Back in 2002 my dad’s work friend handed my his digital Nikon D1 at an Los Angeles Angeles game after hearing I liked messing with my dad’s film cameras. Having only shot film and on a camera bought during the Vietnam War, my 9 year old brain was blown when I rattled off a bunch of photos when I pressed the shutter. I tried profusely apologizing to the guy for wasting his film, but he managed to get through that I had shot the pitch in mid air. I was hooked.
Take the ridiculous pictures, you never know if they may turn out well. National Geographic photographer Lucas Bustamante jokingly said we needed to take a headshot for a future article and I managed to pull off my first semi-serious look!
Selfie done the old fashioned way with a mirror in Japan
Since those formative years I've gone on to graduate solidified a love for USC by graduating three times and working across corporate sectors mostly in management consulting and in mergers and acquisitions. However, photography has been the artistic release that helps bring balance. Selfishly, I love getting to be around happy people on their momentous days. Proposal photography followed the sports and wildlife side after a college friend asked if I could covertly shoot his proposal from a distance so his soon to be fiancèe could have the moment just between them.
My goal in covering any shoot is to be efficient with your time and that of any of your guests. This is your day, it should feel like your day. I’d guess if you were to describe a style it would be applying a bit of the National Geographic-Kodachome look with some modern lighting thrown in; I want any set to feel timeless and immune to any current trend.
For me, getting to see the smile on a client's face after delivering a set of images is one of the most thrilling experiences. I hope to do so for you.
Little bit of a life update, I moved out to Ann Arbor, Michigan to be experience life as Wolverine while my wife studies for her MBA, so I’ll be going back and forth between LA and Detroit often!