Friday Photography Blog by Kerem Hanci

Portraits

2012-01-20T23:50:00.000-08:00

A few interesting gigs are lining up for the coming weeks. The second installment of headshot marathon with my partner Jen Castle, a possible crew shoot for the Cirque du Soleil show Iris along with some engagement sessions. So, this week, I wanted to share some of my portrait work. This varies from headshots to baby portraits, from corporate portraits to music band shots. I will not get into the engagement shoots as they are a little different in my opinion and I regularly share those with you anyways.

As mentioned, there are many different kinds of portraiture... There is the headshot...

There is also the 3/4 shot or the body shot, as seen on the photo on the right below... In the film world they also call that "cowboy"...

The headshot has to make an impression without misrepresenting the talent. The last thing you want is to be called on an audition because of a photograph that doesn't look like you. Some actors go for the general feel of "theatrical vs commercial" and some prefer "character" shots. In my opinion, the one left to the 3/4 shot above could be considered theatrical, but also it can be seen as a character shot.

I also love the "negative space": landscape headshots!

Then, there are the professional ones. A corporate headshot, or a professional portrait for your business, whatever that may be...

All of the portrait sessions have their challenging side and their fun side. The connection between the photographer and the model is a funny one. If the photographer already know the model, than the fun starts almost immediately. If they don't know each other, than there might be a few warm up clicks, but it is always up to the photographer to get his/her subject loose. With one exception... The inevitable, ridiculously fun and cute baby portraits... The photographer may require the help of mommy :D

I love portrait sessions with actors who do know what they want, who they are and how they would like to market their talent. But my favorite ones are with other creative artists. The following photographs are of a Los Angeles based band (Elevaters), a Los Angeles based DJ duo (Ace & Amir), a musician/designer who is showing off his own collection (Joshua Hill), my partner in crime (Jen Castle), another musican (Novena Carmel) and an actress (Tami Goveia).

I hope you enjoyed the samples. If you live in Los Angeles area and you need headshots, professional or family portraits, email me or call me (my number is above, on the menu bar) and tell me your favorite photograph of this blog and we'll book a session and you'll get a discount! :D See you next week!

Behçet Türkekul

2012-01-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

No photographs this week. I found out today a good friend of mine from Istanbul passed away. A very talented musician, an incredibly fun man with tons of love in his heart, he will be missed greatly. I would like to share a couple of videos showcasing his talent.

Rest in peace brother.

Heaven

2012-01-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I woke up around 7:30 with my daughter on a lovely Sunday morning. I fixed my breakfast, my tea and I was playing with her when all of a sudden my phone rang. It was the producer of a short film who needed someone to shoot the set photography and they needed me on that very night and the next day. I had to cancel my soccer game, give up to watch the Saints game and I had to switch things around to be able there on Monday as well, but I made it work as I love set photography and an opportunity to be on the set has not been coming my way lately. The film's name is Heaven.

One may wonder why I love to be on a film set. Some photographers find it boring. It is true that there is a lot of dead time where you either hang out with the production crew or you have to keep still and quiet for extended amounts of time. I am not going to talk to you about "the magic of making movies" etc. That's not why I am there. I truly love the movie set, because there is so much you can photograph. So many details for example. You can just observe and start shooting... You just have to be sleek and quick as many things' spots change fast, let alone the fluctuating light.

One of the most photographed items on the sets that I work is the slate. I think the camera would come at top, but that's definitely not a scientific data!

One of the first things I learned about photography was to change my angle. To always look for different ways to see the object you would like to photograph. One would have some limitations on the movie set as there are a lot of people, a lot of equipment and sometimes very limited space to operate. But at other times, I try to first visualize the shot before I even get to the spot I would like to snap the picture. Here's a couple of bird's eye views.

As far as the performances and the actors, I really love to be sneaky and to catch them at their most "vulnerable" moments. It is like a hunting game. You need to snap that picture before they notice you. Actually, the later they notice your strategy, the better! I took the one below right before a very emotional and physical scene: the actor escaped to the very cold December night in the San Fernando Valley in order to get ready mentally to shoot the scene.

I came to the break room to munch on some veggies, and I found the actress in her own world. I didn't say anything, I proceeded to the catering area and I snapped this photograph, which unfortunately brought her back on Earth. We took a few more pictures after this one, we basically goofed around. This was by far the most interesting one.

Those of you who follow this blog regularly know how much I love the reflection shots. I also love the screen within the screen shots. So when I'm on a movie set, I'm like a kid in a candy store!

Another beautiful thing on a movie set if you are lucky enough to have a good cinematographer with a good crew, is the fact that the set is beautifully lit. The challenge is to be ready with your camera. During a wedding, an event or a portrait session, you won't have to change your camera settings drastically. On a movie set, you will have to adjust the settings constantly and most of the times within moments. You would also need to learn to use ALL light sources (like LCD screens).

And, of course, the good shots are not always where the action is. This is valid for every shoot. Although, I got great portraits of the camera crew while they were hanging out in between takes, the one that would intrigue me most would be this shot of the lens case with them in the background. I had to walk away from a fascinating and hilarious conversation in order to get it.

Houmas House Plantation Part III

2011-12-30T22:51:00.000-08:00

Well, as promised, here is the third edition of Houmas House Plantation focusing on the gems found inside this gorgeous place. As you may remember the first edition was the surroundings of Houmas House via the fish-eye lens. On the second edition, I shared more details of the gardens and fountains around the house.

The Houmas House is a living museum of the history of the American South.

This week, as I am still struggling with the lovely cold who came to visit me, I will let the photographs do the talking. Enjoy, and don't be shy to leave your comments!

Let's start with a few detail shots of the ridiculous amount of art artifacts in this house. Statuettes, paintings, jewelry... You name it.

The following is an interesting and a gorgeous one. It's also no doubt very precious as it was made by the famous artist and sculptor Gutzon Borglum, the one responsible for the little public work known as Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. His signature is on the bench.

A painting of the ship Armenia belonging to Hampurg-America Packet Company. It was made in 1896 and was seized by the US Government in 1917.

I will never give up my reflection fetish.

How about some silver?

May the new year be the way you make it to be! And may it bring us all some silver! :D

Mine will have full of laughter and prosperity in great health among the family and loved ones.

Happy New Year!

Vivienne's First Christmas

2011-12-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

Well, the title of this blog may be misleading until the last photograph... Yet, it is not misleading in the sense that it is all about my daughter.

Let's start with the first flight of Vivienne. Here she is at the LAX airport, with her mom, getting ready to board the plane to fly to New Orleans, LA.

This is a picture from my phone's camera. And, yes, mommy and daddy are pretending to sleep while Vivienne is really passed out. She was so good!

Here, you see Vivienne rockin' the Pink Floyd t-shirt her daddy bought her... Her mom rolled her eyes when she saw it...

Thanksgiving Day in Baton Rouge, LA.

Visiting Oak Alley Plantation with her mom.

Chilling with the fam at the Oak Alley Plantation's famous oak alley!

We also had a great authentic cajun dinner at Pont Breaux's while listening to authentic cajun music performed by Lee Benoit & The Bayou Stompers. The place was packed following a victorious LSU football game. It doesn't get more Louisiana than this! I danced with my daughter for a long time!

Vivienne helped us pack.

And, as promised, here is Vivienne's Christmas picture with Santa Claus and mommy... Apparently mommy had to be there because Vivienne does not particularly want to get too close to Santa. Unfortunately I had to miss this moment because of work. Oh, well...

Houmas House Plantation Part II

2011-12-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about this series. Yes, it is going to be a series, probably a Christmas blog next week would break it, but Houmas House Plantation is a national treasure and a photographer's heaven. I was like a kid in a candy store!

Last week, we covered the outside with a few fish-eye shots. Let's stay outside this week and let's get a few details and some general shots as well...

When you pull in the parking lot of Houmas House, you feel that this is going to be a worthy experience.

The owner still lives in the premises, and it shows and feels like that the place is alive. There are several gardens and water gardens that are very well kept and it is a place that you would like to hang out on a nice breezy afternoon, enjoying your favorite cocktails purchased from the Turtle Bar that is behind the Houmas House, next to the Hampton Fountain Court. The 4th and the 5th picture below are of the Hampton Fountain Court and the 6th one is a photograph of the yard in front of the court adjacent to the Turtle Bar.

I will leave you with a few more photographs showcasing the lovely ambiance of this magical place. As I mentioned earlier, we might take a break from the Houmas House next week in order to have a Christmas entry on Friday Photography Blog, but there will be at least a Part III to the Houmas House Plantation and we will go inside this time. Until then, be well my babies!

Houmas House Plantation

Houmas House Plantation Part I

2011-12-09T23:12:00.000-08:00

Oh my lovelies, I have so many photographs to share from this lovely place, yet I don't want to overwhelm you with tons of pictures...
So, here is the first part... Only outside, and only via fish eye...

As opposed to Oak Alley Plantation, At Houmas House Plantation they allowed the photography inside, but I will leave those for next week. Here's this week quicky Friday Photography Blog, I will talk about this lovely place in more detail next week.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Oak Alley Plantation

2011-12-03T00:04:00.000-08:00

Last week I was in New Orleans for Thanksgiving and I took a week off. And it was good. Tons of food and drink and great times. They say "Laissez les bons temps rouler" and boy did we!

It's been a crazy week with a lot to catch up and another busy week is brewing, so this one is a quickie. A good amount of pictures, but not a lot to write.

We visited two plantations while in Louisiana. You can read all about the first one I am sharing the pictures of here. It's called Oak Alley Plantation.

I took the following two pictures inside the main house, where photography is not allowed... Oh well...

Let's finish it up with a picture that encapsulate my experience of Louisiana... Good times, good places and good drinks... A delicious (and LOADED) mint julep!

