Just another... Life, Blog, Day.

THANK GOD FOR MICRO-BLOGGING

As many of you know by now, my life changed dramatically after returning from SXSW09, when my younger brother Robert informed me that he had cancer (I considered capitalizing the 'c' in cancer in order to be more dramatic, but I have not wanted to give the disease any more consideration then necessary). His news hit me very hard and I choose to stop blogging at that time. Instead, I choose to use Twitter to update everyone (family as well as people who follow me on the different Social Networks) because it was easier for me to handle. For some reason, sending out a picture or a short thought was something more palatable to me at the time as opposed to sitting down and writing a paragraph or two for my blog, or writing countless emails updating family and friends. In fact, I thank God for Twitter (not something I'm sure people are used to hearing about a micro-blogging site) because it allowed me to keep people up to date and still keep my sanity. I can see clearly now that choosing to deal with sharing news about my brother in this way allowed me to treat it 'as a matter of fact' or 'news' instead of an emotion filled land mine of an update. Don't get me wrong, I still made tear-filled phone calls to family and friends, but as long as I could send out a 'Tweet,' many people were satisfied and I didn't have to constantly repeat the details of my brother's struggle with cancer. Along the way, and because of sites like Twitter, Facebook and Lalawag, many more people then I would have ever imagined became concerned with my brother and his battle. I could tell that this wasn't some morbid fascination with was going on with me, my brother, and my family either. These people really cared. They passed along their Thoughts, their Prayers, and their Well Wishes. Many people even prayed that a Miracle would save my brother, while others offered Recommendations of Doctors and Healing Treatments that might cure his cancer. I was overpowered by the many <<HUGS>> and XOXOXOs as well as offers of help that I got through Texts, DMs, and Facebook Messages. Each message treating me, my brother and our family as someone that they have known forever as opposed to only knowing me through my photographs or 'online.' My family members even thanked me for updating them in this way. They too it seemed, wanted a way to 'keep up to date,' without having to have an emotional breakdown two or three times a week. I was told by more than one extended family member, that they were thankful for my updates because it allowed them to keep in touch without having to bother my brother directly. In the end, when my brother did pass, many more people were there with him then were actually there in person. It is a great tribute to both my brother and to Social Networks that he was able to touch so many lives without ever once having met them IRL (In Real Life).

It may not be impossible to Thank everyone individually that offered up Prayers, Thoughts, Well Wishes, and offers of Help, but it could take me a while and may be filled with much more emotion than my body can handle at this time. I hope that you will allow me, for the time being, to Thank everyone through this blog post, and I hope you know that it is as heartfelt and genuine as I can make it. Each and every one of you who followed my brother's fight with that evil disease was there with me as I celebrated his Life and his Memory. All the family knew that you were following and everyone from his 19 year old daughter (she just turned 19 the week after my brother passed) to my many extended family members were thankful that you were there for him when God decided to take him home. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and thank you from all of my brother Robert's family and friends. You would have liked him and the world is a better place for his having lived his life.

May God Bless and Keep each and every one of you.

All the best,

wms out.

Everywhere I go, people make me feel special. They always seem to like having me around to take pictures. People offer to buy me food and drinks as their way of saying they appreciate my work. I've enjoyed the VIP treatment many times over the last year, and it turns out I have a chance to offer that same kind of treatment to a few special people in the L.A. area. Microsoft and Samsung is putting on an 'Invite Only' event with Free Food, Drinks and Discussions where they promise me they will treat everyone as VIPs. It's called JamOnIt! and there will be Women's Build Events, Technical Sessions, Live Entertainment, Good Food, and of course, Drinks. What do you have to do to receive this VIP TREATMENT? Just Register with the link provided below and tell them that Wm. Marc sent you. It's this next Thursday May 14th and you must be there early. Sign up now and make sure to put "WMMARC" at the beginning of your Company Name. There are a limited number of spaces available but if you tell them I sent you, they will give you priority. So if you're a Mommy Blogger, an Influencer, a New Media Content Producer, or anyone I've ever taken a picture of in Tech, this is my thank you to you. Please sign up and enjoy yourselves as my VIP Guest.  All the best, wms out. Date: Thursday, May 14, 2009 Time: 5:00 pm (You must be there by 5PM) Location: Los Angeles Convention Center - West Hall Patio 1201 S Figueroa Street  Los Angeles, CA REGISTER HERE: http://tinyurl.com/JamOnIT01

You will be asked for an Invitation Key. Enter the Invitation Key and yo will be taken to a page where you can sign up:

What It's Like To Be Appreciated - Or What It's Like To Know You Are Loved!

