Holga, A Love Story

Posted on October 19, 2013 by admin

One of my favorite classes in college was my Medium Format class I took my sophomore year. There was only one assignment: take photos of whatever you want with a Holga camera. This was the class where I really got into the groove of developing my own film and learning darkroom techniques.

You really have to use your imagination when shooting on a $20 camera made of plastic. Light leaks, natural blur, and color shifts occur. And since everything is manual, it’s also easy to make double exposures either by choice or accident.

I sold my Holga when I graduated. Although I was still in love with this toy camera and it’s ability to take perfectly imperfect images, I really had no clue when I would be in a darkroom again. And the cost of processing 120 film is extraordinarily expensive, so I felt like it would be put to better use in someone else’s hands.

Fast forward to 2012, when I had really decided to fully pursue photography. I started craving a Holga again. I found one on Amazon for $18 (don’t buy a $60 one from Urban Outfitters– it’s a rip off). I ordered some film along with and and decided to start shooting with it as a supplement to my focus on digital photography.

I finished several rolls of film over the course of the past year. I took my Holga with me when the situation was special, but taking my 5d along wouldn’t have been the best choice. I developed all the film in one go this week, and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Here are some of my favorites– a trip to Six Flags, camping, a horseback ride in Hawaii, and a dear friend’s wedding. And the best part was, everything was scanned and digitized so I never had to step foot in a dark room!

Fashion Model Time featuring Tristan Peach

Posted on August 1, 2013 by admin

Anthony and I met Tristan on a flight in June, and it just so happened that he lived not too far from us! Tristan is an actor (who should really consider also going into modeling) and we immediately hit it off. A few weeks later we met up at Arroyo Seco Bridge (morbidly nicknamed Suicide Bridge) in Pasadena for a fun impromptu fashion shoot.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from our GQ inspired photo shoot:

Trash the Dress on El Matador Beach, CA

Posted on July 9, 2013 by admin

As a photographer, I’m obsessed with Pinterest. I get so many ideas and inspiration from Pinterest, and here’s one of them. I’ve been seeing a trend of Trash the Dress photo shoots pop up a lot on Pinterest lately, and I loved the idea of making a total mess of something pristine. There’s a lot of beauty in that.

Surprise, not many brides are willing to destroy a dress that they paid so much for. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and buy a used wedding dress off of Ebay. I had asked my lovely friend, Amanda, to pose for me. Serendipitously, the $5 dress fit her like a glove.

We took our shoot to El Matador Beach in Malibu. We arrived at the perfect time at dusk, and Amanda dug into the sand, rolled around, and got dunked in the waves several times. She did her job perfectly, and didn’t complain once even though she was soaking wet and covered in sand by the end of it.

I had so much fun doing this, it was something I had wanted to shoot for a while and I was so happy with how it all fell into place. Thanks Amanda for being a beautiful model!

(PS. I did that hairdo! I think I could make a second career out of doing crazy updos!)

Palos Verdes Estates and Malaga Cove Engagement Session : Stacy + Aaron

Posted on April 18, 2013 by admin

Stacy and Aaron got engaged right before Christmas. They chose Malaga Cove Library near their home in Redondo Beach for their engagement session. It was a chilly, cloudy day, which didn’t look too great in person but made an ideal day to take pictures. Malaga Cove is was such a fantastic location to shoot I may just bring everyone there from now on!

We explored around Malaga Cove and also took some pictures at their home with their adorable Poodle, Oggie. (By the way– Doesn’t Oggie kinda look like he’s rockin’ Mr. T’s hair style? That mohawk is hilarious!)

I had a great time photographing these two! They were SO in cute together, constantly teasing each other and tickling and laughing a whole lot. That made my job really easy. There were so many great pictures of them that I had a very VERY difficult time narrowing down my favorites.

Thanks Aaron and Stacy for a fun day and congratulations on your engagement!

At Least I Can Always Get My Dog to Pose for Me

Posted on April 1, 2013 by admin

One thing I’m learning quickly as I build my business is plans can change. I originally had three photoshoots planned for this weekend and one by one this week they all fell through.

Luckily, I still got to get in some good camera practice in with my dog, Olive. She’s always willing to strike a pose. That is, if I have something for her in return.

Behold, the power of bacon treats.

Aja and Dustin – Chinatown

Posted on September 24, 2012 by admin

Oh, how excited I was for this shoot. The colors! The architecture! The beautiful couple! When I got downtown in the morning on Saturday, I couldn’t have asked for a better location. The sun was perfect and the Central Plaza was quiet. Shooting early is definitely the way to go!

Aja and Dustin were willing to meet me bright and early, and they looked like supermodels. I had a really great time meeting them and taking their pictures, it was so hard to decide on a final edit. Between meeting me early and running on the platform of the subway to get “the shot,” they were more than great sports.

I’d like to also thank the Los Angeles Chinatown Business Council and Chinatown FilmBridge for allowing me to use Central Plaza for my pictures.

And a HUGE thank you to my beautiful models Aja and Dustin!

(Psst: For the entire set, click here.)

Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Archives

Tags

Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Archives

Tags

Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Archives

Tags

Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Archives

Tags

Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Archives

Tags

Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Archives

Tags