Thank you!

2011-11-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

Last week, I celebrated my birthday with a little party my wife threw for me in the restaurant we met 15 years ago. Our friends came, some met Vivienne for the first time and we had a great time.

I am not someone who looks forward to gifts. I don't expect them. I don't give them when people expect them either. Unbeknownst to me however, my wife had been preparing a very big surprise for my birthday. Not only did she choose the most perfect gift (something I actually wanted and more importantly needed) for me with the help of my photographer friends (you know who you are); my friends actually contributed to this gift.

And as I mentioned, this was the most perfect (and the most expensive!!!) gift I have ever received.

Thanks go to my lovely wife who always keeps amazing me and to my lovely friends who have always shown their support by following this blog, by encouraging me with their positive words, by challenging me with new projects and now by contributing in my career by getting me this amazing lens.

And although I have already used the lens for a portrait session, I will share photographs taken with this beauty in the future blogs... Thank you!

70-200mm zoom lens with a 2.8 f stop... Fast, convenient and useful for all kinds of events, weddings,sports etc.

The lens has the Vibration Reduction Image Stabilization technology, which detects vertical and horizontal movement and offsets it by initiating compensating motion. Once the "active mode" is chosen the camera will disregard the panning motion information so you can shoot the sports events :D How awesome is that!

Thank you again for this awesome toy and business tool! :D

Noilya & Murat's Wedding

2011-11-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I shared the engagement session pictures of a beautiful couple, and this week, I would love to share their wedding pictures! Noilya and Murat tied the knot on October 22nd of this year in a beautiful wedding in the gorgeous Palos Verdes Golf Club. I was there early to document the preparation, take a few pictures of the wedding party and be part of the celebration. Here are the photographs I selected to share in chronological order for you to somewhat follow the story of their happiest day. Let's start with a few details.

While the bride and the girls were getting ready, the groom and the boys were ready for their close-up.

When the bride was ready, I went upstairs to photograph her and she was game and ready to make professional models jealous with her talent in front of the camera!

The girls had a lot of fun too. Here is one right before they went down for the ceremony.

After a sweet and short ceremony, we had the family portraits and also the wedding party pictures. I have to tell you, the Best Man, the Maid of Honor and the rest of the Bride's Maids and Groom's Men were an incredibly fun and pleasant bunch! We laughed a lot during the shoot.

Then, I took a ride with the newly wedded couple in order to take a few formal portraits. The fog/mist of Palos Verdes that provided us a beautifully eerie background at the start of the couple's engagement session came back to complete the theme!

First dance...

Now... I've been in many many weddings as a photographer, as a friend, as a member of the wedding party.... I listened to many toasts by the Best Man.... Some were drunken rants, repeating the same thing over and over again... Some was filled with "F" bombs (not always a bad thing)... Some were funny... Some were boring and most were informative.... I have to tell you though, nothing came close to Best Man Suat's toast to the couple. His speech was informative: it gave a good idea of the friendship and why he was the Best Man, how the couple met. It was very funny. Suat's delivery was also key as he was incredibly at ease. There was not one dull moment in his speech. And the way he tied it was very touching and thoughtful. Kudos to Suat!

Let's do a few more editorial/detail shots....

And then, it was time to party...

Noilya and Murat, I wish you a very healthy, happy and properous life together!

sea.thos

2011-11-05T00:40:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure to shoot an absolutely fantastic event. Hosted by the Sea•thos Foundation, this was an exclusive photo exposé and book signing with renowned surf photographers Art Brewer and Tom Servais. The event was to promote awareness of the human impact on the world’s ocean. All proceeds from the book sales and prints were generously donated to benefit the Sea•thos Foundation, and the money raised will help fund Sea•thos’ ocean awareness educational programs.

Both Art and Tom were in great spirit and there were really cool t-shirts donated by Quicksilver for the event.

Tom took us all to a journey thru his photographs first.

Then Art went thru his inspirational photographs. For me, shooting an event and getting to hang out with two great photographers that night was a blast!

The limited edition prints will remain on display at the Sea•thos headquarters for the next few weeks. You can send them an email to schedule a viewing!

Vivienne Says Boo! First Halloween Pictures

2011-10-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you, I am not much of a "Holidays" man... While I am not Scrooge either, I never really cared for any of the holidays... I can totally get the family thing, and I actually enjoy some of those yearly gatherings. But, Christmas trees, carving pumpkins, dressing up for Halloween etc. have never been my thing. Until last year, when Jennifer showed up with a little living pine treeö I never had a Christmas tree in the house. That tree is still with us by the way, residing on the balcony, and it will be decorated this year as well.

Well, as you can imagine, this change is due to the arrival of Vivienne! Last Wednesday, Jen and I made some time for the family and we took Vivienne to a Pumpkin Patch. My main focus was to take a few pictures to document her first Halloween. Then we decided to get a mid-size pumpkin as well. More on that later. Let's talk about VivoşMinnoş...

It was a very pleasant day in Los Angeles, and although I wanted my daughter to wear some fall outfits, she politely declined and chose a dress to her liking. Once we arrived to the Pumpkin Patch, Jen and I were way more excited than Vivienne... She didn't have much enthusiasm about the place. Yet, she was game and posed for daddy. Although, she refused to smile...

The little munchkin in between two pumpkins! :D

My darling daughter is not even pretending she is having fun. To her credit, she was a trooper though. No crying, no fussing, she allowed daddy to snap a few pictures, and than showed some interest in the sunflowers while hanging out in mommy's arms.

Daddy had to take a few more pictures though...

Jennifer had work to do that night, I put Vivienne to sleep. Created a Halloween playlist on Spotify, and proceeded to carve my first pumpkin. It was very much fun. And I gotta tell you, I'm proud of the result!

I thought about his name for a long time... I wanted his name to be a Turkish name for some reason, I'm not sure why. There are only a couple of male Turkish names starting with P... Than, the Turkish word for pumpkin is "kabak". "Kerem" comes to mind, but leaves it as quickly as it showed up. So, I decided to call it Cédric La Citrouille. My daughter's first name is a French name, so why not Cédric and why not citrouille instead of pumpkin? Yes, "citrouille" is a feminine noun, but who cares? It's all for fun, right?

Cédric speaks English with a caricature-like heavy French accent in between the long puffs of his unfiltered Gauloises cigarettes.

I asked Cédric to hang out in front of the window looking down at Jen's parking garage, so when she gets out of the car, she could see him... He loved the idea, poured himself a glass of cheap French table wine, opened the window, lit another Gauloises and patiently waited for Jen's return.

In the morning, Vivienne was as supportive as ever when I asked her if she would pose in her Halloween costume. She put her costume on and posed with Cédric. I asked Cédric to abstain from smoking while around my daughter, and he respected my request.

Alright my lovelies, I will leave you with two pictures of our little monkey!

Happy Halloween!

Noilya & Murat

2011-10-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

I had the tremendous pleasure of shooting the engagement portraits of a lovely couple: Noilya and Murat. They will say "I do" tomorrow, and you can bet that the pictures of their wedding will be the subject of yet another Friday Photography Blog in a very near feature.

I was hired by Noilya and Murat close to their wedding day and we wanted to do an engagement session. Due to the time restraints and scheduling conflicts we couldn't arrange a shoot during sunset that we thought it would be ideal. Because of this, Noilya and Murat wanted to do a sunrise shoot.

Although I mentioned the potential heavy fog that would be dominant on a Palos Verdes morning, there was no way I could say no to a couple who was ready to get up way before the sunrise.
I was so happy they were eager to do this sunrise shoot!

Both Murat and Noilya were in an incredibly pleasant mood despite the early morning call. When shooting engagement sessions, the couples may be a little shy, stiff and uncomfortable with the presence of the photographer at first. Not with these cats. They were ready to shoot, and the above shot is literally the first frame I shot!

The heavy morning mist was so persistent along the coast, we were pretty sure that we were not going to see the sun. A resident of Palos Verdes, Murat took us up to Del Cerro Park and we hit the jackpot as far as the background was concerned. We were able to catch the early sunlight thru the mist thanks to the elevation.

Then, despite the fog, we headed down to the coast... And shot by the shore...

We stopped by at the couple's place to choose the outfits for the next leg of the shoot... Downtown Los Angeles... And, as most photographers, our first stop was Union Station...

The next stop was the gorgeous Olvera street. Here, I let the couple loose and told them to hang out, shop and be into one another.... And I snapped with a tele-lens from far away. These candid shots are the most fun for me! The couple obviously do know they are being photographed, but there is a more natural feel to their behavior and actions due to the fact that there is no camera on their face!

We wrapped after the few pictures snapped around the inevitable Walt Disney Concert Hall And I will finish the blog with one of those pictures...

I will be shooting their wedding tomorrow, and as promised look for the wedding pictures of this beautiful couple within a few weeks, right here on Friday Photography Blog.

2011-10-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Monday October 17th will mark the 15-year anniversary of my life's biggest achievement.
There is no way I could have completed it without the loving, caring, purposeful, smart, enlightening and supporting company and partnership of my wife, my life partner, my love, Jennifer Smith-Hanci. Some of you know her as Jennifer Fontaine.

In the month of March of our 15 years of togetherness, we were incredibly blessed, grateful and lucky to become the parents of a wonderful baby girl, Vivienne Emine Hanci.

So, this simple, to the point Friday Photography Blog is celebrating my family.

Thank you for the incredible 15 years baby, I look forward to a few more of those with the presence of the little peanut :o)

Maşallah deyin bakalım, biraz batıl yapalım. :o)

Macro Look At Our Little Garden

2011-10-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Jennifer keeps our gorgeous little patio green... I talked to you about that patio last week and on other prior blogs. Now, I would like to take you on a tour for a closer look. There are 2 jade trees, one pine tree, a pot with basil, rosemary, thyme and sage, a gardenia plant and a money tree...

