mohaphotoblog

I’m having an authentic artist moment here. I’m not saying I have a muse, but if I were to have one, she’d be it. My friend, and old roommate, Amy is a fabulous actress here in LA. She has done it all from the stage to the big screen with a feature film you can see here. When Amy contacted me about shooting a variety of looks to update her book, I was thrilled. Not only because the girl is hysterical to work with but she knows her stuff and can get it done. I have been wanting to submit for various editorials and covers, and I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to score some options.

We had a killer team. Stylists Erin Moye and Christy Parson pulled from Nieman Marcus, in addition, from personal collections to create the amazing looks we got to capture. We even scored some Louboutins! Christy rocked it with hair and make-up. I have never seen someone do hair that fast. Thank you both for helping create such an amazing day. We could not have functioned without our dear Natalie. She did everything and anything to help make transitions between looks much more efficient. Seriously, dream…. team….

Erin’s cat, Giorgio was working it for the camera too, and almost stole the show…. almost.

Below are some behind the scenes and finished looks from our day in West Hollywood…

Submitted an image for the cover of a women’s photography publication, so here’s to hoping we are gracing newsstands in June!

XO

Where to begin. If I had to pick a wedding to kick off my 2012 season, this would be it. From the start, it was laid back and friendly, and what I love most….I had free rein to wander and capture this wonderful weekend in its entirety.

I first met Reid and Es a few years back on a trip to the lovely Indio, CA for Stagecoach Country Music Festival. I had just barely met our mutual friend Lynn, so I was already anxious about spending the weekend with people I had not met before, let alone in tight quarters. I should have know that good people know good people, and both Es and Reid were so friendly and excited for the weekend ahead just like I was.  As the years pass and Stagecoach comes and goes, we started seeing each other outside of that weekend and I came to love both of these individuals for many reasons. They both are kind and thoughtful, and they ask you questions. About all sorts of things really, but what I found to be so endearing is that they took the time to care about what was happening in my life enough to ask. This is just how they are.

I was beyond excited when they asked me to be the photographer on their big day, because I knew how special of an occasion this was. With both having a very strong faith and bond with God, I knew this was not just a party, it was a meaningful vow of their relationship to each other, their families, and the lord. For this honor, I thank you both for allowing me to witness the biggest day of your lives thus far.

From the engagement shoot on the Paramount lot and the sweetest ceremony to the lovely reception and boat cruise to remember… I am grateful to have been along for a small part of your journey, and am excited to see what the future holds for you both.

Cheers Esmie and Reid, we all can’t help but love ya!

XO

Oh my! I’m super excited to share this image with you all. Not only because it is of a beautiful young woman, but also, because it is my very first submission for a magazine cover! EEEEEKKK!!

Chic Critique Magazine is a magazine I recently discovered and it is to die for! It is a publication for female photographers that focuses on confidence and critique, both essential for a successful photograph and business if you ask me!

With fingers crossed (and many many thanks for consideration), I submit this photo for the Chic Critique Magazine Cover.  So exciting!

XO

It’s not everyday that I get to take photos of a gorgeous Rams cheerleader turned doctor turned friend. Ashley was in town from AZ, and hit me up for a fun day of head-shots for her upcoming application for her second year with the St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders. I love shooting with dancers… because they, obviously, know how to move. The bonus…. girl is FUNNY!!!

Ashley made my job so easy, and without a doubt, this girl is doing it all.  I knew it was going to be a good shoot when we started our journey jamming to some country. That is a rarity in LA. Not only did we have a great afternoon together but before she braved the LA traffic, she rocked my world with a chiropractic adjustment that was so desperately needed.

Ash, it was good to see you while you were in town, I’m so glad we found that blue door, and thank you for cracking the hell out of my back!

Good Luck with Rams, no doubt I’ll be seeing you on the sidelines this year…You can Vote for Ashley here!

xo

This past week, I had the honor of being a plus 1 to the launch party of an amazing local handbag designer, John McDavid Lehman. His luxury handbag line, called R.B. of McD, is not only representational of himself, an LA native, but also all that is Los Angeles.

As noted on his website: “THE BRAND WAS CREATED OUT OF A SLIGHTLY SELFISH NEED, A DESIRE TO SHOWCASE THE CLASSIC, THE CLEAN, & THE LUXURY THAT IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF LOS ANGELES FASHION. IT IS A BRAND MADE IN LOS ANGELES BY LOS ANGELES BUT LENDS ITSELF TO A BROADER CULTURE AND GLOBAL AESTHETIC.”

