Location Crusade: The Ameristar Hotel

Are you bummed about dreary weather? Chilly breeze twisting your face? Are you stomping your foot saying "I want my photo session in winter!" Well, p'shaw, Spring! Your fearless photographer is out scouting indoor locations for those who can't brave the weather but want to do sessions in winter.. or for those who need backup locale ideas in case of unsavory weather.

Today I scouted the interior hotel and lobby areas at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles (hwy 70 and Fifth Street). Check out these sweet nooks.

Lounging lovers? Cozy up in the hotel lobby/lounge area.

Abstract carpets and marble fireplaces.

Intriguing stone-paneled wall with slits of light! Main walkway to the hotel lobby.

Textured wall with lighted waterfall, oo!

Skylit cobblestone walkway... wait, this is indoors? Yes! Just outside the casino entrance.

Skylight near casino entrance (insert foreground close up of lovers).

Daring red wall... for casting noir glances.

Chocolate brown curtains (across from the daring red wall).

If you're looking for other unique options for shoot spots in the greater St. Louis area, check out my earlier blog on this related topic, and stay tuned for more location scouting as I discover the hidden gems of lovely places to be photographed.

Branching Out to Babies!

Okay gang, I've officially branched out to photographing the wee ones! ...especially catering to busy new mothers with week day sessions that can be done in-home. I've covered a few infants and children previously, but I'm currently researching trends in baby photography and seeking a new refreshing angle to the genre. I'd love your comments on this topic to see what styles are getting parents excited these days.

What do we all think of baby photography trends? If you're a grandmother, father-to-be, newlywed or bachelor dude, I'm curious to know your impressions of baby photography this day and age. Do you find certain poses awkward? Angelic? Creepy? Heartfelt? What do you think works best and what is just plain thumbs down? Here's some eye candy to spark some opinions:

strangely bound Holiday Inn gift?

floating baby on a cloud of hands?

naked parents? (I'm with this kid's expression)

squishy faced babies in crocheted hats?

babies a-dangle in hammocks?

pregnant belly with hand hearts?

All these are fairly formulaic styles in artistic baby portraiture. Some of the more refreshing ideas I've gathered have involved babies wrapped with intriguing things, or placed inside of naturally shaped objects. I've even seen a few shots (which scare me) of babies appearing to have been left in random places, like wrapped and set on the fireplace mantle! Huh? Oh, I found your baby in the bookshelf.

"dear, where did we leave the baby!"

As far as my own designs for posing infants, I do enjoy naturalistic colors, shapes reminiscent of birth, and themes relating to growth as found in nature, such as seed pods, bird nests, flower blooms and fabrics reminiscent of floral membranes. I was recently very much inspired by Anne Geddes' new work called Beginnings. Peruse her work here to glimpse a few images. She was inspired by nature and the concepts of birth and new life, and worked that still life photography into pregnancy and infant portraits. I love her attention to the details of these intricate floral buds, seeds, intertwining nesting materials, and her analysis of embryonic shapes for babies to fit into. Often the amorphous blob of a baby's limbs cannot unawkwardly fit into things like baskets or teacups, whereas the natural fetal position amidst soft cottons and nestlike comfort suits them perfectly.
Nature seems the most fitting backdrop for babies. They've just exited the most natural place they'll probably ever know, just entering a crazy world just waiting to get its iPhones and high fructose corn syrups into their hands. A newborn baby has not yet been touched by the world and its influences, and I think that so unfamiliar concept is what really sparks my curiosity about infants and capturing them. Everything is new, unknown and pure. That is what should be captured and remembered about this too brief moment in their lives. They'll never again know that sensation of untarnished newness and purity.

Do I Need A Second Wedding Photographer?

I encounter brides who either say up front that they need a second photog for wedding coverage, or appear to not have considered the benefit versus overkill of having a second. There's always a budget, and as that means cutting out the extras in most cases, in other cases having the addition is critical. What to do!

The definitive answer is: It depends! It's based both on your preferences and your scenarios. This article will help you assess the particulars so you may consider whether you need a second or if having one would be overkill.

