The Dixons

Holiday Portraits 2009

California Engagement Portraits on the Beach

Connie and Neil are having a Baby TODAY!

I get to make some beautiful Newborn Portraits this week. Check back soon to see them.

Kaizen 52 Project: Narmar Hanna

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Beyond Headshots in LA

Los Angeles Actress – Narmar Hanna.

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Kaizen 52 Project: Mike Stanley

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This is my friend Mike Stanley. He’s a freelance director and editor in Los Angeles.

We had fun just shooting at the park with our kids. I’m glad to know him.

Newborn Portraits in Los Angeles

Newborn Portrait Specialist – Alvin Catacutan

I LOVE Photographing Newborns! There is nothing more beautiful and pure.

I wish I went to a professional photographer to make portraits like these of my baby girl. When my girl was a newborn, my wife and I were just happy to be parents.

Now, everytime I make an infant portrait, I catch myself saying “I wish I had photos like these of my daughter.” I was just starting out in photography then. I simply didn’t have the skill or equipment to do it myself.

Now that I can do it for others, you better believe we’ll have some beautiful newborn portraits to hang on our wall.

I know this family will forever cherish these images.

Plan now to have portraits made of your new baby. They only look newborn for the first two weeks, then they grow and grow and grow.

Your little one will never be this small again.

Kaizen Photography
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The Strobist Workshop in Santa Clara, Ca

Last weekend I attended a lighting workshop taught by The Strobist himself – David Hobby.

Alvin Catacutan and David Hobby

I was impressed by the range of experience in the class. Amateurs to seasoned professionals were there to learn more about off camera flash photography.

Hobby’s generosity and love of photography has grown to a worldwide community of photographers thousands strong.

He shares his years of run and gun experience as a newspaper photographer, teaching others how to do it fast light and best of all cheap.

Hobby knows how expensive photography can be as a hobby. Professionals know that it gets even more expensive as your skill level grows and equipment needs increase.

The Strobist community finds ways to modify their gear and invent alternatives to expensive professional lighting equipment.

The ringflash for example.

The contraption that looks like a big white donut on a stick and many applications in fashion and portrait photography.

Professional level ringflashes can cost you over a thousand dollars. This one was made by David as an attachment to his much beloved Nikon SB800 flash unit. Its made of cardboard, tape, and parchment paper.

It produces that shadowless wrap around light much desired by fashion photogs.

The speed and intuitive nature of David’s workflow is what I want to incorporate into my work. He sees light and meters with his eyes and experience.

Check out the Strobist Blog and see what the Strobist community has been up to.

Kaizen Photography

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Kaizen 52 Project – One Portrait a week for 52 weeks. First Infant Portrait for 2008!

I used what I learned at the San Francisco Strobist workshop to make this portrait.

What do you think!?

 

There are a ton more from this session. Check in later for updates!

Thai Elvis in Hollywood

Had a great dinner tonight at the Palms restaurant in Hollywood. They serve Tai cuisine and feature the best Elvis impersonator. He looks nothing like The King, but he sure sounds like him!

Christmas in Beverly Hills

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HUNKY SANTA at the Beverly Center

I love L.A.

Traditionally we head south to Orange county to have a big feast with The O.C. branch of the family. Since our little family has grown I’ve been wanting to put all the focus on the three of us. Not that we’re avoiding the big family events altogether, but we want to keep it intimate and enjoy what our new “Hometown” has to offer.

We met Mamatron at the Beverly Center after work.

This is currently my favorite mall in all of Los Angeles. Its one of the few that is refreshingly indoors. Modern leather furniture rests in the center of the walkways for Dads and Shopping averse Husbands. You gotta love a mall that lets you watch sports on a Sony Flat Screen TV, while waiting for your high-maintence spouse/girlfriend/life-partner/or dirty mistresss to come back from shopping at Dolce Gabbana or Coach.

Despite the list of high end stores in this mall, The Beverly Center is surprisingly family oriented.

Gymboree is our go to store for sales on kid’s clothes, but H&M, Gap, and The Ferrari Store all have substantial children’s sections as well.

What impresses me most about The Beverly Center is that the toilet stalls in the Men’s restroom have toddler seats with five point harnesses! You can do your business while your toddler sits safely in a seat beside you. I’ve never seen such innovative thinking!

I usually end up carrying Monkeytron on my shoulders while I stand up at the urinal. She’s high enough not to get any backsplash, but I’m always worried she’s gonna wiggle and fall to the hard tile floor.

Here, I can rest assured that she is safe and not going to run off to touch something unclean.

For this reason, The Beverly Center gets a FIVE STAR rating in my books.

The reason I love the Beverly Center is its cheeky approach to the Holidays. We got to hang out with Hunky Santa today. He and his Candy Cane Dancers entertained shoppers with their take on Holiday Cheer.

Hunky Santa, don’t forget to stuff my stocking with a Gift Certificate for Lipo Suction and Pectoral implants from Dr. 90210.

I’m sure Mamatron has something else for you on her list.

Be sure to visits my other blog at http://laheadshots.wordpress.com