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!