Here are a couple of close up pictures of the blooming jade tree.

Jennifer got the pine tree last Christmas. Since then it doubled its size and after this Christmas, we are planning on transfering it somewhere it could continue its life without us putting ornaments on it. I think it's going to be huge to fit on our balcony.

A spider already built its web and caught its meal!

Our gardenia is blooming too!

Here are the herbs we cook with daily. Basil, rosemary, thyme and sage.

This little guy lives in Basiltown. Time to time he travels to Sageville to see some of his family. Jen saw him dining at the Blooming Basil Flower Inn, and she decided to leave him alone as she cleans those flowers before they bloom and any help is welcome. I will leave you with his good looking body and head shots. He is tiny, but the macro lens brings him close to your eyes and maybe even to your dreams (or nightmares depending on your take). Yes I think you should dream of my photographs :o)

A Cloudy Afternoon in Los Angeles

2011-09-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

Following the first few drops of rain this fall in Los Angeles, we had an absolutely gorgeous cloudy sky and even more beautiful sunset with a rainbow and all.... I know tons of people post their phone pictures on Facebook, but the following photographs are as usual the result of my passionate affair with this art form, so I am making the Friday Photography Blog about the cloudy LA sky and I'm not gonna apologize for it!

Whenever we can, we take advantage of our patio. And, on this gorgeous Friday afternoon, we made some Turkish tea and hung out. We then noticed the ever changing sky, the clouds forming interesting shapes, the little spots where it rains etc. I grabbed my camera and shot a few frames.

A little rainbow and a gorgeous and colorful sunset sky put the lovely dot at the end of a gorgeous narrative the sky wrote this afternoon and there is no way I can top that, so, I leave you with these...

Rusty's Surf Ranch

2011-09-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

As I have promised for the last couple of weeks, this week's Friday Photography Blog is about a restaurant/bar on the Santa Monica Pier. If I am not mistaken, Rusty's Surf Ranch opened its doors to the public in 1994.

Located in the middle of the pier, next to the amusement park, it has two patios, one facing north, the other facing south.

It's a great place to get some food, a few drinks and enjoy live music. I really like it during the weekdays, as the weekends may be a little too touristy for my taste.

It has great Happy Hour specials daily. One of their specialties is the Blue Laguna Margarita...

There is the large main dining room, the game room with high tables and chairs and the two patios I was talking about, so there is plenty of seating options to choose from and that makes Rusty's the perfect place to hang out with friends, have a family dinner or a quality time with your date.

With an extensive collection of historic surfboards and memorabilia, Rusty's pays homage to the "Surfing '60s", the Golden Era of California Surf Culture.

Santa Monica's Municipal Pier was dedicated in 1909, and the Amusement Pier began operations with the Carousel at its heart in 1916. One year later the building where Rusty's is now located was built. The structure was referred to as "The Billiards Building" due to the seven billiards tables that were a central feature when it opened. Rusty's keeps that aspect of the building's history alive with the billiards table located in the game room.

Rusty's has good live music and an overall fun atmosphere. If you haven't been there before, check it out during one of the nights when they have live music. Go early, watch the sunset, catch the great happy hour specials, have dinner and catch the live show. It really is worth it.

The Bad Bad Things

2011-09-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the 1998 movie Vey Bad Things? A dark comedy way before the era of raunchy comedies like Hangover, where a prostitute is killed during a bachelor party in Vegas and the attendees turn on each other as the wedding approaches.

Well, the name of the band The Bad Bad Things reminds me of that movie... Actually, it only reminds me of that movie's name. A while back, I watched a couple of YouTube videos of the band and I thought they were alright and they definitely spiked my interest.

Two weeks ago, after I shot the Santa Monica Twilight Dance Series, I headed to my second photography gig of the night in order to document the runner-up of the respected Emerging Artists (Battle of the Bands) competition organized by the one and only Rusty's Surf Ranch. As I promised last week, this week we are covering The Bad Bad Things and next week we'll talk about Rusty's.

The fan based showed up early, proudly wearing apparel carrying the band's artwork.

The band took stage early while the crowd was still shuffling in and they started to put up a very energetic show with great and fun drinking songs being dominant in their repertoire.

Right before the band's short break, Rusty's was getting packed with the Thursday night revelers and the still music-craving crowd coming from the Twilight Dance Series that was just wrapping.

Seeing the loaded venue, The Bad Bad Things unleashed two full throttle dance songs back-to-back sending the legion of music lovers into frantic pogoing and light moshing.

And this in return led Kryss and Casey, the lovable vocal duo of the band, to join the crowd and dance with them.

Before it got too late, the photographer took off and ran back home to the little princess and her mother who were already asleep.... Fear of turning into a pumpkin did not affect the photographer's decision.

Next week, it's all about Rusty's Surf Ranch!

Santa Monica Twilight Dance Series

2011-09-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

For 27 years, a great festival is taking place on the Santa Monica Pier and if you live in or around Los Angeles, you most probably heard of it. Yesterday was the last day of this lovely concert series and along with the Hollywood Bowl nights, these are the events that make you appreciate living in Southern California. The series is widely considered one of the premiere free outdoor concert series on the West Coast.

I was there to photograph the set of Olio, the winner of the Emerging Artist Competition organized by Rusty's Surf Ranch, which is also located on the pier. I will have a blog dedicated to this lovely restaurant bar that is a couple of years shy of its second decade next week.

Let's get back to our sheep (as the French would say). Olio took the stage on time, right around the sunset. If you haven't been on the Santa Monica pier or beach before, it is one of the gems of the Los Angeles county. Although it's a bit touristic, there is a very strong local community and it really makes you feel its presence. If you like live music, you should definitely do the Twilight Series next year. It's free and fun.

Formed by Arif Hodzic (guitar, lead vocals) from Ontario, Canada, DeHaven (drums, lead vocals) from Fullerton, CA and Matt Sherrel (bass, vocals) from DC; Olio serves up a strong blend of rock, pop and funk, but with a keen attention to lyrics that led them to an Honorable Mention Award at the 2008 West Coast Songwriters’ International Competition. They have a fun, easy-going vibe, accommodating the PG crowd gathered on the pier.

While the trio was finishing up their opening set, the sun took a dip in the Pacific and Angelinos started to fill up the pier and the beach, from where they could watch the bands on the stage thank to a big screen installed on the side of the pier.

As I mentioned before, I was there for Olio and I haven't really paid attention to the second band Sonny and the Sunsets. I was getting ready for another shoot of yet another band inside Rusty's Surf Ranch. They are called The Bad Bad Things and I will have a blog on them next week.

Before TBBT took stage, I went our on the pier to see how the top-billed band Dawes were doing, and I am pleased to report that the Pier was packed and the band's devoted fans were braving a some-what chilly September evening.

Next week, more musical shots with The Bad Bad Things! Have a great weekend!

The mantodea that came to pray on our balcony

2011-09-02T17:49:00.000-07:00

A mantodea, commonly known as a praying mantis, came on our balcony and Jen let me know about it immediately and although I am not particularly comfortable with bugs, I grabbed my camera and went into this incredibly dangerous, risky and life-threatening photo shoot with this predator!

A short and sweet blog for ya! :D

Vivienne says Who Dat!!!

2011-08-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

Well, after a few months of lock-out, the players are back and therefore it is at last football time again!

NFL has not been something I cared much when I first came to US. It took a while for me to get all the rules and even than, I was not ready to sit in front of the TV for 3 hours for 30 minutes of action. Especially because I didn't really have any teams to care for.

Than, something horrible happened to my wife's hometown in the August of 2005.

Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and it hit it hard. New Orleans was devastated and Superdome was badly damaged, and New Orleans Saints had to relocate and they were not able to play any of their game in their home stadium. Saints had a horrible season in 2005 and finished the regular season with a 3-13 record.

As almost all the horrifying things that try human beings' will to survive and prevail, this negative brought a huge positive... That was only possible because of extraordinary people...

In 2006, Saints hired Sean Peyton as their head coach and got San Diego Chargers' quarterback Drew Brees. With the exceptional leadership skills shown by these two men, Saints made it to the playoffs that year. Here they are...

After that season, I had a team that I cared for in NFL, and that changed everything about the way I look at this game. I didn't care they have never won the Super Bowl in their 40+ years of NFL history. It was a team that I was able to identify with, and to root for. And that 2006 season was one hell of a year for the Saints, although they came a game short of playing the final.

Of course, as all the football fans know, 2009 was the year when The Saints beat The Colts and reached to their first Super Bowl victory.

So "our" Saints were in California for a preseason game this week and we went to see them practice and introduce them to Vivienne.

Saints owner Tom Benson saluting the fans. Although there were a lot of controversies around a potential permanent relocation of the team to San Antonio following Katrina, Saints' fans are grateful for Benson keeping the team in New Orleans.

Saints in action.

Click on the picture to see the larger picture

Vivienne is so grateful to her uncle Joe who took the initiative to get all the signatures for her first Saints cap: Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston, Chris Ivory, Malcolm Jenkins, Jimmy Graham, the very awesome and always smiling rookie Joseph Morgan, Drew Brees and many more...

Here is Vivienne's hat after all the autographs.

I will leave you with VivoşMinnoş, wearing her hat proudly!

My Latest Fashion Shoot

2011-08-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

I had a fashion shoot on Monday. Our model is Sabrina Vittore. I will let the photographs do the talking this week. Enjoy!

My partner in crime was discussing he next shot with the model, and I couldn't sit still and snapped this...

See you next week!

