I'll be honest. The title of this thread is a bit misleading. It is misleading because I have alot of film negatives and digital photos I took during 2012 that I failed to upload or make public and in order for me to create an authentic photo favorites of 2012, well I'd have to make those public and that would mean alot of scanning of the negatives (and then retouching for dust and such) and uploading them and the digital ones and that probably wouldn't happen for a couple of months (if I were to go through with it) and that just isn't feasible so I'm just going to with the favorites that I did upload and make public. Without further adieu...
This photo came from the first De Lacy shoot of the year. I believe it was for her Fall 2012 line. I'm a fan of washed out and faded colors similar to what you get from the lo-fi analog toy cameras so I put this image through one of my lo-fi edits. It really isn't the same as actually shooting on a toy camera and you'll see why in a bit but I dig the look. The lighting was good and I did do another edit to this image which is probably better but since I didn't make that photo public, I'm going with this one. Really lovely house we shot in and would like to do something similar in the near future should the chance ever come again.
This is another photo from the same shoot and I didn't do anything extravagant as far as editing goes. A minimal touch was all that was needed for this. I love how the backlight of the sun against the white drapes seemed to glow and add that to the strobes we used and we got this nice dreamy photo where the right amount of shadows hit where they were expected to hit. I also really love her pose and her trench like coat. Very elegant and almost "old Hollywood" but I think her hair styling played more of a role with that.
This diptic style photo came from an engagement shoot of my friends Joe and Kelly. Joe had contacted me about setting up an engagement shoot with this "Desperado" theme to it since they were going to get married in Mexico. I thought "GREAT!". It was my first engagement shoot so I was really excited about doing this. What also excited me is that I get to put a little bit of my artistic impression of what they wanted and I think I did a pretty good job at that with this one. Being that it is a "Desperado" theme, the most logical place I thought about shooting was Placita Olivera in Downtown LA but I also did some other scouting in Mariachi Plaza in East LA. The shoot started off negatively as we were told by the security there that our engagement photography was not allowed and we needed a permit. I did my research and nothing on their website stated a permit needed to be requested so we ended up walking around and about the area trying to sneak in a few shots that I needed to get a working image that would end up being this. I wanted to tell a story using a diptic styled photo since the initial idea I got from "Desperado" was something cinematic or movie like. I went with an edit that would recreate an environment similar to Mexico with movie in mind so I went with some blowouts to simulate a hot southern Sun during mid-day without going overboard (think Traffic). Arguably one of my most favorite works.
Double exposing! It's really a fun thing to take on. You can do it digitally but it isn't the same as doing it on film AND on a toy camera such as a Holga or Diana. I've seen alot of double exposed photos and most of them aren't really that good. Either the idea of the double exposure was poorly executed or I just didn't "get" the image. Hell, ALOT of my double exposure photos ended up not being how I wanted it to turn out but when I do get what i want, I'm almost always pleased with them because the image worked and the execution was spot on. This was taken in Hollywood while I was out on my many street photography endeavors and I had my Diana Mini with me. I wanted to express a little bit of LA and some of the first things that come to mind are Hollywood and palmtrees. The name of the star didn't matter but I wanted someone notable and old so I wasn't going to take a photo Kim Kardasian's star (not even sure if she has one) or someone of her ilk. I probably know a small percentage of people who have stars on Hollywood Blvd. but I do know Burt Lancaster. That was the first shot I took. I then walked around some more to find the right palm tree for the second exposure but to no avail. Hungry, I went walking down Highland to get to In-N-Out and right next to Hollywood HS, there was a palmtree and the sun was at the right point in the sky that it side lit the palmtree really nicely so I took the shot. I ended up with this. Now that I think about it, digital double exposed photos are not the same thing...
This photo was taken at Universal City Walk on Cinco De Mayo. I had just purchased my Hasselblad 500C and decided to take it along with me. A couple of friends and I decided to take the Orange Line to the Red Line to City Walk because we thought it best to take public transportation instead of driving since our mission was margaritas! I was in the crowd, right by the Hard Rock restaurant and they have a couple of large screen monitors and occasionally have live performances there and it so happened that there was one that day. While everyone was pretty much focused on the monitors displaying the live act, I noticed there was this young woman that brought her puppy with her. I thought it was interesting since you don't normally see pets at that open venue. I'm not even sure if they're even allowed. As you can see, this little tike was not at all interested in what was going on behind him. Animal boredom for you.
