Boys Will Be Boys

There's this small window close to where I sat in the center's office. Kids often peered in when they passed by to see if someone would return their attention. One afternoon two young boys took interest in my work. I was in between my classes uploading photos so that the memory cards would be empty for the next student to use. These boys waited as they watched me move things back and forth on my desk. I knew what they wanted, so I took my camera nearby and spent a few minutes playing with them through my lens.

Paparazzi- Spotlight

Last night I met up with several (make that about 100) photographers at the LA Smug Mug in Studio City. With a group of willing models and flashing lights we probably looked like a mad run of paparazzi on Ventura Blvd, but it was all in good fun. What I love most about the photographer community is that there's a hunger to learn and share what we know with others. If you missed out and want to join us next time drop by our next meeting on October 15th at the Global Cafe. It's free and a great way to grow in your craft while meeting other incredible photographers.

Check out the photos I took of Portia, the beautiful bride who modeled last night. Also, I put together a short video for you to get a taste of our paparazzi action up on You Tube. Enjoy!

I give credit to Eric Chen, the photographer who first placed Portia
in the sweetest spot on Ventura Blvd.

Meet My Parents- Spotlight

My parents took me on a surprise trip to the foothills of the southern Sierra Neveda to Kaweah River. They told me to bring my camera along thinking I'd be satisfied with capturing the beauty of the mountains, but what they didn't know was that I'd turn it into a photo session of them. My dad is an avid reader of my blog, so I though he'd appreciate being spotlighted with my mom. :)

During our drive there we heard about Michael Jackson's death on the radio and we played tribute to him by listening to his music the entire time. It really got us in a good mood to enjoy life and each other.

There's a yummy and charming candy/ice cream store nearby that we stopped at.


So adorable.


Look at my parents model! :)


Mmm...we chose good flavors for our ice cream!


My dad loves the symbolism in this photo: the both of them overlooking the water.




Some location shots. It's a beautiful place.


I got to pet a deer!

Paramount Ranch Shootout

There's a beautiful ranch a short drive from where I live. Between nature's best fields and hikes there's an old Western movie set at Paramount Ranch park. The faded colors and simple lines and textures of the buildings are fake (you can't go inside them), but deliver a great background when needed.

This was the setting for my "Photographers' Time to Play" 2nd shootout. The turnout was fantastic and at least twice as big as those who came out to the first one. I met many talented photographers with great models who came with them. I invited everyone after our session to my place to edit our day's work and prepare it for a slideshow to present at the end of the night. You can see a glimpse of the fun we had that day on the video below.

Mar, my friend from college, reconnected with me and I asked her to be my model. She did fantastic and brought out my vision for the afternoon incredibly. I requested both a hippie and cowgirl look from her to create a unique blend of adventure and youthfulness that I wanted. Enjoy all the photos and the video :)

If you're in town and can make it out the third shootout will be on Saturday, June 27 in Santa Barbara. Visit our facebook page to view the info. Hope to see you there!

Downtown Visalia- Portrait Session

Over Memorial Day weekend I got some needed R&R at my parent's place. Plenty of swimming, karaoke, and mama's cooking. Last night my family decided to watch the X-men Wolverine movie and something caught my eye while we were parking in the public garage. The way the light fell in between the alleyway of the garage inspired me to take a closer look. Now you should know that when I plan a shoot I sometimes do location scouting, but sometimes I accidentally find a place like an ordinary side street that bounces light oh-so-nicely. I immediately planned to return in the morning with my sister for a spontaneous shoot. 

Here is the wall that inspired me

Just put someone in front of the wall like Niña and the frame becomes more interesting

Add in some playful saturation and color tinting and make it even more unique

This shot is my favorite from the set. The way I had her leaning danced really well the tree.

Classic. The pose not the soda pop. 

Portrait Session- Niña Pastores

Visalia is a central California city placed in the heart of an agricultural San Joaquin Valley. This is where my parents currently reside and is about the same distance north from L.A. as if I were to drive down south to San Diego. During my week long break at home I went without my camera, taking no photos, to give myself a hiatus for meditation. I needed to breathe from the demands of living in a place like Los Angeles, so that I could remember why I first chose to pursue my craft. I contemplated the many roads I could take with photography and easily knew my love is to capture people and to somehow illustrate who they are in the best light. This entry is beginning to foreshadow my decisions I've made for the future of my work, but for right now I will share some images that I took of my youngest sister, Niña. Her arrival for Easter presented a good reason to pick up my camera again since I felt it was time for a creative release. 

Below are my favorites. I designed the shoot to be vintage and hip, very fitting for my sister's personality. We found a field nearby and borrowed my dad's Camaro and mom's guitar to complete our shoot's outfit. Let me know what you think :)

*Click on the images to see a larger version

Niña also got a shot of me in the car