Finally the usual suspects decided to get their act together and plan a reunion trip for August 2007, undoubtedly the best month of the year to go i.e. 80 degree water. As our departure date grows closer, I have found it challenging to contain my excitement. Everyday at the office I flip my desk calendar to August 10^th and count the days in between now and then like a child counting down Christmas. Clearly my initial pleasure lies in sharing this time with family and good friends. It has been too long since we have all been together, and by now there are new additions to the extended family: babies, spouses and friends.

After the company I keep, the next best thing about this trip is the environment. Being born a cold blooded person, (as in I keep a small space heater running underneath my desk 12 months out of the year) I love any climate that provides me with soaring temperatures during the day and cools down to a balmy 86 at night. So that’s a personal bonus for me that others may not embrace. The weather factor aside, the desert is one of the most breathtaking places in the world, especially in this prime spot where arid meets wet.

Our first day out, we pick up the houseboat and head out of the marina early in the morning. Stretching vast in front of you is a pristine sheet of turquoise glass, not yet bombarded by disruptive water crafts. Then surrounding the water on either side are massive sandstone bluffs crocheted with deep ambers, reds, oranges and greens that sing when they meet the sun. Each one is so unique in size and shape, it’s as if they have been painstakingly sculpted by hand. Is that mountain shaped like a cookie jar? Beyond these soaring towers of rock is a cerulean sky dappled with thunderclouds that seem to cuddle with the cliffs below. As rays of sun beam golden on the morning before you, every element is contrasting and relating as one and you can’t help but feel privileged to be witness to God’s handy work. It’s overwhelming to think of what amazing beauties and adventures lie beyond. Like caverns carved out of the basins of buttes creating an echoing hideaway or narrow water passages amidst enormous skyscrapers of rock; natures equivalent to Venetian canals…We take our motorized “gondolas” and uncover the untouched. It is places in life such as this that provoke thanks to God for the gift of sight. Although photographs struggle to do it justice, pictures of the desert take me back to places that I have discovered in my travels and remind me of places that are mine alone…If you are a photographer I would suggest making the desert your next destination.

In an office of more than 200 people, I know I am not the only one here who realizes that this is their life every day. We are here, butts cemented to our rolly chairs, upwards of 9 hours a day. For some, this is their home away from home. Many have practically moved in here. They have extra shoes, full drawers of food as though a natural disaster may hit soon, TVs, radios, vanity mirrors, stuffed animals. The attorney across from me even has a keg-er-ator in his office. I am 23 and I have nothing in common with these office lifers.

I have, however, found one exception – photos. I decided (in the name of research and sheer boredom) to walk around all 6 floors of my office today, and I noticed that every single person has photos in their workspace, including myself. I went further to ask some of them about their photos. The response was incredible. People that I have never spoken 2 words to brightened up so much upon my inquiry that I was taken aback. They erupted into jubilant stories about their wedding day, their grandchildren at the park, their friend’s bachelor party, their large variety of pets, and so on. I was truly overwhelmed in the fact that I had nothing in common with these people 5 minutes ago, and because of a picture, they felt free to share these special moments of their lives with me. They didn’t care who I was or what I thought – these photos were bragging rights to their own spectacular worlds that no one can touch.

The more prominent aspect I found was that these photos plastered on the walls are their “happy place”. When each of us here have a rough day, get yelled at by the boss, or simply can’t believe it’s only $#%! Wednesday, we have these photos all around that bring us back to earth. Photos of our lives where our excitement cannot be contained when we tell perfect strangers about them. We turn to these photos and remember where we are going, what got us here, and what the heck we are working so hard for.

So here’s to all the photographers out there. Capture all the happy places you can, and hang ‘em up proudly. Share your world with everyone around you, and take time to bridge the gap of age, gender, and culture and learn about theirs. You might find that, for those few moments, you just became someone else’s happy place.

If I moved to a foreign country, I would hope I could play my music, practice my religion and embody my culture freely. This country has a lot of problems with prejudice, as we happen to live in the worlds’ melting pot. Our differences breed fear and doubt and we morph that into hate and intolerance. Each face you pass on the street is drastically different from the previous face. Some may look at this as a burden, but maybe we should start looking at it as a gift. How boring would it be if every face, religion, music, food, customs were the same? In what other country do they recognize Cinco de Mayo, Mardi Gras and the Chinese New Year? Let’s look at our differences as more reason to celebrate. Either way, we have to get used to the fact that almost 4,000 people are granted permanent residence in the United States per day. And that’s just the legal immigrants. And by the way, that number is only going to increase. True, the United States has great problems, just as any other country of its size. In fact, we have more. But I think there is something to be said for our ratio of human imports vs. human exports.