It's great to be appreciated. Period. Anyone who works hard and takes pride in what they do enjoys it when other people recognize the work that they have done. I know that I get a thrill (no really, an honest to goodness thrill) when someone tells me that they like my work or when I see that they have used a photograph that I have taken of them as their Facebook Profile or Avatar (over 100 at my last count. I really wish there was a way to keep track of that). In fact, I got nearly giddy the other day when, as a bunch of us were sitting (co-working actually) at The W Hotel in San Francisco (during the Web 2.0 conference) and we started counting how many of my 'images as avatars' we all had amongst the thousands of people we followed (and were followed by) on Twitter. It was amazing to see how many people actually thought well enough of my work to use it for the image that they use to show the world who they are. Add on top of that the recent articles, interviews and slideshows that people have put together basically saying that they appreciate me and my work, and you could see how it would be difficult to move around town with a head as big as mine was getting. But, it was all drawn into perspective later that week, when I found out that my brother had Cancer and that his doctor was attempting to get him into surgery as fast as possible to deal with it. Family and friends are all coming together to support him. Each telling him how much having him in their life means to them in their own way. It's an unsettling time and anyone who knows me, knows that I try to keep my personal and private life separate, but it's times like these when you try to reach out to everyone you know and remind them how precious life is and how little time we all have together. I've been thought a little strange for being so passionate about people and loving what I do, but really, it boils down to one thing. I've lost too many friends and family members not to want to capture moments and show the people I care for and love in the best light. You never know when someone is going to be taken away from you or if you'll ever get the chance to tell them that you love them ever again, so take my advice. Don't wait till tomorrow. Tell someone today how much you appreciate them and the work they do. Each moment you spend with a friend should be precious, and each day with a family member or loved one should be celebrated.

Thank you Julie Wohlberg and Heather Meeker for the kind words, and thank you to everyone who I've met in the past year for all the amazing memories that you've so graciously afforded me. You are loved and you are appreciated. Thank You also to the LAist for their recent video interview of me.

My family members have asked that I not talk about them in my public life and I have attempted to respect their requests so I won't be going into too much detail here, just know that my brother goes in for surgery to remove the growth he has on his esophagus this weekend and I would appreciate any Thoughts, Prayers, or Well Wishes that you can offer to him. No need to contact me about it, I'll just know that people out there are pulling for him, and I'll make sure that he knows he is loved.

All the best,

DAVE MATHEWS GETS IT!

"Before Rolling Stone there were only greasy haired musicians who didn't bathe. After Rolling Stone there were Rock Stars! I want to be Rolling Stone for New Media & Technology."

When I give people my 'elevator pitch' regarding my reasons for photographing the New Media & Tech community most people have an 'aha' moment, but I get the feeling that they still don't get it. The reason I believe that they don't get it is because when I ask to take their picture, they shy away from the camera or just give stiff 'pose' for me to shoot. I believe Dave Mathews understands that it takes some effort on the part of the person being photographed to help make a great picture. It's great working with people who get it whether it be in photography or in any other endeavor. When the people you are working with 'understand' it makes for a much more enjoyable time and I believe it shows through in the final image.

FACEBOOK REVERTS TO OLD 'TERMS OF USE'

In an interesting turn of events, Facebook decides to return to their prior (original) 'Terms  of Use' until they can "resolve the issues that people have raised."

The entire text and explanation can be found here:

Terms of Use Update

Over the past few days, we have received a lot of feedback about the new terms we posted two weeks ago. Because of this response, we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues that people have raised. For more information, visit the Facebook Blog. If you want to share your thoughts on what should be in the new terms, check out our group Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.

It will be interesting to watch what happens in the coming weeks ahead.

WHY WORRY! FACEBOOK LOVES ME!

Right now, everyone's up in a roar about Facebook's latest Terms of Use verbiage which essentially gives them rights to anything their users put up on Facebook, indefinitely! For someone like me who takes a lot of photographs that might be a problem, but in truth, it doesn't effect me much. Let's analyze my situation for a moment. Let's say I put up an amazing (and original) photograph of Obama or of OctoMom or of YouTube phenom Fred. And, for the sake of argument, everyone loves it. My question would be "What does Facebook gain by using it somewhere?" Nothing really. They don't have a high res (i.e. good quality) version of the photograph, and if they try to use it without attribution, people will end up asking where it came from and Facebook will be forced to admit that one of their users took it and they decided to capitalize on it, which, I don't believe, will make them look very good. In fact, it could end up being a PR nightmare. The point I'm trying to make is, that Facebook, along with a whole host of other sites who have original content put up on their sites by loyal users, would be shooting themselves in the virtual foot by trying to use something they didn't create to make what is, in the long run, a miniscule amount of money. It just doesn't make good business sense, and believe me, business is what these sites are all about. So, when you hear all the panic about Facebook 'owning' your content for the rest of eternity, don't worry. It would benefit them more to promote you and your content then it would ever be for them to 'steal' your content and try to make money off of it. All this craziness is about headlines. It makes for a great article on a slow business day. In the end, Facebook, like everyone else is only trying to cover their virtual tail by including what amounts to boiler plate to their Terms of Service. And, as the case actually is, I'm more worried about some random person lifting my photographs and claiming they took the shot or even worse, just not attributing it, then I ever will be concerned that Facebook or Google are out to get me. It's a big bad world out there, but don't worry, Facebook and Google are NOT out to get you. And, if you care that much about a photo or video, and you're worried someone may wish to use it without your permission, don't put it up.

