I Broke My Own Rule - Los Angeles Portrait Photographer

I’ve been approached by men to photograph them and politely turned them down.

I admit, not all transformations in the world end with butterflies (Think ladybugs). But I love telling stories of butterflies while transforming women. At least that’s what I thought, until I arrived in the land of extreme.

It was near the end of the yet another incredibly cold day. They say there’s a surprise for us. I’d already used up the last ounce of heat that my body was capable of generating, after spending time at the site of the ship wreck.

Maybe it’s the vast landscape, the fire, the light, or the combination of all of them, everything seemed so magical. I couldn’t believe my eyes and had to document the beauty with something that (presumably) doesn’t lie.

We spent countless hours behind ski-doos traversing the frozen terra on this trip. Not once before did it look like Kevin is going somewhere (or everywhere) distributing gifts like Santa Clause.

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Sure, Santa may be from the far north. No way this Nolan guy is Russian. I thought he’s just explaining to me that we are at the border line between two provinces/territories - on this side is Manitoba, and, over there, it’s Nunavut.

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Russian or not, Nolan sure is a natural in front of the camera. Maybe being some sort of director helps, like Director of Operations. And Kevin, standing next to Nolan, was trying his darnest to hold back the laughter that was about to burst.

As to our scout Butch, it’s mission impossible to photograph him on a ski-doo. By the time I lock focus on him, he’d already be where sky and land meet.

Lucky me, this time, I found the equalizer between he and me. With a cup of his favorite beverage on hand, he became the best model I could ask for, no transformation needed.

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When the sun finally made its disappearance, I was more than content. At that point I realized, oops, I broke my own rule!

P.S. For the sake of full disclosure, I did have some mulled wine while making these images.

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One Giant Leap in History - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

This image reminds me of what Neil Armstrong declared when he put his left foot on the lunar surface 40 years ago “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

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Butch is not an astronaut, and we did not make it to the moon, yet. However, in the 10 days that we stayed where everything was frozen, the land and the rivers, we experienced such intensity, not just in the coldness, but also the people that we met and their stories. Not only did we break records (we thought it was cold in Alaska), I broke my own rules.

Stay tuned here and on my Instagram account…

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The Hearts and Souls of Napoli, Italy - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Quartieri Spagnoli (the Spanish Quarter), the area that’s said to be the most dangerous in Napoli. But it’s also the heart-and-soul of the city, according to others.

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We “survived” our first morning in Quartieri Spagnoli (see our last post). In the following week, we combed through narrow streets, checking out a plethora of palazzos, chiesas, and museo. While there are many things that we can look back in our photographs, what stayed with our mind and gives us a pretty smile once in a while is what happened when we were immersed in their daily life.

One time, a family had to share a piece of birthday cake with us when celebrating in a restaurant. Despite a full belly, we had no choice but to oblige.

Another time, a vendor grabbed us by the shoulder so we could have a photograph with him, and his fish.

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Oh, did I mention in the same restaurant where I was scolded for not being careful with my cell phone (see the post here)? It was our first meal in Italy and everything seemed new and interesting. While we were eyeing over the dish that two gentlemen had on their table, they had the waiter bring the exact dish for us. And to ensure that we tried their national beverage, we were treated to our first coppa di caffè in Italy after dinner.

Some say food leads to sense of happiness. I will certainly not argue with it. All this food that we were treated to in Italy may have contributed to this amore I feel towards it’s people. Maybe, the ubiquitous Virgin Mary that seems to be watching over us in every corner of the city has a hand in it as well?

Napoli maybe the first city that we visited in Italy. It was only the first of many that we would enjoy in the years to come and be surprisingly touched time and again by its people, the heart and soul of this beautiful country.

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