Diana

I shot this back in April for LA Canvas Magazine. I really loved this shoot, the team was absolutely amazing, and the location was stunning. I remember it was like 100 degrees when we went to a huge Canyon in LA to shoot this. We were stopped by some park rangers who told us we couldn't shoot there but the makeup artists Anthony cooly talked us out of trouble and we managed to shoot there anyway. Check out the shoot this month (July) in LA Canvas!

For the last week I've been back in Europe shooting. A few days ago I was in Milan shooting with an amazing team on a shoot I'm really proud of. I'll post more about it when more of the images are finished. But 2 days ago I came back to Paris for the first time since July and yesterday was by far the most beautiful day I have ever seen in Paris. I lived here for a while last Summer and the weather had been miserable. It rained constantly and was freezing and gave me a slightly low opinion of France. But now I understand and I feel the magic that everyone always talks about when they come home from a visit. Paris is like no other city. For the first time I really hit a few major tourists spots and I'm really glad I did. Usually when I travel I rarely see the tourists spots. Not because I'm some snobby hipster that is above it but a lot of the time I am with locals and it's just not something locals do everyday. They've seen it all already! So I finally wandered over to the Seine and saw people eating their lunches and fishing and one man even jumped inside. As beautiful as the Seine is it looks pretty dirty and I don't know if I'd be so brave. I think he was praying so it might have meant a lot to him spiritually.

I stopped over at the Pere Lachaise and I really wish I had gone sooner. Not just because of it's relaxing nature but because it is inspiring. It reminds us that life is beautiful but short and we really must do the things we love before we run out of time. I've always had a really hard time sitting still. I've always felt the need to run towards life and see everything in a hurry. I feel complete meeting new people and adding new chapters to the story of my life. I have family everywhere. Maybe not by blood but I have whole groups of people I love that I would have never known if I didn't leave something behind. I would have never met my husband if I hadn't gotten on a bus to Spain one day on a total whim. Sometimes I question it. I know that all this traveling and adventure puts a hamper on the practical things in life. I don't own a car, I own 2 different phones (one for the US and Europe) and sometimes things can get a bit strapped. But then I'm here. I ask myself, would I trade my life for things like that? No I wouldn't. Right or wrong, I just wouldn't. The thought of staying in one place forever makes me want to throw up. I go to the cemetery and I see reality for what it is. Life is fleeting. We are butterflies! We are curious! How wonderful is that? We are alive and we must cherish that life. Wouldn't it be wrong to not celebrate that and live to our absolute fullest? So my advice to anyone is this (even though I may not be in the position to offer it) is to get on that bus sometime. If you feel in your heart that you need to go you need to follow that feeling. Life will surprise you and reward you for the courage to be exactly who you are and that's wonderful.

she was by far my favorite. I wonder if this was a likeness of the woman who died? I would have liked to have known her.  I felt like I did.

on a bridge on the Seine

amazing old chair in an open grave

this man was a retired waiter who spends his days in the cemetery now. He said that he enjoys giving tours and teaching people about the history of the cemetery. He doesn't charge a thing and he was super helpful and interesting, weaving me and this Irish couple in between graves to find the interesting ones.

people having lunch by the Seine

after he came out of the water

Morning..

There is nothing more beautiful than dawn. I've loved morning ever since I was a little kid. In my family everyone wakes up early. My Grandparents were raised in the South in farming communities so they were always up at dawn and I have never known my Mother to sleep in past 7 am. I may not be quite as early of a bird as they are but I love waking up early and having the world to myself, or at least it feels that way. When I was still in High School I would get up early, make breakfast, and sit on the porch swing before going to school. Then I felt like the day was mine and it wasn't just lost on everything else. These days my life is so busy that I forget to do this and should more often.

Even in a busy city like Los Angeles, if you wake up early enough the only thing you'll hear is birds. Everything has stopped and is still asleep.

I think morning is where my love for light began. Morning light & evening light are so magical. 

morning light on a flower

light outside my house

Inspiration...

Inspiration can come from anywhere. But I'm often most inspired by paintings from days gone by. I love anything romantic and beautiful and when I've tried to branch out of that area I usually end up not liking the photos as much. What's wrong with girl's skipping through the forest!? Who doesn't love pictures of pretty things like girls with flowers in their hair? It's Spring after all and one of my favorite holidays is tomorrow so here are some paintings that inspire me...

I absolutely love this painting. No idea who it's by though.

Andrew Wyeth's "Helga." She is the definition of feminine beauty for me.

reminds me of how wonderful Spring is.

new blog post FINALLY

So, as you all can probably tell, I have a difficult time talking about myself and therefor have a difficult time blogging. I'm sorry about that. I could promise to write more, but who knows! I've moved back to Los Angeles temporarily and its so good to be home. I've shot 3 times this past week and have another shoot tomorrow that I'm super excited about.

Yesterday me, Leibi Carias, Veronica Nunez, Sabine, and her very sweet Mother went out to pretty much the middle of nowhere to shoot. Shoots like these are always so much fun because they are laid back and full of adventure. We saw Joshua Trees, poppies, and fields and fields of white grass. Sabine is probably the palest girl I have ever seen, her hair and eyebrows matched her skin. But she is so strangely beautiful and she is probably one of the best girls I've ever photographed. She definitely has a story in her expression.

Another exciting thing about being back in LA means I get to shoot with Leibi again. Leibi is not only an amazing makeup artist but she is also a friend and I can tell you that without her believing in me, things wouldn't be as good as they are photography wise. She has brought me the best connections and I have gotten to work with amazing teams as a result.

Papercut Magazine "The Silent Role"

Laurel Stovall @ LA Models

wardrobe stylist: Sadie Page

Makeup & Hair: Leibi Carias

Alli & Dani

Alli Cripe &  Dani Lundquist @ Photogenics




 This shoot is one of my favorites for sure.  I'm so excited to finally share it because it was shot in Los Angeles back in October.
But finally it's out in Magpie Darling Magazine! Go check it out!

Ali Cripe @ Photogenics



The team was Sienree Du for hair, Leibi Carias for makeup, and Camille Yvette for wardrobe. Sienree was nice enough to let us mess up her living room and shoot in there and Jeni Maus from Found Vintage provided the props. When I am in LA I love working with Leibi a lot because her style is so artist and beyond simple makeup. Watching her work is always so interesting because she paints faces like an artist would paint a canvas. She works in layers and the results are always remarkable. She's coming to Paris this Summer and I can't wait to work with her here in Europe also! This was my first time working with both Ree and Camille but they were also amazing. I can't wait to get back to LA and do more shoots with them.

 

I was lucky enough to get to work with Alli & Dani two days in a row. I shot a campaign for Ivy & Aster Bridal the day before and they were the models. The campaign will be out in Spring so watch out for it. Here are the rest of the images from the shoot!