Jon Claxton | Photography

After having an incredible Christmas Eve dinner at the Gandola residence, Buckwheat and I woke up the following morning to join the family for a morning of paper shredding and merry making.  At around 8:00, Ethan and Elyse (the stars of the morning) commenced the festivities by shredding whatever package we put in front of them; increasing their bounty of toys by the minute.  But somehow it was the noisy toys that made it to the forefront though (thanks to my sister, Denise).  Our Santa Claus from Colorado sent Elyse a super amplified keyboard and Ethan an electronic game, neither of which seemed to have a volume control.  After all the presents had been opened,  the party almost got out of control when one of the patrons began yanking the ornaments from the tree and smashing them on the ground.  I’m happy to report that no one was injured. 

Some family photos from my 24-hour stint can be found at:  www.jonclaxton.com/Christmas2008

First off, I have to admit that this is not a fresh photo (I took it in 2007); however, this does not preclude this photo from being getting posted on the blog.  I want this blog to also include my most recent stream of consciousness.  Therefore, I posted this photo because I had a momentary relapse tonight.  It was the kind of relapse you have after having 4 pints of beer with a friend and you talk about a wild location that you would like to visit (Chile is next on the list for me, I hope).  So I posted this photo because it reminds me of a wonderful adventure I shared with my buddy Pat Patten, where the cold water really didn’t matter much.  My guess is that the water in Chile couldn’t be any colder.  Anyways, I hope you all are inspired to take a new trip in 2009 that makes you happy or changes your perspective on life.  Cheers.

Last week has been a blur of travel. Almost to the point of rock star status, minus the girls, drugs, roadies, late nights, etc. After spending a few days in Phoenix on a work trip, I returned to SLO, only to pack up the bags, pet the dog, and kiss my woman, then I flew out to Vernal, Utah. My mission: to find Sclerocactus claucus. This tiny cactus is considered to be federally threatened and protected under the Federal Endanagered Species Act. The crazy thing about this cactus is that is about the size of a quarter. So for days, I walked through a desert, nearly hand-in-hand with a group of fellow biologists, as we literally “Combed the desert.” (God, I love Spaceballs). And, hey, guess what? We didn’t find shit. The photo I’ve included above was taken at a reference location, where the cactus is known to occur. As for the transects we walked, not one of these species was found. And, unfortunately, our survey period ended up getting cut short due to a dusting of snow that easily covered our spiney little friends for the winter.

Well it’s been several days since I’ve been at work and this last Sunday was a great way to cap it all off. Scott Kam (www.rootamental.com) and I headed down to Santa Barbara and Ventura in search of some decent waves. Hell, truth of the matter is that with buoys tipping the scales at 14 feet and 20+ second periods, there is not many places to hide around our usual SLO County surf spots. Thankfully we were able to find a spot amongst the fellas who all had the same idea. After it was all said and done, it’s funny how much excitement we got out of catching probably less than 10 waves between us, and paddling for hours with the masses of water that swirled around the point.

Last weekend, I set the alarm for 4:30 a.m., grabbed my gear, and made the drive up to Paso Robles, where I linked up with Katie DiSimone (www.katiedisimone.com) for what was to be a very, very long day. Katie and I jumped into her Honda at around 5:30 am, bound for Santa Clara. Thankfully, Katie doesn’t completely obey the speed limit and is a bottomless pit of knowledge and funny stories. So, the 2.5 hour drive in the morning was pretty much painless.

Tweaked out on egg McMuffins and Starbucks coffee Katie and I arrived in Santa Clara, which greeted travelers like us with their corporate sentinel Yahoo buildings and other large office structures. Wondering what the venue for the wedding was going to look like, I guess I really wasn’t surprised to find out that it was actually within one of these buidlings – the Freedom Hall.

Right when I thought the Starbucks was going to wear off, I met the bride and groom, Eylene and Pete. Both of which were full of energy and fun quirky comments that would keep me laughing for the rest of the afternoon. After spending just a few hours with these two and their “Game Night” friends, it was undoubted that these two were made for one another and the photos showed it. Cheers Katie for letting me join you on this adventure to Santa Clara (Next time, we are hitting up the Banana Republic Outlet on the way home).

Josslyn Finch was one patient little baby during her recent photo sesh in Cayucos. We propped her up by the fireplace, took her outside, made crazy noises, shook toys, and made the family dog (Casey) snuggle up with her. All of this and not one bout of crying. I was super impressed. Above is just one of several great photos that Josslyn allowed us to take that morning. But I have to admit, it’s kinda hard to mess it up with a face like that.

As I poured through Costume Capers with Lulu for about a half an hour, I decided to really go out on a limb this year. I went the halloween party at Nepenthe as a nerd. The most disturbing thing about my outfit was that I pretty much owned everything already, with the exception of the glasses. But if you had a time machine, you could’ve probably just dialed it back about 20 years, and BLAM…you’d have a near spitting image. Anyway, the party was incredible, full of ups and downs and crazy people seemingly half insane by acting out their characters. Yeah, you know who I’m talking about, Batman!!! Take home message: If you haven’t been to Nepenthe for the Halloween party, pick up a ticket next year. I’ll see you there.

In preparation of the bridal fair in San Luis Obispo, I recently shot some floral photos for my friend Mariah. I thought it was a nice relief not having to ask my subject to stop blinking, take your sunglasses off your head, etc. The flowers were just there; holding still; and not moving a muscle (or plant tissue for this matter). Anyways, I have to say, all of the arrangements looked incredible. I was especially fascinated by the succulent arrangement (not shown above). If you, or someone you know, is looking for a great floral designer, you should definitely check out: www.mariahfloraldesign.com.

A web gallery of the arrangements can be viewed at: www.jonclaxton.com/Mariah

After a late night phone call from my long time friend Scott Kam of Rootamental, I found myself standing in a local parking structure on a weeknight shooting skate photos rather than completing a proposal for work that had been weighing on my mind that evening. I ended up hauling my flash and the fisheye to the scene, but ended up ditching the flash and instead just try to pan the subjects with the ambient light given off by the sodium bulbs overhead. It was more an experiment with light than a true attempt at perfection, but I loved the challenge of trying to pan with every clump of skaters that flew past me. After reviewing the photos, I definitely didn’ t have the success ratio that I was hoping for, but I loved the grain of photos that I got from cranking the camera up to 1600 ISO and applying some presets. I told Scott that I demand a replay in order to vindicate my photo skills.

Check out: http://www.rootamental.com/

Although October 4th has come and gone, I can remember it vividly. The first real rain storm of the season was predicted for that day. And as the day approached it look more and more certain that the forecast would come true. Sure enough, almost perfectly described by our local weather guru, the rain in fact fell between the hours of 10 and 11 in the morning, but it left nothing but beautiful blue sky above for Bill and Meg’s ceremony at Montana de Oro.