My good friend Damian is one of the owners of Kineto Pictures based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. They produce, write, and shoot a variety of great stuff. While they were out here filming some stuff for a television station I tagged along to shoot some stills and was dragged kicking and screaming into one of the bits they were filming. Kineto Pictures is going to make me a star!!
A little stroll down Venice in LA a few weeks ago gave me some fresh air and some fresh images. I love books stores. The smell of dust, ink and paper combined is the smell of smart people. I also took some shots of Grant one night as we were headed over to "Fathers Office" for some tasty burgers and sweet potato fries. I really liked the way the backlite shots captured both the busy city street and the laid back palms and sky. The underwear one is just a underwear shot. don't read into it.
Erin's Hollywood Soiree is code for "Erin's Bat Mitzvah" and code for the most amazing party ever thrown in honor of a 13yr old.
I'm still a little speechless over the whole thing. Red (pink) carpet, 3 photographers, 4 plus videographers, a production company, everyone wearing mics in their ears, limos, black tie dress, Blake Lewis from last seasons American Idol as the performer....WOW. My first experience shooting a Bat Mitzvah will be very hard to top.
I was shooting for Vox Entertainment, who produced the Soiree and I must say did an amazing job. So much fun! They rented out the "Grove of Anaheim" and had a larger than life sized photo of Erin on the front of the building.
Seriously. Out of this world. Erin please invite me to your Sweet 16.
So I really need to work on posting images RIGHT after I take them...otherwise they end up getting pushed farther and farther back behind more recent shoots. So today I am going to post a bunch of images from "way back when".
In no particular order, I start with some images of the Rilo Kiley concert in LA last week. The Bird and The Bee opened with some hypnotic all girl slumber party type songs. I really liked them but there seemed to be an unusual amount of giggling on stage. Rilo Kiley kind of surprised me. I like them OK before the show but seeing them live upped my opinion. Jenny Lewis was so adorable and they played with much more soul than I had anticipated. I can't get "Potions for Foxes" out of my head.
I shot the images for indierockreviews.com. My friend Monti writes reviews for them and occasionally has a press pass that he graciously offers to me. There are few things that can make a girl happier than getting to attend a free concert, with a press pass, while taking pictures in the pit.....its a bonus when it's music you actually like.
That was a good night.
How amazing is my job? Can it even be considered a job if it's this amazing?
Yesterday I witnessed the birth of another baby. I was there photographing all of the "firsts"..and some of the lasts...the last moments before Heather and Scott's' family went from 4 to 5.
One thing that always amazes me is the amount of love I feel for these people as I experience these changes with them. My responsibility as a photographer is to observe, and so I do. I observe everything. Not only lighting and potentially good shots, but I get to observe as these new parents and grandparents go through a whole evolution of emotion. apprehension, fear, letting go, giving in, needing and feeling support, shock, delight and after a baby is born everyone is always in love.
When you photograph a birth the people involved can't help but be real. You never leave wishing they had opened up more. I can walk into the delivery room barely even knowing them and leave feeling like we've become good friends.. I love it. People in situations like that can't help but be real.
One of my favorite parts of lily's birth was watching her grandfather. He was nervous and uncomfortable anticipating his own daughters discomfort and the second Lily was with us, melted into a tender, cooing, tear filled man. He just kept saying, "she's perfect...she's perfect".
Heather and Scott thank you so much for allowing me to be there with you. Lily is as perfect as her grandfather says...and her name... Lily Louise...it makes me want to write a song for her. maybe I will.
Nothing quite like young love...or photographing it up a canyon covered in orange leaves.
Its been a long time coming you two, and in my never to be humble opinion, I think you two are a great match.
Dave I know it was almost like having to get a root canal to have a camera pointed at your face for over an hour, but was it really that painful. Since when is kissing, burrowing and holding hands painful? (OK, maybe in public, but NEVER at the cabin).
I dare say all the cousins will be jealous you were the first to take engagements up at the cabin, but I think they will understand, Dave being the favorite grandchild and all. Can we please share the title?!
Love you guys! Can't wait for December!
As a lover of the senses..touch, taste, sight, sound, smell...I often find myself searching for the meaning in the tangible and the not so tangible. What gives meaning to my life? It has never been enough for me to be OK with the "doing" without the "why". I want it to mean something to me. I want it personal.
Many times in my career I have contemplated why I choose photography, or why photography choose me. I have wondered about the course I should take with photography and how within that given course I can make a difference, or contribute to something more, something better.
I am still on my journey to finding out all the ways I can and should make a difference with my photos, but tonight one of my reasons was set in concrete.
I was musing through my friend Nikki's blog and came upon a woman's blog. This woman is a photographer and has taken beautiful photos of not only others peoples children, but her own. I started reading and was immediately sucked into something real and something unmistakeably meaningful.