A "Macro" Glance to the Life with a Baby

2011-08-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Jen and I welcomed our baby-daughter a little more than 5 months ago. You can imagine what kind of a life-changer this event was for both of us. Let me assure you we both feel that our life changed for the better, and we are extremely happy. Obviously having a baby at home has its challenges and additional new routines in the daily life.

I have been seeing these pictures in my mind for a while and I was waiting for the right time and opportunity to take them and share them with you. Well, that time has come :o)

A lot of toys all around, already! :D The amount of toys will probably increase in the very near future, but for the time being, meet Freddy (or Feridun), one of Vivienne's favorite toys. He is a multi-functional firefly :D

And some more smiley toys that surround my smiling daughter.

Mother's milk is best! Even if it's frozen!

We are among those parents who do not believe in formula and we are lucky (and grateful) that Jen can breast-feed Vivienne.

And I can't.

So, a generous amount of frozen supply is pumped for daddy to feed Vivienne when mommy is away. A part of the routine.

After Jen's meticulous research, we ended up with these glass bottles: Dr. Brown's Natural Flow. They are washed and sanitized daily. Another part of the routine.

Yet another welcome part of our new life's daily routine, nap time is usually easy, but sometimes it can be very challenging and tricky. Like today.

Burp cloths and pacifiers...

Vivienne is teething, and depending on the day, she can really be in pain. We try not to give her all that acetaminophen and ibuprofen, so we went with our AWESOME pediatrician Dr. Peter Waldstein's recommendation: Camilia. The homeopathic medicine from Boiron comes in tiny individual doses and helps relieve Vivienne's swollen gums and teething pain.

A place we spend some considerable time is the diaper changing station! We prefer the non-talc baby powder!

And this little seat, all the way from South Africa. The Bumbo chair is world famous and incredibly convenient. It allows Vivienne to help me while I am working as you can see on the second picture.

All photographs except the last one are taken with the Nikon D3s. The lens is Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 105mm f2.8. This concludes our "Macro" Glance to the Life with a Baby. I'll see you next week!

A Trip Back to Film Days Part 2

2011-08-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

I have been organizing and archiving prints and digitals alike and I wanted to share a few of my photographs from the last few print days I had in the beginning of this century. Again, as in the first revisit of prints blog I had a few months back, the prints are not new and the scans are not high quality.
For no particular reason, the selection consists of 6 photographs taken in two different location.
The first 4 were taken in Çanakkale, Turkey where my family has a small holding. Although I cannot visit there as much as I would like to, here are a few pictures I took when we were there in 2002.

Tons of street dogs in the village. Here is one of them.

Black and white high speed film is one of my favorite things to shoot with and I really miss it sometimes.

I call this one "Agean Blue vs. Aging Blue". The Agean Sea in the back and the old little boat on the beach. This really makes me want to go back there, like NOW! :o)

The last two are from one of my trips to Seattle... I believe it was 2004. I really need a new and better scanner!

See you next Friday!

A Lazy Summer Blog

2011-07-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

There are times when one can feel overwhelmed with the flow of their day.

Maybe the traffic is horrible.

Maybe they had an argument with their boss, their significant other.

Maybe there is no reason to feel that way but one does anyways...

Sometimes, all one has to do, is change their perspective and look somewhere that they don't usually look.

And smile.

I took this in the middle of West Los Angeles, between jobs, when I stopped to get some water and have a break from the lovely Los Angeles Friday traffic :o)

Amy & Reid's Wedding

2011-07-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

It is wedding season and I had the pleasure to photograph Amy and Reid's wedding last week. The ceremony and the reception took place in a fantastic mansion in Laguna Hills and the party was wild! More on that later...

First, let me share a few classic shots...

Meet Amy... Ooops, I should have knocked. Let's let her finish getting ready first...

OK, here we go... Meet Amy!

Amy and Reid are madly in love. They are both from Southern California, yet they met in Michigan, where they both moved several years ago. They have been together for 3 years and they are both working in fitness... Together... So, they are always together and they truly complete each other. Before we proceed to the ceremony, I would like to mention that all the guests received a Livestrong bracelet. Not only does this little gift fit the couple's life style, but it is also their support of a great cause.

And the lovely ceremony with the 16-person wedding party, which included all the siblings!

Please welcome the newly wed couple...

I think anybody who loves movies would guess where I got my inspiration for this shot...

Let's include the immediate families to the wedding party and let's get to the real party, shall we?

I'm going to share only a few pictures, but I can tell you that, pretty much right after the dinner and the first traditional dances, the high-heels came off and everyone was on the dance floor... Most of the girls were prepared and had their flip-flops.

These guys definitely knew how to party and it was a fantastic night for me to document.

I wish the newly-wed couple a very happy, healthy and successful life! Keep the love going guys! :D

Cirque Du Soleil: Iris

2011-07-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

How many of you heard of Cirque Du Soleil? Almost everyone who is interested in creative shows know about this huge company that started in Canada and now have permanent and touring shows all over the world.
I saw a few spectacle of Cirque Du Soleil: Quidam was the first one and as far as the story and the music go, it still is very dear to my heart.
However the one that truly blew me away is the permanent show in Bellagio in Las Vegas: "O".

Anyways, this great group of extremely creative, talented and athletic people are gearing up for a permanent show in the heart of Hollywood, in the official home of Oscars, Kodak Theater. Guess what the show will be about?
Yes, movies.
Iris will start its preview run on July 21st and it will have its official opening in September.
Your very well connected friendly photographer here was able to get an admission for the run thru they had and I was able to see the entire show!
After the show, I had a chat with some of the cool cats on the production side of this and learned that they will change many things within two weeks as they would like the second half to be "better". These international perfectionists do realize that they have something good in their hands and they are fine-tuning it before they make it completely available to the public.

I wasn't allowed to bring any recording device, I probably could sneak something in, but I am not the kind that would betray good, giving people. I only betray the bad, selfish ones!!! :D
Although I cannot reveal much, I can tell you the following:
- The opening number is absolutely breath taking. If the order of the acts do change, I am talking about two blond men in the air (you can see teaser footage in the below video)
- There is almost a trademark of Cirque Du Soleil: extremely flexible girls, and as usual they do not disappoint.
- A number involving a group of Asian men in "bee" costumes is absolutely stunning.
- A number called Noir (The Chase) is also ridiculously fun to watch and transforms to a gorgeous romantic piece at the end.
- There is A LOT happening. As the show tackles a very visuaal medium, what you see on the Kodak Theater's stage is very rich. Performers are in front of a multi-layered screen and light, shadow and film is superposed with the entire live act.

Cirque Du Soleil also tries its hand in scripted comedy in Iris, and I thought it was slowing down the pace of the entire show. Although there were some cute elements in these scripted and spoken pieces, I didn't think it was adding much to the show.
Overall, Iris is something that every Angelino should see. The tourists will see it anyways. Cirque Du Soleil has a 10-year contract with the Kodak Theater. They will exit for 2 months to make way to the the Oscars every year, but other than that, you have a lot of time to catch it.
For more information, visit the official site of Iris.

Vivienne's First Camping Trip

2011-07-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

Despite all the people who said that we were crazy to take a 4 month old baby camping, despite other people saying they wouldn't go camping with a baby, Jennifer, my cousin and I took our daughter Vivienne to our favorite camping spot, Big Sur this week.

We made weeks of preparation. And by "we", I mean Jen. She researched every single thing we would need, she found a big tent. OK, I found a few big tents and she chose one. And, oh boy, is it big! More on the huge tent later!

Once we settled, we immediately grabbed our beers and headed to the lovely beach. While camping in Limekiln State Park, you can set your tent under the gorgeous red woods next to the fire pit, and in a minute or two, you can just lay at the beach. You can experience two different seasons within minutes in this particular campground! You notice the colorful umbrella? More on that later!

I played with Vivienne for a while, she was on my knees, laughing, while I rocked her to sleep. In the mean time, Jen spotted an interesting looking chair, right behind me. As Vivienne was sleeping on my knees, I was trapped in that sweet spot only parents could understand. So I couldn't really see the chair. Once Vivienne woke up from her nap, I was able to move again and I took a few shots of that chair. I did not move it or rearrange its position, I shot it as it is. I most also say that the middle right picture above was shot sitting on that chair.

That was basically our first day. We chilled at the beach, my cousin slept, Jen played with Vivienne and I took pictures. After a great night of sleep, we woke up relatively late. The fact that it was cold around the campground allowed us to sleep longer. Then we decided to hike the couple of easy hikes of Limekiln State Park. The park takes "its name from its 1870-80s limekiln operations. Quarried limestone was "kilned" (smelted) in four huge wood-ﬁred kilns. The product-powdered lime-was packed into barrels which were then attached to cable that was strung from the canyon wall down to the beach and some 50 yards out into the Paciﬁc Ocean. Schooners slipped into tiny Rockland Cove, as the landing was known, and loaded the lime. The lime, a primary ingredient in cement, was used to construct buildings in Monterey and San Francisco.

The backwoods industry was hard on the woods. Surrounding redwoods were chopped down to fuel the limekilns and to make barrels to store the lime.

Much of Limekiln Canyon, however, escaped harm from this early industry and, after a quiet century, nature has healed most of Limekiln Canyon's wounds. Today the canyon shelters some of the oldest, healthiest, largest and southernmost redwoods in Monterey County. Some scientists speculate that these redwoods, along with those in other nearby steep canyons, may prove to be a special subspecies or variety of redwood that differs slightly from more northerly stands. "

There are two hiking trails, and they are pretty easy and short. One would take you to the above limekilns, the other one would take you to the waterfall that feeds the creek running to the ocean. It truly is one of the best campgrounds. We took both of the hikes in the second day's afternoon.

