Wedding day

A few months back, I had a great time capturing Sheridan and Jade's engagement pictures at Descanso Gardens and downtown Pasadena. Last weekend, I had the pleasure of capturing their wedding in the garden setting of Le Chene French restaurant.
It was a perfectly sunny, breezy spring afternoon, as they exchanged vows under sprawling oak branches and then mingled with guests until the sun went down.
There's lots of great images to process, but for now these are a few favorites.

The Sigma 50-150mm vignettes like crazy on the 5D, but it does have gorgeous, creamy bokeh.


I loved the images I captured of Jade, waiting for her groom to arrive.


I love the shallow depth of field on the 50mm 1.4.






Sight unseen

Sometimes you just know you want to take someone's photo sight unseen. Janelle was telling me about her friend Channapha, and how's she's the director of a nonprofit...and a great cook...and the inspiration struck. I told Janelle that Channapha sounded really interesting and I'd love to shoot some portraits of her. I'm happy to say she was game, and we had a fun time shooting photos in her D.C. home and in the surrounding neighborhood.

This first image is one of the last ones I shot, but I started this post with it because I feel it reflects a lot about Channapha, who I found to be extremely warm and vibrant.


Not only is it awesome when you find two sweet vintage vehicles parked on the street where you're shooting, it's even better when they're next to each other and there's some color coordination.


So, a lot of Channapha's life is taken up by her work as executive director of Legacies of War. The nonprofit group is focused on bringing more attention to the bombing of Laos during the Vietnam conflict. In short, from 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than 2 million tons of ordnance over Laos during 580,000 bombing missions — equal to a planeload of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years. The bombing was part of the United States' secret war in Laos to support the Royal Lao government against Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese Army. Of the 260 million cluster bombs dropped, about 30 percent didn't explode, leaving the landscape littered with unexploded ordnance that has killed at least 30,000 people and inured some 20,000. (Visit the Legacies of War site for more info.)

In addition to her work with Legacies of War, Channapha — who is Laotian — is an absolutely amazing cook. (Trust me. The bowl of nam, a rice dish, I had made me forget all about the photos I was there to shoot.) So I thought it only natural to get a portrait of her in her element.


Annnnd, back out to the street. I love old trucks, especially when they coordinate with the colors someone is wearing.



These last four images I shot at Channapha's house. I loved the way the light fell in the living room.





And there you have it. Sometimes all it takes for an awesome photoshoot is great late afternoon light, sticking primarily with an 85mm lens and having a subject who's fun to be around. (Side note: I was also shooting some film that day, so those images will probably pop up here on the blog sometime soon.)
Channapha, thanks so much for being game to hang out for a while and create some great images!

I owe most of this to Joe McNally

It's no secret I'm a big fan of the work of veteran photographer Joe McNally. The man's a master of creative lighting and shoots some fantastic images. His use of small flash and rear-curtain shutter has had a huge impact on the way I shoot. During Sunday's fun session with Crystal (A good friend of an old co-worker of mine. Thanks, Facebook!), I had in mind a few shots on the D.C. Metro system. This one drew subconscious inspiration from Joe's great image of singer Fiona Apple on a crowded NYC subway car. Ok, I'll stop going on and on like a fanboy now.

Like a mountain stream

Above the hustle-bustle of Eastern Market on a busy weekend afternoon, those were the lyrics I heard cut through a hundred conversations: "...like a mountain stream."
I can't think of a better way to describe Steve Long's voice than to say it is, indeed, like a mountain stream. Fluid and flowing, peaceful at times, rocky at others.
He's at Eastern Market in D.C. every weekend, providing a perfect soundtrack for sunny afternoons. His version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" is unlike any I've heard. Mr. Long took a classic that everyone knows and made it his own.
If you happen to be in D.C. on a weekend, drop by Eastern Market and look (and listen) for Steve Long.


This happened yesterday

Just one initial favorite from a fun and relaxed photo shoot yesterday afternoon. Once I get back to L.A., there will be so many great images to share from this session, and a great story behind it.

A fine day for a parade

I overslept a little this morning, but there was still time to hop on the Metro and head down to D.C.'s 40th annual St. Patrick's Day parade. Which was held, yes, on March 13. I suppose it's more convenient to do it on a weekend. It was an absolutely perfect day for a parade along the National Mall, with clear skies, temperatures around 62, a slight breeze and trees starting to bud.
You won't find many typical parade photos here, because...if you've seen one parade you've seen them all. I'd rather focus on the little details that make up the day.
Look closely, and this first image tells you a lot about the fact that it's a public event in Washington, D.C., both patriotic and national pride in nature.
(Side note: this firefighter was kind enough to pose for a portrait next to his engine, which I'll post once that film is developed.)


Not only was this firefighter sporting an awesome mustache, he dyed it green for the day.


There was absolutely nothing wild about this bunch.


This awesome marching band was ahead of a group of fire engines that all had their sirens blaring. Somehow, it all blended into one cacophonous, raucous unintentionally cool composition.



I mean, if you have a green Cadillac, why not bring it out to the parade?