Just my 2¢ world.

All the best,

wms out.

Film Noir - Mainstream Media Massacres

I guess we can call this a contest of sorts, but really what it boils down to is that I don't have access to a lot of fonts and I don't have the kind of time I'd like to spend on making this pic look as amazing as I know it could. What it needs is to be made to look like the Film Noir Movie Posters of old. For those of you willing to put the time and effort in, here is what I envisioned would be the verbiage, but please feel free to be as creative as you'd like:

Taryn O'Neill Mike Davies Jr

HORROR

MAINSTREAM MEDIA MASSACRES

"Who Murdered Mainstream Media?"

A WMS Production's Shooting

Executive Producers: Tyler Crowly & Jason Calacanis

Shot on location at the Mahalo backlot.

Thank you in advance to all who give it a go. I'll post any results to the Flickr stream for this project. I know this can be greater with colaboration! Let's make it happen.

All the best,

Shorty Awards... Anything Is Possible!

When I first heard about the Shortys it was because a friend had suggested my name as a nominee for the Photography category. At first I wasn't too concerned about winning, but now that we have reached the finals I find myself wanting very much to win and to travel to New York for the awards ceremonies. With that in mind, this is me asking you if you'd please vote for me to win the Shorty Award for Photography. The easiest way is for you to copy and paste this into a tweet with your reason for voting for me:

@shortyawards I vote for @wmmarc in the Shorty Awards Finals for #photography because...

It is extremely important that you give a reason why you are voting for me to win. Without a reason your vote will not count. In addition, if you can ask your friends to vote for me as well I would much appreciate it. And, I promise that if I win the Shorty Award in my category I will travel to New York and document the event in photographs.

The voting ends this Friday at Midnight Pacific time and I'll need at least 100 votes to be in the running. Thank you very much for your help and your support!

Shorty Awards Leaderboard for Photography

The List of People who have voted for me so far:

1) @themaria

2) @SashaKane

3) @stevebanfield

4) @TheDudeDean

5) @least

6) @Eruanna

7) @kyrareed

8) @LEGarvin

9) @JessicaGottlieb

10) @lgharib

11) @dvinMsM

12) @r0b3rta

13) @circleofkharma

14) @nwjerseyliz

15) @LindaSherman

16) @Adomatica

17) @FrenchMaidTV

18) @loslawnboys

19) @hansveld

20) @TarynONeill

21) @redwell

22) @SerenaCat

23) @AspenSpin

24) @michaelpilla

25) @therightbreed

26) @BlaineZuver

27) @megaphoneMusic

28) @daynah

29) @chrisu

30) @farwyde

31) @jeremey

32) @skquinn

33) @nicoleaimee

34) @dcSportsGuy

35) @mvermut

36) @nte

37) @joinseattle

38) @lifecruiser

39) @AndrewWarner

40) @blameitonscoble

41) @RayJGordon

42) @gswd

43) @MarkLaymon

44) @khartline

45) @BryanOulton

46) @thecampdirector

What It's Like To Get Dugg!

I'm not sure what I expected, but reality is a wake up call you don't want to miss! I've been taking pictures of people in New Media & Technology now for nearly a year and I've taken pictures of some notable people and events (e.g. Pete Casmore of Mashable, Jason Calacanis of Mahalo, Ashton Kutcher or Blah Girls, CES, The Crunchies, etc.,) but nothing compared to the attention I got from shooting a Diggnation event recently held @ The Knitting Factory here in L.A. Views of my pics went from a couple hundred a day to hundreds of thousands. All total, the views for January 17, 2009 topped out at 214,240. Talk about a powerful network. Kevin, I don't care what people say, you deserve every last bit of credit. You've earned it and you've proven yourself over and over again. Thank you and all the people at Digg for allowing me the opportunity to shoot your event. I had a blast and the digg love was something I'll remember for quite a while.

Here's the link to the Flickr Photo Set:

Diggnation Comes To L.A.

The L.A. Tech Scene is a Sausage Fest!