We visited our old friend's resting place as well. The followers of this blog may remember from last year, when Katie passed away, we took her ashes to our favorite place in the nature. And we were pleased to see that her resting place was untouched and we were able to introduce Vivienne to this incredible being who shared so many memories with us.

Before we get back to Vivienne, let me share a few pictures and a few memories from the trip. First the critters! The photograph below is of one of my favorite insects, a dragonfly. The blue color is gorgeous. Unfortuantely I did not have my macro lens, so this is as close as I could get to it...

Then I caught this spider devouring its victim for lunch!

I have no idea who "K" and "E" are... But there is one thing that I'm certain: Zorro separated them!!!

Now the story... You remember that colorful umbrella? As a very prepared mother, Jen bought it for Vivienne so she can hang out with us in the beach. And it really served its purpose the first day. We would never thought that it would be used for another purpose during this trip.

The meteorologists failed us and other campers big time!

On the second day, we decided to start the fire early as we had some marinated chicken and it was going to cook slowly! The fire was getting ready and the embers were bright and we were happy. Until I felt a few drops on my face. In no time, the rain started to fall pretty hard and I grabbed the umbrella and opened it on top of the fire in time to save it. As we did not have a grill, we were happy to have salvaged the situation this way. We are all grateful to Cem who stayed under the umbrella, in all the smoke to cook dinner for us!

It was raining pretty hard as I said, and I took the above picture under the cover of my car's trunk door. After that, I didn't want to deal with protecting my camera from the rain, so I put it back in its case. Unfortunately, the next chapter of the story did not get visually recorded!

Do you remember that huge tent? We had a queen air bed, a pretty decent sized pack-and-play/portable crib for Vivienne, all our bags and equipments in the tent. Once dinner was ready and as we did not want to eat getting soaked (the umbrella was not covering enough space for all three of us), we decided to go in our tent. We had a table and 3 camping chairs inside, in addition to everything else. I was feeling like we over-killed with this tent, but it proved itself incredibly convenient and useful!

OK, now it's all about Vivienne and a little bit about her parents too!

I gotta tell you, I was very proud of my daughter. She was so good and she seemed to have enjoyed every single moment of the trip. The middle photograph is depicting her regular morning routine. She wakes up and she smiles. She seems to wake up in a very good mood like her father. May she smile always like this throughout her entire life!

And the last word... While I was crossing one of the bridges on the hiking trail, I saw this frame in my mind's eye and I snapped it with my camera. No matter what happens in life, in case you hit the rock-bottom, the only way is UP. I don't know why this came up to me while I was having a great time, but it is always nice to remember that!

See you next week!

Scenes from Los Angeles Part 6

2011-06-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

Another Los Angeles blog with random photographs taken in the streets and freeways of the City of Angels....

There are definitely many different types of addiction and this one combines both! :D

What does Jesus gain (if anything) from this? Discuss. :o)

I was on the North-West corner of Sepulveda and Santa Monica Blvd. and I look at my right and saw this. I love windy, sunny and clear days of LA. I also have an unmatched fondness for glare! :D

During a little break on a shoot in an empty parking lot on a Sunday, I saw this older couple traveling south on Barham Blvd. and I only had a few seconds to capture them. I'm glad I didn't miss!

405 Freeway NB. The traffic was faster than usual despite an unusual seight such as a burning Miata. I clicked away and got this. As a friend of mine put it: "It's weird how destruction can be beautiful".

Another one of those beautiful windy days. Perfect for kitesurfing by Ventura County line.

Los Angeles Metro. North Hollywood Station.

Next week, we'll be heading to our favorite spot in Big Sur and I will have more pictures of that gorgeous place. It will be Vivienne's first camping trip, so you may expect to see more pictures of her as well! Have a great week!

A Father's Day Special

2011-06-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

A quick one this week, celebrating all the deserving fathers' special day. Here is to my father who has always been there for me, who never ceased to support me even if at times I didn't understand his choices of ways to do this. He is still behind me encouraging me, and chaallenging me to better myself everyday.

Sağol Baba! İyi ki varsın :o)

The below picture was taken in 1962 by my father's father whom I have never had the chance to meet.

I took this one in Malibu when he came to visit us a few years back.

And this year, as most of you know I became a father myself... And, of course, my father came to meet his grand-daughter.

The proud grand-pa watching Fenerbahçe marching to its championship with his grand-daughter before he took the plane back to Istanbul! :o)

Suzie & Ryan Tied the Knot(s)... Literally.

2011-06-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the privilege to photograph a lovely wedding in Calamigos Equestrian Center. Let's get some of the detail shots out of the way first :o)

I really love the untouched seating cards. There is something in them that announces the festivities that are about to begin.

Suzie and Ryan had the great idea of offering jelly beans to their guests. If there is one candy I couldn't do without, it would be jelly beans. No, I did not steal any.

Well, I hung out with the boys before the ceremony, and it was a bunch full of life and fun. I had a blast with them. Now, meet Ryan in his great tux.

We had a really fun session outside, all of the guys were game and that made my job easier and much more fun! Here are couple of pictures from the outside session.

The ceremony was incredibly emotional. This lovely couple wrote their vows in such a way, that there were many tears of joy and love shed. After hearing his soon-to-be-wife Suzie's vows, and right before reading his, Ryan had to try very hard to compose himself in front of 100+ people. I am glad and proud to tell you that he managed. Although he did not hold back his tears while stating his vows.

Here are all the knots being tied!

Those of you who follow this blog regularly know that I have a crazy obsession with the fish eye lens. As you have seen the first example above (the black and white photography of the boys), I did bring it with me, and I used it freely and excessively! Here are some of the chosen ones for your viewing pleasure!

Now that I got that out of my system, let's get back to our couple, shall we? I just love this shot...

Well, the first dance as husband and wife.... I have to be honest, I have been in many weddings as a professional photographer and as a guest. It is seldom I see this kind of love. These two love birds couldn't take their eyes from each other. You could feel their love in the air. When they started the dance, I could see in their faces and in their eyes how the entire room and its occupants disappeared for them... They were alone there, totally lost in each other's mind, body and soul. The connection of these souls was almost palpable.

Then, inevitably, other people started dancing. Some were dancing great, some were dancing calmly and some... Well, some were dancing in such an attention-grabbing way that the couple got distracted from the trance-like connection and started watching their friends.

The cake... I always try to get a cake picture that is not totally revealing the entire thing... I like the teaser of a picture for cakes... I don't know why. I of course do take the entire thing, the cutting moment, the kiss etc. for the client. But for me, this is it.

Another positive note about this was the crowd. Unpretentious, natural, down-to-earth and FUN. They were also incredibly kid-friendly. Kids were everywhere jumping around, dancing the night away. They brought a whole new level of dynamism to this lovely night. I love this picture. For some reason, it reminds me of Mick Jagger. Don't ask!

Let's finish it up with the very necessary shot of every wedding: the bouquet toss... I look forward to catch up with you next week. Don't be shy, comment, email, call... :o)

Some More Vivienne For You

2011-06-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are a few pictures of Vivienne in San Fran. The first one is the night of our arrival, she is chilling with her mommy and her grandma.

VivoşMinnoş (as we sometimes call her) is waiting to be taken out to meet some of her adoring fans in her trendy W room and in her fashionable clothes.

The next day we took a road trip and visited some vineyards. Although she wasn't interested in vine tasting, she was game to hang out with us. Here grandma is burping her after her meal she enjoyed in a lovely patio, next to a gorgeous fountain.

Although she is not a huge fan of close-ups, she can't say no to her daddy (yet).

Following her meal, she graciously let most of the adults taste some vine, while she calmly hanged out in her stroller. She also told jokes and laughed at them with us as well! She is way cuter laughing than I am, I can tell you that much.

San Francisco

2011-05-26T23:54:00.000-07:00

Last week, I successfully combined business and pleasure, which kept me away from you guys as I did not have time to write my blog. Well we have 16 photographs this week, I think that could do it for last week's blank spot!

I was in San Francisco and I couldn't believe this was only the third time I visited this lovely city. We stayed at W San Francisco, right in the middle of the action. I love the sleeping human statue on top of the bottom structure of the hotel.

San Francisco has a truly gorgeous downtown and there is certainly a lot to do and a lot to see. I loved to see a clean downtown, as opposed to our dirty Los Angeles Downtown.

We were in town just when U.S. Travel Association's International Pow Wow was starting. I snapped these two pictures of the special tour bus and the conference attendees crossing the street in front of the Moscone Center.

Well, this pigeon is doing exactly what I would do on vacation... Chillin'...

A walk on Marina Blvd. was a better option than Embarcadero... Could you please tell me which direction the wind blows usually on Marina Blvd.?

Click on the picture to see the bigger size of this panoramic collage, in which you can see Alcatraz on the right and the Golden Gate on the left...

Speaking of chillin'... It is seldom that I find Chimay on tap, so when I discovered the lovely Grove chain carries it, I had meself a few!

And speaking of drinking, the day after we hit the road for Sonoma and had some wine tasting at Rodney Strong Wineyards. I did not really focus on taking pictures, as tasting wine was far more attractive!

Next week, I will share a few pictures of Vivienne, chilling at the W... See you then!

Crate & Barrel Gift Registry

2011-05-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Crate & Barrel was showing its Gift Registry muscles with an event where engaged couples could meet the celebrity wedding planner Yifat Oren and a contest where one lucky couple would win a $100.000 Ultimate Wedding; and I was there to document it.

A trio of musicians played lovely soothing tunes on a Sunday morning while he invitees mingled with Oren and the Crate & Barrel staff. Orchid String Trio is of course available to book for your wedding or your event. So am I! :D

Yifat Oren's touch was all over the Grove's Crate & Barrel store and she was available to talk about her expertise and the advice seeking excited couple were eager to benefit from her wisdom and her experience.