Situations Recommended for Second Coverage

If any one of these situations is true of your wedding day, you may want to consider a second photog:

• Two events happen simultaneously in separate places and there is not enough time for one photographer to cover both. Example: Groomsmen and bridesmaids getting ready in separate venues.
• You have an odd usage of processional/recessional space, like a long scenic aisle walkway which has steps, curves or people are entering the congregation from two different directions.
• Your ceremony is 30 minutes or less in a large space. There's only so much moving around and capturing as many angles as possible during short ceremonies, especially in large venues or if there's a balcony and you want overhead shots taken at the same time as aisle shots.
• You want to choreograph an off-altar First Look. Any short-lasting moment is best covered from two angles simultaneously. First Looks can be covered fine with just one photog, but having just one often means I'm stopping you in the middle of the action to make sure I get all the expressions. It depends on locales and circumstances.
• Your venue has challenging lighting, either outdoors at night or a dimly lit space with high ceilings. These situations require special spot lighting for best exposure and to capture low light effects. A lighting assistant is required to manage equipment. Check out Charge of the Light Brigade to see what I mean visually.

Situations Covered Well with One Photographer 

• All events are happening in the same venue and you have 6 or more hours of total coverage. Longer coverage means more time for one photog to cover pretty much everyone and everything.
• You're okay with less angles or less shot variation for short-lived moments.
• You have a longer than half-hour ceremony. The length offers more than enough time for one photog to cover everything from many angles. Two is overkill, unless you want overhead balcony shots taken at the same time as aisle shots.

It's a Toss Up

If you're still undecided, consider that getting a second will not necessarily allow you to shorten your total coverage hours (or lessen your package cost). I'm open to the possibility of adding a second for only a portion of your day, but this depends on locations and the particulars of your event. Consider too that having a second shooting the same subject from two angles may result in your second showing up in the backgrounds of some shots. Digital touch ups in such a case (to remove the  background photog) are done on a per-photo, as-requested basis. 

Having two is often a benefit to the photogs themselves. Coordination, equipment management and travel can more easily be arranged. For instance, if you have a limo traveling to multiple photo sites, things will go more smoothly if I jump on and off with you and not need to find parking separately. My second can assist with my travel at the end of the day. This indirectly affects the fluency of your schedule.

Hopefully this will aid you in your decision! As you can see, it often is very situational, and not everyone needs to have two photographers, but you can clearly see the benefits in certain situations. Most weddings I cover employ just me on site and they can be shot sufficiently as such, but I cannot be in two places at once. However, no one has ever complained that they didn't have enough coverage of their event when it was just me, and I've never once had someone say "You didn't get a shot of so-and-so or this-and-that!" I'm very observant on the job, and honestly I've quite well trained myself to notice a lot of things and somehow look at two things at once. It's a skill that's ever-enhancing ;).

To learn if your specific coverage requires two, I recommend we meet and chat about your particular venues, budget and wedding day schedule. It's also not uncommon to add extra coverage or add a second photog to your existing package within a week or two of your event date. It happens!

Prepare To Be Shot!

Most of us assume we know how to pose ourselves best for a portrait, but professional photography contains many nuances you may never even think to consider. This article evaluates my experience shooting weddings and preps you on what to expect and how to prepare yourselves for the big day.

Photography is probably the last thing on your mind as you get closer to your wedding, but if you consider these tips carefully, you'll be a well informed photo subject, which means your photos will be that much more excellent!

Candid Means Candid - Forget the Camera

I think this is funny. 100% of my clients say they prefer candid photography, but on their wedding days some seek me out to smile directly at the camera. I've even had some ask if they should! True candidity is synonymous with photojournalism; in it's most authentic sense that means the photographer is invisible and events unfold emotionally and authentically. If you want truly candid photography, tune me out. Sounds rude, but it's true. When you see the lens up, try to pretend it's not there unless I'm directing you to look.

Makeup reminder: Make sure your ladies don't wear glitter or shimmer makeup. Under flash lighting, it looks like dandruff!

Not All That Glitters Is Candid

About 80% of a wedding is generally shot candidly. The other 20% is carefully posed (family formals, couple/bridal party portraits). You don't want to have everything candid because when you look at your images later you'll be scraping to find any shot where your two faces are looking straight at the camera. Thus the significance of posing. You'll be pleased with stylized posing rather than your standard shoulder-to-shoulder face front shot. Additionally, believe it or not, many couples don't seem to know how to candidly interact with each other romantically in front of a crowd or camera in order for those great shots to truly be candid. Some direction is required for a portion of your day.

