Cacti Self-Portraits

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA 

I was inspired by a senior session the night before (photos to come) to return to this spot and take some self-portraits with these cacti. Aren't they cool? It's all around a great spot because there aren't many people around (the most awkward part about taking self-portraits), and it's right by the UCSB lagoon – you don't have to go far around here to find a variety of biomes.

Also, I'm not a fashion blogger, but I just have to say that this whole outfit was purchased at Crossroads (at different points in time) for less than $20. That's a Lucky Brand shirt and a J. Crew sweater right there. Boom.

Julia K.

Goleta, California Photographer | UCSB Senior Portraits | Class of 2015

I just love working with seniors! For the first (and last) time, I am also a college senior, and it's so fun to be surrounded by so much enthusiasm for UCSB and graduation. Julia and I were able to get some great shots over at the Butterfly Preserve – isn't her smile contagious?

Sydney & Alex

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHERYou may see a familiar face in this post. Sydney did some modeling for me in the past, so when her boyfriend Alex contacted me saying he wanted to gift her a couples session for her birthday, I was thrilled! These two are so fun to be around and so attractive - I told them they should sign up for couples modeling. Thanks again, Alex and Sydney!

Nikita

Santa Barbara Photographer

UCSB Class of 2015 | Nikita

Ruby

Santa Barbara, California Photographer

Being a photographer – or any kind of artist – requires you to be a bit unconventional. Breaking social boundaries is a part of what I do, by bringing people out of their comfort zones (while simultaneously being out of my own), getting in their personal space, slyly trying to capture strangers when I have no models around, etc. Often times I see people with an unusual look or interesting style and wish I could just ask them on the spot if they'd be my model (thankfully I haven't gone this far – yet!). Well, this a great example of that. I had seen Ruby around campus and admired her wonderfully vintage style and was always thinking, "I'd love to take photos of her!" Creepy, right? Well, bringing creepiness to the next level was when I saw her tagged in a photo with one of my other Facebook friends and decided to message her. Luckily, she wasn't totally creeped out and agreed to work with me! So thanks, Ruby, for going along with this unconventional arrangement and creating some beautiful images with me!

This shoot started out with some bright and cheery mustard, and the images got moodier as the sun was setting.

Sydney

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA

A sailboat washed ashore near the UC Santa Barbara campus recently, and Sydney (also a UCSB student) was nice enough to come explore it with me before it's gone. It was a beautifully overcast day, so I couldn't resist getting some shots along the way. We gathered a "bouquet" of dead brush and had fun incorporating it into some shots (and discussing the fact that it belongs in a mason jar at a hipster wedding). Thanks again, Sydney!