Well, if you are getting married, and if you need a photographer, a wedding planner... Call me! ;o)

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

2011-05-07T00:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the privilege to be one of the official photographers for opening of the new building of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. "Turn on the Lights! Walk for Kids" was a charity event organized by the hospital and a great way to give back to my community.

The events kicked off with a 5K walk that started at the Griffith Park and ended up by the hospital on Sunset Blvd. Before the walk, there were festivities, food, drinks and a lot of fun at the park. Children and adults were able to register for the walk, built custom hats for their teams and prepare to this lovely walk in a very friendly environment.

Mariner cheerleaders, last year's CSU champions from Marina Del Rey thrilled the crownd.

Just before the stat of the walk, I head down to the finish line in order to get a few shots of the people arriving.

Celebrities such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Melanie Griffith and Heidi Klum were there to support Children's Hospital.

There was an eclectic array of food stands in this huge street party.

Los Angeles' own hockey team LA Kings were also represented in this huge street party.

American Idol's Crystal Bowersox gave an intimate performance before they "turned on the lights".

Here is the new building to provide top notch health care for Children of Los Angeles and beyond!

If you would like to donate to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, you can do so by following this link.

Sarah & Adam

2011-04-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to photograph the wedding of Sarah and Adam in Newport Beach, CA and what a fun day that was!

The couple had 2 rooms in a seaside hotel and I started to go back and forth between the bride's room and the room where the groom and his men were getting ready. Both of them were very excited and the preparations were intense in the Bride's room.

Sarah came up with the idea of this nice touch of "Dorothy" as her groom is from Kansas!

Ladies and gentlemen, what you see in Sarah's mother's face and her eyes is pure love! It was such a great privilege to be the fly on the wall to witness and to document this.

Than I took the guys for a little walk and we shot a few pictures on the street next to the hotel. Adam was clearly ready for the ceremony...

So was Sarah...

The girls had a nice Limo ride from the hotel to the reception area.

After the reception, the married couple were, of course, my main focus.

Than we had some fun with the entire wedding party.

I wish both of them a very happy and healthy togetherness!

Pamela's Exclusive Skin Spa

2011-04-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the opportunity to work with a lovely woman who has one of the best skin care spas in town thanks to the company of a good friend of mine...
Pamela is the owner of Pamela's Exclusive Skin Spa and with 20 years of experience in the field as a skincare specialist and educator, her own amazing product line; she is well sought after in this town where looking your best can make or break your career.

Obviously, the facial is not about the look alone... In fact, the way your skin would feel afterwards, the relaxation process, the massages during the facial are all more important reasons to get one than the look!

The moment you walk into Pamela's intimate shop on Sunset Boulevard, it takes you in and provides a comforting feeling of a shelter from the busy street that is immediately out the door.

Pamela carries and provides her exclusive skincare product line that is specially formulated using high quality ingredients and she uses her products, among other carefully selected high-quality products during her skincare sessions.

Pamela's high quality skincare is available with appointment only and you can call the store at (323) 650-3567. I grabbed a gorgeous (i really is gorgeous!!!) gift certificate for my wife along with some sample products.

Go get pampered or pamper your significant other!

2 Lovely Couples

2011-04-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I had the pleasure to join a couple of photography sessions with several photographers. The sessions were part of the activities we started having with the amazing SmugMug Pro Los Angeles group.

On Saturday, we had a a lot of fun with a wildly entertaining couple for their engagement session in the Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. Here are my favorites from Nikki and Matt's shoot on Saturday.

And the following day, we headed to Chatsworth and shot Erin and Michael in the Stony Point Park. Here are 10 of my favorite photos from that day in this week's photo happy Friday Photography Blog!

Have a fantastic weekend and I'll see you next Friday!

Baccarat

2011-04-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hello my lovelies!

After two very busy weeks, I am back with a few pictures from the event I shot last week at the Pacific Design Center for the opening of Studio Baccarat.
It was a huge privilege to be mingling with the top designers of Los Angeles and here are a few pictures from the event that are also showcasing the gorgeous and limited pieces that were on display.

Have a great weekend!

Because you have asked for more.

2011-03-19T00:27:00.000-07:00

Many of you yelled at me via email, facebook and twitter. I even received a comment about more pictures of my baby daughter. Although I would like to keep the blog eclectic, I had to cave in to the pressure and share the following. All the pictures you see are in chronological order. Enjoy :o)

Below picture was taken by my wife.

And a little something from a fellow photographer, Aunt Jennifer who came to the hospital on the day Vivienne was born and graciously landed her talented eye on our little angel and shot these gorgeous pictures and prepare a lovely slideshow for us. We are so grateful for her being there and capturing these pictures while I was busy supporting my wife, changing diapers and clipping the newborn's finger nails!

Scenes from Los Angeles Part 5

2011-03-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

Another item at Metropolis Nick Collectible on the corner of La Brea and 1st. In case you need an all-seeing, all-knowing cow for your house.

PS: I would also like thank you for the incredible love you have shown to the new addition of my family :o).
While many of you asked for more pictures, and trust me I have more pictures, I would like to keep the blog as diverse and eclectic as possible.
That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see more of Vivienne every one or two months! ;o)

Please welcome Vivienne Emine Hanci!

2011-03-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

As promised last week, I would like to introduce you to Monkey's buddy, my daughter: Vivienne Emine Hanci. Before doing that, I would love to share a few pictures from a fun photo session I had with my wife at home 2 days before we went to the hospital...

This picture is the moment when Vivienne is making contact with the outside world for the first time. She was breech so Jennifer had to go thru a C-Section.

There she is, 2.85kg (6.5 lbs)

The proud parents with their baby in the OR.

Throughout the entire pregnancy, thru the operation and following the operation, during the early recovery period, Jen has been and still is a trooper. I'm proud of her!

Vivienne's first bath in the hands of one of the very skilled and incredibly friendly nurses of the wonderful Cedars-Sinai Hospital.

This was easily the happiest day of my life and I am only able to share a very small fraction of it. Because it's time to bond with my little daughter.

Welcome, Vivienne Emine Hanci :o)

Monkey waiting for his buddy

2011-02-24T22:16:00.000-08:00

Since I was a kid, I always liked stuffed animals.

Of course, I had my favorites. A 3 feet tall Pink Panther... A very realistic bear... A very ugly cat... Some of you know Spidey (Spider-Man) who operates my car...
Up until recently I even had a specific teddy bear collection.
I have a very active imagination and I love to bring these furry inanimate objects alive. Some people love to play along, some others do think I'm missing a few screws in my head.
Thankfully, my wife is one of those who would play along.

Back in November, we had a co-ed baby shower and the theme was "monkey". It was a very fun day and we received tons of love and our soon-to-be-born baby girl received her first few possessions.

One of our great friends, Musetta, brought a great stuffed monkey among other things.
Jennifer was the one who first met him. She showed him a little love and than Monkey landed on me.

We first shared a banana and than he wanted to have the tour of the house on my back and I introduced him to our friends.

The following first 2 pictures are courtesy of Jen Castle Photography and the third one was taken by another friend.

Monkey was happy to come with us to his new home, while Jennifer and I were sorting all the clothes and other gifts, he sat on the bed, had some tea and asked us tons of questions in order to get to know us... Or that is what I imagined.

When we were preparing the nursery, he was the first one in there and I was finding him places. I made him hang from the side of the crib. (The revolutionary genius technology of Velcro allows Monkey to hang on things).

For all these months, Jennifer was not really messing with him, but then she put the last few touches to the nursery and she kind of threw Monkey on the bed and we joked around about how he was waiting for "his buddy".

A few days later, I came home from a very long work day. The last couple of hours was spent in the Los Angeles traffic and I was not particularly in a good mood, and on top of it, I was feeling I was coming down with something.
My office is reached thru the nursery, so I walked in, did some paperwork, went to the kitchen to grab some tea, and on my way back, I noticed, that Monkey got comfy!

Jennifer took an extra step and changed the way Monkey was sitting and this little change made me laugh out loud and made me forget the long day's stress. Of course, for this I am grateful to my wife (I am actually grateful to Monkey, but don't tell that to my wife).

We look forward to all going according to the plan, and to have an addition to our family next week. So, like Monkey, we are waiting for her. I am not promising anything, but if I can pull it off, next week's Friday Photography Blog may be all about our bundle of joy. If not, I may take the next week off.

Until then, take care!

A Trip Back to Film Days

2011-02-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

I was browsing some of my pictures a few days ago and I wanted to revisit my film days. Although there is much, too much to share; the following are only a select few. I did not spend a lot of time to chose them from my archive, only 10-15 minutes to go thru some of them. But these were the ones that I still have a personal connection to. Please note that the prints are old and the scans are not high quality.

Tea is a huge part of Turkish culture. Not only is it consumed at all times and for all occasions, it is also the symbol of hospitality, friendship and human connection. Years ago, we spent a week in a small Mediterranean village called Palamutbükü in Southern Turkey where my family has a summer house and we would spend the entire day on the beach. It was a pebble beach and we would start the sun bathing around 1030am. We would have delicious seafood along with cold Efes Pilsen beer at the restaurant by the beach. And a round 5-6pm, right before we would get ready to get back home for a shower and dinner, the restaurant would bring us tea, on the house. I really miss this little village.

One of my best friends, Fabrice came to spend some time with me in Los Angeles. I know Fabrice from the years I lived in France and we experimented and advanced our photography skills together. When he was in town, we had lunch at Louise's Trattoria in Los Feliz and I snapped this picture.

Contrary to many Parisians, I love Le Métro de Paris.

