Every once in a while I look at other photography and ask why cant mine look like that?  I’m drawn to moody,  uncontrived photos; very spur of the moment, filled with life or mystery. Sometimes I go out and deliberately try to shoot in a style that’s not my own. But there’s this force-field that pulls me back.  My experience, knowledge and what I know resonates with the people I have photographed pulls me back to my comfort zone – well-lit and pretty.

This happened on my shoot with Taylor. I’ve known and been working with Taylor since 2006 . Unlike our previous shoots where I was driving the shoot, she called me with a concept that suited her needs as an artist and musician and the direction was out of my norm.  When  a client approaches me with a job that is a different style from what I do I always ask for reference photos.  When I saw her reference images I thought quirky, edgy, snap-shots.  Even though that’s not my style she felt comfortable enough to come to me with her concept knowing that I could take her input and produce photos that matched her goals.

The photography industry is rife with people ready to give advise and tips.  Some of the advise and education is free and invaluable. Some costs money yet is still a huge value.  Look to CreativeLive and Strobist for great and usable photography know-how and education. One is free the not really free but a huge value.  Along with an industry of photographers trying to sell me advice there are tons of trade magazines with full of industry “standards” and suggestions…How to show your work, what to put in your portfolio, how much to show.

In that portfolio review in 2005 the photography consultant cautioned about showing more than one image of the same person in my portfolio. Up until recently I adhered to that but as of late I call bullshit.  Case in point; Devon. I met and first shot Devon in 2009. In the past four years we’ve shot together six times and every time we’ve worked together we both come away with great images.

There are a handful of other actors and models that I share the same experience with. When I’ve got a relationship with someone and we work well together I tend to work with them over and over since I know the results will be great. Why not show multiple images of the same person in my portfolio or on my website? That rule was dumb.

I bring this up because as I grow and learn about myself and my photography I have begun to make my own rules based on my own experience and information.

As much as I hate updating my websites I’m due for an overhaul. Stay tuned and plan on seeing more than one image of the same person. Especially Devon.

June 2009

October 2011

November 2011

June 2012

July 2012

February 2013

Like most two year olds, Charlie doesn’t smile for the camera. He gets uncomfortable and goofy and often moves his eye-line away from the camera. This moment was special because both of my kids looked great…at the same time… and in the same photo.  I love seeing this every time I walk in the door. It’s a reminder and a keepsake.

Charlie & Grace – 16×20 Gallery Block – shot w iPhone 5

When it comes to hiring me to shoot your wedding, children, family portrait, fill in the blank; I want you to leave with something you can touch and cherish. This is a 16×24 Giclee canvas I recently made for a client.

16×24 giclee canvas

In 2011 I started using this image of Tutu  in my promo material. When Tutu’s mom saw the mounted 18×12 print she loved it. I asked her what she did with the CD of files she purchased from me; she confessed that she hadn’t made time to do anything with them.  Life is full; we all get busy….I want your experience with me to be easy and result in photos hung in your house that make you smile when you stop to look at them.

Tutu – Manhattan Beach 2010

I shot this (riveting) video to show the results of one of the hard cover press printed books I offer. This is the fourth book in a row I’ve made for this client and when I dropped this off she remarked how special they are and that  she loves having them to look back on.

By handing over a disc or a digital file I am handing you work. It means you have to make the prints, buy the frames, frame the prints, send Grandma a copy of the prints…..I don’t want your experience with me to be sullied by the stress of  added work after the shoot is over. This is the reason I offer the products and services that I do. I want you to enjoy your photos. Granted clients still want copies of their digital files which are available, but as a photographer I want you to have something you can touch.

Over the past couple years I’ve skipped using photos of my family in the slideshow, after all they weren’t paid assignments and so many were just snapshots. This year I’ve included them because my wife and kids are my world and are definitely the most photographed subject in my life. I also opted to include more than one image from the assignments. Limiting myself  to one single image per shoot didn’t represent the scope and the fruits of my labor.

As with every slide show I always struggle with music. Each year I want to use a song that I fell in love with during the year. This year there were a couple of contenders.

