Don't you just love duotone?

I guess it wouldn't matter if you're working with an exceptional model right? Hehe.. in this case it didn't. Our models Brooke and Tien were pros and couldn't have made my day any easier. Makeup was applied by Maria Nguyen and hair styling by Steve Elias. If you add all of them up with yours truly there comes endless possibilities of creativity.

HELLAgant

Happy New Year!!

So my first shoot of the year starts with a couple of upcoming talented fashion designers I had the pleasure to work with. Mikey and Kate own a woman's wear label which part of it's name derives from a slang native to the SF Bay Area called Hellagant. They're style is hip, hot, urban, classy, and hella elegant. Our two models Eileen and Alana are always a pleasure to work with and are true troopers to work in the cold environment.

D E F I N I T I O N
"Hella" - A Bay Area slang stating in the context of more of something.
ie. That's hella cool
"Elegant" - Tastefully fine or luxurious in dress, style, design.
ie. elegant fashion

"HELLAGANT" [hel-lah-gahnt]
Hellagant is a women’s wear label, which produces cohesive collections.

The word Hellagant is a play on word between “Hella” (A Bay Area term meaning more of something) and “Elegant.” By fusing the two words together, it adds a hip an edgier feel to the meaning of “Elegant.” The name itself, “Hellagant,” inspires the designers for Hellagant to construct pieces that are timeless with traditional attire fused with edgy and hip design features.

The label coincides a culturally inspired lifestyle with a tasteful element of class. The Bay Area, home to unique individuals also fuel the label’s inspiration. Hellagant's combinations of diverse influences create a glimpse that is as ironically multifaceted as its name would leave you to believe. Based in Redwood City California, Hellagant runs with a creative spark offering refreshing fashion alternatives, equal traditional attire and sophisticated tailoring. Its best to call it what it is, damn near fine design meets entirely body rocking originality.

Philosophy - "Bridgin' the gap between hipness and beauty with hella elegance."

Check them out!!
www.hellagantsf.com
myspace.com/hellagant

I'm on the front cover of Alpacas Magazine!!

Ya, ya.. I know it's not me! It's a photo taken by me though! It's called the Alpacas Magazine and it's the official journal of the alpaca owners and breeders association. You can buy it or check it out at your local Barnes & Noble. For about a year now I've been working with an online clothing company called Alpaca Direct that specializes in products made from alpacas. The owners of Alpaca Direct submitted these photos we took last winter to the magazine and one of them made the front cover.

The model in the front cover is Rayna, who I've worked with several times before. She's a pro in front of the camera and really shows it in this cover shot. Working with animals is very challenging because it's not easy communicating with one. We just got so lucky that the alpaca was looking straight at me at a calm state and Rayna looked her best at the same time.

I'm so excited about it and feel that my hard work is paying off. First of all I want to thank everyone who have supported and encouraged me this past couple of years with my photography. I've made a lot of friends online who have inspired and influenced my creativity in many ways. To view more of the photos in the magazine by me check out my gallery (coming soon).

DJ Qbert

I had a great opportunity to work with the best DJ in the world a while back. He goes by the name of DJ Qbert the performing name of Richard Quitevis, a Filipino-American DJ and composer. His partner Ritche Desuasido co-founder of ThudRumble.com needed some new photos so we set up a shoot. It's such an honor to meet a legendary DJ who inspires all the lovers of turntablism and the culture of Hip Hop. The picture above DJ Qbert and Ritche aka Yogafrog was shot with a large umbrella camera right and two strobes firing in the back out of sight.

The picture on the left of Qbert holding a turntable is called the QFO, a turntable with a built in mixer. The QFO is the first ever musical instrument made specifically for the skratch DJ! Plug in and play anywhere in the house or even outdoors, with the help of a battery pack. You can't really see it in the photo but it sports a special needle made for Qbert from Ortofon. The image was shot in the basement with ambient light behind Qbert and a work light from his garage right above him.

The last shot on the right was shot with a strobe camera right and reflector camera left. This is in Qbert's recording room as you can see all his vinyl records in the back.

