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!
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER
Sempervirens: "ever green, everlasting." Redwoods are incredible; they can live for 2,000+ years, they're fire-, insect-, and disease-resistant, and their needles absorb morning fog for moisture. Drop one of their seed pods in a vile of water, and it will turn a rich burgundy from the seed's tannic acid content. As we walk, the scent of bay leaves and rich forest dirt permeates the air, as golden dust hangs in the lingering sunlight. This shoot is one of my favorites. I hope the photos accurately reflect the magic of the redwood forest. It couldn't have been done without the help of hair & make-up artist Terry Alabata and software-engineer-by-day and model-by-night Olga Silina, who are both two awesome, talented ladies.
POINT REYES, CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER
From tree tunnels, to parasols, to a rock face that seemed to temporarily transport us to the Scottish Highlands – this shoot was quite a journey. An amazing day exploring the Point Reyes National Seashore with these three, who made my life so much easier:
Stylist: Catherine Francis Style | Model: Adele Thurston | HMUA: Nea Devina
SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER
What's not to love about a red polka dot dress, California poppies, green hillsides, and red balloons? Had a great time working with Jessica - she was so enthusiastic and had many wonderful ideas. I love working with people who inspire me in new directions - and help me get through barbed wire fences!
Santa Barbara Photographer
UCSB Class of 2015 | Nikita
Santa Barbara Photographer
UCSB Class of 2015 | Nicholle
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.
SANTA BARBARA, CA
I've always dabbled in video. In fact, in 4th-9th grade, I was determined to be a cinematographer. I had a really fancy DV-tape (yep, it was a long time ago) video camera and the Final Cut editing program, and I spent weekends making crazy films with my friends. I even got a giant green screen once! (Never really succeeded in using it...)
While that obsession did fade, the foundations of video I learned during that period of experimentation have helped me be able to dabble in it now. When I first heard this song from Andrew Bird's new album, I just thought it had to be danced to. Naturally, I contacted my friend Ariella, who is an amazing dancer, and she and her friend Angela agreed to dance to it on the beach. I love the richness of these sunset tones and think that these blues fusion moves perfectly captured the essence of this song.
GOLETA, CALIFORNIA
Self-portraits are one of my favorite things to do because they're challenging. They require thorough shot-planning, tripods, remotes, and a certain degree of discomfort (carrying all the gear, running back and forth, people walking by, etc.). I committed myself to going out to this beach cave today around sunset to get these shots, and I almost backed out a few times. But I'm glad I didn't. Luckily, I pretty much had the whole beach to myself, and the few people I did see just smiled and said, "Hi." You can get away with lots of weird things in a college town.
GAVIOTA STATE PARK, CALIFORNIA
Thanks to Ariella for our '20s soundtrack on the way to Gaviota, for helping me not fall off miniature cliffs, and for entertaining this ridiculous bird-lady dress.
CAMPBELL, CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER
B E R R Y B E A R D
step 1: find man with beard.
step 2: find berry bush.
step 3: apply swatch of berries to said man's beard.
step 4: profit.
CAMPBELL, CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER // CHRISTMAS EVE 2014
In September, the vision for these photos came to me in the form of a fine art painting. I pulled out an old dress that my mom wore to a wedding once, and the colors beckoned to be combined with the wall in their bedroom that we had just painted "Cavern Clay" in September. It may have taken a few months to materialize, but here it is: a study in orange. (Or, more accurately, Cavern Clay.)
And some "behind the scenes," because you can only have so much seriousness.
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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
I was so excited when Rachel told me what she had in mind for this shoot. She is an esthetician, massage therapist, and yogi, and she wanted some photos of her in action for her website. The Presidio was the perfect location, and since we got there at 7:00am, we had some beautiful early-morning light. Rachel is awesome, and I think that is evident in these photos. Enjoy!
Hair by Nea Devina
STOW HOUSE | GOLETA, CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER
This shoot was great for so many reasons: the colors, the lighting, the fresh green grass from the recent storms, but most of all, the two amazing people I got to capture. I love shoots where people say things like, "Can we dance?" or "This might be weird, but..."
Thanks again, Lindsey and Bryan, for being so enthusiastic and fun to work with!
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!
MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA
Katie (owner of La Rousse Photo) and I have gotten together once before to take some "floortraits" (click here to see those photos), and I was happy to meet up again and get some shots of her for her fashion blog, Amy & Kate. We went to Cold Spring Trail above Montecito, where there were a few fall leaves (hard to find around here) and a dry, rocky creekbed that we explored and used for most of the photos. Be sure to check out her blog! There's a lot of pretty photos and cool fashion posts.
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
Alex & Mike recently got engaged, and we had a great time wandering around the Funk Zone and beach area of Downtown Santa Barbara. They moved here from New Jersey not too long ago, and I'm glad because it meant I got to work with them! I love the industrial feel of the beginning shots, followed by the soft, romantic tones of the ending after the sun had set. Such a sweet, attractive couple. :-)
Goleta, California
The day of this shoot was the 3-year anniversary of when Erik first proposed to Krissy, so I thought it was sweet that we got to incorporate their wedding attire into some of the shots. They are an amazing couple with awesome style. Thanks again, Krissy & Erik!
Knapp's Castle // Santa Barbara, CA
Laura and I had a great time exploring these ruins. The Knapp mansion burned down in 1940, so anything that was made of stone is all that remains. I always love exploring places where people once stood, people whose lifetimes have long since passed. It's like time travel to me.
I wanted to plant succulents to take to my apartment at school, and I had to trim the burro tail one to transport it. Since there were these pretty long strands of succulent, I couldn't let them go to waste. I also didn't have a model handy, so I decided to wear a succulent crown myself. However, the self-portraits were much easier said than done. I haven't taken outdoor self-portraits for a long time, and when I last did so, I was shooting on automatic, which was way easier. But shooting manual to get the exact effect you want requires you to be constantly adjusting settings, so even with a flip-screen and a remote trigger, it was a struggle. I even decided the crown looked kind of dumb, but here are the few surviving images.