Novel Idea - Pose Yourself

Nothing would make bridal posing go more smoothly than working with a super model. I'm not saying you have to be one or even look like one, but anyone can totally pose like one! Watch a red carpet awards show. Notice how many preset poses they have to display to the cameras. Celebrities have been trained to show their best angles on cue. Nab some tips from them, remember to strike those poses, and you too will look absolutely awesome in every single shot. Guaranteed. If you don't want to think about this too much, simply work on your posture. KEY TERM! Slouching in photos tends to communicate disregard or carelessness. Plus, standing or sitting up straight and confidant will shave 10 pounds off ya!

Simple Pose-Yourself-Awesome Tactics
Try them in front of a mirror when wearing your gown, and I guarantee not only will you look radiant, you will feel 100% confident too. These work for any body type: 

1. Straighten the back, slouching adds pounds (work on your posture!)
2. Suck in the stomach, doing so regularly can tone your abs!
3. Hand on the hip (arm away from body) slims the upper arm
4. Weight on the back foot slims thighs and flatters curves
5. Turn a slight shoulder toward the camera to slim the shoulders and minimize chest
6. A chin to the shoulder creates a sleek, elegant neckline and playful flirtatiousness (see photo above)

I know you all are checking out those bridal fashion magazines... follow their lead!

Posture Posture Posture Posture!

The Shy Guys

Guys are often less gung ho about photos than ladies, but I have ways of peaking their interest. In these cases the goal is to make them forget about portraits and focus on their ladies. The candid look is more challenging for posed shots because moments often need to be created rather than truly being candid. Unposed direction still looks authentic. Creating interaction is my method of getting guys involved and captivated with their gals. It can involve jumping, running, dancing or simply looking at length into each others' eyes.

Make sure your groom grooms himself! Clean shave, trimmed fingernails and lint free!

What Is She Doing??

Photography is the creation of artistic media, and artists will often go to the nth degree to capture something they find impactful. If you see me hiding behind things, swiping items to put in shots, lying on the floor, lying on my back, seemingly spying on people or climbing on top of something, this is normal behavior. I stood on top of a DJ's amp system once for overhead dancing shots.

As always, I will adhere to your preferences as far as shooting and minding surroundings. Put your best foot forward and be shot with confidence! (Did I mention POSTURE?)

Do I Need A Rights Released Disc of Images?

The short answer: Need? No. Want? Yes!

The long answer requires a more intricate understanding of artistic merit, a look into what photographers actually produce for their clients, what you really get when they say it’s a rights released disc, and how that value can serve your personal purposes. There's also a difference between a "copyright release" and a "print right release". Read on to educate yourself!

Artistic Copyright vs. Print Right

Let’s first understand the mass media implication of releasing copyrights, i.e. the artist's studio name on an image. Of course every client would prefer the freedom to use an image without the studio’s name showing on it. However, let’s also understand that artists have integrity, and not only is their work a consumer product, it is also artwork. Professionals are creating artwork, and it’s not an oil painting which only exists on the wall of a gallery. Modern photography is almost purely a digital art form, which means anyone’s image anywhere, any time could be utilized, altered, slandered, copied, pasted and posted to any random place on the internet which may potentially harm the artist’s integrity and artistic merit. You can well understand why photographers are so sensitive about whether to release copyrights to their clients, and if your photographer has any artistic integrity or knowledge of the digital social landscape, they should not release copyrights.

Despite these concerns, I understand my clients' needs. Although I cannot offer a copyright release, I do offer quality print-rights released images with the mutual trust that clients will respect my artwork and will not alter or misuse my images. A print-rights release means the copyright is still there discreetly, but they can make their own prints as long as images are not altered. They agree to this in writing when they make a booking and are subject to legal implications if they act otherwise.

The Product

Before you book any photographer, you need to know two things regarding your images. First, how you will receive your images, and second, how you will utilize those images later. Images "for digital viewing only" is usually a red flag, because most people want to make their own prints.What size prints? Please be aware and ask proper questions when you consult with photographers. Some will say sure! they give rights released discs... But the images may be very low resolution, which means digital viewing only. You’d be pretty disappointed when you try to make an 8x10 print of an image that is not optimum print resolution even for a 4x6. If you want to make prints, ensure that the images on your disc are print worthy, meaning they have a dpi/ppi (dots/pixels per inch) value of at least 200. Image pixel dimensions should be larger than 800x600 (depending how large a print size you’re expecting to make). If a photographer won't disclose this information, wave the red flag.

