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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When Bison Spoke, We Listened - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

We woke up at the sound of the alarm and sprang to action.

There was no one around. The only sound was from our struggle with the thick snow underneath. Our plan was to explore the other “geysers” close to the Old Faithful Geyser. We wanted to get there before the sun made it above the horizon and we had already scouted the (only) way the afternoon before.

The air was cold and crisp, but I felt my perspiration as we turned around the corner of the Old Faithful Visitor Center. I paused and looked out to the trail that stretches from our feet.

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Boy, was I happy I did. Through the vague dawn air, I saw something on the only piece of ground that’s not frozen or covered in snow. Within a stone’s throw, there were bison sleeping. Although mild-looking, an animal that weighs up to one ton can move at a fast speed, too fast for us to escape the impact. Let alone there’s multiples of such odds of impact. Our internal debate ended quickly.

Thanks to these bison, we stuck around the area and got to experience a different Old Faithful Geyser than anticipated.

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As the world is fighting COVID-19, I can’t help but wonder how long nature has being crying/yelling at us before it gave us such a blow that finally got our attention.

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