jeremy in london!

i traveled over 8,000 miles for this photo, and the story behind it is just as special as the memory this photo will give me to last the rest of my life.  my quest in london above all else was to see the parliament building and the famous clock tower big ben and it all begin with a simple trip on the bus.

victoria tower stands at the south end of the house of parliament and the house of  lords.  it is an enormously impressive structure with britains flag flying high above its top

i boarded from streatham hill, a small town in south london enroute to the middle of the city.  the hustle and bustle of the city began to grow as we approached the city center and passengers began squeezing tighter and tighter inside the iconic big, red double decker.  little did the bus driver know as he commanded each rotation of the wheels on the bus, that my heart began to pound ever more rigorously as we came closer and closer to our destination...

the steps of lambeth bridge, victoria tower peeks through in the background

and then, suddenly it happened.  as we made our way through a tunnel, a sight these eyes have waited to see for a lifetime began to slowly apparate on the other end...the london skyline presented itself to me in an act of true british magic. the emotions burst out of me in a wide, face splitting smile that i couldnt and wouldnt hold back in the slightest...

the house of parliament,  commons and big ben light up londons skyline.

all the many things i had the opportunity to experience in the city of london are too numerous to try and express here now.  the moments i have wifi access are usually short, and i wouldnt want it any other way! so please allow the following photos to express what i do not have time to put into words  :)

buckingham palace!  i was told i just missed seeing the formal papers on display announcing the new royal baby

windsor castle was my london day trip:  its the oldest active castle in the world and also the official residence of the queen!  this is a view of the castles dry moat

the gardens of windsor as well as the many other activities it takes to maintain a castle helped to develop the town of windsor that sits just outside the castle walls

gaurds patrol the grounds of windsor.  here they were on their way to replace one soldier from his post

my wonderful host kamila took me for drinks at her favorite pub waxy o'connors, it was a castle all in its own with atleast 15 different rooms and levels with little nooks everywhere!  never seen anything like it!

a special thank you to my friend jack for showing me what a night on the town in london is all about, a true english pub crawl!  and also to my amazing host kamila!  my experience in london was better than anything i could have hoped for and so much of that is due to you and your hospitality, thank you!

tomorrow i am off to paris, the city of romance & love and theres no telling what might happen  ;)  i am truly sad to be leaving the uk.  I face the unknown in each new day that comes and i welcome the excitment this inspires in my soul. i find myself in awe of the deeply rich culture that europeans possess...cheers london, bonjour paris!

stay tuned for the second stop of my european tour, paris france  

thanks for reading!

- j

jeremy in europe!

26 years...this is the length of time i've spent on earth in pursuit of the adventure i always knew i wanted, but could never quite base in the realm of my reality.  my dreams of backpacking through europe were met with subliminal sarcasm, taunting me with, 'you might as well dream of going to the moon brother' (which also happens to be on my wishlist, along with flying (or even just riding in) a supersonic fighter jet).

my last post was also a day of elation, however just the anticipation of traveling has my heart racing the same way it was kicking and pushing, and gliiiiiiiiding my way across the city of los angeles during ciclavia!  in just a few hours i will be departing my beloved los angeles and the next 25 days will be filled with that once elusive adventure, as i take my grand tour of europe!

stops:  london, paris, barcelona, rome, athens (mikonos, ios)

since completing my work on a grueling 10 month season one of a television show called home & family this last thursday, i've been scrambling to tidy up last minute errands.  sleep has come in short supply as i found myself wide awake with anticipation every time i tried to lay down or sit still:  "don't forget that one thing!  oh, wait! i need to call that person about something!  remember to submit those photo's before you leave!  go to the bank!  make sure you grab that extra thing for your camera!"

the list was lengthy, but it helped take my mind of the anticipation, or i would have surely died.

a 50 mm lens bought to slay down europe's architecture!

the sights to see are plentiful, and i only have one or two core must-sees in each city:

london:  parliament and windsor Castle

paris:  eiffel tower, versailles

barcelona:  la playa, la playa, la playa

rome: coloseum, italian coast

athens:  acropolis, parthenon  /  islands: mikonos & ios

if you're reading this in shock, please don't fret!  believe me when i tell you i have amassed a sightseeing list so impressive, that...well...you would be impressed, trust me!  a special thank you to some amazing friends who took time from their busy schedules to send me their own favorite places in these cities!

so i ask that you stay tuned and follow along as i make my way across lands of incredible human history.

to all the guests i've hosted: thank you for giving me the courage to forge my own adventure...

now its my turn to see the world  :)

as always,

thanks for reading!

