Fun with Fall Leaves

A Family Day at the Huntington

Nohi's Birthday

About a month ago I met little Nohi and her parents Alma and Sang. Nohi just turned one-- a major milestone in both Korean and Filipino cultures. To celebrate, she had two parties-- a barbeque with her Filipino family, and a party and traditional ceremony with the Korean side of her family. I kept thinking throughout the weekend how lucky this little girl is-- growing up with two such different cultures means she will have two sets of traditions to make her own. And, with her large extended family and parents like Alma and Sang, I have a feeling Nohi's going to be a very wonderful little person, both well-rounded and worldly, and most definitely loved.

Fairy tales

My most recent class assignment was to do a diptych (two photos next to each other that somehow relate, via form, content, or whatever else) with a "fantasy" theme. With Halloween right around the corner,  I decided to recreate two fairy tales-- Little Red Riding Hood and The Little Match girl, by Hans Christian Anderson and tried to make them more "fashiony" than what I normally do.  I had a great time shooting with the models (including my dashing, debonair boyfriend as the wolf!) and I think made some great connections, as well. Mary Shultz was the make up artist for The Little Match Girl shoot and did an absolutely incredible job. I highly recommend her to anyone-- she's so easy to work with and really knows her stuff. My models, Bobbie and Kim, were also amazing and made the ideas come to life. Thank you, everyone, for making these shoots turn out like they did!!

Jesse

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with Jesse, an actor referred to me by Hans. Everyone Hans has sent my way has been an absolute joy to work with, and Jesse was no different. We caught the metro into downtown LA and spent a few hours wandering around. We got gutsy and snuck into The Million Dollar Theater, which I believe was just recently renovated and reopened, and got some really fun shots. Then, the Bradbury Building, Angel's Flight, and finally Bunker Hill. My good friend Leonard recommended this last spot, and told me that a few goats lived on the hill as a pollutant-free sort of weed-killing system. I didn't believe him til we got there and saw the "evidence" scattered all over the ground. Yuck! :)  Take my word for it-- as strange as it sounds, there was a hill of goats living in the heart of downtown Los Angeles....

Here's Jesse on the hill (don't worry, we made sure we found a clean spot for him to sit!):

At The Million Dollar Theater:

And, of course, the metro:

Fire!

Yesterday morning at around 5:30 a.m., the garage in the building next to mine caught fire. I awoke to my boyfriend screaming, "GET UP, GET UP!! There's a fire!!!" After scrambling around to find my glasses, my sweatshirt, my cell phone... knocking over a plant and breaking its pot in the process, I was able to get out of my apartment and down the stairs (after slipping on the wet concrete twice in my haste to leave.) At first I couldn't tell that just the garage was on fire. The flames were so large that the entire back of the apartment could have been affected. My hands were shaking and I didn't know what to do, didn't know where we should go. Instinct said "run!" but curiosity said, "hey, stay awhile and check it out..." It looked like our building was going to be fine, especially since there were now four large fire trucks parked outside. People slowly came out of the building in their pajamas and started huddling together near the street. I've never been more frightened. I wasn't scared enough to stay put, though. Besides my cell phone and sweatshirt, I grabbed my camera. I ran back towards my building's garage, which is adjacent to the one that was burning. My hands were still shaking, and it felt strange standing just yards away from where four people's cars were being completely destroyed. I felt like I shouldn't be there, it probably wasn't safe, but no one was telling me to stand back so I stayed. And I wanted to take the pictures. It looked like it was under control, but the more I think about it, the more I realize it was probably a bad decision to be so close. What if a car exploded? And can someone explain to me what those hatchets are for?

In about an hour the fire was under control. As the sun came up, the firemen began to pump the water out from the flooded garage. The cars were still there-- four completely charred, and three melted and water logged-- and the area was taped off for an investigation. The firemen, exhausted and grumpy, packed up their hoses and drove off in their trucks, while water flowed through the gutters down the street. All this and it was only 7:00 a.m.

I still don't have any idea how the fire started, though I'm doubtful it was an accident. How else could something like that start so early in the morning? In addition, there was a similar fire like this across the street less than a month ago. Coincidence? Luckily, my garage is gated (the other two weren't) so hopefully that's at least a small deterrent for something happening here....

Gallery show this weekend

Great news! I will have two photos in the upcoming Music Share group show this Saturday and Sunday at Hangar 1018 in downtown LA. All the art in the show was either created by a musician or music-inspired, with works by Shepard Fairey (of OBEY), Slash (of Guns N Roses), and tons of others. I feel very lucky to be a part of it! Stop by if you can!

www.myspace.com/musicshare08

Opening on Saturday, Oct. 18 @9p
Hangar 1018
1018 S. Santa Fe Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90021

If you come, you have to see my friend Tas' work-- he's an absolutely incredible photographer with an crazy imagination and true talent for creating hauntingly beautiful and intriguing images. (If you can't make it, you can still visit his website at www.taslimur.com)

More from Julie C.

Julie L. and The Greenhouse

Last night I attended a screening of various short films produced by The Greenhouse, a non-profit media cooperative. It's a really awesome concept-- artists of all kinds getting together to create films. Everyone contributes their individual talents, from writing, acting, lighting, sound, craft services, etc... and sometimes members even learn new skills depending on the needs of the production crew. Last night, all this collaboration resulted in three incredibly entertaining shorts: Why I Do, What I Do; You've Got Potential!; and Spy Games. These films should be online soon, so check out their website at greenhouseproductions.com when you have the chance!

I've been fortunate enough to work with several Greenhouse actors, including Hans, Julie C. and Julie L., whose headshots are posted below. They are a truly talented group, and I look forward to seeing more Greenhouse films soon.

*A special thank you to Hans, who invited me to last night's event and who introduced me to both Julie L. and Julie C.! :)

Julie C's Headshots

I'm a little bit sad-- my mom, who was in town for my birthday, just left this afternoon. You know that feeling when you come back to your house and it's suddenly a lot bigger and quieter than you remember? Even my teeny tiny studio feels huge. I wish my parents lived closer. I miss them! Anyway, sad as it is, I'll finally have time to update this poor, neglected blog :)

This morning I met up with actress Julie at her home in Sun Valley. It was such a fun shoot! She lives on a mini ranch (with horses and everything!) which gave us tons of options for her headshots. Then, we drove into Burbank to get some photos of her in more professional attire. It was a busy, busy few hours, but we got some great shots and it was well worth the early-morning call time.

Take a look!