The Product Value

Are you someone who wants to print off a thousand 4x6’s to put into your own album? Then getting a print-rights released disc (proper resolution) is a huge value for you, considering otherwise that you might be paying the photographer’s print price for all those prints, and that is going to be pricey compared to Walgreen's cently price per print. Are you someone who’d minimally like a nice 11x14 or a lustrous 20x30 landscape for your wall? Then doing your own printing may not be such a good idea. Formatting high quality photos for large format prints, and especially for panoramic prints with non standard sizing, is best left to the professionals. Even if you have print-rights released images, I highly recommend printing anything larger than an 8x10 via your photographer for highest quality results.

DVD? CD? What’s the Diff!?

Keen insight: Consider how many images a photographer shoots on a wedding day. Several hundred? A thousand or more? Now consider that a CD has about eight times less space than a DVD. If your photographer is giving you hundreds of images on a CD, you can place your bets those images are not high quality because they've been downsized simply to fit on the disc! If this is a photographer’s scheme to “give” you rights released images on cheaper storage media only for you to realize later that you have to order high quality prints from them anyway, red flag! A DVD stores images the same way as a CD (files in file folders when viewed on a computer). Plus, you can watch a slide show of your images if you put the disc in a DVD player! Fun times.

Please ask disc media questions of your photographer and be informed! You’ll be happy you did.

Your Photographer: Get To Know Me!

For an express version of this topic for those of you who don't like reading *hands on hips*, check the About Me link at AmkarPhoto.com.

As both the photographer and the photographed, I feel it is significant to know the person capturing one's image. We have progressed long past the Olan Mills Age which gave us cookie-cutter studio portraits by random photographers who awkwardly tried to make comfortable that discomforting one-on-one portrait sitting. Very flat and undynamic. We are now in a wonderful age of heightened expression; so much information is at our fingertips and everything is accessible and customizable. If we are open minded, so many opportunities exist and make it so easy for us to get acquainted and interact with new people. Relationships are easier than ever to create and to maintain.

Simply put, it is valuable to You to know your photographer. By "knowing" I don't mean just attending your initial consultation to discuss the shoot and photo packages. I mean seeking information about this person who will be capturing intimate moments in your life, getting to know what she likes, who she is personally, finding out what you have in common with her. Learn what her creative aspirations are, follow her artistic excursions. Be an informed photo subject. I want to form a friendship with you, and I also want to learn similar things about you too. Doing this allows me to know you, and knowing you allows me to figure how to capture you in your best face. Knowing me makes you feel comfortable with how I'm getting you to show me your best face. It's a symbiotic relationship. People are very important to me. In my mind, selecting and hiring a photographer is not a one-event activity. It's an activity that involves selecting someone you know and trust to capture your life changing moments for any Now and Future events. Ideally, a wedding is just the spring board for a longer lasting relationship.

This being said, I encourage my clients to continue following my creative progress via blog or Facebook. I'd love to keep in touch with you and hear from you at random. If you want to get together just to chat over coffee, I'd love to!

For potential clients who don't yet know me, I've highlighted here some aspects of my personality which translate into my work as a photographer.

I am a hopeless romantic. I think the best wedding photographers have to be. With each different couple I meet, I have an individualized goal to capture them looking the most in love that they can look together. I enjoy the thrill of the romantic magic moment. As a child I believed that Lord of the Rings-like fantasy worlds could actually exist in real life. When I discovered make-believe could never be a true or lasting reality, I rebelled. No! Fantasy is real; it exists through Art. And this is true.

My favorite color is green. Nature is something very dear to me. I'm generally vegetarian (occasionally pescetarian); I eat all-natural ingredients and I love being outdoors. I'm not quite the true neo hippie, but I do enjoy "being green". A twisted tree that you can hang upside down from is far more interesting to me than a studio backdrop. To me, being outdoors feels closer to God; it makes me feel real, boundless and happy. When I take my subjects outdoors, I notice that they always feel more at ease and free to be themselves. Open spaces are pretty grand.

I am a classic art connoisseur. I traveled to Rome recently and have since become overwhelmingly inspired to do a photographic master study on Renaissance art in all it's sculpted glory, serenity, expression and dynamism of shapes and textures. The Renaissance is the quintessential period in history for understanding art. (I also do so enjoy a local Renaissance Faire now and then.) The era was an explosion of heightened artistic expression. Attempting to understand the vision and genious of Bernini, Michelangelo and Da Vinci is simply mind boggling. I occasionally seek inspiration from their ingenuity of art and design. I strive to incorporate the human shapes, colors, hazy-atmosphered sfumato backgrounds or high contrast chiaroscuro techniques into my photographic style. Love it, love it.

