Lilian, Liana and Luna

Carnival rides, the beach and sisters…some of my favorite things. A dose of their natural bond, seasoned with a vibrant location, made the perfect ingredients for a true narrative of Lilian, Luna and Liana’s relationship. Their endless laughter made it obvious that the three of them were very excited to spend the day together. The portraits were planned to be taken for their mom as a mother’s day gift. Our time with the girls had a special place with me. Their relationship in front of the camera mirrored the dynamic my sister and I share behind it. For this reason, there seemed to be an immediate level of comfort amongst us all. The experience was special because capturing the sisters made me think of the vital role my own sister plays in my life. She assists me on nearly every single shoot and I truly do not know what I would do without her support and input. My trusty assistant wears many hats and helps with styling, directing, entertaining the little ones and giving me unfiltered criticism during the editing process. Even without these photos, the five of us had an amazing day together. I hope I captured the unbreakable bond I witnessed in the time I spent with the sisters. Here are some of the highlights from our shoot. Thanks for stopping by…enjoy!

Ankeen

The location of Ankeen’s shoot was by far one of my favorites. Although I could’ve spent countless hours in this space, we were restricted to precisely one hour. Thankfully, Ankeen was ready for the challenge and did not need warming up. The completely isolated and industrial location in Los Angeles on an idle Sunday, made things interesting. When I expressed my slight reservation regarding the situation, Ankeen confidently reassured me that she can take on anyone that poses a threat. After displaying her bravery, we proceeded to discuss her hair and makeup. This juxtaposition of her graceful presence and bold character is what I hoped to reveal in her portrait. As a personal trainer, we met with Ankeen to get some shots for her upcoming website. Her naturally magnetic personality and contagious love for fitness reveal that she is obviously passionate about what she does. With a realistic approach to diet and exercise, her mere presence is motivating. I am happy to say that we got all of our shots in the allotted time; even though getting in and out of the ring caused some delays on my part (it is definitely not as easy as it looks). I also wanted to say that I probably won’t be blogging for a while, because thanks to Ankeen, I‘ll be living at the gym. If you’re interested in Ankeen’s training packages you can contact her at ankeent@gmail.com. Thanks for stopping by…enjoy.

Artoor

Spending the day with Artoor in a very artistic and eclectic part of Los Angeles, really made us forget that we were working. With elaborate art walls and statements on every corner, the location was a dream. The few hours we spent here during our session only reaffirmed my love for this diverse and vibrant city. The fact that Artoor was so extremely photogenic, allowed us to direct less, and converse more. Having such a humorous and entertaining subject contributes some comedy to the experience (which is always appreciated). One of my favorite aspects of photography is getting the chance to meet and get to know such interesting people. The fact that he trusted us with the styling and entire direction of the shoot was awesome. Artoor allowed us to throw out our often outrageous ideas without declining any of them. When my sister suggested he situate himself "comfortably" inside a shopping cart, Artoor proceeded as if our request was completely ordinary. We had a great time discovering the city, laughing, and taking some photos. Here are some highlights from our shoot. A few of these shots turned out to be amongst my favorite photos thus far. Thanks for stopping by...enjoy.