NAB 2013 at Las Vegas on the Fuji X100S

NAB is an annual trade show produced by the National Association of Broadcasters. I was nearly overwhelmed by the size of it, but it was pretty cool to be able to see some neat technology coming our way in the film and tv world.

I brought the X100S as my main camera, and for the few days that we stayed in Las Vegas, I was immensely impressed with its autofocus. I like to be discreet when I'm taking photos, so being able to bring the camera up, snap a quick shot without the camera lagging on me with focusing was super nice. I was super impressed with its ability to get focus in challenging scenes. I even got a few compliments on it while I was roaming around the different booths.

All images were shot in JPEG on the X100S with the standard Provia setting. I think I may stick with shooting in JPEG with the X100S. Raw files are 30-40mb each! A little too much for me to handle right now.

Behind the Scenes | "Jenny"

On set of "Jenny"
Directed by Rick Perry.

Behind the Scenes | "Double Blind" + Set Design

Recently shot some behind the scenes for "Double Blind." I was also specifically hired to shoot some of the set design, which was new for me! It was fun. I love shooting at the UCLA sound stages in Melnitz Hall. Set design by Ani Babayan.

Jessica & Taishi | West Covina Christian Church - Black and White Documentary Wedding Photography

When Jessica and I first made contact early in January, she was initially hesitant about wedding photography because her wedding was small and her budget was limited. The more I talked to them, the more I realized that Jessica and Taishi truly just wanted their small wedding to be about them declaring and celebrating their love and union in front of their family and friends.

She was going to be married at her church in West Covina, have her $60 wedding dress from China tailored, and constantly be on the lookout for flowers she could handpick for her decorations at her simple lunch reception. She was forgoing many traditional aspects of weddings, such as bouquet tossing, dancing or having bridesmaids and groomsmen. She and Taishi handmade the small wedding favors and their cupcake wedding cake was having the finishing touches put on by their friends an hour before the ceremony.

Jessica and Taishi loved my black and white photography and apreciated my documentary approach to weddings. I knew I had to photograph her wedding. I would find a way to make it work. 

I offered a unique wedding package for her - a wedding documented in all black and white. To me, this was one of the most beautiful and loving weddings I have photographed, and I believe that seeing this wedding in black and white shows the love and emotion of that day earnestly and completely. 

Megan & Scott | Engaged!

Megan was my roommate all throughout my college years at UCSB. I am absolutely thrilled that she and her best friend of so many years, Scott, are getting married!

Holdfast Money Maker | Initial Thoughts

Shooting with primes is great, and I'm definitely looking to step up my photography by not letting myself miss a shot with not having the right lens at the right moment. So just a few days ago I picked up a Holdfast Money Maker. I haven't had a real chance to use it out in the field yet, since right when it arrived in the mail I had to go up to Santa Barbara for a weekend film shoot, and then immediately went to Las Vegas for NAB (an annual trade show produced by the National Association of Broadcasters. Pictures from those up soon!)

I thought I'd share a few initial thoughts about the Holdfast Money Maker. Packaging is great; it made a good first impression. The leather definitely needs time to be worn in, as when I first put it on, it was stiff and left sawdust-like material on my clothes. Folks with long hair, tie your hair up out of the way! My long hair immediately got caught on the metal hooks and it took off a few strands. Ouch!

I got my Money Maker in bridal chestnut, a great color that matches almost everything stylishly. I initially thought about buying the Black Rapid dual camera system, but decided to go with the Money Maker because it looked a lot less tactical. I always prefer something that doesn't make me look too intimidating. I don't want to look like I'm geared up for battle!



One of the things I immediately tested out was to see how the straps would fit with just ONE camera on it. Surprisingly, it doesn't shift the entire strap system to one whole side, which is great. I also immediately tested to see if using it in portrait mode with a battery grip would be awkward or anything, since sometimes my black rapid strap's clip would get caught in itself in odd ways.

All in all, I'm excited to test this dual camera system out and see how my back feels after a full day of shooting. The Holdfast Money Maker feels like I'm wearing a backpack since it crosses in the back so I'm hoping it'll distribute the weight evenly.  Photos shot by Tyler.

Jessica & Taishi | Engagement

The Moment Before - Groomsmen

I've posted this in a blog post a while ago, but I still love this image. I just absolutely adore it.

As it is pretty evident in my photography, I absolutely adore black and white and what it does for an image. Particularly with this image - with the color stripped away, the uniformity of the men's suits and their hands together in front of them emphasizes each groomsman's unique gesture above the neck, until we get to the very right of the image where we've got the greatest part - someone had to fix a friend's tie before they could take the picture.

I was preparing them for a formal groomsmen portrait, and I always try to take that opportunity to catch a moment from an otherwise staged image. I always take a few shots before they are actually ready and looking straight at the camera, because 9 times out of 10,  something will happen that really makes that particular moment special, even if the surrounding circumstance is, unfortunately, necessarily staged.