Masthead header

  • A little about me

    My father has taught me many things; his most profound lesson has always been that no story is ever complete without love. As a movie fanatic of the highest degree, a trait he successfully passed down to his only son, he has maintained that every great film includes a great love story. His teaching me to understand and appreciate love is something that I’ve carried over into my art. My goal when shooting new couples or family portraits is always to capture and display that love. I strive to deliver more than just memories; I aim to provide an image that’s true. Successfully delivering that image always puts a smile on my face.

04-21-2010

Smiles, Giggles and Glowiness: Charlyn

Taking pictures of mommy’s to be always seemed to be just a little bit out of my league. Let’s face it, there’s just no way I would be able to relate to what your going through. I know how to have fun at a shoot though, I can tell ya that! I had the honor of shooting pictures of my dear friend Charlyn as she expects her first baby boy this summer. She is quite the character, hardly a dull moment around her. Ever. Charlyn’s made simple phrases absolutely hilarious just because she says it cuter than anyone else can. “Access denied!” And I could laugh for hours on end, heh. So we had loads of fun shooting, and to make it sweeter, Charlyn was just glowing and kinda floating around. I guess that happens when you got a bun in the oven because I remember my wife having that same kind of aura around her. It must be all the hormones.icon smile

844183473 cLDdW X3
844183505 VffKx X3
844183429 4oaA6 X3“Ha, I can’t see my toes!”
844183410 LNPyE X3Glowy glowiness at it’s glowiest best moments!
844183560 k7Zxa X3

I asked Charlyn to put on a jacket during the shoot for some cozy shots, and she kept asking if she could take it off because she was hot. It was actually a lil crisp out that evening, but I guess you tend to run hot when pregnant. Again, I know squat about physical obstacles pregnant women experience, yes I know my wife was pregnant too but unless it’s happened to me. Uhh, what?
844183440 iqSKs X3Oh yeah, I got this thing about paying attention to people’s shoes now because they actually tell a lot more about a person. This says to me that Charlyn is practical, yet cute.
844183528 noHLx X3
844183383 jMJDK X3I looooooove shooting in the sun, c’mon I live in southern California and I gotta represent baby!
844183374 oGbxs X3
844183401 UFqkE X3Silly Chach!
844183526 eVcfy X3
To see some more of Charlyn’s pictures click here for a quick slide show.

need comments

add a comment
email a friend
04-01-2010

Easter Bunny Visit

So, I get home after work and do the same mumbo-jumbo around the house which includes taking Sally out so she can do her business (oh, Sally’s our puppy Chug). I like to take her to the front yard because it’s usually around the time my son Ethan gets home with my wife and like clockwork they pop into the driveway. Sally’s prancing around the yard looking for a spot when Ethan jumps out of the car looking like Tony the Tiger! I love it when Ethan’s got a new shirt on, or wearing something he REALLY likes and someone notices it he gets all shy, put his chin to his chest grinning ear to ear. It’s the cutest thing people! And today it was face paint, then he quickly jumps into an extended explanation on what he has on his face so you can understand. Really. You’ve never seen face paint in the form of a bunny daddy! Well, that’s my interpretation from his jibber-jabber. But none the less, it puts me at ease to see him happy, gave my wife a kiss and watched Ethan chase Sally. Then, Sally chase Ethan…

And no, he’s not sad in some of these. Just a tad shy when I bust out the camera, but he always warms up to it. That’s my boy…

825511454 ZoE39 X3Ethan and Sally are quite the odd pair. At first, Sally was scared of Ethan but she got used to him and she chases him around like it’s nobody’s business. It’s funny watching them play, she likes to chase Ethan and nibble at his pants and shoes. He likes to chase her and pretend to fall and slide on the wood floors when she pulls quick around a corner.
825511462 zhTKz X3
825511485 jMsGT X3
825511491 aFNgE X3
825511492 PSfeu X3I should get into the habit of ending blog posts with my favorite picture and what it means to me. I like this picture because it is nice. The end.
825511507 uXK9U X3

