PREVIEW: £10 FRIDAY!!

Since moving to England, it's been pretty challenging finding gigs in film and photography. So it's forced me to really think out of the box to get my name out there and shoot and film. So I came up with a crazy idea where I'd do back-to-back photoshoots for £10 per "mini" session. I wasn't sure if I'd get any bookings, but I managed to book an entire evening in Folkestone! Some people even booked two sessions! It was great and I really LOVED seeing the life in everyone I met today!

It was great being my loud crazy self in a quite English town, and it definitely turned heads! There was even an old man who was about to call the police because I was hanging over the ledge of a balcony taking photos! Today has inspired me for some pretty exciting ideas in the next few months. But more importantly, I've learned to simply stay true to myself no matter where I am and what I do. It's been one of things I've been struggling since moving to a foreign country, but the sky is looking bright again. And now, I'm determined to shake this country and turn heads! Watch out England...we're gonna have some fun :)

Below is a preview of some of the photos I shot today. Enjoy!

LIVE NOW, NOT LATER

In support of the Crossroads Kenya Team that's out in Nairobi right now doing amazing work helping bring hope in the slums, I want to share a video I made about my trip to Kenya last year. This isn't for any self-glory or any selfish ambition, but rather a video to help inspire those of you (especially filmmakers and photographers) who haven't picked up your shoes and go on an adventure. I'm not trying to be preachy or anything, but I think sometimes we need a good kick in the butt to stop thinking about, "Oh, when I have money I'll help the poor," or "when I accomplish this thing, then I can do this to change the world." NO! You do it now because you can!

For all you filmmakers and photographers, if you have a passion to create art, don't wait to get the best camera. SHOOT NOW! You may not have the best equipment at the moment to shoot weddings, or even enough money to fund a film, but put your mind in over-drive, think creatively, and MAKE YOUR ART!

No more excuses. Pick up your shoes and live now and not later.

REBECCAH VARGAS - SENIOR PORTRAITS

I shot these photos in my hometown in Corona, California. These are senior portraits of a lovely young woman (and also dear friend) Rebeccah Vargas. I love the Vargas family and we had a ton of fun frolicking through this meadow while taking photos. In fact, there was a moment where I had Rebeccah chase after me while I ran backwards taking photos of her. Unbeknownst to me that there was a hole 20 feet behind, in which I fell in! Their dog wanted to know what the commotion was about so she ran towards us and fell into the hole face first! Awesomeness.

CAMERA: Canon 7D

LENS: 50mm f.18

LIGHT: Sun + Canon 580 EX II

FILM OR PHOTOGRAPHY?

Lately, photography and film have been on an exponential rise and I love seeing all the creativity being put out there! I first started as a filmmaker over 10 years ago. Then a few years ago, I picked up a DSLR camera at Best Buy (a Canon Rebel xTi...old school baby!), and fell in love with photography, and dove more into that world. Since then, I've switched back and forth between film and photography because I loved each genre the same, but in very different ways. But this year changed something in me personally as an artist, where the line between film and photography has been blurred, and I see just one art form. FILM = PHOTOGRAPHY and PHOTOGRAPHY = FILM. A lot of people will probably disagree with me, but I say this to those people: "OPEN YOUR EYES!" After all, they're both visual art forms. In fact, I'm actually writing a feature film about my photography, so keep checking up on my blog for updates on that! For me, I've realized that even more than a filmmaker and even more than a photographer, I am a storyteller. Whether it's directing a short film, or shooting a wedding, I am telling a visual story that hopefully means something to the people that see it. 

Anyway, below is a video I want to share with you that inspired me to write this. It's the best domino video I've ever seen, and for me, I saw the love for photography captured in this video. Enjoy!

ELLA & GRACE: CUTEST GIRLS IN ENGLAND

Below are some of my recent portrait photography of my English nieces (I love I get to say that now!). They're simply too cute for words. I shot these photos in their hometown in Folkestone, England. The sun was shining that day and they had a blast having fun at the park. Little Ella wanted to be a mother that day and carried her toy baby carriage. Too cute. Enjoy!

