Category Archives: Editorials & Press
I was strolling about in Hancock Park – a beautiful area with great buildings ranging from Art Deco to French Renaissance – scouting for potential locations to do creative shoots with couples, or for future projects. When I walked into the lobby of this particular building, I knew I wanted to do a shoot here. A few months later – after befriending the amiable concierge, speaking with the building management, arranging a contract & event insurance (*sigh*) – I sought out the lovely (natural redhead with gorgeous blue eyes) Aja Warren. Along with the help of Makeup Artist Bethnay Colson (delighful to work with!) and Hairstylist Judy from Salon Pure, we were all set to get creative in the space. Mind you, my agreement allowed for us to be there for one hour. Eeesh! So we swiftly got to work! The combination of my obsessive organization for this particular shoot and the assistance of a wonderful team, produced what you see above.
Technical Notes: A lot of times I find myself using long lenses with a shallow depth of field (in other words, lenses that crop tightly on my subject, and blur out a great deal of the background or foreground). Since the details in this space were stunning, I wanted to challenge myself to use wider lenses and a broader depth of field. I aimed to primarily use the natural light coming from two very large windows on both ends of the main room (bouncing some light with reflectors), and used the modeling lamps on my studio lights as fill when we were further away from the natural light.
CHAMPAGNE TASTING I loved this photo from the moment I verified on my camera’s LCD screen that I actually got it! It was one of those quiet moments of photographer’s bliss when you realize you captured something that lasted merely one second, and that you had the fortune of being there with your camera at hand! The expression on their faces was… well… I hope the image just tells its story on its very own.
Oh, and yes! It made it into PDN’s Wedding Photography Issue. More than anything, I was honored and excited to be selected from so many great entries, and amongst such wonderful photographers. Most notably, Jose Villa, of whom many of us photographers in the wedding industry drool over.
You know when you hear a song for the first time and try to remember a phrase from the chorus, so you can type it in Google, find it, buy it, and listen to it with glorious satisfaction… I’ll save you the trouble: Eddie Berman.
It was not only a pleasure to go out and take some photos of this humble and humblingly talented musician for The Lab Magazine, but to have a mini live show of my very own, while I quickly set up some lights as he tuned his guitar. I feel it is a rare treat to come across artists who can pull out one instrument and sing with real talent, much less move you with sincere and brilliant lyrics. My two personal favorites from Berman’s EP are “I will Obey” and “Paper Thin”.
As far as describing his music, I’ll leave that to a writer: “With melodic guitar, flailing banjo, and rich harmonica, Eddie Berman’s sound is an aural hot shower to warm your mid-winter frostbitten ears. His storytelling style and vivid imagery transcend time and place. Nostalgic, yet timeless, his upcoming debut EP promises to be a precious Americana gem reminiscent of the folk classics of another generation.” Robie Carins – from the current Issue of THE LAB MAGAZINE. You can listen to Eddie Berman Music here.
On a related topic, THINGS WE LOVE: The Lab Magazine! From the moment your hands feel the thick luxurious paper, to the moment you open it and see its beautiful content laid out gracefully throughout each page – you’ll be in love. The Lab Magazine is a print & online publication dedicated to art, music, film, photography and fashion. It is in one word, amazing. (Notice that I put four hyperlinks to their site in this post!)
What can I say? This drink is hot, literally… and figuratively, actually. So, when asked to bring out my product photography skills, with the help of my adventurous beau and one of the founders of Prometheus Springs, Alexis Van Ess Mincolla, we doused the bottle with high proof alcohol, and set it on fire. Oh, and we continued to spritz the fire with alcohol as I snapped away with my camera (set up on a tripod) to get all sorts of flames until it was just right. Yeah, doing effects in camera is my preference. Especially when it involves fun things like fire (in a perfectly controlled environment, of course). Check out the PROMETHEUS SPRINGS website for more info!