need comments

add a comment
email a friend
03-22-2010

Get Monday: Grilled Tilapia, Cevichi Style

So, I’m doing a few different thing here and I figured why bore you with my fancy-schmancy pictures of people and what not. I though I could let you in on what the rest of my life’s about. I like to cook! That phrase may be up for interpretation, but never the less, I like getting in the kitchen and whipping up gourmet masterpieces. Again, masterpieces may be up for interpretation. Occasionally I’ll watch the food network with the wife and it occurred to me that a lot of this stuff seems pretty easy, you know, get all the ingredients follow instructions and viola! I learned to cook from my mom, she’s quite the culinary genius, but very picky when it comes to trying different ingredients in her recipes. Sorry mom, but your picky-ness is whats holding me back in discovering new foods! But hey, I wouldn’t know where to start so I turned to the pros over at the Food Network. I like certain chefs specifically because their cooking style seems to suit my palette. My favorite chef happens to be Alton Brown, he’s smart on what he’s cooking, easy to follow and he’s got grrrreat taste in dishes. So I’m sharing one of his recipes with you, I kinda made some alterations to it but it’s mostly true to form. Here’s the link to Alton’s original recipe for Grilled Mahi-Mahi, Ceviche Style.

If you’re not a big fish fan, this is definitely the dish for you! I know most of you who don’t like fish typically don’t like it because of the fishy smell or flavor. This has neither; it does have soft flaky, moist fish texture with a sweet rush at first followed quickly by a spicy bite. This dish originally calls for Mahi-Mahi but times are little tight sooooo I substituted in tilapia which is a also a white flaky fish but the fillets are not as thick so they actually cook faster (oh yeah, cheaper too). I also added radishes as a garnish/side dish, it gives it that crunchy texture and a very subtle earthy taste that kinda breaks up the sweet-spicy flavor of the fish.

816241457 DouP9 X3

ingredients

· 6-8 skinless tilapia fillets, approximately 2 pounds

· 2 teaspoons kosher salt

· 1/2 cup diced red onion

· 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

· 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

· 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno

· 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

· 1/4 cup tequila

· 1 tablespoon olive oil

· 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves


Rub the fillets with kosher salt and set aside. In a non-reactive bowl, combine the onion, lime juice, orange juice, jalapeno, sugar and tequila. Mix to dissolve the sugar, and add the fillets to the bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours (I’d let them marinate for and hour if you’re in a rush to make dinner), turning the fillets once after 1 hour. Remove the fillets from the marinade and set it aside. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and lightly coat with the olive oil.

Heat a grill to high and place the fillets over direct heat until they are just cooked through – opaque at the center but still moist, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. While the fish is grilling, transfer the reserved marinade to a saucepan and heat until it is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Using tongs, remove the fillets to serving plates and divide sauce equally among them. Top with the cilantro. Gather around 10-15 red radishes cut the stalk and roots off then rinse and serve as a garnish or as a side dish.


I popped the bowl into the fridge for the hour that I let them marinate, come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever let them marinate for more than an hour!icon smileAt first, it may seem like it’s not enough marinade for all of the fish so I bump up the amounts of the orange and lime juice by about and 1/8 of a cup and I like mine with an extra kick so I use closer to 3 table spoons of minced jalepenos.

816241493 tVqiL X3
When I pull the fish out of the fridge, I start my rice cooker with some long grain rice, nothing special, to go along with the fish. Unless you use Uncle Ben’s microwave rice…

This has become a household favorite here, I think I should start doing more of these. Yeah, you know what, I will! The next one with be a recipe for Puerto Rican Rice, so stay tuned. And bon-apetit!
816241471 qbDQE X3

show hide 3 comments

add a comment
email a friend

Peter Garr - You're a badass! We should cook together sometime… maybe open a restaurant. Two gourmet photographers! :-)

Edgar - That tequila looks good… where did you get it?

Lety - Hey there. I just wanted to let you know that I love the new format. I enjoy your writing too. It gives the pix a whole new voice. Yeah!

03-14-2010

Mohawks & Mariachi’s

I love the fact that I never know what kind of shoots I get involved in when it comes to portraits, it give me a challenge that opens the flood gates to the imagination. When Sammy’s mom asked me to take pictures of her son in a Charro’s outfit, I was like, YEAH!!! I don’t think I’ve ever had the honor of photographing a kid dressed as a “Charro.” It’s what an traditional Mexican horseman would wear, we mostly see members of a Mariachi band wearing them. There’s actually a lot of history behind these beautifully embellished suits, so to me, it was really cool that a 4 year old gets one of his own! I can see my son sportin one of these in the near future. So that explains why you won’t see any guitars in this shoot. Keepin it real! Now, I’m sure I’m not the only one to notice, but this is one good lookin kid. Sammy totally rocked this suit!