Here is another photo from the De Lacy Fall 2012 photoshoot taken with a Holga toy camera. As I was saying earlier, if you want real lo-fi images, use an actual lo-fi camera because digital is not the same. There's no way...NO WAY, you can digitally manipulate a digital photo and make it look like an actual lo-fi photo. I've seen alot of great digital lo-fi photos but none come close to duplicating this look. You never know what you're going to end up with really. That light leak in the lower right hand corner? Although such lo-fi cameras are known for light leaks, I didn't expect it there, at just that point. I really dig the warmth of the photo too. It's soft and creamy to the point that some of the colors just fade and blend into each other slightly. This photo was never used for the campaign or lookbook. This was for my own personal collection/portfolio.
This photo was taken during New Years day 2012 in Santa Monica. Most of us know this bridge. Normally, you don't want to point your camera towards the sun unless you're looking for a desired effect like silhouettes and to be honest, I wasn't aiming to do that. Something struck me to take this photo at this moment while the sun was almost in the middle of the bridge and I hoped for the best and it came out fairly good. I dig it. Something about the bridge being a gateway to that warm California sun and coast and everyone was walking towards it. Also taken using the Holga.
HA! This is a funny one. This is my brother on New Years Eve 2011-2012. There's a running story between me and my brother. We share the same group of friends but you would never see the two of us in the same place, at the same time. For the most part, this is fact and I'm not really sure why it is. We live separate lives and there was a point where, at any one given event, I would either be present first, and then leave, and sometime after I left, he would make an appearance. Sometimes it would happen the other way around. All the times, we both knew we were going to attend said event. It's very rare to have the two of us together at the same time and this was one of those times. When this photo was taken, we were well into 2012 and he was at that point in the party where the partied hard very quickly and it took a toll on him. Most of us know this because we've been here before. You're really drunk although you're very well aware of what's going on around you. Some of my friends used to take advantage of this time. We used to talk a crap load of shit to whoever was at this point because that person couldn't do a thing about it. A bit of (un)friendly hazing and razzing. You party hard. You crash hard...
I'm not sure if you've caught on as to my style of photography but I've always leaned towards the photojournalistic/documentary style of photography. I look to capture moments. Specifically, honest moments and when I feel that I've captured one, I did good. This was also taken during the NYE of 2011-2012 of a couple of friends in that "bro" moment. I like the look and expression of his face. It's comfortable and relaxed with a subtle sense of resign.
This is a photo of a bartender in Hollywood after a meeting with a possible client. I brought my Mamiya C330 hoping to take up the last two or three exposures of a roll that needed to be finished. For the amount of light that was available and the speed of the film that was in the camera, I did pretty darn good. A really well composed portrait. To think, I guesstimated the aperture and shutter speed. There wasn't a working meter on the camera and I've guesstimated before and in the past, the photo didn't turn out so well but it looks like I'm coming along quite nicely in that aspect. My friend, who's also a photographer, one that I happen to think is better than me, said that this was one of my best photos to date. I agree.
This is a self portrait when I first picked up the Hasselblad which is now my favorite camera in my collection. I love this thing! I've always wanted a Hasselblad and to finally have one in my hands, in my collection, was a great deal for me. The Mamiya I had during the time was a great camera but it was SO heavy but it was a TLR and it had a porrofinder so everytime I wanted to take a photo, I'd have to bring the camera up to my eye, much like a regular 35mm camera you're used to seeing which is good and normal but you don't get the shots you want when you're doing street photography most of the time because the subject tends to notice a camera being pointed at it and does something entirely different and unwanted thus defeating the purpose of taking a photo in the first place. With something like the Hasselblad that has a waist level viewfinder, I could have the camera down low (lower than how I have it in this photo), and snap away without the subject not knowing at all. I've been getting better street photography/photojournalistic/documentary type photos with this camera than any of my other cameras and considering this is film, that's ever more important to me. Now, if I can just get my hands on a Leica M7...
Two handsome gentlemen. This is my friend Alex who was one of the groomsmen for my friend's Yadi & Flor's wedding. I was shooting their wedding and this was taken after the ceremony and I was on my breaks. It was a good day that day. I'm leaning quite a bit because I have a camera slung low over my shoulder that you can't really see.
This is Paola and Melissa. I didn't take this photo although I wish I did. This was during the reception part of Yadi & Flor's wedding and I handed off one of the 3 cameras I had with me to my friend Gilbert because I could no longer shoot the wedding alone and he obliged. Plus my shoulders were really hurting. Anyway, he took this great photo and other than these two lovely ladies with nice backlight, there, on the upper right hand corner, is my friend Alex again with a bit of a photobomb! Everytime I see this photo I smile.
