California Moonrise Fall 2016

To celebrate the changing seasons and the beautiful colors autumn brings, I shot the Fall campaign for California Moonrise. The goal was to showcase the painted yet vivid colors of the season so we shot at the Malibu Creek State Park and Paramount Ranch. Both of these locations have lovely fields of tall yellow grass, bushes and nice tall oak trees. Truly a beautiful California fall. It was important for me to catch the soft sunlight and warm, rich tones of the two locations. Paramount Ranch adds a bit of the Southwest and equestrian character that California Moonrise wanted in their photos.

It has been an ongoing collaboration with the clothing company and I love to shoot each season’s collection for them. As always I have a wonderful team and crew to work with on set. The models were Faith Picozzi, Candy Waltrip and Sydnie Miller. My friend Ali Levine styled the shoot, makeup was done by Anthony Pazos’ team and Cristina Fabian styled the model’s hair.

Love and Sunflower 2016 | at the Arboretum

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to shoot with Love & Sunflowers for the third time. The boho, vintage fashion company is always a source of inspiration for me. The youthful spirit of the brand pushes me to capture candid and light images.

At this shoot we decided Arboretum Gardens in Arcadia, California was the perfect location. The 127 acres garden, is an arboretum, botanical garden, and historical site nestled into hills near the San Gabriel Mountains. It is absolutely beautiful place to shoot and has peacocks all around the property. Our models were Khia Lopez and Samantha Beining and they both had a natural friendship on camera.

To see some of my past work for Love & Sunflowers, click here.

Scott Free Production Portrait in West Hollywood

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I would like to share my latest portrait work for Emmy Magazine. I had the opportunity to photograph the iconic director Ridley Scott and his production team (David Zucker, Clayton Krueger and Jordan Sheehan) at Scott Free Productions in West Hollywood. Mr. Scott directed iconic movies such as Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise and last year, the Martian. I'm really honored. Thank you Emmy Magazine.

Betsy Beers for Emmy Magazine

Recently I got to shoot the very talented Betsy Beers for the April issue of Emmy Magazine. She is the executive producer of some of the top shows on television right now. Her roster includes Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and currently The Catch. She’s a force to be reckoned with and a powerhouse behind television’s most prolific production companies.

As a very powerful woman in the industry, I wanted to capture her professionalism but keep the shot soft and inviting. I loved talking with Beers about her career, her creativity and drive. “I don’t make anything I wouldn’t want to watch.” Beers states. This statement resonated a lot with me because I never want to take photos that no one wants to see. It’s important to be a tough critic of your work and make sure it’s as high quality as possible. 

Nudie's Rodeo Tailors

The infamous Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors is one of the most recognizable suits in history. Celebrities like Elvis Presley wore Nudie’s suit; he sported a gold lame´ suit. Each suit embodied ‘Western machismo with a bit of unconventional dazzle’. I met with Jamie Nudie, who is the granddaughter of the original founder, Nudie Cohn. She is hoping to continue the family tradition and keep the rhinestone-cowboy spirit alive. Additionally, she runs Nudie’s Custom Java, a coffee and sandwich shop connected to the famous tailors. I was able to photograph the entire Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors space and it was unbelievable! I am so inspired by fashion daily and being surrounded by such custom tailoring is incredible.

This pieceappears in American Airline’s Inflight Magazine and can be seen in any flights operated by American.

History for Hire for Emmy Magazine

I always want my shoots to look as authentic as possible. It helps add depth, beauty and allows people connect with the photographs more. Authentic and antique props are essential to many photo shoot. The tricky part is finding the exact prop you need and knowing where the good prop shops are in Los Angeles.

Recently I had the opportunity to work with History for Hire to capture the prop shop on camera. The two story 35,000-square-foot space showcases props and pieces from the past 150 years. The owners Pam and Jim Elyea are veteran prop masters and set decorators in Hollywood.  It was amazing to take photos of stacks of vintage TV sets, military gear and props used in Mad Men. I really enjoyed shooting almost any prop you could imagine! I was also very inspired for future shoots. You truly felt as though you were surrounded by Hollywood’s history.

More info:

Web Site: www.historyforhire.com

Read the article on Emmy Magazine: CLICK HERE

Peter Mondavi Sr.

Today I received the sad news that Mr. Peter Mondavi Sr. has passed away.

He represented one of the latest great family winery owners in Napa Valley. He was the founder and owner of Charles Krug Winery and I remember him as a wonderful person, charismatic and dedicated to the hard work.

I had the possibility to photograph him at his winery two years ago. He was wearing his favorite blue shirt and proudly posed for me.

Thank you Mr. Mondavi, you will be really missed. R.I.P.

Good Bye 6th Street Bridge

Remember the infamous car race in the movie Grease where the starting line was under the 6th Street bridge? It was one of the most memorable moments of the movie.
Two years ago, I was lucky enough to work on a photo shoot assignment for 3rd and Army fashion apparel where we recreated the same scene with a fun group of classic car aficionados. It was a great day and I remember that one of the drivers mentioned to me that the 6th bridge was going to be demolished soon.

Pretty sad, since this has been an iconic staple of Los Angeles.

It’s built over the concrete Los Angeles River bed as well as railroad tracks. It’s located a few blocks away from aging industrial tracts. Home and shelter of many overnight visitors and an ideal location for many photographers during the day.

Yesterday was the first day of demolition and I drove very early to capture the first moments of the process. The air was full of dust, coming from the concrete disintegration.
I just wanted to share some images.

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My-D Apparel - Fashion Lifestyle in Los Angeles

The Italian made retailer, My-D (www.my-dusa.com) has been a favorite shop of mine for years. They have several shops in Italy and one on Melrose Avenue. Each month I get to shoot with the company all around Los Angeles. We have already done shoots Downtown, on Fairfax Ave and Melrose Ave. A few days ago we shot at the picturesque Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California. It was a beautiful sunny day at the ranch. Our model, Sierra Swartz (www.astonmodels.com)  is a classic American beauty and she shined with the rustic ranch backdrop, rolling dusty hills and horses. The stunning Western backdrop allowed the perfectly tailored clothes to be put on display. 

David Lorango at the Paramount Ranch

David Lorango is a country artist living in Los Angeles. His brand of feel good, everybody’s welcome country music has taken to across the state. He recently released a song entitled ‘Leaves of November’ on his newest EP ‘Ride All Night’.

As a photographer, I loved his different and unique ‘country in Hollywood’ look. I knew it would be great to photograph David at Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California. The sunny ranch mixes well with David’s California cowboy persona. I wanted to capture the warm tones of the fall leaves along with the rustic scenery on a sun drenched day.

I got a chance to ask David all sorts of questions throughout the day. It is always wonderful to have lengthy conversations with another creative in various fields. He told me that he had always had a love for country music. When he was a kid, his grandma would play Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and George Strait on the oldies stations. This love grew into a passion to write, sing and perform country music, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Watch David’s new music video and be sure to follow him on Instagram