To bring this whole idea home, I think one way we can embrace our differences is through photography. It is a medium that seems to honestly convey the human condition on any level. A picture truly says a thousand words. For instance, imagine you are looking at a photograph of a homeless mother on the street in Mexico . Suddenly this woman is not Mexican. Whether you are white, black, Asian or any other race, you view this picture with human eyes. This woman is suffering, this woman is hungry, this child deserves a better life. This picture has made you instantly relate to this woman and understand her plight. It is brutally honest and real and any prejudice you might have of this woman on any given day is diminished. The power of a photograph is taken for granted. Maybe we should start recognizing this power and use it as a tool for bringing people closer together. A camera, if used properly, can be a very powerful piece of equipment. I would urge more photographers to put their talents towards enlightening others through thought provoking pictures.Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she with silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Private Paparazzi was on hand to capture Jared Dudley's NBA Draft party at Belo Nightclub. Jared was the ACC Player of the year and the 21st selection in the draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. To see the photos of this event, click here.

My inspiration today? Art. The love and respect of art, the appreciation for the innate talent required to produce it, the business of art and the artist. But art has many mediums and today I speak for the photographers of the world. Although I am not a photographer, or even an artist of any kind for that matter, I am a self proclaimed “wanna be” artist, so maybe I can use my “wanna be” passion to evoke a response on a pressing issue: the communities request for free photography services.

My work with Private Paparazzi and my love for a free site for communities brings to me Craigslist on a daily basis. I am constantly on the look out for what photography consumers are looking for, and trying to calculate trends in the photography industry. I finally tired of reading ads such as the following and I would love to hear from others if this too, is a thorn in your side:

“I am an aspiring model needing a talented, edgy photographer to take photographs for my portfolio. I am going to need a variety of creative shots with wardrobe changes and various locations. Hoping you can use me to expand your portfolio. Budget is low and I am unable to pay for your services. Call me.”

WHAT? For real folks? How many shades of wrong is this request? Even a “wanna be” such as myself finds this truly insulting. We must remember to respect every artist for what they are and what they are potentially bringing to this world. They are no different from Michelangelo, in the sense that Michelangelo was once an aspiring artist himself. Frida Kahlo received little or no credit for her work until she was dead and gone from this earth. She was never able to reap the benefits of her talents in her own lifetime. Now she is revered, but what of her then? Today’s photographer posting on Craigslist for work, or working for Private Paparazzi for that matter, could be the next Alfred Stieglitz. Something to think about…

First you must know, a photographer need not travel far for inspiration. Try for instance, their backyard. They can walk out their front door on any given day, and never be at a loss of things to shoot in their entire lifetime. Their home, family, nature and this planet is their consistent canvas. Just as you could potentially eat at a new restaurant everyday in New York City and never eat at the same place twice, a photographer could never run out of subjects or places to shoot. This is why the audacity to think a photographer would be willing to exert and creatively give something of them self for the mere opportunity of expanding their portfolio is beyond me.

Do you know why photography is generally expensive? Because it’s hard. Everything about it is hard. The equipment and materials are expensive and with new technology and an ever expanding product list, the industry is updating and morphing everyday. Good photographers with hopes of having a prayer making it in this competitive industry better be educated and a constant student of their own craft. That’s why a company such as Private Paparazzi makes it possible for the everyday consumer with the everyday budget to afford quality photography from the hands and minds of talented individuals. We understand the need and want for photography and our service keeps the desires of the photographer and customer in mind.

At its core, I believe the essence of photography is capturing moments of life. So much of our world is caught up in the future – war, money, politics, planning – when it is really these tiny moments of present and past that keep us going. Photography allows us to remember what we are here for. It lets us revisit the times of blessing, elation, and triumph over adversity to see the raw emotion and hidden beauty in all the chaos we take in every day. At present, I find myself seeing people all around searching for something...something to hold on to, something to inspire, something to fulfill. With the pace that our lives seem to be consumed with, it is hard to imagine that there is still room for something to be missing, but still, most everyone has some sort of void to fill.

These rare moments captured through photography provide the true nurturing of our souls. What’s funny is that for the most part, these moments are not rare at all. These moments are the ones that get passed by. These moments are all too common; enough that we forget to remember them. Seeing a photo not only registers visually, but it triggers the exact feelings present during that moment, whether you were the one in the picture or not. Whether of joy or sorrow, a photo takes this inimitable still frame of a life; a life we may be estranged to yet are so intertwined with... and you finally grasp that what you are really seeing is somebody sharing their heart with you. It is these moments, and the fact that our world is blessed with artists to capture them, that keeps us grounded, keeps us connected to humanity, and allows us to realize that what we have been searching for graces us everyday...one moment at a time.

Private Paparazzi was recently on hand to capture Tony Gwynn Jr.'s first major league game in San Diego against his father's former team, the Padres. From batting practice and signing autographs, to his appearance later in the game, we captured this momentous occasion.