Acting Class with Frank Catalano

About a year ago I took an acting class with Frank Catalano at Pierce College. I met some great people and got to see some real great performances.


During the class I would sometimes shoot the class as they were getting a lesson from Frank. I thought they were interesting moments to document.



You can find Frank on Facebook. He still has acting classes at USC, The SF valley and around L.A. Hope you enjoy,
SV

Boudoir: Danielle

As you may or may not know I focus on shooting weddings, travel and when a bride is willing... Boudoir Photography. Actually, I try and shoot some of my future brides in a Boudoir setting. The reason is: I think it would make a fantastic gift for their husbands to be for her to present him with a private album or photo chest on the wedding night. I know that this might not be for everyone but for those who do I believe it could be a rewarding experience for both him & her.

This is Danielle. She was amazing to work with and was naturally at ease with my ideas in shooting her. A neighbor's house was set up with lighting and I spent about 2 to 3 hours getting some of the images you see here.

In the end the photos were finished with a sephia tone to give that old classic Boudoir feel. Hope you like them.
SV

Wedding: Misty & Matt

Misty & Matt got married in the San Fernando Valley. We all had a great time. The groom and his men were great to hang with and all the brides looked gorgeous. There were so many supportive family members there and everyone cheered very loudly when they made their grand entrance. My favorite touch was when they broke out the Sundae Bar. Sweet.

Well, I'm off to shoot another wedding. This time in the Pacific Palisades. Have a great weekend!
SV

Engagement: Misty & Matt

There are so many great places for shooting an engagement session. But first you should ask yourself if that place means anything to you? What I mean is this...When I meet with a couple I want to get to know them. What they have in common, what they like to do together and where they met. Reason is that I want the couple to pick a place for their engagement session that tells us about them. For example, let's say they both are Disney fans. Well then I might suggest Disneyland or Downtown Disney. If they meet at a bar in Pasadena then maybe the beautiful alleyways of Old Town Pasadena might be a good choice. The point is that they try and give us insight to their personality of their couple-hood thru the photography.

Here is Misty and Matt. I shot them in Valencia at a place called Bridgeport. They both loved the scenery and felt that it described their style perfectly. They had just moved to that part of town so they wanted to start their life together by showing the roots they had planted.






We spent a couple hours walking around talking, laughing and they enjoyed teasing each other during the session. I loved this because I got to see a real connection between them. Matt didn't like taking photos but after a while he became more at ease especially when he concentrated on Misty.


Next, I'll show you some pix of their wedding.
til then,
SV

Paris: The City of Love

In 2006 I took a tour thru Paris, France. Americans seem to have a negative attitude toward France so even though I was happy to go I really didn't expect much. When I got there I was very much surprised and excited. I've never seen such an amazing city before. The places I went to were so clean you could tell that the people there took pride in their city. It was a city where you didn't mind walking - unlike L.A.

Norte Dame...






There was so much history. Thru my tour we went to the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, The Champs-Elysees, The Moulin Rouge and other cool points of interest. I learned that France and Paris had so many interesting pivotal points in world history that it made the city come alive.

One of the gears that works the very fast elevator of the Eiffel Tower...






Now hold on to your hats ladies and gents. I present to you an actual French Fry...


I got to stay at the Paris Hilton and had a nice view of the Eiffel Tower from my window. In the evening the city lit up like a firecraker. Late one night I was walking towards the Eiffel Tower. It was almost 1 in the morning and the moment I walked right under the Eiffel Tower it lit up with bright sparkel lights. I was in complete awe!


For the most part the people there were quite friendly. I never really encountered any of the typical 'rude' frenchman. I will say that the average woman walking down the street was very well dressed, beautiful and mysterious. I'm sure that I will visit Paris and the rest of France soon.
SV

World Series: Atlantic, Prague & Hawaii

Continuing my World Series photo series here are 3 more images of my travels. Enjoy.
SV

First,
Crossing the Atlantic. I took the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton, England to New York City. It took 6 days and most of it was smooth sailing except for one day when it was very choppy, windy and cold. That's the picture below. It was very cool to feel the fresh wind on your face and get a taste of what sailors must have gone thru in the days before modern technology.


Second,
Old Prague. This was the view coming down the mountain that holds the castle of Prague. It was an amazing view with lots of homes with orange rooftops. At night it was like I had stepped back in time since most of the buildings were still there hundreds of years ago.


Lastly,
Hawaiian Coral. This is Maui. I took a helicoter ride with a crazy pilot that took me to the falls that you see in the movie Jurassic Park and then dove rapidly thru the clouds. Heading towards the earth like a rocket the clouds parted and there was the water. Just as it looked like we were going for a swim the pilot pulled up and skimmed the water. And that is when I took this shot.

Wedding: Samaya & James

You might be wondering about the title. Well this was a wedding I was very fortunate to shoot a while back in L.A. The bride was Asian and her family came from the Buddhist faith. The groom was British and from London.

The wedding day started off at The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood and then moved on the Asian Pacific Museum in Pasadena. I have to say that this was one of the most beautiful weddings I've shot. The decor was amazing. The wedding went great with lots of traditional ceremonies and they even had a Chinese Dragon show after wards. I had a great time and was so lucky to shoot this along side Jenny Stafford from Red Loft Studios.

Here's some shots to see how the wedding day went. I hope you enjoy them. They are some of my very favorites.
SV

Engagement: Tayler & Nathan

I just finished shooting a fantastic new couple, Tayler and Nathan. They decided to shoot in on of their favorite places: the Santa Monica Pier. This young couple was so fun to work with. They were easy to bounce ideas off of and the result was great fun. We laughed almost the whole session. I'm looking forward to shooting their wedding this September. Here's a few of their images...
SV