Mumford & Sons – I will wait
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Thrift Shop I dare you to not bounce your head while listening to this song. I was bouncing  my head for a couple weeks before I even listened to the words.
Ryan Adams – From The Ashes   In January NPR streamed a pre-lease of this entire album. I listened to it over and over until the day it was released. Go buy it directly from his label/website. 
Walk the Moon – Anna Sun  This is probably my favorite song on the album but I opted for Tightrope becaue it matched the tempo I wanted for the slideshow.

For those of you that supported me and helped me create this year I owe you a world of thanks. Without you I’d be stuck behind some desk.

Year End Review Slide Show 2012 from Chuck Espinoza on Vimeo.

Charlie’s birthday was November 28th. For the past couple weeks I have been thinking about this slideshow. As with every slideshow I make my biggest struggle is what song to use. The answer to that question came quickly; Step in Time from Mary Poppins. Charlie loves that song. Literally everyday, dozens of times a day he breaks out into the chorus – step in step in step in time! The problem is I don’t really like the song. I love the meaning and that it means so much to Charlie but I felt it wouldn’t work well for the slideshow. I scoured my iTunes library only to realize it was the best song for Charlie and this time in his life, regardless of my personal preferences.

Like most two year olds, Charlie is hard to photograph. He doesn’t understand (or care) that he is supposed to smile and look at the camera at the same time. I can usually get one or the other but rarely at the same time. Regardless we love him and these photos are all memories. Meet our son Charlie.

A year in review of our son Charlie from Chuck Espinoza on Vimeo.

I met Jordan at Palisades Park about 30 minutes before Suzy was scheduled to arrive. In addition to having flowers ready Jordan had arranged for a car service to pick her up and bring her to the park. We waited. I didn’t want her to see me when she arrived so I stayed about 100 feet from Jordan. Being that this is north Santa Monica I think most of the people thought I was a paparazzi. Jordan would shoot me texts with updates.

Suzy arrived just in time. My heart was racing. I was excited for Jordan and Suzy and needed to make sure I got the shot. It worked out perfectly. When everyone around us figured out what just happened they started clapping and cheering.

The following is a slideshow of the proposal.

The Proposal from Chuck Espinoza on Vimeo.

I-Got-This.

We picked out some color options and went shopping for outfits. This is now my go-to advice for my clients; go buy new clothes. You’ve already committed money and time to the process why let a wardrobe hiccup sully the time and money you’ve invested. Kids clothes are relatively inexpensive and easy to pair up. Walk through Carters, Old Navy, The Gap or the Ralph Lauren section of Macy’s and you’ll be able to grab clothes that you know will look good together.

Notice the color palette? Yeah; I’m the only one in brown. I didn’t listen to my own advice. Robin and I couldn’t find something we liked at Old Navy and didn’t make an effort to continue to the shopping. As the date approached I was convinced that I had a fairly new navy polo shirt in the closet therefore I didn’t need to go shopping again. Robin pulled a trump card when she pulled her navy top. We weren’t committed to matching, especially since the kids weren’t in solid tops so I became the odd man out. Lesson learned.

©Brian Kingston – http://bkingston.com/

©Brian Kingston – http://bkingston.com/

©Brian Kingston – http://bkingston.com/

During family portrait sessions a lot can go wrong. Kid’s aren’t into it, Dad has better things to do; the kids aren’t behaving;  someone missed a nap. Then there’s the accidents. In our case Charlie walked off one of these concrete risers as if it were a normal step.  He face planted into thick, fresh-cut grass.  As any professional photographer would do, Brian was concerned and sensitive to the situation. I, on the other hand reached for my iPhone to snap a few pics. (Sorry Charlie) Even though it was a bit scary; Charlie was fine and it’s a moment that I will always associate with this family portrait session. Things happen; don’t let it ruin your session.

Robin pulling grass out of Charlie’s mouth

Like years past I had a friend shoot our portraits. This year it was Brian Kingston. Brian is not just a photographer he’s an amazing artist, check out his photography and artwork at Bkingston.com. We have one of his pieces hanging in our living room.

If you’d rather focus on the positive and how you can help please check out and donate to the foundation that was created in their honor.

The Lulu and Leo Fund

We got the news on our way home from dinner after Grace’s dance class. One of my wife’s friends called while we were driving home. She was distraught but wouldn’t give us the details until we were at home.

I dealt with getting the kids ready for bed and my wife returned the call. I could hear her cry out and start sobbing.

Robin broke the news to me. Our friend’s kids had been murdered. It was/is unbelievable and so horrific that there’s no way it could be true.

