this is my blog about all of my photo adventures in the past, present, and future. All of which are filled with ...yes.. photographs and slide shows... so please sit back, relax, and enjoy. :)
Tala, Russian/Persian model TV host. 5'-10" tall with heels... 6'-2".
She wants high fashion shots.... so here we go.
Here is my light setup for that shoot.
3 light setup....an AB800 (pink) with a Photoflex Softligher II 43" for key light , an AB800 with a shoot thru umbrella 48" fill (low), another AB800 for background light ([30deg grid). I use foamcore boards to use as flag(black side) and bounce (white side) for fill... inexpensive tool but very effective. I always use a light meter to avoid guess work when doing light ratios. I know people when they just eye ball everything but people who do that are usually really really experienced photographers. When I shoot, I constantly move things around to get variation once I figure out what light ratio I want to shoot with. Key light is one full stop higher than the fill... background is same ratio as key light. With the dark gray background. I added a kicker on camera left and had it 1 stop higher than the key light.
One day a friend of mine, who is a make-up artist, asked me if I am interested in doing a themed or conceptual photo shoot. I like art a lot and when it comes to photography then I am down. Amanda, the make-up artist, told me she's an avid fan of Annie Leibovitz (photographer extraordinaire) and would want to do a shoot that is like inspired from her style of concepts. I got excited since I am also a big fan of Annie Leibovitz. Amanda picked "Little Bo Peep" (from that nursery rhyme) with a romantic twist . I loved it and agreed to do the shoot. It took us 4 months to plan everything.... especially gathering all the people involved. It was a fun and very rewarding experience. I think we did create good images for that shoot and sticked to what was planned originally.
I was fortunate enough to do a photo session with a couple Sam and Ivan. Sam emailed me to do a maternity photo session with her. Ivan, her fiance, came to accompany Samantha. We started the photo session just with Samantha only. Samantha was a natural and very very artistic... I think because she is 100% French. I later asked Ivan to come and join the photo session. He was kind of reluctant at first . I told him to just watch for a while and hang out. I think he became relaxed until he agreed to be in the picture. Well... to make the story short... both of them did very well. I captured beautiful and memorable images of the couple that afternoon.
A couple of months ago, I was privileged to work with a beautiful couple for a pre nuptial/engagement photo session. I usually ask them where a memorable location they want to shoot so it makes the photo session and images special and relevant to the occasion.
Milli, the "bride-to-be" wanted to shoot at Santa Monica Pier. She told me her fiance and her spend a lot of time there. We scheduled the photo session weeks before. It was a Saturday late afternoon. Weather was overcast, no sun, just cloudy. So sunset pictures is going to be challenging. A lot of people, as usual, at the boardwalk and the beach.
The couple and I met in front of Bubba Gump restaurant and started walking down the beach and did our first spot under the boardwalk since light was still out. Milli was so eager to work and was a joy. I had a bit of communication problem with John, the groom.... since he is the type of person who doesn't open up fast. I talked to him a bit and played around with him until he got a bit used to the photo session.... yes, he was just "being a guy". You know us guys...we don't want to smile and have our pictures taken. After a few talks I had a great time. with him, he warmed up and started smiling.
I also covered there wedding ..... which is another blog. :)
Here are images from the engagement/photo session.
The wife and I have been thinking all throughout the years to go to one of the most romantic places in California since we love 30 minutes away from downtown Los Angeles in the suburbs of Santa Clarita near Red Flag Magic Mountain. We just celebrated 15 years of marriage and last weekend, we finally did it. Left home and drove in the morning all the way to Fairfiled, CA for 6 hours arrived there and checked in a popular hotel. We did our research about prices first . I think this is a perfect time to go to Napa since it's not peak season. Hotels lowered there rates to attract more customers. We decided to check in Fairfiled, CA since it's only 15-20 minutes away from downtown Napa and got a good rate for bed and breakfast. We arrived Friday night and ate dinner at a pizza place just a stone throw away from the hotel. We woke up early in the morning on Saturday..... had a free continental breakfast(which was surprisingly good)... then, drove up to Napa for our wine tour.
Wine tour included 4 wineries... in my honest opinion, only 3 of them were awesome. That weekend, weather was perfect.... not too hot , not too cold. It was a sunny and beautiful day to go out and just relax and do some wine tasting.We first went to a Kende Wineries.... wines were really phenomenal.
Ledson Winery... love there whites and reds.St. Francis .... heavenly.... and this other one just beside HWY 29 which is like a dive bar.. meh..didn't really care for it... their wines tasted like super cheap wines you get in the grocery store. The next day was awesome... we drove up to Calistoga and took the tour and wine tasting in Castello Di Amorosa ... took a lot of pictures there.... love the place and the wine was phenomenal. Had a late lunch in downtown Calistoga (coolest little town ever...would love to move here)... had a steak. Last stop O Brien Winery... a small family owned one in Napa.... then drove for 6 hours back home.
It was a fun and relaxing weekend. My wife and I would do it all over and over again.... after 15 years of marriage, this was an awesome treat for both of us. I would recommend it to couples too.
Here's a link to a slideshow with all the images I took of our trip.