When I took Jennifer to Turkey for the first time almost a decade ago, I made sure we packed as many locations as possible to our trip. While we were seeing as many places as possible, I thrived to give her the taste of "living" there as opposed to visiting the country as a tourist. When we were in Pamukkale, instead of following the tourist tours and taking the exact same picture as thousands of others do, we purposely got lost in the back ways and had an amazing hike under a very gloomy, gray sky, which in turn provided the rain as we were getting back to the hotel. I love this picture and the memories it brings.

South of France, Montpellier. I was playing volleyball for the university team and we had a Beach Volley tournament in Palavas Les Flots. Of course I brought my camera and snapped gorgeous B&W pictures capturing the partly cloudy sky and the silhouettes of the players... Good times!

I might revisit my film and slide archive sometime soon... It's nostalgic and fun! See you next week!

A fish in a pond

2011-02-11T22:33:00.000-08:00

I was down in Newport Beach for a corporate headshot session last Wednesday and we were shooting on location, in an office and in the little courtyard of the office building.

During wardrobe changes, I was looking around to find something to keep me busy, and the nice fountain in the middle of the courtyard caught my attention. It was a big circle of pebbles, and water was streaming inwards from tens of little faucets forming many arcs and falling close to the center.

Under these water arcs, on either side of the inner circle formed by the falling water, there were two fish statues.

I started to take a few pictures from different angles, but the water stream was bothering me as no matter what angle I would take the picture, at least one stream of water would "cut" the fish and the openings in between the streams were not large enough for my lens to pass in between without getting it wet and I wasn't willing to go back to the office to get my zoom lens. What if I only had this one lens with me?!

Nevertheless, as I really wanted to have a closer shot of the statue, I found the largest opening at an acceptable angle. I carefully put my lens thru the stream, making sure I was wetting only the hood of the lens and not the lens itself. That particular lens is a bit expensive, ya know?...

Was it worth it? You tell me. :o)

Also, I heard that some of you had problems leaving comments on this blog page. Would you be willing to email me and let me know?

Thank you!

J-Preggo Part 2

2011-02-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

After three brutal weeks filled with work, hospital visits, family time etc. Jennifer and I found ourselves with a little time in our hands today and we took advantage of this unexpected opportunity o spend the day tete-a-tete.

We drove up the coast to one of our favorite locations, Circle X Ranch and took a few more pregnancy pictures, two of which I am sharing with you below.

If we can manage to squeeze a day or two before the arrival of our daughter, we would love to take a few more pictures.

I guess time will tell.

Scenes from Los Angeles Part 4

2011-01-27T19:55:00.000-08:00

It has been a very hectic week and there is yet another hectic week awaiting for me. This weekend will not be a relaxing one either.

Nevertheless, i have something funny for you.
This was on my route to a shoot today and it put me in a good mood, I hope it would do the same thing for you.

The Imperial Army's Stormtroopers are protecting the most important guy in Los Angeles...

And an old treat... I love this spoof of the TV show COPS. I love how it actually play into the Star Wars Episode IV. Enjoy!

See you next week!

J-Preggo

2011-01-20T23:07:00.000-08:00

A very simple blog about a very complicated natural process.... Well, a miracle really!

Most of you know that Jen is pregnant and our little baby girl will be here in about 6 weeks. So as a photographer, I obviously have the need to take pictures!
Well, it was supposed to be a way more creative blog, but we did have a few more urgent things to attend to and we had to postpone the real pregnancy shoot.

Here is a teaser of what's coming. But what's coming will be in the nature!

And yes, I realize it's yet another teaser, but I share all my projects with you, don't I now?

See you next week!

Work In Progress

2011-01-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

I have a big project in mind that involves several shoots. The project revolves around female empowerment in the way I see it. There are basically 3 parts to it. The entire shoot and "storyline" of one of them is already completed and it stars my wife Jennifer Fontaine and I had the opportunity to show it to a few people a few years ago and the response was very positive. I just have to digitize that.

On Monday January 10th, I started working on the second part of this project. This time, my model was Jessica Mion. She is a very talented model and her expressions are what I am after. The first leg of the second part of this project, her talent is purposefully muted. That was the direction I gave her in anticipation of the second leg's shoot.

Although I realize this is a big tease for those of you who care, I just wanted to share a few pictures from last Monday's shoot. I am hoping the second part will be ready by this spring and I really want to share at least the first part by the time I am a father :o)

Here are the pictures...

See you next week!

Driving around Sunset

2011-01-06T23:01:00.000-08:00

I woke up early this morning as I had a lot to do. It was a full day and I was looking forward to get back home and relax. On my way back home, I saw the clouds and I realized the sunset was going to paint a beautiful sky.

So I put the relaxing thoughts back where they came from and rushed home, grabbed my camera and hit the road.

I was racing against time, and I took a turn to Dixie Canyon, at the end of which I knew there was a trail to hike on top of a hill.

Unfortunately the recent heavy rains have deteriorated the paths and there was no way to get to the top of the hill.

I ran back to my car, sped thru the windy roads to get to an opening where I could see the western sky.

Well, the below picture was the best view I could catch. Although I found a spot on Mulholland Drive, west of Coldwater Canyon after I shot this, the sun was too low already and the sky was not as impressive as this.

I incorporated the design of my sites to match and to be uniform. I still have a few tweaks to add, but I would love to know what you think of the new design. Also, by navigating the top menu, you can see much more pictures!

Have a fantastic weekend!

A Teaser of the Nursery

2010-12-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

On the last day and on the last blog of this year, I would like all of you to know how much I appreciate your ongoing support of the Friday Photography Blog. I can't wait to get on my computer and prepare these pages every Thursday (OK, I admit, sometimes a little later :o)).

I would like to cap this year with and dedicate my blog to something very exciting. 2011 will definitely change my life and make it better :o)

The nursery is coming alone nicely! :o)

Happy, Healthy and a Successful New Year everyone :o)

A Holiday Cheer

2010-12-23T21:36:00.000-08:00

I always loved this time of the year. When I lived back in Istanbul and in Montpellier, France; the winter, sometimes the snow, the seasonal offerings and all the festivities would cheer me up.

I love the decorated and lit houses.

I also love the creative touches that one could encounter here and there...

More and more though, it's all about consumption... I took this picture in front of that landmark store on La Brea and 1st...

I'm actually looking forward to a calm night on Christmas Eve...

And the best gift I could ever ask for is on her way anyways, so I am not expecting anything under the small LIVING tree we have in our living room either. We're gonna try to keep this tree alive. We'll see how that will go :o)

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

A fashion shoot that sucks blood

2010-12-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

Elena Frickman is a make-up artist who needed to show off her talent and the theme was a modern vampire.

We had a lovely bloodthirsty predator on a rainy Friday afternoon and here are some of the pics as the result of the photoshoot...

Brittani did not hurt anybody during the shoot.

A Lazy Winter Blog Part 2

2010-12-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

As usual, coming back from the West Side I took the canyon roads and stopped at the top on Mulholland Drive to snap a picture of the city I live in....

I am working on a Holiday Blog and the stuff I've been shooting for work has not been as interesting as before this past couple of weeks...

So you are stuck with this picure of the lovely smoggy Los Angeles day!

Published pics....

2010-12-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

One of my photographs got published in the current issue of OK magazine, and I just wanted to revisit the other 2 published photos.

The links to the old ones may or may not work now or in the future, so snapped the screen captures of them :o)

The first one is the oldest one that was published in a Turkish Newspaper, it was the news of Fahir Atakağlu and Sertab Erener's US concerts.

The second one was about a wine bar in Echo Park. You can see some other pictures from that shoot on the City Sip issue of my blog. Highly recommended by the way! It's a gorgeous place with great food and a great selection of wine! Check them out here!

And the last one is the most recent one from last month's Corum shoot. Adrian Grenier from Entourage in front of the Corum's boutique.

See you next week!

Mark MacMinn @ Silverlake Lounge

2010-11-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

Mark is a singer/songwriter from Austin, TX and he is one of those die-hard musicians... He has a very nice following around the country and he tours a lot. He writes, sings and lives what he has in his heart.

He had a quick stop last week in his old Silverlake neighborhood and I went there to take a few pics and as almost every time I go to photograph an independent artist, I also captured him on video.

This was a very intimate performance. Mark, his guitar and his harmonica.

This Holiday Season, why not support an independent musician? You can sample Mark's work and buy his music here.

Corum at Esquire House Los Angeles

2010-11-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

Last week I was at the Esquire House located in the Doheny Estates in the Hollywood Hills. I had tremendous fun with the people from the one and only Corum. The company was having a silent auction to support Oceana, which was celebrating its 10th year anniversary.

I was pretty much at the special room that was specifically designed for Corum to showcase its newest models. It was a busy night and tons of guests, including well-known figures from Hollywood stopped by to see the watches and mingle with Lisa and Jeffrey from Corum. I am not able to post those photographs, but I would love to share a few pictures of the watches and the lovely view of Los Angeles from Esquire House.

First, let's do Corum...

This is the watch Corum donated for the silent auction: Admiral's Cup, Deep Hull 48.

Couple of pics of the lovely Esquire House and its view...

Oceana's ambassador Adrian Grenier (Entourage) was also there supporting the event with his band The Honey Brothers.

And finishing up with a few more views of Los Angeles...

See you next week!

Mazel Tov J.!

2010-11-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

As a professional photographer, I work in very different environments and very different industries. Sometimes I have an idea about the place I would be shooting, sometimes I have none. Most of the time I have some time to assess the location and plan accordingly, sometimes it's all improvised.

I don't particularly dislike any of them, but some of them can be more challenging than others.

I find most of the events challenging... They are challenging, not because they are difficult, but because you have to get really creative to use your creativity!