This is Flor & Yadi at the altar. This was my first wedding gig that I did solo. I will never do a wedding solo ever again. It's just such a difficult task to tackle alone and weddings should really be done with at least 2 photographers. I was lucky enough to have a friend take on one of the cameras as a second shooter. One photographer isn't enough to get all the shots you need and it doesn't matter how big or small the wedding is. Can't be done (right). I did catch this photo though. It was a lovely day and I was honored to have shot this wedding and a great learning experience for me. I was asked to be one of the groomsmen/best men but I felt I was better off to them behind the lens of a camera. It was a hard choice for me to make.
This is from a personal creative project of mine and it's a photo of my friend Vanessa. The idea behind the project is to take away any and all facial identity, one which we're all accustomed to making and identifying first towards ourselves or to another, and focus on other identity aspects of a person which can range from a person's bodywork, style, idiosyncratic movements and gestures etc. This project has been on the back burner for quite some time and I've been meaning to get back to work on it and I plan to this year. There were other photos during this shoot that were great but this one struck me the most. Really excited to see how far this project goes and how it'll turn out.
This was taken during the King x Toufali wedding in Catalina Island that I shot with Pamela Masters. One of my favorite weddings to have documented because it was so beautiful and I had never been to Catalina Island before. These are the groom and groomsmen getting ready and I love how everyone was trying to get their bow ties on right and they were at it for a good amount of time. There in the left hand corner is Steve giving a hand with one of the bow ties. He's not really trying to strangle the guy. Or is he...
Another great photo from the King x Toufali wedding taken at the hotel on the balcony during the champagne toast between the groom and groomsmen. I REALLY love that the lens was wide enough to get both the groom and the surrounding hillside, the harbor, and the wedding venue which was the Casino. The streets below were particularly busy when this photo was taken so it was great that I was able to take this shot when traffic looked nearly empty.
Again, this was from the King x Toufali wedding and this is of the bride Allison inside the theater of the Casino which is arguably one of the most beautiful venues/places I've ever seen and I wish I had a lens that went wider so I could shoot landscape to better show how fantastic this theater was/is. I actually tried to sneak in this photo. Seconds earlier, Pamela was shooting her from the front while I was behind and I saw a moment to try and capture the dress and train with the isle of seats in the background and the stage. Luckily, Allison saw me taking the photo, stayed still and slightly looked over to the side. THAT made this shot.
I live for this kind of photo. Taken during the Kay x Cahill wedding and again I was working with Pamela Masters on this one. I was behind the seated guests looking for that honest moment I love to capture and I saw this older couple seated near the front and he had his arm behind her, their heads just slightly tilted towards each other as they're both watching the ceremony in front of them. Just a beautiful moment. I'm also a romantic so the whole idea of a couple well in their years watching a young couple coming together...growing old together and such, makes this image all that more powerful I think.
This was an interesting photo. Now, off the bat, it seems like a normal wedding photo right? The couple at the altar exchanging vows and what not. Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to a wedding correct? But, if you look near towards the right, you'll see a little (flower) girl, looking directly at me and into the lens! I almost didn't catch that one and I was surprised at first when I noticed it. It's interesting while everyone there was focused on the couple getting married, me included, and there's this little girl looking right at me and I caught it.
Another one from Kay x Cahill wedding and another of those honest moments that I love to shoot. I really love and adore the look and expression of the newly wedded couple in this photo. You know that saying? When people in love will describe how the world around them seems to disappear when they're together? I think I captured that really well in this photo. I could've done something to blur out everyone else in the photo to accentuate that theme but I didn't need to because those two, at that moment, perfectly expresses it. In this very moment, it's just them two in their own world and relishing the moment. The world disappears and nothing matters else but them two. Love it.
This one is of Avalon harbor taken during the close of the King x Toufali wedding. It was me and Pamela on the veranda Casino? Not sure what you call it but we were on the upper floor, outside and talking and I saw the harbor and thought "why not take a long exposure?". So I did and I used the Hasselblad that I had with me and captured this. This was one of the first photos I developed on my own in the darkroom and learning what I did in my recent photo class, I was able to retain detail in the surrounding hill side. Had I not learned what I did, this image would've been absent of the hills.
Another self developed photo taken with the Hasselblad. This was taken at the park during my friend's birthday. This park was not far from where I lived and my friend had asked to see some old photos of her BF (neither of them are in this particular photo) that I promised to show her for a long time now so I obliged and went home, picked up my photo albums and brought them to the park. Everyone there had a go at looking through them and I was lucky enough to capture this photo of some friends looking through one of my albums. Gathering Over Memories is what I titled this photo.
Finally, I end this post with another honest moment. Taken at the park just as the above photo, this is of my friend Billy and his son Max while he was being changed. No need to go further as the tenderness of this photo between father and son should speak for itself.