I am a writer. Some find it curious that my degree was actually focused on filmmaking and screenwriting at the start. After discovering photography as my calling, I was delighted to realize that everything I learned about directing actors and composing storylines relates directly to photojournalistic photography. It is all about storytelling. Writing has forever been my background passion, and with photography I can write with pictures. It's an amazing thing. My other joy is people watching. I love malls, airports and movie theaters because they are the most diverse places to observe human interactions and learn about societies. I believe that having an interest in humans and their stories makes me a well educated photojournalist, intuned to a pending emotion, and then knowing when to fire my shutter to capture it.

If you'd like to get to know me more, please follow this blog and continue to check out my updates on Facebook!

Say NO To Retail Portrait Studios

If you're the parent of a young'un, you know the effort it takes to get your child cleaned up, suited up, bundled up, buckled in, re-cleaned, tantrum released, strollered through the mall (oops, another spit up... good thing those extra two outfits are squashed under your arm - wrinkles!), and plopped down at a bustling portrait studio where a load of other kids are already whining for having been dragged there and made to wait in a line to get their pictures taken, because it's a Saturday and everyone else and their kid is in line for portraits! Even the run-on sentence is exhausting! I'm so glad my child will never know a retail portrait studio. See ya, Olan Mills! Your time is up! It was nice while the superimposed cameo portraits lasted. *not*

Getting memorable shots of your baby as he grows should not be such a hassling task. Really. You are a busy parent and you don't need this stress. Thus why Amkar Photography is enthusiastic about its brand of portrait photography. I like to think of it as the Naturalistic In-Home Hassle-Free Mentally Non-Taxing portrait session. There are quite a few perks to adopting this trend in professional portraiture and ditching the retail portrait studio altogether.

Firstly, the convenience is clear. In most cases I simply go to clients' homes to photograph their child in his/her natural and comfortable environment. You can't take your bathroom, your kitchen, child's playroom AND wardrobe closet to the mall with you. It's so much easier to clean spills or change outfits on a whim when you're at home. This practice is 10,000 times more convenient, especially for parents of newborns. You've got your arsenal of pacifiers, bottles, cleaning towels and outfit changes right behind your back. And don't tell me your house doesn't look photogenic, because that is what portable backdrops, close up shots, and maybe an outdoor excursion are for.

Secondly and most importantly, your child - the central focus and subject of this photographic event - is comfortable. Some parents don't realize that children can perceive such things, but there is a very significant aesthetic/mental connection that your child has with his own home. If you take him to a loud, busy studio with scary black curtains and huge spider-like tripods and that frightening squeaky clown some stranger is shoving into his face commanding him to smile, then you've got a few things to learn about the way a child's mind processes unfamiliarity. It's simply because he feels insecure in this space and has no idea what else to think. Your home is familiar and safe to him. If he doesn't feel right, he can toddle back to his room and play with his favorite toys... and I can get some authentic child-in-his-play-world shots. The retail portrait studios got nothing on childhood authenticity.

Thirdly, your client satisfaction experience. When everyone and their mother goes to the retail portrait studio, you get a photographer who is there working an hourly shift during which she has to satisfy a fairly large client base daily. She oftentimes doesn't have time to give you and your child the attention and direction you really deserve because she knows she has to fit you in before her next customer (and get you out quick cuz she's tired of your crabby kid). She may be a semi-seasoned photographer, but all she really has to work with in her time frame is pre-determined poses that look the same for every child. It's like a factory: come in, sit down, look here, face there, chin up, hand here *flash!* you're done. Come buy some prints and products. (Do you even want all those prints?)

This is all fine if you want the wham bam stereotype pose experience. But if you're the person I envision you to be... the cherishing mother who simply wants a memory of her child shaking hands with his invisible friend, or the fun loving father who will cry when he's 50 to stumble upon a photo of him and his 3 year old daughter having a tea party together... then you'll need to look somewhere else for someone who can read you as a being of emotion, not just a formulaic "family shape" sitting on the carpet hump in a retail studio. (Ever wonder if they clean those carpets?)