There isn’t any way to digest that type of information. You want it to be a lie. You think of your own kids. You think of the horrible circumstances in which it happened. You think about the parent’s and surviving family. You think of all the families whose lives had been smashed to pieces.

My wife and her friends have a very special friendship. They’ve been friends since childhood.  They have been together through high school, college, weddings and births of our children. We vacation together; all of our kids have grown up together. It’s unique and incredibly special and I feel so lucky that my life is surrounded with this type of friendship.

It’s still unbelievable. When I feel my head start to go to the dark place I have to give myself a little nudge. I can’t afford to go down that dark hole.

I write because it helps. Being able to stand with friends and family that feel the same pain helps lessen the load.

I will never be able to forget the two lives that were stolen from us.

Over the past week or so we’ve held two memorials and my wife was in New York for one more today. As with everything Marina and Kevin did it was filled with love, creativity and hope.

The Lulu and Leo Fund

©2012 Chuck Espinoza. Images may not to be used in any editorial fashion without permission.

 

©2012 Chuck Espinoza. Images may not to be used in any editorial fashion without permission.

 

©2012 Chuck Espinoza. Images may not to be used in any editorial fashion without permission.

 

©2012 Chuck Espinoza – Images may not to be used in any editorial fashion without permission.

 

©2012 Chuck Espinoza. Images may not to be used in any editorial fashion without permission.

 

©2012 Chuck Espinoza. Images may not to be used in any editorial fashion without permission.

I’ve grown up with music and photography.  Music more than anything helps me tell time. As a kid whose father was in the Army we moved a lot. I can’t remember 8th grade without trying to figure out where I lived. When I think of where I lived I can remember the music in my life.  8th and 9th Grade was Anchorage Alaska. I was introduced to new wave and was coming off my introduction to heavy metal. I remember being introduced to The Cure, Violent Fems, INXS, REM, and The Beastie Boys. This is also the time in my life when I picked up my first camera.

The amazing thing about the exhibit was that in a lot of cases the photos weren’t made of rock gods and superstars. They were made by kids of other kids. Friends taking photos of their friends that happened to be in a band. In most of the images in the exhibit many of those friends went on to rock & roll greatness.

Don’t take my word for it. Go see it. Now. It closes in four days.

As I looked at the photos and read stories about how the photos were made I started to reflect on my music photography. Sometimes shooting music is great. It’s exciting, it’s loud, it’s fun. Other times it’s all wrong; they handcuff us together so that it makes it hard to get original and great images.

This was shot at the Bamboozle Left Festival a couple years ago. Here’s the reality of shooting most shows; you get to shoot the first three songs and then they kick you out. So basically there are a handful of us looking up the nostrils of the artist trying to get something cool and unique.

The key to so many of the great images showcased at the exhibit is access. Either being friends with the band or the band having enough faith in your work and vision that they trust you. They need to know that you aren’t going to make them look bad. In the case of this shot of Darrin Pfeiffer, the drummer from Goldfinger, I had access. I was on the stage a few feet away. Why did I have access? I know the lead singer.

Here’s another shot I love and it was made because I had access. Ever been to the Viper Room? It’s the size of a large walk-in closet.  This shot of Run Run Run was made during a private showcase the band was putting on for a record exec. That shot would have been impossible to make had their been a crowd.

So many musicians I’ve shot know a lot about marketing and they want to look a certain way in their photos. With the case of The Josephine Collective they were in town living their dream, recording an album, looking cool was the farthest thing in their head. The producer invited me to his home where they were recording. As much as a Bel Air mansion screams success it doesn’t register well with a pop-punk band from Tennessee. So while all around me is a gorgeous pool and backyard I laid down on the ground and had them huddle up. There was no request for smiles or to say cheese. They (we) were just having fun.

Most recently I was contacted by The Rossetti quartet. They are a string quartet that has played around the world. They hired me to take shots that wouldn’t look like they were a “string quartet”.  I treated them as I would any other band. I wanted them to look cohesive and cool.

I’m now booking appointments through October. Mini shoots are $150 and individual sessions start at $250. If you want to kill two birds with one stone you get the mini shoot and 100 cards from Phyllis for about $300.
310-571-5094

2009-2011 Family portraits from Chuck Espinoza on Vimeo.