WORLD PREMIERE: CALIFORNIA RAIN (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

Today is such an exciting day! Not only am I competing in a 117 hour film festival in Bristol, England but today I get to share with you the premiere of the officially music video of CALIFORNIA RAIN!!! Adrian Watkins is very a talented artist so go see his shows and show him some love. His manager Tyler is a really great manager and I admire how much he believes in Adrian. So if you're an artist seeking management, send me a message so I can send you his way. Even the recording studio INSIDE OUT RECORDING played a major role in this production, and they're a wonderful team of professionals based in Corona, California. I'll put their links below and should check them out.

Anyway, we filmed this music video in just 2 days and took a week to edit. They even flew me to California from England so that I could direct the video, and I'm so glad I did! Later on next week, I'll be giving some fun geeky info on how I shot this music video, and what I did during the long hours of editing. Oh, and here are the links I promised:

DOWNLOAD "CALIFORNIA RAIN" ON ITUNES!!
ADRIAN'S FACEBOOK FANPAGE
INSIDE OUT RECORDING

So without further adieu, here is the WORLD PREMIERE of California Rain!!! Enjoy :)

BEHIND THE SCENES: SAN FRANCISCO

So this is the last of the BEHIND-THE-SCENES videos, which recaps an amazing (and long) day driving from Corona to San Francisco! We started the day at 4am and drove up the California coast on the PCH. We stopped at different places to film and we were blown away by the amazingly beautiful scenery that is California! If you haven't done, I really want to encourage you to take a road trip up and down the California coast. Anyway, hope you enjoy this video blog and are excited for the premiere of CALIFORNIA RAIN tomorrow!

BEHIND THE SCENES: ADRIAN GETS WET!

This is the second BEHIND-THE-SCENES video blog of the CALIFORNIA RAIN music video. It was our first day of shooting which we began filming in Corona, then traveled to Santa Monica, then finally driving almost two hours to Huntington Beach to film a few scenes before the sun could set. What a crazy schedule! But nonetheless, we made it! And here's a video to recap it all! 

BEHIND THE SCENES: ENGLAND TO CALIFORNIA

Hey everyone! As promised, here is the first BEHIND-THE-SCENES video blog of the CALIFORNIA RAIN music video. It was a 17-hour journey which consisted of two bus rides, 3 flights, and a taxi ride. Anyway, enjoy :)

BEHIND THE SCENES: CALIFORNIA RAIN PREVIEW

Hey everyone! So I'm back in England, enjoying a nice weekend with my nieces, but I wanted to give you an update on the CALIFORNIA RAIN music video. So here I am saying a nice hello!

CALIFORNIA RAIN: ROADTRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO

So today we finished shooting the CALIFORNIA RAIN music video, and it was one of the most fun productions I was ever a part of! It was a 2-day shoot, which isn't the best scenario when there over 6 locations to film! But we managed to fit it all into schedule, and more importantly, well under budget! I'll be posting videos next week that will lead up to the premiere of the CALIFORNIA RAIN music video, so make sure to check that out on my blog and share it! 

Anyway, below are some photos to give you a quick preview during the shoot. Some are images of the actual music video, and the rest are of the beautiful scenery we saw while driving up the California coast to San Francisco! 

Enjoy :)

// A SCENE FROM HUNTINGTON BEACH //

// A SCENE SHOT FROM THE PCH NEAR THE BIG SUR. HE SINGS PRETTY //

// THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY WHILE DRIVING UP THE PCH //

// THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY WHILE DRIVING BACK DOWN THE PCH AFTER A ROAD BLOCK  //

// NO, I DID NOT WARN OUR PRODUCER OF THE ONCOMING TRUCK AHEAD //

// THE BLACK & WHITE BRIDGE, PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE //

// OUR PRODUCER TAKING PHOTOS OF THE DANGEROUS WAVES OVER A CLIFF //

// ADRIAN & ERNEST WALKING BACK TO SET FROM A GORGEOUS RIDGE //

// THE BEAUTIFUL MARTINI SHOT (IN FILM TERMS, THAT'S THE LAST SHOT OF THE DAY) //

// THE LAST IMAGE I TOOK OF SAN FRANCISCO, AND WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER //