North of San Francisco, along the piney, rock studded coastline- this was a shoot for Anorak with model Ghazal @Ghaazelle shining in these sweet puffer jackets. I loved the slightly other-worldly feel we channeled in our natural surrounds, with this little pocket of time and space.
I’ll note it wasn’t my suggestion for Jessica to sit down in the freezing waters of the Pacific at sunset- but those are the kind of clients I love! I also love how glassy the water looks when it’s just washed up on the sand, and the way the light reflects when the sun is low on the horizon. At nearly full term she was an amazing sport. (8 mo along + it was a cold day here in LA terms!) My 2nd maternity shoot with her, I had the pleasure of capturing her with her first baby, Jace, up the coast at Abalone Cove a couple years ago- then Jace as a newborn- and now the next one (a girl) on the way. I love developing these kind of relationships with clients and seeing how their families evolve from each shoot! - This shoot was freakin windy as well but we made that work for us! As well as those full moon vibes. :)
Location: Point Fermin Lighthouse and Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, CA.
This was beautiful! Fariz planned this out in secret while they would be traveling through LA from Canada… and he picked a beautiful location in El Matador Beach in Malibu, CA for the surprise. I was casually set up on my beach blanket and once the guitar player arrived, who just happened to play a favorite song of hers, I knew that was the cue! Fariz bent the knee… and Noreen said yes! And since it was a gorgeous golden hour we got some sweet sunset photos to follow :) xx
Graciela & Lucas Miller have since become proud parents since this shoot. I love that we fit this maternity session in when we did. Grace is an incredible woman in her own right, an amazing new mom, and a dear friend of mine. And when she has a vision, you can be sure that she’ll make it a reality! This was a collaborative shoot pulling iconic inspiration from Sophia Loren & Frida Kahlo. Channeling Loren’s timeless Italian seaside aesthetic, we captured several striking images on black & white film with my manual medium format camera at Abalone Cove. After lunch, we prepped for round two which is when her hubby met up with us near the coast in San Pedro. This group of images felt painterly- using lots of bold color, fresh roses and a textured natural outdoor location. We wrapped it up with sunset at the coast because, well, the timing was right and we were right there! It’s impossible to ignore the light when it’s just so right. I loved bringing these ideas to life- but I had the easy job! Grace just delivered her baby girl a few weeks ago! It’s fitting that so much of this shoot was by the sea- she had a successful all natural water birth. Welcome to this great wild world Sedona <3.
Red Rocks State Park in Cantil, CA has a mystery vibe of it's own. This martian landscape comes alive as the sun goes down and the desert life opens up to a starry sky. A few of my favorite photos from this trip are those of the Joshua Trees and rockscape aglow at night. I used a 30 second exposure with my camera on a tripod while drawing on the limbs and outlines with a flashlight to capture those surreal images. Awake before dawn (with a stir-crazy Finn!) the Mojave desert was full of that ultra-warm morning light as we started our drive back to LA.
