Bianca (Ford Models)
This shoot almost didn’t happen, for want of a wardrobe stylist. I haven’t stressed over a shoot this much in ages. But wow am I pleased with the result!
I pitched the test-shoot idea to the Ford modeling agency a couple of months ago, and after much wrangling (they’re picky…they’re Ford!) we agreed on a look and a style, went through the model selection process, and found a model who was available. I literally had this set up a month in advance, because I knew there was going to be some scheduling complexities. I needed hair and makeup artists of course, but I also needed a wardrobe stylist, so we could have some proper couture rather than just whatever was in the model’s closet (I’m sure Bianca might have a nicely appointed closet…but why risk it?) I also had to find a studio to do this all in, since my usual haunts were out of commission or too far out of the city to be practical.
Picking hair and makeup were easy: one of my favorite teams consists of Kris Young doing hair, and Naz Madaen doing makeup. They were both available and excited to do the shoot. Brooks Ayola, a amazing portrait photographer, agreed to let me use his studio in Chatsworth, California. So all I needed was a wardrobe stylist.
And that was almost my undoing.
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Mason Rae (model test shoot)
A few months ago I worked with Mason Rae, the model you see here. I had seen some images of Lara Stone in a magazine that I wanted to loosely emulate. It was more of a starting point really, but I wanted to work with the umbrella as a prop, and go for something light and airy. I didn’t want an underlit look though, and also didn’t want to go the whole faux-polaroid route either. So like I said, a loosely-based starting point!
I wanted a local model because I had arranged hair and makeup to be done at a salon here in Ventura. The location was simple, just the beach on a (fortunately) cloudy day. We spent two or three hours in the salon, trying not pace around nervously while the team (Naz Madaen with makeup, and Joey Villegas on hair) prepped the model, and then off to the beach for an hour’s worth of shooting. This was a one-look shoot! And we got a nice bonus: sailboats in the background.
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Four Girls at Home (again)
I don’t know if this speaks to my complete lack of creativity or not, but I managed to come up with the exact same title for this blog post as I did a year ago! I made this family’s portraits last year and called the post “Four Girls at Home“. Brilliant writer that I am, I came up with the amazingly unoriginal title again for my second session with this family. But hey, I’ve added the “(again)”, so all is redeemed.
I love working with families over time, as I mentioned in a recent post about another family. It’s a comfortable way to shoot, and I get to see the kids grow up, and I get to see old friends again. And so it was again, with this family of four girls.
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Raul (model portfolio shoot)
Raul hired me a month or so ago to get his model portfolio started. He didn’t have any images yet, so we had to plan for the maximum amount of variety. That meant a flexible location and as many wardrobe changes as we could manage. With those goals in mind, we headed down to Ventura Harbor, which had boats and docks, a retail area for manmade structures as background, and a beach across the street. We got some useful images in the marina area, but the beach images are the ones that really speak to me the most.
Raul, as you can probably tell, is a yoga buff. Lives and breathes it, from what I could tell. He was so enthusiastic about yoga, he’s planted the seed in my head…I’m thinking about looking into it! It’ll be a long time before I’m practicing it on the beach in a speedo though. Sorry, ladies.
So to torture Raul, I told him to slowly lower his torso and arm until it just blocked the sun in the above shot, and then he had to hold it. Then I made him do it about fifteen more times. Hey I wanted the best yoga-position-sunset-blocker shot I could get!
(If you leave a non-spam comment on my blog, I will donate a canned food item to the local food bank.)
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Point Mugu (Family Portrait)
This is my third year making this family’s portraits. I like being able to work with a family over time, because I get a chance to know them, see their kids grow up, and build a relationship. Not to mention, the familiarity makes for a wonderfully relaxed session!
I’ve made all this family’s portraits on the beach (see last year’s here). The mom loves the beach, and the dad really wanted to do something different. And in these sorts of situations I’ve long since learned, mom wins. 
But to make things a little different, we decided to increase the challenge level, and make the images at a rocky beach instead. So we chose a location near Pt. Mugu, with the iconic Mugu Rock in the background. This location is tricky though, and I’ve only shot here once before (several years ago). The tide has to be low, or there’s absolutely no beach. It’s windy. And it helps if the shoot is in winter, so that Mugu Rock is side-lit at sunset rather than a stark silhouette.
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Delise’ Ana Fashion Show
Last night I attended the Delise’ Ana show at Boulevard3 club in Hollywood. A smokin’ club! I’ve never been there before, and it was really nice. The fashion show was quick, as most solo shows tend to be. I did have the good fortune to shoot the models in the dressing room before the show. I met Delise’Ana about a year ago and we’ve been in touch off and on, so I jumped at the chance when Little Designer Book asked if I could cover the show. It was a little insane going to a show that starts at MIDNIGHT…hey I’m not 23 anymore! But it was fun and worth the experience. Below are more images from the show, and some from the preparation beforehand.
As always, if you leave a non-spam comment on my blog, I’ll donate one canned food item to the local food bank.
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Disneyland
Some images from Disneyland at the end of October with my family.
Disneyland is such an over-photographed place, so I try and do something different when I go. The last time I went, I shot color slide film and went for abstract shapes (blog post here). This time I decided to…
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Horacio (model portfolio shoot)
Horacio contacted me awhile back and we’ve been waiting for schedules to free up. He wanted to do something ‘architectural’, and suggested the local community college. I scouted the area a couple of times, which was made easier by bringing my kids to see the big cranes at the construction site on campus. Talk about multi-tasking! I focused in on the library, which had a very modern, clean look. Horacio and I decided it would be best to shoot ‘guerilla-style’, just show up on a Sunday evening and shoot, and hope for the best. But the cops showed up…
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