Lastly, don't shop for portraits based on price. Remember that what you pay for is what you get. Good photographers will not be super cheap, but you don't want them to be either. They know the value they can provide to you, and truly, that value is priceless. It comes down to Memories. Covering the growth of your child is in the same league as covering your wedding day. It only happens once and it happens quickly. Afterward, what will you have to remember it?

Also of note, most retail portrait studios offer you a low-resolution disc of your images which they disclaim is "for web use only". Ok... once you've slathered them all over your Facebook wall, then your newer updates keep pushing them down further and further into the "old post abyss", where do they go? They get sucked into Internet Oblivion, that's where they go. No sir! When you want memories, you want to be able to print them out and give them to people who will frame them and put them in books or on walls. You cannot print low-resolution images yourself. They will be a blurry, pixelated mess if you enlarge them. Sorry! And have you tried going back to a retail portrait studio years later to get a re-print of something? Umm, no. Sorry, they will not keep your stuff that long. And what if your child stands on top of your disc and pivots around on it with the data side facing down on a concrete floor? That is tough luck for you. Your Family on the Floor in the Mall Portrait Studio images are gone forever. Good thing I back up all my client photos indefinitely... specifically for those "My son boiled my disc to see how it would melt" moments. You know kids, they're scientists. Every one of them.

Amkar Photography offers maternity, baby, family and senior portraits for just $200 per session. That includes a 1 hour session, an in-home visit or outdoor location, no image limit, online gallery and high-resolution rights-released high quality DVD in a keepsake case. I also offer albums and canvas gallery wrap wall decor.

Check out my availability and schedule your session today!

Amkar's Red Carpet Coverage

In 2011, I was very privileged to have won a contest hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which landed me a seat in the fan bleachers between the iconic Red Carpet and the prestigious Kodak Theater at the 83rd annual Oscar Awards. What an experience!

Given the restrictions of my seat assignment and security instructions which prohibited standing or removing myself from my seat, I was nevertheless greatly stoked about the opportunity! Arriving at 8am, star-studded red carpet activity not to begin until 2pm, I had many hours to sit and wait for things to happen. Waiting went faster than anticipated. Looking out over all the press, watching them set up their tripods and light diffuses, uncovering Oscar statues from their plastic protectors... it was exhilarating simply to see what happens in preparation for such an event..

I watched a crew setting up in front of my bleacher section, preparing to shoot a reporter there. Ryan Seacrest emerged and gosh those bleacher fans can yell. Ryan gave a shout out to us. I thought it amusing that he required cards cuing him to say: "Welcome to the Academy Awards, the world is watching". Duh. How do you need a cue for a line like that?

By about 2pm, Wolfgang Puck and a moving table of chef hands were bringing out a grand hors d'œuvres display for the stars. From that point, it was one thing right after another. Ann Hathaway and Cate Blanchett seemed to have very tight interviewing schedules as I could barely catch a shot of them as they bolted across the carpet. Many bolting celebrities were difficult to catch (Gwenyth Paltrow, Matthew McConaughey). I much respected the stars who made particular note to recognize and wave to the fans: Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, Hillary Swank, Jeff Bridges, Justin Timberlake, Sandra Bullock, Colin Firth, Natalie Portman. Thanks guys! Everyone loves a celebrity who loves us back.

Searching for celebs was less like a monstrous 'Where's Waldo' than I thought it would be, especially when every notable celeb was heralded by the hundred voices of bleacher fans shouting "Saannnnnnnndra!!!"... "Milaaaaaaa!" just to get them to look over and wave to us. Pretty surreal to get some star attention, I have to admit.

Hollywood IS surreal. It's easy to see why, and it's simply because the magic of Hollywood is mostly fabricated. What it takes to make a magical movie is one part smoke and mirrors, one part digital effects and one part actor talent. Behind that curtain, Hollywood is an average, congested, smoggy town filled with gaffs, key grips, street blockages and gift shops. But it is also filled with talented people, and they are what plug the power into Hollywood. The realism of the magic comes out at these ceremonies, where the stars are not bound to keeping in character, and where the charm and talent of an actor can be wholly seen and recognized without green screens or digital effects.

Oh yeah and NO thanks, Academy, for illogically blocking off simple egress back to my car after the event, even though the ingress was simple enough. But thanks for the breakfast, lunch and dinner, and free viewing party in the El Capitan theater across the street!