- j

ciclavia - to the sea!

ahhh, venice  :)

life in los angeles is quick...time has found a way of blurring days and weeks together, so that the moments spent on-set...these amazingly spectacular, and always changing moments, must be dumped from memory to make room for the next flood of daily content.  i can't tell you the most exciting moment, or the coolest person i've had standing in front of my lense, but i can speak on the truth that i love my work, and that this is just the beginning for me and my career in photography.

with my first post in all these months, ciclavia is an event that is well worth the wait, although the break in posts does not come from a lack of subject matter.  the paragraph above explains it best; simply a lack of time!

ciclavia is an event put on throughout the streets of los angeles, with the first few originating just outside my window in beautiful downtown.  streets are closed to cars, and although the lanes are kindly dominated by bicycles, I, in my most perfect germy fashion, have taken to the streets with my longboard for an out-of-this-world sidewalk surfing experience.

sunday, april 21 2013 the route for ciclavia - to the sea! stretched the length of the city!  connecting my two favorite areas of this town via venice boulevard, i set out on my mission to longboard the entire 15 mile route from downtown to venice beach!

my friend kelly caught up with
me for the last mile to venice  :)

jenny joined me for a few
blocks from la brea to fairfax!

making my way from the routes downtown start / finish line, I was nervous as I approached my first hill and found myself already breathing hard, with beads, no rivers, of sweat pouring down my face...with only a mile under my belt I felt the split-second doubts that I may not make the full 15 miles...I had spent the previous three or four weekends longboarding the boardwalk from venice to santa monica, a 2 mile stretch that I can cruise with ease...and when the full scope of skating across the city of los angeles hit me as I made my way up that hill, I took those doubts and tossed them aside as the rewarding thrill of peaking the hill and surfing down the backside on smooth, open asphalt dominated my senses.

words of encouragement and shock from cyclists, 'are you going all the way to the ocean?!' yes ma'am, yes i am!  I fell into auto-pilot and the next thing i knew, the downtown skyline was in my rear-view, a mass of metal and glass was slowly fading behind me...kicking and kicking, and cruising, and carving my way past block after block, all of the sudden i had made it 8 miles.  just over halfway to venice and i couldn't have felt better!  next thing i know, downtown is no longer visible, and the smell of the ocean hits my soul...

laci made it from downtown on her bike, we met up in venice!

the realization that i had made the 15 mile trek, in just over 2 hours, was alot to take in.  the beauty of this city, it's inhabitants, and all the other things that make los angeles los angeles filled my emotions with humility.  it's so much bigger then me...and i love that  :)

me and my trusty board, we made it!

the next ciclavia is down 'Iconic Wilshire Boulevard' june 23, 2013 from 10am - 3pm.  you can be damn sure that you will catch me surfing the paved route, board beneath me, and the streets of los angeles welcoming the simplicity of human powered vehicles and smiles.

thanks for reading!

- j

the day a space shuttle flew over california

nasa's historic space shuttle endeavor 

Friday September 21, 2012 was one of those great days where I grow old and look back at with a smile.  An event that I heard broadcast on the radio found its way inside my ear. It immediately exploded to first in-line on my list of priorities!  No way am I going to miss out on watching a piece of history that happens to be so closely connected with the study of the universe, that massive organized chaos of the unknown.

I welcome you, loyal reader, to another fascinating post here on germy-in-socal!  After a formidable documentary slumber, it was a retired old rockets final flight that awakened the quest that continues on as germy-in-socal returns!

with the benefit of binoculars,
 a lifeguard watches endeavor's venice beach fly-by

Months spent away from my documentation of southern california have brought me to this moment of clarity...life is good  :)  Growth, experience, wisdom and patience guide the path I chose to walk.

Life as a unit stills photographer, a pulsating new passion for surfing...even hosting guests from around the world to give others the opportunity to feel that california sunshine!  Then, as if on cue, I hear that a space shuttle, attached to a giant 747 was going to make it's final 'farewell' flight over los angeles...thats when I knew...life is good  :)

two f-18 jets fly escort to the legendary spacecraft

Current guests of my downtown los angeles apartment, three Macedonians, (who by some crazy chance had never been to an ocean beach before this day!) accompanied me to one of the designated fly-by areas, the beloved venice beach.

mirjana      stefanie             anna

waiting for the shuttle to make its way down from san francisco and sacramento, I offered my skills behind the lense and agreed to grab a shot of the girls in a jumping photo together...then.......BOOM!

It came!  And I accidentally caught this shot of the three of them glancing behind to catch their first glimpse of the shuttle as they race back to our towels to grab their own camera's!  Love this one  :)

endeavor's piggyback flight headed north over santa monica

It was an incredible sight to see, and in every way, shape and form I was overwhelmed. But the day was not complete...

After a visual adrenaline rush with emotions at capacity, the waves of venice were looking damn fine! I sped off to grab the board, and snuck in 2 hours of bliss, just the ocean and me...

days like this are rare, as are the moments of clarity they can inspire...

thanks for reading!

- j