Diamond in the Rough

A few years ago I used to share a photostudio in downtown LA. At that time plenty of areas down there were pretty gritty to say the least. Now, I'm from an English city that has seen it's own periods of majesty, decline and rebirth so I've kind of got a soft spot for anywhere that has seen better days! Those days are long gone for downtown Los Angeles.
On a recent shoot for the whiskey bar Seven Grand it was fascinating to see the most recent renovations.
Seven Grand is a gem........almost literally. Located in an old jewelry salon ( the Tiffany's of it's time I was told ), and with it's dark-wood panelling, plaid carpeting and taxidermied trophies, this bar is reminiscent of an old-time gentleman's club with touches of Scottish laird's manor and honky-tonk saloon. I almost wanted to see the bartender slide a shot of whiskey down the length of the bar, yet at the same time could picture Winston Churchill walking in with his shotgun and a brace of pheasants!!
To all of you real-estate investors out there.......I'm looking forward to seeing what could become of the beautifully ornate, yet currently dilapidated, Bank of Italy a few blocks down the street!

Lan and Joe

When Lan and Joe's wedding day came around it was a wonderful blend of cultures.
The day began with a traditional and colorful Vietnamese tea ceremony, celebrating and honoring the joining of their two families.
Later the ceremony was at one of my favorite locations....the San Gabriel Mission. I love the Spanish heritage of California and this beautiful mission is perfect as a photographic background. With it's old, crumbling stonework, rustic wooden doors
and sculptural wrought ironwork it really lends itself to classical and evocative imagery.
As a photographer, inspiration doesn't simply come from what you see. The intense heat from the afternoon sun and the sound of a train whistling on nearby tracks added to the feeling of being in an old frontier town in a different time.
Hopefully Lan and Joe will feel as though their wedding photographs are "timeless"!

The Look Of Love

Most of my wedding clients add an engagement shoot to their package, and Lan and Joe decided to have their shoot a few weeks before their big day. They played the slideshow I made for them at their wedding reception where it was a big hit.
Engagement shoots are all about FUN!
My bride- and- groom- to- be are very relaxed and happy and have never looked more "glowing" and in love.This is their moment to create their own "perfume ad" images if you will! The photoshoot is all about them...they don't yet have to think about guests or parents or whether the best man has paid the band.....and the results are always great.
It certainly helps that I m lucky enough to live at the beach and next to a natural lagoon....my clients and I don't have to make much of an effort to find some wonderful backdrops provided by mother nature.
I've been experimenting and creating my own textures ( the ones I could find for sale just weren't doing it for me! ) and I love the results. Some of the shots now look like weathered old photos found in the drawer of a desk long forgotten in the attic.
Instant nostalgia!