810554418 Jp6js X3
810554449 nEQ2N X3The next Vicente Fernandez, no really, this kid also has a wicked set of pipes!

810554402 xxghq X3
810554452 gvi2d X3
810554465 dwXEc X3
810554557 qUptx X3
810554625 g7UFH X3
810554627 yWJcB X3
810554693 LmYiq X3Now, here’s one you haven’t seen before. (Or, at least I haven’t) A Mohawk Charro. This is were Sammy stands apart from the crowd, his individuality. Unparalleled.
810554520 NKYCG X3He love’s his mommy.
810554486 6JhUi X3Funny thing, Sammy’s got wandering eyes. He’s always lookin around at his environment and taking it all in, it made for an interesting time getting the right shots when he’s doing this action.
810554599 7gTbn X3
810554536 VDLFD X3
810554670 S3T7w X3
810554691 m759t X3
810554712 Y5zBY X3
810554763 zpvYZ X3
810554746 FrWaN X3When Sammy would pose with his mom, it would seem like he’s watching out for her. He’s got the stare.
810554778 FifQk X3
810554809 XPyo2 X3With a quick wardrobe change, Sammy was rockin casual cowboy attire and making it look good.
810554831 G8wqC X3
810554851 SPiSJ X3
810554912 K4MnH X3Bringing the cowboy look in a big way…
810554881 AWqyc X3
810554928 5VVq2 X3
810554986 Skzcp X3
810555018 iS78p X3What a looker, Mommy’s got here hands full when he grows up!
810555034 SSQhp X3Yup, he’s even got the wink to go with it all. Ladies man from the get-go.
810555075 SoAGx X3By the way, I have to thank whoever is running the weather because it’s been kinda cold and horrible lately today was absolutely gorgeous! Plenty of warm sunlight makes shoots go extra smooth! So thanks!
810555087 Jt5iL X3

show hide 1 comment

add a comment
email a friend

Anonymous - Nice work sir.

-Christian

03-02-2010

New Specs

So, I recently invested in some new equipment for my arsenal and I gotta tell ya, I’m lovin the new toy! I picked up a Canon 5D Mark II, quite the improvement over my previous cameras and it takes grrrreat pics. My family and I packed into the Skool Bus (my son’s nick name for my car) and had a mini adventure this past sunny Sunday. The sun was warm and toasty, beautiful skies, happy kids and airplanes. I’ll explain. It was a really nice day for all of us and lucky me with my bright new shiny cam!

I’m trying to shoot in black ‘n’ white when I don’t have to, this is a little training exercise I do because it forces me to see the world in monochromatic vision and visualize the hidden pictures around us. Yeah. That’s about right.

800728755 HQWnX X3

It was kinda scary how close the ducks would let you get, but how close I would let myself get? 10 feet. I like having a functional, normal looking nose thank you.
800728793 W97Do X3
800728758 7xV8M X3
I like watching people, especially kids, ride contraptions that constantly spin you around til you don’t know which way is up. Ahhh, the life of spinning with no worries of regurgitating your lunch. No thank you…
800728800 FSuCQ X3
Ice cream ROCKS!!!!
800728732 DoqBd X3
I don’t know who this couple was, but he wasn’t slapping her, he was very animated in his story telling. Got my attention.
800728773 NLJQT X3
My silly son riding his bike, and the one on the right was him right after he had his fill of the spinnies. Yes, I made that word up and I like it. As of this day forward I own the word “spinnies.”
800728816 ef3tZ X3
So my son really likes huge machines like trains, planes and automobiles. Man, it’s gonna be so much fun teaching my son how to mount double barrel carburetors on his first small block V8. The joys of father-son time and this was some of those moments where we stood in front larger-than-life machines and marveled at the accomplishments of man. Just makes you wanna grunt, ooh ooh ooh.
800728778 4jxyr X3
800728747 hL6Lk X3
800728737 4fTRe X3
800728815 6oz38 X3
800728789 tgFJd X3
800728780 982nM X3
800728752 MUwWq X3By this point of the day my son was really tired of me posing him in front of stuff, kinda obvious, but I love these…
800728827 QBzms X3My favorite picture of the day.
800728794 EDrLg X3Next outing will be in full lush color, botanical garden? Art museum? Poppy feilds? Oh wait I gotta take my Claritin for that one. I’m open for suggestion kids…

show hide 1 comment

add a comment
email a friend

Peter G. - Nice! 5DMKII rocks!