If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times lately... that the L.A. Tech Scene is just one big Sausage Fest. For all those people (mostly disgruntled men who haven't had a date in too long a time) I say "you are off your rocker!" I'm not about to put together a calendar (there's already the Hot Blogger Calendar), but I wouldn't mind putting together a coffee table book of all the amazingly intelligent and beautiful women that I've met in the Tech Scene. Amanda Coolong and Lee Fox (@acoolong & @KooDooZ respectively) are just two examples of they women I've met (full size version of the above pic). I've had the pleasure of shooting some of the most beautiful women in tech and each one would describe themselves as a geek. People like Janine Warner (my pic & her site), Laura Fitton - aka @Pistachio (my pic & her twitter page) not only know their tech but could teach the boys a few things. If I sound like I've got my dander up over the subject it's because I believe that saying that the tech scene (in general) is a Sausage Fest is tantamount to a slap in the face of all women. We are so far beyond the time when men owned the scene. If you haven't seen any Women In Tech then you are either blind or you should shower, shave and get out of the basement you call your 'man lair' and breathe the fresh air of The New Tech Scene as it's full of the most interesting Women you'll ever meet, and maybe... just maybe (if you pluck up enough nerve), one of them will talk to you and you will find yourself enamored by their intelligence and beauty.

I've shot so many more, Strong/Intelligent/Beautiful women that I haven't included in this rant, and I may have to go back and share all their names and links to them, but that may take more time than I have as there are soo many. Let me know if you think I should do it sooner than later. And, if so, please email me:

Cool things happen on your birthday. Today I'm pretty sure I got over 100 'well wishes' from Facebook friends, and someone who heard about my tweet regarding 'Mother's Circus Animal Cookies' found one of the last bags left on the store shelves and brought it by. That and someone very special to me hand made a T-Shirt that I think is Brilliant! All in all, aside from my physical therapist who decided to hurt me as much as she could, it has been a pretty amazing day. Pain and all. Thank you to everyone who remembered me on my birthday. Today was truly a humbling experience.

All the best to everyone!

I took this off of "The Byrds Greatest Hits" but it was originally taken from The Bible (Old Testament), from the Book of Ecclesiastes. I don't believe that anyone can argue with what it says, and I don't know anyone who won't sing along when the song is played.

A neighbor of mine passed away today (he was in his 80s). I had known him and his wife (who is currently in the same nursing home that he was in) for over 15 years. He was good people. A great neighbor. And, a good friend. I know I've said this before, but I am quite sure it needs to be said again. Life is short! Hug people while you can, and tell everyone that you love how much they mean to you. Never let a day go by that you don't tell someone that your day is better because they are in it.

By the way... I love you, and I couldn't make it through the day without you!

Midnight Showing @ The New Beverly Cinema - Showgirls

A friend of mine, Sofia Shinas (Actress [The Crow], Singer, and now Director) asked me if I would stop by and see what a friend of hers was up to. I believe she mentioned that it was a Midnight Showing of the 1995 Paul Verhoeven (Wikipedia/IMDb) / Joe Eszterhas (Wikipedia/IMDb) movie Showgirls, but I'm pretty sure it didn't register at first. I told her I wasn't sure if I could make it but that the event I was going to be at earlier in the evening was nearby and that I'd stop by if I could. It turned out that the event I was at was something I could get out of early so I decided to pull by the New Beverly Cinema, a revival theater in Hollywood, where the showing was taking place. I'm not quite sure what I expected to find, but when I got there I was thrilled to see a pretty packed house for a midnight showing of what I was later to find out was a movie that won 7 Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies as they are commonly called by aficionados of the genre (not a good thing, or at least that's what I thought before I got there). When I finally settled into my seat (in the second row of the theater) and said my hellos to Sofia and another actor friend of hers, Manos Gavras, was that everyone was there to see Rena Riffel, the Special Guest Star of the evening. Rena, Sofia's good friend, was one of the actors in Showgirls and was there to give her 'behind the scenes' views on the movie and to promote her latest project Trasherella. Rena held the audience captive as she smiled, took pictures with fans, and told stories of Paul Verhoeven. Everyone there was on the edge of their seats when she laughed and explained how easy her now infamous 'nude crawl' across stage turned out to be. Even more compelling, in a voyeuristic way, was when Mark Goldblatt, one of the movie's film editors, came on stage to share his memories from the making of the film. It should also be pointed out that Rena is much more famous (or infamous as the case may be) than I was originally led to believe. Apparently, not only did she act and sing in Showgirls (Rena is credited with 'Original Music' for the movie along with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics fame), but she is the only actor to ever win 'Back-to-Back' Razzies (for Showgirls '1995' and Striptease '1996' respectively), ever! Quite the accomplishment. In the end, I had a wonderful time and got to know much more than I ever thought I'd care to know about a movie that most people will never see, but that whose fans will always remember fondly. A pretty good night and fun was had by all.

See the entire photo set on:

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/5dfw2u

or

Flickr: http://tinyurl.com/6mfuss

Mark Cuban: Here and Now!