. However on this beautifully lit day I found myself happy that Chaya chose another photographer to be the hired one, so that I could give my photos as a gift and also be able to play around and take more chances. I took the couple aside for a few minutes after the ceremony to take the photos on the bridge with flowers, but I mostly just took candids of the guests, most of whom are my friends. I hardly used flash, pushing my D300 to see what I could do with natural low light. The results are pretty wonderful. Chaya and Dave, I hope you enjoy these photos and live long happy lives together, I love you guys!

To see all the photos please visit them at http://pictage.com/729172 or enjoy some of my favorites in the slideshow below…