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
Oh, if I could shoot Stephanie + Ryan’s wedding every weekend! Now I know, it’s easy to say that every couple is my favorite. But these two have a style all their own, almost straight outta Middle Earth. Their wedding was so creative thru-and-thru that it’s impossible pick only a couple favorite photos! They were hitched on the secluded hilly grounds of the Center for Energetic Healing in Simi Valley, CA, which has no lack for forest-y nooks and crannies.
We were nearly done with the bride-and-groom session — and they were getting tired — when I spotted a tree trunk up a hill. It was a bit of a hike, so I gingerly suggested that I had one more crazy idea. I remember that Stephanie, though her feet were hurting, replied something to the effect of: if your wedding photographer has an idea, you should go with it. (Sound advice!) So we braved the hill, the ants, and the sticker bushes to make Ryan a Prince Valiant:
My other favorite image came at a very emotional moment during the ceremony. They had one of the most heartfelt ceremonies I’ve seen, and there was barely a dry eye in the crowd by the end. During a fantastic reading by her bridesmaid, Ann, Stephanie spontaneously reached for Ryan’s hand, then turned and looked at Ann. The moment gave me butterflies:
Happy one-year anniversary, you two! May you stay well!
Kat and Paul are a fun, laid-back couple who are without a doubt truly smitten for each other. Two years ago, I photographed their engagement portraits in Orange and their wedding in Monrovia, and had so much fun with their family and friends! Today is their second anniversary … where’d the time go? Here are a couple of my favorites:
Happy 2nd, lovebirds!
– Russell
Way back in 2006, I had the honor of photographing Trisha + Jon’s Oahu wedding. In 2007 they asked me to photograph baby Catherine. And just two weeks ago, I got to see their new little one, Edward, in front of my lens!
Edward is about 8 weeks old. When he’s awake, Edward is wide-eyed and takes it all in. Catherine, who is almost 2, is a very smart girl with a love for Yo Gabba Gabba and fruit snacks.
We shot this session at my friend and fellow photog Kelli Maguire’s studio in old town Whittier. Kelli is always so generous and upbeat, and is wonderful with children. I have so much fun hanging out with the Jenks family … I can’t wait to see what their next surprise is! Here are the photos:
Ok, maybe that last one is a lil’ too “Anne Geddes” for my usual tastes. It was Kelli’s awesome idea, and it was fun trying to “homage” the style. Mere millimeters out of frame is Kelli on the left and momma Trisha on the right, making sure Edward stayed floating on his mark. Kelli was right in the “spray zone” too, and bravely took one for the team.
Thanks, Jon & Trisha; it was a blast!
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!
