I’ve been speaking about this type of shoot for awhile now. Something more authentic. With Dana and Malcolm we started shooting in their apartment. Then we drove around their neck of the woods for a couple of hours. When they look at these pictures in 20 years they’ll remember their apartment in LA before marriage and kids. They’ll revisit their old neighborhood (with very limited parking). I hope that in a small way I’ve documented a part of their history.
We ran into a fence of 40-plus locks at the very end of the session.
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When you have your reception at a home things are more comfortable. No hotel managers looking at their watches. Less rules. Maybe a few sleepless neighbors. But lots of fun and much more relaxed. If you’re looking for a place to get married, I say go residential or at least give it some consideration. It was so much fun I ended up leaving pretty late.
Check out the slideshow at the bottom of the post for more pictures.
Just in case you don’t know what I look like…that’s me in between the beautiful couple.
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Claire really did her homework and scouted out some great spots in Pedro. So good in fact that we had to skip one of the warehouses because an episode of Dexter was being filmed there. By the way, the 3 of us love Dexter. Doesn’t everyone?
Click on the slideshow to see a lot more pictures.
We ate like kings at Ports O’Call. Shrimp. Salmon. Coconut. And mariachi. Oscar treated me to a half dozen oysters. Mmmmm… I’m getting hungry just writing about them. Thanks O.
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I wasn’t blazed but definitely confused. I lost my ticket within 5 minutes of passing through the gates! Good thing the photo pass was a sticker that I had already stuck to my shirt. Couldn’t see much of the show from the seats because I didn’t have the ticket. But I got to hang out with some friendly photographers and see at least the first 3 songs of every set from the pit.
Stephen Marley covered a lot of his dad’s hits and pleased the fans.
Rap doesn’t do too well in big venues. Usually it’s an MC or 2 and a DJ. Not a very interesting set-up when you’re in front of 15,000 plus. Snoop’s been in the game awhile so he knows what he’s doing. He brought along his band, the Snoopadelics! They played hit after hit after hit for over an hour.
The headliner was reggae/punk band Slightly Stoopid. I’d never heard of them before the show but they definitely have a good sound and apparently quite a big following.
I showed up to the cove over an hour early so I had some time to kill. Ended up finding a little hideaway spot called Ruby Street City Park. The entire park is made up of a few benches and a tiny patio that looks out to ocean. That’s it. About the size of the bottom floor of my townhouse. While sitting on the bench patiently waiting and munching on cookies, I saw that there were writings all over the wooden rails. You get a glimpse at some of the park art below. You’ll even find a misspelled word in there if you look hard enough.
Wood’s Cove is an Orange County gem. It’s a popular place for divers and beach goers alike. Credit goes to Evelyn for finding it!
Ethan came along and kept us on schedule.
All of us were soaked by the end of the day. Even my cameras got a few splashes as the tide rose and blocked our exit.
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Music that have helped me make images for the last month and a half:
It’s always a pleasure to engage in conversations with friends and family of the bride and groom. Blythe and Mike certainly had a their cast of delightful characters. From locals to folks from Ohio and Arizona AND 2 of the coolest Kentuckians ever. We talked about more than just the weather. You know what noodling is? It’s the southern sport of catching huge catfish with your arms and hands. I also learned that Jeff Wigand (watch the Insider) was not a very nice man in real life. Also, did you know there are over 700 additives in cigarettes, most of them added to make the tobacco smoke-able? The way American tobacco is harvested leaves it sugarless, dead, and harsh to toke.
I managed to take a few pictures in between the conversations;) Enjoy!
Check out the slideshow at the bottom of the post for more images from the day.
She didn’t want to do the keg stand but due to the overwhelming pressure from family, friends, and the photographer, she caved.
SLIDESHOW - SLIDESHOW - SLIDESHOW
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At a pool party in the infamous pink apartments. That’s where they met. Rothchild went up to Nhi and told her she looked like a popular import model. Works everytime!
We went back to the scene of the crime. Pink. Pool. UCR. Sophomore year. A lot had changed since they were there last. We even got a little lost running in and out of new buildings.
The day ended with me shooting about 15 shots of Nhi’s Z. When I see a Z, it’s like seeing an ex gf, okay maybe a long lost friend.
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