Krystyl

Since I have some time to spare while my desktop computer is processing some stuff for me, I can post another blog sitting comfortably on my bed with my laptop playing "Smells like team spirit" while I type. So who is Krystyl? Yes, that's two Ys and no vowels. First of all Krystyl does it all! She does all forms of modeling, starting from a young age, and one of the hardest working models at it. If there's one person I need to contact for "the hookup" or some Wingstop chicken, it's Krystyl. She's the guru of networking! Might I add that she's also featured on justin.tv at krystyl.tv where you can view her live and stalk her lol. She's also talented in hair styling, wardrobe styling, promotional work, and graphic design just to name a few of her other talents. She's a multitasking networking machine running on an over clocked processor! uhhh.. yah.

The first time I met Krystyl she had pink hair. No kidding, look closer at the photo posted from our first shoot together. I knew we would have fun during our shoot after meeting her and I was right. Not only did we have fun shooting, we got some great images. I love it when it works that way. She brought all sorts of cool vintage clothing from... still thinking.. I'll get back to this. Anyways, they all look great on her.

I've worked with Krystyl several of times in the past and consider her one of my good friends. It's always fun working with Krystyl and her good friend Mr. Martini. Aside from her being a great model, she has an awesome personality that makes each shoot smooth and fun. The hard work and determination she puts in her life is admirable and makes me proud to know her. More brownie points for Randy woohoo!! Anyways, I've posted some of the work we shot in the past and some we did recently for an online clothing company called Dive Girl by Cetacea. Dive Girl is a brand for women that enjoy diving and other adventurous activities.

For booking information:

www.krystyl.net

Photoshoot with Jennifer

Last week I got to shoot with a favorite model and good friend Jennifer aka Foxy D! Every time I work with Jennifer it's not like working at all and I can't knock the smile off my face. She's such a great person to be around and full of energy or redbull or just naturally high. If you're reading this Jen you know I luv ya. So, Jen needed some headshots to submit to her agency and I decided to shoot with her at a nearby beach location. I already knew we would get great results because we make a good team.

Jen is from the SF Bay Area and travels for various projects around the country. She's been also featured on Maxim.com as one of the contestants for the hometown hotties. By the way, if you didn't notice, she's the model jumping in the orange dress on my homepage. No special effects on her jumping. She was once a cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders.

The weather was windy and cold just like the other sessions we had together. I'm always warm during these times. Sorry Jen. It was overcast but the lighting was great. Soft diffused light was provided by the overcast sky which made my job even so much easier. We were going to try out some fitness photos but we lost light pretty fast so we decided to try another day. We both had a good time and Jen was able to play with some dead crabs left behind from the outgoing tide.

For booking :

BOOM Models and Talent: 415.626.6591 (San Francisco)

MediaStars International: 602.999.8838 (tv hosting)

Cast Images 916.444.9655 (modeling)

DC Pro Modeling (Nationwide dcpromodeling.com)

Winnipeg, Canada trip

Last month I traveled to Winnipeg along with some family for my aunt's 75th birthday celebration. To cut down costs on traveling we took a flight to Minneapolis and drove North to Canada which was about a 7-8hrs. While driving through Minnesota we crossed almost about a hundred lakes which I think I only have on my video camera. We crossed North and South Dakota while driving up but I didn't get to snap much photos because I was the designated driver and there really was nothing to see.

We arrived in Winnipeg in the evening and it was already starting to rain. The next morning I went outside to take a look around and took a few shots of the trees lining the street of my aunt's home. This was one of my favorite, shot with my Canon Powershot A560 P&S camera.

The neighborhood where I was staying at was pretty quiet and rarely did I see anyone walking besides the kids coming home from school. The homes have alleys in the back where their garages are located which I thought makes the houses look more attractive. I guess I'm just too used to the garages in the front of the house.

Anyways, the party went great and I got a chance to meet some family I've never met before. Everyone was happy to see each other and there were a lot of family photos snappin like paparazzi. I wish I got the chance to take more photos of Winnipeg but I had a busy schedule there. Maybe next time. I'm just glad to be home again.