Shooter Shooting Shooter

Los Angeles -- The LA Arts District is a cauldron of creativity and film activity. Just today a film crew was filming (or shooting) a Nike ad, while another crew was setting up a scene to who-knows-what. While driving past all the activity, I noticed a tunnel below the 6th Street Bridge.

Curious, I turned in and followed the dark corridor toward the light at the end of the....(yeah). A homeless man was messing with his "Obama Phone"when I got out of my car and asked how he was doing. No response.

At the edge looking down was the Los Angeles River, crowned by deco bridge expanses and lined by old brick structures and rail cars.

On the floor of the river was a lone photographer shooting away at his clothing model. After popping off a few shots, I turn my vehicle around and headed back.

JT Cobb and His Estate

Altadena -- Springtime brings beautiful, late afternoon sun, warm evenings and the smell of star jasmine. A perfect recipe to shoot portraits!

My wife and I were out scouting locations a few weeks back. During our late-afternoon location safari, we thought we would pop off a few fun shots of each other. We even brought props (the hat).


No, I'm not really as tough as this photo may look -- I'm even tougher. Watch out Paul Hogan! (and yes, Paul is alive despite the recent internet hoax of his death going around)

My beautiful wife is there on the right.

Shooting the Chevy SSR

Baldwin Park -- Back in 80s, I used to work as an editorial assistant for Hi-Torque Publications. Part of my job was to shoot motocross products and events, interview riders and write/shoot magazine articles on unique, Volkswagen. The magazine was called VW Action.

In 1984, I was fresh out of collage, and with a loan of $750, I purchased a Nikon FE2 and a lens. After reading through the entire user manual, I began cutting my teeth in the field. Fortunately, I had an office-full of world-class photographers to show me the ropes, as well as an unlimited supply of Kodak Kodachrome 64 and Tri-X 400 film to screw up on. Not all my shots were magazine-worthy--in fact, most were duds.

Eventually, I was able to wrap my mind around all the settings and what they did to make a good photo. I learned how to use light and when to "click" at the right time.

This last weekend, I had an opportunity to shoot a few images of a Chevy SSR. My client may be interested in selling his modern day hot rod, but moreover, simply wanted a few images of his customized ride.

Selfie

Pasadena -- One day my wife and I decided to do a photo shoot..., on ourselves. For a solid 30 minutes, we pulled out about every prop, gadget and outfit that we thought would make a good image. The photo may not be all that, but we had fun making it. If you look through all my photos on this blog, you will find a few shoots from our session.

Modern Christmas 50s Style

Altadena, CA -- My wife and I had the great privileged of shooting our dear friend's Christmas card photos for 2013. Each year they have a theme. This year it's all about the 50s.

Good Sport

Pasadena, CA -- During a recent photo shoot, a friend of the model willingly wore one of the props as I popped off a few shots.