Baby Mason!

I photographed my nephew's 1st birthday party yesterday. What else can I say, birthday parties are fun!

I'd like to congratulate Heathere and Ben Bosworth for having an adorable little kid, and thanks for inviting me!

It's always fun to photograph family gatherings because these are the photos that will literally last a lifetime. I can already picture baby Mason showing his kids photos of his first birthday.

Anyway, I used several lenses to photograph the special day. I used a wide angle, standard zoom, a portrait and a telephoto lens. I didn't hit any speedbumps; everything rolled along smoothly.

There were also other babies there with their parents and I took the opportunity to photograph them as well. It was a great day overall and I'm excited to watch baby Mason grow up and for me to be there and capture it all.

This is my favorite photo from the entire day.

See ya

Jake

The Mayor is in town!

This past week, Stella Middle Charter Academy had important visits from city and country officials. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Congresswoman Karen Bass and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson visited. I was asked to photograph the visit for my schools (SMCA/BSSCA). It was probably the most significant event I've photographed to date.

(Congresswoman Karen Bass)

I utilized everything I learned in photojournalism class. I thought as a photojournalist as if my photos would be seen in the paper the next day. I took over 300 photos. My finger never left the shutter really. When you're photographing people, you have to be quick on your feet and look for moments other people would not see. Facial expressions are invaluable and call tell a million stories.

Lisa P. Jackson is seen here discussing classroom subjects with an SMCA student. The officials interacted with the children for over an hour and had a question/answer session. Public officials want to be seen in a good light, and it is the photographers job to look for that one special "moment".

This was a great opportunity I am grateful to have been a part of. A few days later, I received a phone call from the offices of Karen Bass and was asked to email some photos of her that will run in their newsletter to be delivered to 80,000 households in Los Angeles.

Thanks for reading.

See ya

Jake

Los Angeles Marathon

A couple weeks ago I photographed runners at the L.A. Marathon. Several of my students and sister were participants in the grueling 26.2 mile run. Rain was expected that day but it turned into something else. It was literally pouring buckets. Nonetheless, the runners showed up with nothing to dampen their spirits.

My family and I arrived at Fairfax and Sunset, at the 13 mile mark. We were there to show our support and hand out water, bananas, and oranges to the runners. My sister hired me several months before and I promised her I would be there to support and take photos. As the race began, cyclists zoomed past us first. It was exhilarating and inspiring. These people were completely wet from head to toe and raced as if the elements were not present.

The challenges I faced as a photographer were extreme cold and wetness. I too was completed hosed down and was freezing. There was a point in the day where I could no longer feel my fingers or my legs. I took over 300 photos, shot in Manual with a high ISO and only used my telephoto lens. It was a crazy, motivational, cold, and inspiring day.

This is my sister. I am exceedingly proud of her. She finished the race in 4 hours and 16 minutes. She recorded the best time among her students and fellow teachers. I love you sis!

See ya

Jake

Exposition Park

(my favorite photo from the day)

Yesterday I went to Exposition Park in South Los Angeles. I wanted to get out and shoot some photos and decided to stop by the park. I used to go there often as a child with my parents and I still remember when the park was full of roses.

It's a whole different feeling when I drive myself, spend my own money, and carry my expensive equipment. Different from when I was 6 years old.

Anyway, I carried 3 lenses with me only; 50mm, 10-24mm, and 18-55mm. As soon as I arrived, I started taking photos and used equivalences. I shot with an open aperture and a fast shutter, vice versa. I spent about an hour in the park and took over 100 photos. I think I only chose 7. I didn't face any obstacles on this impromptu shoot. The park had great architecture to offer and I felt the shoot tested how well I can capture architecture; since I'm not known as an architecture photographer.

Overall, I felt relaxed and at home. I went by myself (which is a odd since I usually prefer to shoot with another photographer). I liked the feeling of being by myself and taking my time to walk around and photograph anything I found interesting. Afterwards, I bought myself an orange juice and attempted to edit photos at a nearby Starbucks. I left instead because there were no seats available. Thanks for reading.

See ya

Jake