20
Dec
2009
Los Angeles Gets a Bath
Los Angeles gets on average 15 inches of rainfall a year, which is roughly 35 days out of the year. And on those rare 35 days, the rain is comparable to a bird bath at best. Taking full advantage of my new place smack dab in the middle of downtown LA, I grabbed my rain coat, tripod, camera, and headed down to the streets… Because today sir, we have rain!
At first I started on the streets. I figured the sooner the better. Probably not the best idea to stroll around downtown with a nice camera after midnight ya know? Who knows, I’m growing a thicker skin day by day to the “amenities” offered by LA.
After roaming around the streets, I headed up to the rooftop of my building to get some more shots. My camera got very intimate with a Ralph’s plastic grocery bag.
16
Dec
2009
Livin’ on the edge
It pays to be my friend. Clinton has now been in front of my camera 3 times. Previously with a gritty downtown LA theme, and also a cowboy/western theme. This time he wanted a fashion theme. I wasn’t sure what he was going to wear until he knocked on my door… Pointed black shoes, grey wool slacks, leather gloves, and a matching grey wool beret? 1920′s here we come! Which would go PERFECT with my loft’s atmosphere since it was built in the 1920′s and well maintained since then.
Most notable about The Chapman building are the beautiful 13 floors of marble stairway. You just don’t see that anymore unless you’re in a 5 star hotel. I was trying to get a lot of depth, so placing Clinton at the very edge of the frame while looking down gave me the look I wanted.
The roof is the main attraction of any downtown building. A quick jump over a neighboring wall and we’ve been transported from The Chapman’s green grass, lawn chairs, and jacuzzis to a tattered and worn down roof… perfect for that old rustic feel.
Clinton survived the “jump” 
Of course the above image is a composite. One of him jumping, and another over the edge of the building. Now personally I turn into a spineless puddle of mush when it comes to heights, so crawling over the railing and hanging my camera 5′ beyond the ledge made me just a tad queezy. But I’m very happy how this image turned out.
On to the behind-the-scenes shots.
My lovely trusty and beautiful assistant Lauren snapped some shots on her iPhone of the stairway. Just goes to show how beautiful and well restored this building has been kept for over 80 years.
The finished shot spans 3 floors. On each floor was an AlienBee strobe. Since the marble is practically white, the power had to be set relatively low, and constantly adjust each light to get the balance I wanted… With each tiny adjustment meaning I had to climb 3 flights of stairs, I got a decent workout in!
Pulling back from a ledge shot you can see what I was working with. Yes I wasn’t lying about shooting on a ledge, that 2nd photo wasn’t a composite folks! Mad props to Clinton risking his neck for a shot! Where I’m taking the picture from is just about how close I like to come to a high ledge! Both feet on solid ground. Also note that in the final pictures, I edited out most modern elements such as cars and new buildings.
I’m very happy with how this shoot came out. So how about getting in the Christmas spirit and give the gift of comments 
29
Aug
2009
LA on fire
Enjoy the sights from the rooftop of my new loft in downtown LA. Those aren’t clouds, that’s the San Fernando Valley getting smothered by ash. There’s a downside to having perfect non-rainy weather everyday in SoCal, and you’re looking at it. The terrain get’s so dry, a simple spark can set off a raging 1,000+ acre fire. Luckily the wind is playing in my favor and my lungs get to breath the natural pollutated air of LA instead of thick burnt ash.
Click for high-res shot