Is this man not awesomely Irish? I dare you to disagree. (Though the conflicting "Kiss me, I'm Irish" and "Honorary Irishman" buttons seemed a bit confusing.)


Shoreline

I had a great time Sunday with Mario and Rachel, who are getting married this summer. We spent some time at Malibu Creek State Park and Malibu Pier, making the most of the clear skies and golden, late afternoon sunlight. There's more to come, but these are a few initial favorites.





Fun fact: I shot engagement photos last fall for Rachel's sister, Jessica. Click here for one of my favorites from that session.

Public Service Announcement

I don't usually (actually, ever, to this point) blog about non-photography related stuff, but I wanted to give a quick plug for Alan and Jennifer at Night Owl Paper Goods, who've introduced some great new wedding invitations. Based in Owlabama, they do some fantastic work. If you're a couple in search of eye-catching invites, or you're simply looking for some great cards or journals with fun, Americana designs, check them out!


The winter palace

This past weekend, I packed up the cameras and warm clothing and headed north, through rain and snow, to spend a weekend with two good friends in Yosemite National Park. About a foot of snow fell Friday night, and we woke Saturday to a sugar-coated valley. It was a great time of photographing, hiking and breathing pure, crisp mountain air. Here's an image of El Capitan. It doesn't do justice to El Cap's size, but it does capture a little bit of the moment. Want to see more? Click here and head over to my Flickr page.

Small Steps

Last Saturday, I had a great time shooting some promotional photos for Starting Small Fitness, my friend Stacey's foray into personal training. It's always a welcome challenge shooting something a little different than the usual (In this case, fitness photos). It was also a fun exercise (pun not entirely intended) in using off-camera flash to counteract the harsh early afternoon sunlight.



A great way to pump up (ok, that pun really wasn't intended) action shots is to use a slow shutter speed with your flash set to rear-curtain. That way you get motion blur, but still with your subject in focus.



Positive negatives

While digital is my primary form of image capture, I still like to shoot film every now and then. In a society saturated by immediate results, there's something satisfying about capturing an image and having to wait to see the results.
All of these images were shot on a Vivitar V2000 with either a 28mm or 50mm lens. In both cases, the film was pushed, resulting in the graininess. Pushing film can yield some interesting tones. In this case, most of these images had a slight reddish tint. Some of the images have some dust spots. I wasn't going for technical perfection. I knew what I wanted to achieve, and I feel I met that goal.
This first one was Kodak Gold 400, pushed to 1000. I made slight levels adjustments in Lightroom, but otherwise this is straight out of the camera. I love the bokeh on the Vivitar when it's wide open.


This one was from the same roll, but I converted it to B/W in Lightroom. Reflected in the windows of the new LAPD headquarters is the classic Los Angeles City Hall.


This was a film capture from shooting a set of images for my friend Perla (see that post here). Again, pretty much straight out of the camera.


Bare branches in wintry northwestern New Jersey. Kodak Gold 200 pushed to 1600.

Manhattan's Flatiron building, also Kodak 200 pushed to 1600.


Faces

I had a great time last month shooting some headshots for my friend Gary Hoffman, host of the Sunday morning news on KFI-640AM in Los Angeles, and all-around good guy with a cool retro vibe. Will a casting director please put this man in some 50s-era films?




Grainy and not super-sharp, but I love the vintage feel of these last two.



Empire State of mind

New York City. Hot or cold, it's one of my favorite cities. On Jan. 4, it was bitterly cold. Still, it was a great day to wander city streets, see the awesome Flatiron Building up close and shoot some wintry portraits with my friend Perla.

This first shot of the Flatiron was a happy accident. A bit overexposed, and a wicked sun flare. Doesn't matter. All the things "wrong" with this image make it for me.


I'm still working on my freelensing technique. It's lo-fi and it's fun. This was shot on the High Line, an old elevated subway track near the Meatpacking District that's been converted into a landscaped walkway. Lots of greenery and places to sit, and great views of the waterfront.


One of the things I love about shooting in cities is the way you find light where you don't expect it. This shaft of afternoon light was like a pillar of warmth down in the cold, shady canyons of lower Manhattan.


The High Line runs right under the Standard Hotel, which makes for a nice, modern backdrop. Add a little off-camera flash, a little angling and a model who's willing to take off her coat on a 30-degree day, and you've got a recipe for success.



When it comes to post-processing, I try to keep things simple. This image is an example of that. Most of the magic was seeing some great, golden light reflecting off buildings and finding the right place to use it.


They take parking very seriously in New York, as the sign indicates.


Sometimes you need to back your subject into a corner. Literally. I couldn't have asked for a better contrasting background.


Speaking of contrast, it makes for great background detail. It's even better when it plays off one of the colors your subject is wearing.


Think you need a tripod to take good photos? Not always. This is a shot at 1/10 of a second, handheld. It was simply a matter of finding something against which to brace myself (in this case a fire hydrant) and stilling myself. There's a nice bit of blur in the foot and vehicle traffic, but the hotel sign is still in focus.