The Wedding Ceremony of Eric Jackson and Jessica Torres, May 25, 2013

Back in the day, about some 30 years ago, photography wasn't for everyone. There were many people that had cameras to take pictures of their families and vacations and whatnot, but there were few that exercised the craft to capture and create perfect looking images. In fact, these said images were so attractive, that the photographers who produced them were recognized as professionally, skilled artists. Professionally skilled artists that regular people can turn to, whether they want to hire them to cover an event, or to learn from them so that they to can become as good as the professional photographer. Keep in mind, this was back in the days of 35mm Film and fully manual operated SLR cameras.

Fast forward to the present. With the current modern technology nowadays, about everyone now can instantly established themselves as a photographer by their own discretion, courtesy of the simple-to-use capture devices. Mobile devices like the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 have cameras built in that are far more advanced than a regular camera, and DSLRs are now becoming affordable. Apps like instagram are making the OG photographers, who have been doing this craft since the 1970's and before, getting upset about how simple it is to had a filter over an image without spending at least 5 minutes in a darkroom like they used to. The thing about time and life is that as it goes by, newer ideas are being put on board and newer generations are adapting to the changes that the current generation is going through and getting used to.

One minute were all a bunch of juveniles living off our parents and seeing the same peers 5 days straight every week from September to the middle of June the following year. The next minute, these same people that we were accustomed to since Freshman Year of  high school have moved on to continue building their lives for the better. Some have gotten married to a significant other outside of the circle of your mutual friends, some have produced children of their own to start a family, and there are some that moved out of state, or out of the country at least, so that they can pursue their career that they dreamed and studied their asses off for. As they move forward in maintaining their lives, they can always look back at something inspirational to remind themselves what started them to get to where they're currently at. That is one of the main reasons why I like to take photographs.

I wasn't hired to cover the wedding ceremony of my friend Eric Jackson and his fiance Jessica Torres back in May. I went not only as a guest to support them, but as a guest who likes to take photos. The ceremony took place outdoors at Franklin Canyon Park, up in the mountains between Sherman Oaks and Beverly Hills near Mulholland Drive. It was a very good ceremony, but unfortunately, I didn't stay for the reception since I had to do something later that day, but still a very good ceremony. I took some photos using the Kodak 400TX Black and White 35mm film, and I was very pleased on how well they came out. The flash on the camera was hardly used as most of the indoor images contained plenty of natural light. So far, this was one of my best work I've done this year, and to me, I really think every engaged couple would have their wedding day recorded on film, despite digital photography being the default mainstream medium right now. To paraphrase the first paragraph, not everyone shoots in film nowadays. There are many people that have cameras to take photographs digitally, but it's nowhere the same feeling as taking photographs on film.

Many special thanks to Eric and Jessica for inviting me to witness your marriage and for letting me capture and share this precious occasion I photographed. I wanted to upload these last Monday, but so much with the taxican gig and everything else (such as taking photos at Jane Lynch's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony last week for example)  had gotten in the way, and I really didn't have enough time. Now I can finally share these images cause like I said, this is by far one of my finest photo essays that I've done.
Enjoy the photos as if you're reading a story instead of looking at them as just wedding photos.

Movin' Around

Honestly, I was supposed to make this following blog post two months ago, but obviously, work and other personal shit got in the way. So now I can finally put this up.

I've known the homeboy Jesse Valencia since 2005. We went to the same high school and I had a few classes with him. Dude is one the chillest persons I've known. After graduation, I haven't seen him since. A year later, whenever I would pick up my little brother from school during his Freshman year at Kennedy High, I would see his sister there and she told me that Jesse worked at a tire shop n Sun Valley (Anthony's Tire Center). Since I had a car at the time, I was thinking of dropping by that place to visit and to see if they check the tires on my car, but I never had the chance and the time to go over there, especially after I sold the car two years ago.