Indeed it does. I was blown away by the buttery texture, classic color palette, and was simply delighted to be present at this launch in the ever so chic l’Bazaar boutique. With champagne circulating and a plethora of stylish chicks, I was in photography heaven! Shout out to Michele and Maria at Azione PR, I truly appreciated the invite! John, I’m saving up my pretty pennies to snag a brown #5! Thank you for your fashion genius!

Boy meets girl. They fall in love. They live happily ever after….. It’s the plot to any fairytale or romantic movie. Esme and Reid are the epitome of this love story….and exactly one month from today… they make it official!!!!

Reid works at Paramount in Hollywood, so I was ecstatic when I heard that would be the backdrop to their playful engagement session. It was so much fun!!! We roamed the streets of New York, and then Chicago…. Said hello to Seinfeld’s place and relaxed in Lucy’s Park. It was amazing to see all of the stages and sets, and exciting to put these two into the scene. Stage 21 was no accident either…. they get hitched on 4/21!!! Clever huh?!? I crack myself up!

Photo fun aside…. Reid couldn’t even think about walking the streets of Paramount without giving me the proper tour….I learned all sorts of little trickeries and tales. Thanks Reid, for the education and solo tour of the place… I’m jealous you get to call this “work”!

In one month, at this time, I’ll be watching Esme get dazzled and even more beautiful than she already is…. I am so EXCITED to be a part of your wedding day in Santa Barbara and am even more excited to be witness to your promise to each other. I feel special.

Love you both….

xo

It’s March, and with that comes spring! Here is a quick glance into one of my favorite wedding diptychs… I’m ‘green’ with envy for this fairytale setting!!! Can’t we go back?

XOXO

I entered the Epiphanie Camera Bags Picture It photo contest. http://bit.ly/xN3Pqc

Good times never seemed so good…so good, so good. Just last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Caroline, another Midwesterner, on her adventure out west. Kansas City, where she resides, is not the biggest modelling market so she took it upon her self to make a trip out to Cali and network. Smart move lady!

She contacted me prior to her trip but while she was here, we were able to set up a short lifestyle shoot that had some bohemian beachy flare.

Poor Girl, she comes to Cali and it was probably only 55* by the water with winds practically blowing us over… while it was in the 70s back home. She was a trooper and handled it like a weathered pro. Her graciousness made me miss the Midwest and the people it produces. We come from some good stock ya’ll!

Good Luck Caroline, in all that you do!

xo

Russian Roulette…  a game of chance. It’s always a gamble when you meet up with models off of Model Mayhem. I joined just under a year ago, in effort to network within the industry in LA, and have a vault of models available for contact. What is great, is the random, really amazing connections one can make.

I have had some so-so jobs, some god-awful gigs, and then a select few that were a really nice collaboration. This entry regarding Miss Valeria Osipova falls nothing short of that. She is a recent transplant to the LA area (originally from Russia) and has already been picked up by an agency. She knows her business, was prompt, and needed little to no direction. Let me tell ya… that is refreshing these days!

I have had a great couple of shoots the past week or so, and am excited to share a couple stills from Valeria and my shoot in Venice.

Happy Almost Weekend!!!

xo

I’m pretty pumped about this shoot…. so pumped that I am not going to even start to explain my blog hiatus with silly small talk, because I don’t want to waste any energy on it.

World…. meet Jordan. He’s pretty rad. When discussing our shoot, I knew…regardless of the location or details… it was going to rock simply based on the detail and kind nature of our correspondence. He is not a native Angelino (which I LOVE), and was game to stick it out when the rain showers threatened our shoot.

It was refreshing that he was on board with everything I suggested, and was just as excited to share inspiration and ideas.  Once we agreed upon the wardrobe, it was so simple… we just fell into it. I knew he was “my kind of people” when I mentioned that I wanted to shoot on the rooftop of a nearby building and he found a way to sneak us in! Good stuff!

Jordan, I cannot express enough what a pleasure it was to meet you and collaborate. I look forward to the next opportunity and seeing your mug on a billboard someday!

See more of Jordan and his work through M Model Management here!!! Special thanks to Rum Cake & Raw Denim for styling!