A California Thing..

San Francisco, another great city, and has such great culture. There really isn’t anything like it. From the Gold Rush to Immigration, so much has happened, so much history.

Being a “San Franciscian” I have learned that you can find beauty in any where you look. Early morning is the best time in this city, people may disagree but for me, the sound of seagulls, the smell of the dew and fog in the air, and the noisy chatter from all the people on the streets, really gets me. The photo above was taken near Hunters Point, next to all the old Navel ship yards. A flock of birds decided they wanted to be photographed and kept flying in and out of frame, making for a powerful image.

Right after the sun sets is also an amazing sight in San Francisco! I always get a certain feeling at this time of the day in the city, that I cannot describe. After sitting on the pier watching the sun set, and taking some photos we usually head out to a hole in the wall place to get some of the best food.

Some interesting facts that spark my interest:

-Denim jeans were invented in San Francisco for the Gold Rush miners who needed tough, comfortable clothing.

-On April 18, 1906, a quake estimated at a terrifying 7.8 to 8.3 on today’s Richter scale struck the city. For 47 seconds, the city emitted unholy groans and crashes as streets buckled, windows popped and brick buildings imploded. Wooden structures snapped into firewood were set ablaze by toppled chimneys, and ruptured gas mains spread the fireIt is estimated there are approximately 500,000 detectable seismic tremors in California annually.

-John C. Fremont named the San Francisco Bay’s entrance “Chrysopylae” (Golden Gate) because it resembled Istanbul’s Golden Horn. The Golden Gate Bridge, with 23 miles of ladders and 300,000 rivets in each tower, was the world’s longest span when it opened in 1937. Seventeen ironworkers and 38 painters constantly fight rust and renew the international orange paint on its 1.7-mile span. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has enough steel wires in its cables to circle the earth at the equator 3.5 times.

 -The City of San Francisco is the 12th most populous city in the United States and is the fourth most populous city in California, with a 2008 estimated population of 808,976. It is the second most densely populated major city in the U.S. and is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the larger San Francisco Bay Area, a region of more than seven million people.

On another note,  California is known for our beautiful beautiful beaches, and breathe taking scenery here is a photo of a beach in Santa Cruz, taken cliff side!

California is also home of the redwoods, such amazing height and width, honestly something that can only be describe by seeing it for yourself!

Abandoned Locations..

My Trip to Chicago

My trip to Chicago, IL…. Where do I begin haha

As a photographer there are certain locations, places, and destinations that will spark your interest and fit your style.. Chicago, was one of them. I had always wanted to go to Chicago, I heard so many things about this city good, and bad. I wouldn’t let the bad stop me. To star off here are some cool & interesting facts about Chicago:

1. Chicago was one of the first and largest municipalities to require public art as part of the renovation or construction of municipal buildings, with the passage of the Percentage-for-Arts Ordinance in 1978.

2. The Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 110 stories high. Its elevators are among the fastest in the world operating as fast as 1,600 feet per minute.

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3. The first televised U.S. presidential candidates’ debate was broadcast from Chicago’s CBS Studios on September 26, 1960, between John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Richard Milhous Nixon.

4. The “Historic Route 66″ begins in Chicago at Grant Park on Adams Street in front of the Art Institute of Chicago.

6. Four states are visible from the Skydeck Chicago (formerly the Sears Tower Skydeck). Indiana, Illinois, Michigan & Wisconsin.(seen in picture below)

When I landed in Chicago, I was with my Uncle, who is just like me in every aspect. We wanted to explore. The first thing we did on our taxi ride to our hotel, was scout locations. We wanted to see everything and anything, during our stay! So, we did! We walked roughly 27 miles that day, going all over Chicago, trying different forms of transportation, looking up, down, right, left, and every angle… We wanted to see everything.

I am from the Bay Area, and I love my city….. but Chicago took my heart. The people, the food, the history, everything fascinated me so much. I felt like a 5 year old boy in a candy/toy car store. Okay, now for the reason why I was in Chicago… It wasn’t just for fun, I had been hired to cover a very important event. Although, I knew I had a job to do, I was so focused on the perfection of Chicago.. I was truly amazed!

During my stay in this beautiful city, I stayed at a hotel that goes by the name of The Drake. Now if you haven’t heard of it, it is a very exquisite, upscale, fancy, 5-Star spot. Here is a little history about it!

-In 1920, on New Year’s Eve, 2000 Chicagoans attended The Drake’s opening night. It became the most talked about hotel in the country. The Gold Coast Room hosted lavish floor shows and big bands. The depression hit and then prohibition—but the bands played on. At prohibition’s end the Coq d’Or, Drake’s famous bar, stocked 200,000 gallons of whiskey for an all-night celebration.

-During WWII, The Drake was used to house the military. Refurbished at war’s end, she continued as Chicago’s grand dame. By 1980, however, she was none-too-gracefully showing her age.

-In 1981, The Drake was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She also found, in Hilton International, the rich admirer she needed to restore her to her former glory. Hilton, like many a suitor, underestimated the cost of keeping its new love in style. They had planned a lavish $4 million restoration and $41 million later, they are still at it.

(entrance to lobby check in)

After my stay, I have always wanted to go back. There are so many things I have not talked about in this post. I could ramble on for hours about how great this city is! I hope to visit Chicago soon, and take more pictures, and explore more of its history.

Wedding Photography

In 2011, I reached out to my Aunt & Uncle for help with my photography, I needed something that was a challenge. I wanted to go outside of my usual, and put myself up to something I knew I had to push myself to succeed in. I ran into a problem with the distance between my Aunt & Uncle, they lived in Ohio, and I lived in California. We talked, and made plans for me to fly out and stay with them for a month or so. We called this basically an intern. I worked with them at the studio, went on weddings with them, and boy did I learn a lot. Wedding are NOT what people think they are. Yes for people attending them as a guest, they are amazing, and can be a lot of fun… but attending as a photographer, was an experience of its own.

This is a bride I had taken pictures of after her wedding:

View More at:

Bridal Shoot Album on Facebook

Aunt & Uncle’s Photo Studio:

Michaelangelo’s Photography

Hometown Connections

Growing up in the East Bay, I have had my fair share of living the high life. Cars, Women, High-End Restaurants, and everything in between. I quickly realized, that it wasn’t for me. I liked things that had meaning, and not just a dollar sign behind them. I’m not knockin’ the people who value these things, just stating that is just isn’t for me. I loved where I grew up, made some great friends, learned a lot and made a lot of memories. Going to high school, I had my ups and downs, but I came out with a lot of connections that made it worth it. I met a friend, her name is Nikki Gray, she was a grade below me, didn’t talk much, until about a month ago. We both were on the same path career wise, and thought we should work together. She is a   student at FIDM, and for those of you that don’t know, that is a Fashion Institute. We linked up, put some ideas together and came up with this.