After I joined instagram a year ago, he then added me on there and its great to see how he's been doing with his life just from looking through his photos. Then I saw that he's opening up his own tire shop in my old stomping grounds of North Hollywood. I have always been driving around that community alot more since I started driving taxicabs, so one day I decided to drop by and visit him and support as well.

We caught up with each others lives and just chilled at his shop for a bit. He even showed me his Dodge Challenger SRT that he drives. I forgot what used to be there but, the place looks completely brand new, and they have a alot of new equipment and tires in stock. If you're in the east part of the San Fernando Valley, I suggest that y'all should stop by there for any tire rotation or is you need new tires for your car. The name of the shop is NOHO Tires and Wheels. Its on the corner of Lankershim Boulevard and Burbank Boulevard in North Hollywood. And say hi to Jesse while your there.  Here are some of the photos I took at his shop.

NOHO Tires & Wheels. 5615 Lankershim Boulevard. North Hollywood, CA.

Also, one other thing. I moved out of Sylmar after spending three years staying there. For those who haven't been following up on my updates, I originally moved out for my pops house cause we weren't in sync with each other and other reasons. Now everything is cool and since I've been staying over there more than my place at Sylmar, whom I shared with a Filipino family that my moms knew from a medical personnel she knew. Yesterday was my final night sleeping over there. Here's a link to a short video I took of my room with the iPhone 5 just minutes before I left. Last Day living in Sylmar

It was such an trip living there and experiencing a dose of independence, but then again, they built a school across the street from my place and after school, the block becomes a scene with several kids hanging around and the street gets filled with parents picking them up. But then again, as I learned and get reminded ever year in the month of may: life moves on. 

Speaking of which, my friend Eric Jackson and his fiancee Jessica Torres are getting married today. I'm not the official wedding photographer for the event, but regardless, I'm gonna attempt to capture some moments using black and white Kodak Tri-X 35mm film, which is something you don't see most wedding photographers shoot with anymore. I'll upload them in about a month or so, so keep a lookout for those. Thanks for your time reading this. 

Now How That Mother-Fuckin' Best Was Won

Just another average weekend, with some occurrences that made it decent.

On Friday Night, I went over to my friend Nicole Stetter's boyfriend's sister's birthday party in Van Nuys to do some photography there, but I didn't have time to swing by Samy's Camera to pick up some Black and White 400 speed T-Max Film and my uncle has his D5000 that I always loaned, yet he was at his job all the way in Fresno. I almost bought an overpriced roll of 400 speed Color Negative consumer film at the CVS in Sherman Way and Sepulveda (Sidenote: that store was one of the VERY first places I applied for a job back when I was 16, which I didn't get) I also made a 5x7 print there for the birthday girl, and what's weird was that the clueless staff there charged me .32 for a 5X7 instead of $1.99 which is the original price, BUT WHATEVER, THAT'S COOL WITH ME.

When I got to the house where the birthday party was gonna be at, which was the birthday girl's boyfriend's crib, I was the first one there. She greeted me and I told her that I was going to take that much photos, but I had 3 exposures left on my Nikon N70 that I used for some serious portraits of the party. Later on, more people started to turn up, as well as her brother and Nicole, and it totaled the crowd to about 20 people on average. I enjoyed it. The mood was super chill, also there was a lot of food and the birthday cake was excellent. Thanks again to Illian Herrera for inviting me to your party.

Then on Saturday, I woke my ass up and headed straight to Primitive in Encino. For those who don't know, its a skateshop on Ventura Boulevard that's owned by professional skateboarder Paul Rodriguez Jr., providing skate decks, accessories and apparel of the Primitive brand and other skate brands like Diamond Supply Co., The Hundreds, Nike SB, Vans and others. Imagine that its an Active Ride Shop on the corner of Fairfax Avenue and Melrose Avenue, next to Fairfax High. But that place is one of the kind, and it helps represents the San Fernando Valley culture which is what I like about Primitive cause I grew up in the 818 my entire life. Like myself, you don't even have to skate to shop there. All the staff there are totally chill and the customer service they deliver makes you want to stay there longer. I felt like that was first time visiting the store from reading and typing this paragraph, but I've been going there a few times and blogged about it for the past two years, and I've met Paul and most of the models there on a third of my trips to Primitive. Anyway, I went there to check out the new Spring apparel, said what's up to some of the staff there and I left with a T-shirt that I really liked. I recommend anyone who grew up in the Valley to check out Primitive.