Her daughter Ava at the age of 3 died in a tragic accident. Her blog, started before the death, chronicles a beautiful life before and a beautiful life after. As I read and watched her photos tell their family's story I was..in a trance. I knew that these photos she had taken of her baby were some of the most important reminders of happiness, hope and life that she will ever have.
Read her story and ask yourself the questions that a story like that demands you ask.
What gives meaning to your life?
For me, one of my "meanings" come from trying in my own way to help people remember and cherish the nature of their lives. To document something that is real for them. To be there when important moments happen and try to give them something tangible as a reminder of the intangible things that can only exist and stay deep in the resting place of ones soul.
There is a Native American and Aborigine superstition that taking a photograph of a person steals a part of their soul. Maybe they are on to something. Maybe its less like stealing and more like copying or borrowing. Maybe its the reason so many of us are drawn to beautiful photographs. Maybe.
This was one of those shoots that you never want to end. So fun, so inventive, so refreshing. The canyon was breathtaking and Talese was stunning. I loved everything about it!! The colors, the brisk air, the glamorous jewelry, the crimson lips....THE DEAD FOX! This girl was willing to go the extra mile to get the shot, and it paid off. More images to come...Talese I love you!!
I missed the actual birth by 5 minutes!!!!!! There aren't enough exclamation points to express my frustration with that. Wrong freeway exit, wrong hospital building and running on foot. Man.
I'll tell you what wasn't wrong...that baby. She is perfect. Jackie ended up having her natural which should give her bragging rights for the next 5 years or so...maybe a lifetime of bragging if you ask me.
I loved being able to see mom, dad and aunt ooh and ahh over her and unlike most births I had more than my fair share of holding time. Thank you so much for letting me be there to capture all the "after" moments...those are the ones people really want to see anyway. Love you guys.
Its taken me a while to post these because I have been busy on the new website...These are some of the images from this wedding that are going to be showcased in the new site. Becky and Dustin, the rest of your pictures will be online to view in the next few days.
The best part of shooting this wedding was definitely hanging out with the bride and groom. They were so laid back and open to any idea I had. They were just so easy to work with and I could tell they have a great relationship with each other. At his own reception Dustin was even asking if he could bring ME a drink of water! So thoughtful.
A highlight was watching Becky run back to give her dad a hug after she had gotten in the escape car and drove away. It was such a sweet moment to be there for. How lucky am I to get to experience all these meaningful moments in other peoples life's?
click on the photos to enlarge type.
Because of how much I have been traveling these last few months for work I came up with an idea to jazz up those long flights... environmental airplane portraits! So I decided I would try take portraits of the people sitting next to me in airplanes. I thought it would be an interesting exercise in personal comfort zones, some how portraying the awkward tension of two strangers sitting hip to hip on a crowded craft hovering hundred of miles above ground (not unlike being squished next to strangers on a crowded subway car underground). The task simple as it may sound, deemed to be trickier than anticipated. People ignore you. They want to sleep. They want to pretend I am not sitting inches away from them holding a camera on my lap. I had to get brave. I started asking when I knew I wouldn't get punched in the face (which would make for a extremely awkward flight). People were receptive. It was quite a bonding experience...but when is stealing part of persons soul not bonding?
Here are some of the first few attempts with more sure to follow.
Oh those cupcakes. Man I wish I could eat one of those cupcakes right now..and the bounce house for the kids?! I have never seen children at a wedding having more fun. You guys are great. Thanks for letting me be a part of such a memorable wedding.
I love working with this family for weddings becuase they are so well thought out. From timing to details to choice of a reception site, everything is breathtakingly beautiful and classy. I am so glad I jumped in the back of your car driving from the ceremony to repection. Not only did it give us a chance to bond a little bit more together, but some of my favorite shots are from that car ride. The slideshow presentation that Larry gave his daughter was so touching. There is no doubt this couple is loved. Thanks for letting me be a part of such a memorable day.
to see a slideshow of this wedding click here.
We had so much fun shooting these. Despite the early morning start and at times the unruly wind....we killed it! I could take photographs of this girl forever. props go to the construction man for inspiration, the dad and brother for letting us boss you around all day and KC for being so willing to lean her head on that grimy wall. Its photo shoots like this one that remind me how much I love my job.
This was such a fun wedding to be a part of. Jenn and Stephen were so laid back and easy to work with. The highlight for me was definitly the break dancing. I am totally inviting their family to any of my parties...even the young ones knew how to shake it. Great locations, beautiful weather, and excellent choice in music. Brooklyn has no idea how much cooler it's about to get. Love you guys!!
to see a slideshow of this wedding click here.