I would like to share a few pictures from a Bar Mitzvah I shot a couple of weeks ago. I was happy to be among a very happy and a very energetic and obviously incredibly young crowd. The organizers of the party were also entertainers, DJs, dancers, MCs etc. and it turned out to be a fun night.

I took tons of photos of this little guy...

One thing I learned the hard way about the private parties is the fact that most of the time, the client doesn't really care about your art or your creativity. They want the entire event to be documented professionally. This create a dilemma within me as I am a professional photographer with an artist side. In certain situations, I have to turn down the artist side (it is impossible to turn it off) and bump up the professional, resulting in quality pictures as far as light and composition is concerned, but not particularly creative.

Despite all that I said above, I sometimes turn the flash off and start playing with the settings and try to capture the very essence of the evening. After all, I am there to document the event as it is happening by accentuating the positivity in the air!

Towards the end of the night a little, light rain started. It wasn't heavy, but it was consistent. I had to document that as well!

Mazel Tov J! And congratulations Levin family!

A Little Photoshop Magic

2010-11-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

Due to a birthday weekend followed by a catch-up week, I only have a quick lazy blog for you.

A few years back, during the lovely times Hear Music used to rock my world along with the worlds of other music lovers in Los Angeles, a co-worker was obsessed with Reggaeton, and especially with the album of Luny Tunes & Tainy presentan Los Benjamins La Continuacion.

During a conversation, he asked me if there was anyway I could Photoshop him in onto the album's cover.

I studied the cover, brought my travel lights and took a few pictures I thought it could work. Got home and spend some time and came out with the following result.

This is the original cover:

And this is the result :o)

My friend was thrilled!

I would like to leave you with a fun, catchy tune from this album! Have a fantastic weekend!

Ace And Amir, Your Friendly Local House DJs...

2010-10-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

If you are a house music fan like I am and if you are an Angelino or an Angelina who loves to support your local DJs, do yourself a favor and catch these two cool cats in action.

We decided to do a spontaneous shoot and started driving around and ended up in downtown Los Angeles... I really love to shoot there, and the following pics are the results of one fun day.

We finished the shoot by taking pictures around the almost inevitable Walt Disney Concert Hall...

Ace and Amir are blowing the roof off at Villa Sorisso in Pasadena as I write these words. I look forward to their next gig, hopefully I will be able to make it... Who knows, maybe I'll see you there ;o)

Jen & Joe!!! (As promised! Part 2)

2010-10-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

As promised 2 weeks ago, the third and last part of our wedding series is coming to you from Las Vegas. Another beautiful couple tied the knot and I was lucky enough to document it.

First I hung out with the boys... There were three pairs of shoes and three pairs of sucks waiting for them... More on this in a little bit.

While his best men were getting ready, Joe marked the date.

The groom's favorite rum was on hand... The 23 year-old Ron Zacapa... The fifth glass is for the photographer... We get thirsty too, you know?

And now, the shoes and the socks... Special order Converses with the lovely argyles!

Joe had the date on his, and the rest of the gang had their names embroidered on...

Good times

This lift ride is generously sponsored by New Castle!

Matt: - "This is our Reservoir Dogs shot!"

While Joe's calling his bachelor life to bid adieu, the other guys are checking in with their significant others.

The lovely desert shoot!

Ladies and Gentlemen! The Wedding Party!!!

I wish Jen and Joe a very happy and healthy life together!

See you next week!

Bel and Matt Tied the Knott

2010-10-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

As promised last week, the first wedding depicted in the teaser photos is the subject of this week's blog.

Matt watching his bride walk the aisle.

Isabel walking in between her mom and dad towards her groom.

The minister helping the ring bearer to untie the rings.

The long kiss!

May the sun shine on both of you forever! :o)

Let's finish it with a few portrait shots.

Next week, Jen and Joe and their wedding party!!!

A Teaser of Two Weddings

2010-10-07T23:36:00.000-07:00

I had the fortune of shooting two destination weddings during the last couple of weeks (one of which prevented last week's blog but it was worth it!!!).
Full coverage of both of these weddings will be the subject of the next two blogs, but I just wanted to post one picture for each couple.

Bel and Matt...

AND

Jen and Joe...

I wish you all a happy, healthy, successful life! May your love grow forever!

The Wife

2010-09-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Amir and I went to Downtown Los Angeles and took tons of pictures of his "wife"...
It was an incredibly fun nevening/night where i had tons of pictures....

And I accidentally deleted all of them.

I took 4 pictures using Amir's camera and the ultra wide-angle lens... This one made the cut for this week's blog.

I am so bummed as I had such great shots of this beautiful car with the beautiful background after the sun went down.

Oh, well.... Mistakes are there for us to learn from them, right?

An Offer You Can't Refuse

2010-09-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

An unpublished work of mine. This was done for a promotion of Digiturk, the biggest (may be the monopoly) of Turkish Cable TV provider. It was one of the proposals, it didn't get picked up, but I'm still proud of it :o)

The title reads "We have 4 offers you can't refuse" and it's about 4 films about Mafia that would be aired during the month of September. The creative was conceived by my brother Tolga. It was the first time we worked on such a project despite the ocean and the continent between us and I am looking forward to many more.

The following are some other samples from the night I shot these. A huge thank you goes to my buddy Erdem for providing the props and for being my model!

Yet Another Big Sur Blog

2010-09-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Another absolutely lovely Big Sur camping trip lasted too short as usual... Meet the two lovely mascots of our campgorund... Humphrey and Betty....

It was a very misty, overcast, somewhat chilly couple of days, but it was still very pleasant for me... Big Sur is a magical place... I love it up there.

You know what else I love? My Nikon Nikkor 105mm f2.8 Macro lens... That's what I love!

We also took a hike at our favorite camping spot: Limekiln. And although I looked for a four-leaf clover, I wasn't that lucky...

We also bid farewell to a dearest friend....

And a warm, loving picture to finish the week... Jennifer's eagle eyes caught this one. A heart shaped hot coal...

Dustin Blank Live at House of Blues

2010-09-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Dustin Blank performed at the Woodoo Lounge of House of Blues on the Sunset Strip last Wednesday, and I was there to capture this intimate performance.

Enjoy the pics and the video! :o)

World, meet Ela.

2010-08-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

World, meet Ela... Ginny and Umut's beautiful daughter...

Ela was absolutely great to work with. Although she was not always cooperative, once she was rested, with the help of her mommy and daddy, she allowed us to document her 2nd month celebration.
At one point, she was curious about the big black object that was approaching her all day long! :o)

I look forward to work with this star again!

See you next week!

The Visitors

2010-08-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

No, I am not talking about ABC's sci-fi series....

I have been busy unpacking and organizing and decorating my office while a busy work and social schedule kept me apart from my blog.

In the mean time, one early evening, as I was leaving home, I saw an interestingly shaped stick on the screen door and when I touched it, it moved.

It's about an inch long.

Then there is this little guy who is camping on the stairs. We think his/her nest is on the tree next to the stairs. At first we thought he/she was hurt, but when Jennifer tried to hold her, he/she flew. And it he/she looked fine... He/she is somewhat nervous when we are coming up and down the stairs, but not enough to move or to fly away.

In fact, My lens was only a few inches a way from him/her when I took the third picture.

A Teaser of the New Place

2010-07-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

This week has been a crazy, weird, exciting, exhausting week. I had to work AND move the apartment... I had three back to back 5am-1am days, at the end of which I was hallucinating. But, it is exciting. A new place, a new neighborhood, a new energy to set things right.
I'm sure, once we are settled, I would share what the new place looks like, but for now, let's keep it simple and mysterious :o)
See you next week!

Arcade Boutique

2010-07-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

I had a shoot in this lovely designer boutique on Melrose, in West Hollywood.

Some pictures from that shoot...

Panties...

A Bowl of Panties...

Caitlin Wehrle & Amir Allahyar at Salton Sea

2010-07-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

As I promised last week, there is more Salton Sea... This time, however, I had two hot models under the hot desert sun and my hot wife was there to help me as well! She snapped this picture while we were preparing the scene and the lights for the first set-up.

Amir and I have been preparing for this shoot and brainstorming the ideas for a while now... I leave all interpretations to you.

My partner in crime...

After the abondoned cabins, we went back to Bombay Beach...

Amir needed some solo shots...

After a long drive, longer shoot under the hot desert sun, on our way back to LA, we stopped at a diner and enjoyed a nice lunch...

See you next week with another adventure!

Salton Sea and More

2010-07-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, my friend Amir and I went location scouting around Salton Sea and we had a great trip. The following pictures document that day.

We mainly stayed in and around Bombay Beach to start things rolling...

Salton Sea is a really weird place. When you are driving to it and by it, when you are far away from the "beach" but close enough to see it, The water is a pristine blue. The little communities around it are semi-abandoned, which kind of gives a way what awaits for you by the shore. The environmental problems (both natural and man-made) caused the salt level to go all the way up to 4% and an algal bloom, which in turn increased the bacteria level. These two factors are deadly for most fish species and that's what you see all over the beaches of the Salton Sea.

The "death" is not only affecting the fish species...

The eerie silence all around Bombay Beach (save it for a very loud black-necked stilt that followed us for a while), the smell, the smoldering heat made us wondered how the few people were still choosing to live in this half-deserted desert town by the "sea".

Of course, life was obviously present in the forms of tons of birds (Salton Sea is famous for bird watching), those few people I was talking about and these fire ants.

After the Bombay Beach, we continued our scouting journey and we ended up 20mn from the US-Mexico border at the Salvation Mountain, created by Leonard Knight.

We also took this opportunity to photograph the beautiful wife of Amir :o)

Next week may be all about Salton Sea as well, this time, with models. Stay tuned.