MY NEW RIDE!

2004 Audi A6 Avant Quattro. Dolphin Gray exterior / Dove Gray interior. Bose 6 disc cd with Satellite radio. Cold Weather / Ski Package. Moonroof. Homelink. 27,000 miles. Just need to get the windows tinted and give it a nice polish!







© Lydia Marcus 2009
Photographed April 30, 2009 in Encino, CA

AN EVENING WITH WOMEN

Friday night I shot stills at An Evening With Women - a yearly fundraiser for the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Here are a few of my faves from the night.

Sharon Stone (she hosted the live auction)




Sharon and Jennifer Coolidge


Sarah Silverman

- Bet you wish you knew the story that went along with this gesture! Sarah had the audience in STITCHES!



Newly out Clementine Ford and her mom Cybill Shepard


DJ Samantha Ronson

- The main event didn't end til midnight, then Sam came on and got us stragglers, or as I like to think of us, diehards, revved up til nearly 2am playing a lot of great tunes from the 70's, 80's, and 90's.

My fave scene / crowd shots:



















The Center CEO Lorri L. Jean


An Evening With Women Photo credits: © Lydia Marcus 2009

Photographed April 24, 2009 in Beverly Hills, CA at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

HOLLYWOOD PICKUP

Photo © Lydia Marcus
Photographed November 10, 2007 in Hollywood, CA

GO TEAM SHARP!

Mike, Laura, Leah, Sonya, Amy, Serena, and Me

April 19, I participated in the Walk MS: Greater Los Angeles 2009 - a 5K walk around the Rose Bowl. I was supporting my "forever sister-in-law" Sonya (who happens to be my ex's little sis). Sonya has MS and in fact it runs in her family. Her Uncle Jay not only had MS but a very severe case and died as a result of complications from the disease just last year. He was only in his late 40's. I have a second cousin who also has MS and she is in her 90's - so the disease really runs the gamut in how it affects a person's health. I was glad to be there to support Sonya and in remembrance of Jay.

The heat can be a real bitch to people who have MS, so the fact that it was about 98 degrees in Pasadena during the walk was certainly a real hardship to many people. I salute the brave spirit of all the individuals with MS who participated in the Walk MS event. And I will continue to support Sonya in future walks.

Sonya


A Sea of Walkers!


This t-shirt pretty much says it all


Photo © Lydia Marcus
Photographed April 19, 2009 in Pasadena, CA
at the Walk MS: Greater Los Angeles 2009

"Can MS be cured?
Not yet. There are now FDA-approved medications that have been shown to "modify" or slow down the underlying course of MS. In addition, many therapeutic and technological advances are helping people manage symptoms. Advances in treating and understanding MS are made every year, and progress in research to find a cure is very encouraging." - www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/FAQs-a...

www.nationalmssociety.org
walkms.org

FEELING SPRINGY

Photo © Lydia Marcus
Photographed August 15, 2008 in Los Angeles, CA at the Getty Center

THE NOHO 3

1951 & 1950 Chevy Panel Trucks and a two-tone 1981 Datsun 280Z




A phallic hood ornament from the Chevy

Photos © Lydia Marcus
Photographed April 12, 2009 in North Hollywood, CA

NOT SO REGAL

Photo © Lydia Marcus
Photographed April 12, 2009 in North Hollywood, CA

TWO FRIENDS ENJOYING EL PUEBLO DE LA REINA DE LOS ANGELES

Friday I had a fantastic day hanging out with one of my old high school buddies Brad. He lives in D.C. so it's rare that I get to see him. We had lunch with two of his friends in Burbank, took a nice drive on city streets to downtown, and made an impromptu visit to Griffith Observatory where we each enjoyed a hot cup of Wolfgang Puck soup (Me-Butternut Squash, Brad-Tortilla) while dining alfresco with a full view of the wide expanse that we lovingly call the City of The Angels.

Here's some snaps from my Sony T100 recounting our fun.

Brad & Me in Burbank


Some lovely flowers - this shows how AMAZING the macro setting is on my Sony T100 - AMAZING bokeh for a point and shoot!


I snapped this pic out the window as we were driving down Glendale Blvd towards downtown.


We made a quick stop at Walt Disney Concert Hall and I shot this snap from the car.


The very famous Hollywood sign, viewed from Griffith Observatory


The Astronomers Monument on the front lawn. George Stanley, one of the artists who created this work in 1934, was also the creator of the famous "Oscar" statuette. The monument features six of the greatest astronomers of all time: Hipparchus; Copernicus; Galilei; Kepler; Newton; and Herschel (yah the one Jew!). Not sure which of the brilliant minds I captured here.


Calcium close up (another great macro!) - part of the elements display.


I love these shots of Brad! He looks so cute.




Brad got down on the ground to get this great shot of me. He encouraged me to get a little sassy and it worked!

DESERT BUG

Photo © Lydia Marcus
Photographed February 8, 2009 at Tom's Welding near Route 66 in Barstow, CA

"DAVID BOWIE" - THE ROCK STAR OF DOGS

Photo © Lydia Marcus
Australian Shepard Photographed April 5, 2009 in Encino, CA

SOMEWHERE IN TIME

1955 Packard Clipper Custom Constellation Polaroid Photo by © Lydia Marcus
Photographed April 4, 2009 in Encino, CA

Q IS FOR QUEER

"I would like to advocate replacing the word "gay" with "queer" when talking in broad terms about our collective experience. Queer isn't just about same-sex wedding tackle. Queer is about sensibility. You don't need to be gay to be queer. Indeed, some of the queerest people I know are straight. My mum is a bit queer. Obama is definitely queer. Little Edie Beale was very queer. I think if more people embraced their queerness, we'd all be the better for it."
- Alan Cumming (Newsweek April 13, 2009)

Photo © Lydia Marcus / www.lydiamarcus.com
Photographed April 23, 2006 in Santa Monica, CA

YOU AIN'T NOTHING BUT A HOUND DOG

Photo © Lydia Marcus / www.lydiamarcus.com
Photographed April 5, 2009 in Encino, CA

TRASHED TORONADO

This Oldsmobile Toronado belongs to one of my neighbors. It's been sitting and rotting for a few decades. That makes me sad. The guy who owns it is an old WWII military guy. My entire life, the guy has been going everywhere in the neighborhood on foot, always walking around in khaki pants and a short waisted, olive military jacket. I guess he always liked walking better than driving, so the Toronado will sit rusting, locked up behind that fence until the day he dies.

Photo by © Lydia Marcus
Photographed April 2, 2009 in Encino, CA

GET A LITTLE CLOSER

Spring has brought my front and back yard some nice blooms just begging for the macro treatment. I'm pretty much a learner when it comes to macro photography but the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 micro lens I have kind of does all the work for me.

I call this one "Riding The Wave"


A beautiful two-tone Rose




Photo by © Lydia Marcus
Photographed April 2, 2009 in Encino, CA

BOKEH HOUND

Lucy models for my new Nikon 85mm f/1.4 lens. BOKEH WOW! It would have been even creamier had I not shot my D80 on 1600 ISO (which added a little bit of noise). I am in LOVE with this lens that I bought barely used off Nikonians. That bokeh is why you pay more than double $ to jump from the f/1.8 to f/1.4 lens.

I was trying to figure out where the burnt orange in the background came from and I realized it's my hardwood flooring. That's why you shoot at f/1.4 when you can!

Photo by © Lydia Marcus
Photographed April 2, 2009 in Encino, CA