When I got home, I popped on this movie called Heaven which is a VHS (yes I still play VHS tapes) from 1998 that I bought at some garage sale on my way back home. I never heard heard of it but from reading the description on the back of the video cassette, I thought the storyline was interesting. Well, the actual film itself wasn't interesting. I mean why the fuck have a transvestite play as a stripper in the film instead of Elizabeth Berkley (Gen X-ers should know what I meant) or some random Z-list porn star? And everything thing else was just shit. I even researched the film and it gave out little information which showed how terrible it did back then. When it got to the middle of the film, I just couldn't take it anymore. The main character played by Martin Donovan was pissing me off like a teenage virgin dude who can't defeat the boss on a Xbox 360 video game after 400 tries. So I pressed stop, ejected the videotape and just literally threw it in the trash. Not just a trash bin, but the black trash that you pull out to the curb. That how I felt about the movie. I would do the same to Tyler Perry's films if he were to give it to me for free cause I can't stand that asshole (I got into a fight with a recession-ass couple during a screening of The Family that Preys back in late 2008). Later on I had to go to a Nigerian friend of my pops wife's crib to take photos there. I was surprised that they live here at a affluent residential area in the Sylmar/San Fernando/Mission Hills border, but whatever, I didn't give a shit. Only stayed for 2 hours cause I felt very sleepy there and gave me a lift home and 40 dollars as compensation.

Didn't do a whole lot on Sunday except dipping over to one of my homeboy's crib not too far from my pops house and just chilled there for the rest of the day. Picked up some Baja Fresh and watched the 2012 NBA All Star Game instead of the overdone Academy Awards. That was honestly the best NBA All Star Game that I ever watched. Seriously, that shit was a slam dunk contest, and I didn't see the actual Slam Dunk contest on Saturday Night since I had a job that night, but I heard it wasn't entertaining. Nothing can shit on last years Slam Dunk contest in the Staples Center by Blake Griffin which looked like a fuckin' AND 1 streetball act. And I hope Dwayne Wade gets fined or suspended for that punk ass move he did on Kobe Bryant during the game which caused his nose to bleed that lead to a concussion, but I assume some penalty will be enforced on him after this Sunday's game with the Miami Heat at the Staples Center against the Lakers cause that shit will be nationally televised. NOW IF IT WEREN'T FOR TOMORROW'S LEAP YEAR DAY, THEN THAT FUCKING GAME WOULD'VE BEEN AIRED ON MY 24TH BIRTHDAY, AND I COULD'VE ATTENDED THERE FOR FREE SOMEHOW! Still can't believe that shit was one day off.

By the way before I finish, I normally don't give that much acknowledgments to notable figures aside from Kim Kardashian and I made sound like an N'Sync fan or whatever, but major props and salutations to celebrity Jeweler Ben Baller for breaking the ice and tying the knot to wed Nicollete Lacson, a gorgeous Filipina model with a degree in Fashion, over the weekend. I don't personally know Ben, but I first heard about him on NikeTalk back in 2006, then discovered his blog two years later and have been religiously reading it every week ever since. I only saw him for a little bit once at the Platinum Motorsport toy drive in late 2010 and the other great thing is that he's a straight up LA resident who's been around for a long time. Most of the format from my blog posts was inspired from his blogs and his"Weekend Wrap-Ups"pushed me to be a better writer and blogger which is why I have a shitload of paragraphs every week. Check out his blogpage and his thoughts from his recent wedding to Nicolette over the weekend http://ifandco.com/2012/02/28/till-death-do-us-apart/

Anyways, thanks for your time reading and don't forget (which most of you will) I'll be turning 24 in six days. Just saying.