Joshua Tree III

Third time going to Joshua Tree national park and it seems that each time I go I fall in love with the place more than the last visit. This time under the cloud of "It's going to be really, really cold" as opposed to last times "It might be really cold but really its gonna be really, really hot" I found myself wearing about 8 layers and bringing 8 more because of, cold. Boulders, plants, and alotta people (like too many. People, its not Disneyland cmon) were the order of the day as my friend Victoria and I ventured out for the 3rd time while taking her brother to experience giant rocks 2 hours away for the first time. What was that? Oh, the most difficult part of the day? Yeah that was lunch.

Pictures below. Flickr for mo'. (lulz)

Downtown LA

In 1 hour spent at LA Live, one can see the vast variety of people and cultures that the city of Angels is comprised of. Every where you look, someone new that in no way looks like they relate to the last person you saw. In this case, they are all there to experience an event put on by a radio station, or to come together and watch our beloved Lakers try to come out victorious (they didn't) Some were aware of me, some weren't. Either way, like the song goes, I i think I like LA. Wait, thats not right. Is it love? Yeah, I love LA.

Below are a few, the rest can be viewed on my flickr page.

33 STR8: My evening with the 1971-72 Lakers, and NBA Royalty.

As an avid sports fan, having conversation about sports with other other people who are also interested in sports excites me. Talking about players, great plays, "where were you?" type moments is always an engaging experience, no matter who I'm with. As a simple fan though, there are few times that I actually get to be there to witness these great moments, or be in the presence of these great players and discuss their careers. Last Thursday I was honored with that chance. My great friend Chelsea and her mother Jill over the last year or so have been very good to me and given me the ultimate privilege that a sports fan/photographer could have, which is to be in the same room as NBA Legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and as of last week, Celtics Legend Bill Russell, Pat Riley, the NBA Logo himself: Jerry West, and other members of the 1971-72 LA Lakers team that won 33 straight games as well as the NBA Championship that year. I like to think that I was calm and collected, but there are only so many people I could see walking into the room who I grew up knowing as people who helped shape the NBA into what it is today before I start sweating a little bit. Getting close to the people that night was important, as I have slowly started doling in the niche of event photography, I have come to realize that people love having their pictures taken (especially as the night progresses if large amounts of alcohol are involved haha). The difference here is that everyone is used to having their pictures taken since they are who they are. So what I tried to do was capture organic moments between the people and change the view of candid photos. I probably didn't accomplish what Im describing, but either way, BILL RUSSELL was within feet of me. And that's good enough for me.

Special thanks to the West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation for putting on a great event. For more information on WCSMF you can visit their Facebook page or their website.

Below are a few of the photos i took, the rest can be viewed on my Flickr page.

LA Blue: Family Portraits

Now being an avid Angels fan (congratulations to me, I know) I am typically against all things Dodgers. But a week ago I was presented with an extraordinary opportunity to photograph my first themed family shoot. It was awesome. Being able to see a slice of family dynamic in this way was more than memorable. Witnessing the kind of love that only a close family could have for one another, paired with their passionate following of the Dodgers was simply amazing to watch. As simple as it was, the laughing, the playoff jokes (that only I thought were funny) and the meal we shared afterwards, made it by far one of the more memorable sessions I have been a part of.

Vegas & Death Valley

This past weekend me and my brothers went on our yearly trip (which we barely started doing last year haha) and for the 2014 edition of the trip, the location featured Las Vegas and Death Valley (which was originally supposed to be Mt. Zion, but that's for next year again). The sights and colors were interesting to say the least, especially on the strip, while the vision i captured in Death Valley was more subtle because of how dark it was, it was immensely overshadowed by the show that the night sky put on. Shooting stars and the most stars I have ever seen were the order for the night, and I was not disappointed. Along with that I got bored and shot some trippy portraits of my brothers. Enjoy!

Caitlin and Corbin

A few weeks late on this, but I recently had the incredible honor of being the photographer for the engagement shoot of the now newly minted Toogoods (Best. Last name. Ever.) I've known them for a while, so being called upon to do this was a very special moment for me, and is something that I took very seriously, and needless to say was an honor that I was very humbled to have bestowed upon me. I had shot a few couples already, but nothing like this, especially so close to the actual wedding date. What turned out to be a surprise for the bride to be, resulted in an amazing display of genuine love and affection which made it very easy for me to capture and I hope I did them justice. Toogoods, I wish you both the best now, tomorrow, and forever. Congratulations!

4th of July

Yesterday was the 4th of July, the birthday of this awesome country that I am blessed to call home. One of the best things associated with this day are the eruptions in the sky that happen, the ones we call fireworks. For many it marks the emphatic end of their simple/crazy nights, for me it becomes the time I go to work (figuratively of course, I don't actually "go to work"). Last year, I was able to capture a very special image of the fireworks show over in Claremont, this year I was able to capture 45 of these images of the fireworks show at Westwind Park in Ontario. I have no idea what I did differently, but a year of practice apparently prepared me for yesterdays display haha. Anyhow, enjoy the photos. Or not. Whatever.

Joshua Tree

So a couple weekends ago me and a friend went back to one of my favorite places to go in that is by me: Joshua Tree National Park. I have been there 3 times and it never gets old. I mean at some point you realize there are only so many rocks and trees and sunsets you can take pictures of, and it becomes more of an excursion than a nature trip, but every time I always find the colors of the place particularly amazing. Whether it be the blue sky contrasting with the orange boulders, the texture of the different rocks, the vastness of the sunsets, or the deep darkness of the night. This particular day, the moon stole the show. Any how, end rant, and enjoy the pictures.