Hey!
Here’s a few fun images from a playful engagement story session in Laguna Beach! Mixed a little sand, a little water, a little golden hour, a little yellow sun dress, and a little ooh-la-la, and this is what we got:
Angel+Lavinder will be gettin’ hitched at the Ritz Carlton in Newport Beach, and I am stoked to be there!
In anticipation of Anitra + Jusin’s Minneapolis wedding this weekend, I want to show off a couple more images. Justin is a cameraman himself, and he asked if I’d take a departure from my usual equipment to make some photos with a Holga camera.
For those uninitiated to a Holga, it’s essentially a toy camera that has gathered a following among a certain set of photographers both amateur and professional — those that enjoy unexpected results! Holgas are actual film cameras — “Wassat? Film?” – known for their plastic elements and light leaks. To focus the lens is to choose a point somewhere between three settings: “one person,” “three people,” and “five people.” It’s photography guesswork, and the results rock!
Lomography is an unorthodox and freestyle way of making photos with an inexpensive camera such as a Holga. It’s very hipster idea, and the cameras fill a table at any Urban Outfitters. To switch gears after wrangling a massive camera takes some getting used to, but is ultimately very freeing.
I used “redscale” film for these Lomo photos from their engagement session:
Nothing like a creamy, apocalyptic engagement session!
I’ll be experimenting some more with the Holga at their wedding … stay tuned.
Anitra + Justin, high school sweethearts from Minnesota, wandered the hills and streets of Silverlake for some engagement portraits on Monday. Here’s a little tease while they’re getting worked up!
Take a look at the promos and setups I photographed for a very dramatic show called Haram Iran, which opens tomorrow in West Hollywood!
The show tells the story of two Iranian 15-year-olds accused and tried for homosexuality. It is based on actual events in Mashad, Iran in 2005. The show began in Chicago, and tomorrow evening is its west coast premiere.
We photographed the three leads (Andy Gala, Tamer Aziz, and Michael Tauzin) separately and together against a white seamless. I lit to show plenty of definition and contrast, but it still was meant to make it easy for the graphic designer to alter the tones later for an implied hot desert environment.
The first image shows the three guys together:
The producers chose a different set of images for the one sheet, and I really love how it came together! The final design actually reflects the relationships and story extraordinarily well (design by Noah Benjamin):
Surrounded by photo equipment after the shoot are produer Christopher Sepluveda (left), actors Andy Nala, Tamer Aziz, and Michael Tauzin, and producer Jeremy O’Keefe.
I went back to photograph setups this week. I was so impressed with the cohesiveness of the show, from the lighting to the costuming to the set design! And the actors really put their all into their parts, even though they were only performing their setups for my camera!
Tamer actually plays this scene (above and below, when he is put into prison) in silhouette, which is just right for what I think is one of the best-choreographed moments of the production. But a silhouette didn’t work as well for the photo — his lines and movement complete the visuals when he’s standing a few feet in front of you. So I took a little artistic license and added a kiss of light when he hit his mark (below), in hopes that it would play better as a still image. It turned out to be one of my favorites.
I urge you to make time to see this show! It is directed by Michael Matthews and produced by Jeremy O’Keefe and Christopher Sepulveda. For ticket info (it runs from March 5 to April 4 only), visit the Haram Iran Facebook event page or see the Celebration Theatre’s website.
Haram Iran on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=345262086252
Next to traffic and taxes, flames are a rest-assured fact of life here in southern California. Friend and fantastic web designer Zoey said that from her house, it looked like Glendale’s Forest Lawn Mortuary was on fire (!!!) so I scarfed down my food and checked it out with Ingrid. Watching dusk fall away, I wandered Atwater Village in my car, thinking “high ground high ground high ground.”
Turned out, high ground was the I-5 onramp. Braced my lens by wedging it into the corner of the open sunroof. Just barely squeaked an angle between massive power lines and messy foreground foliage. And juuust enough light in the sky to balance the lit cross with the expanding Station Fire’s flames.
And then it was dark!
