WHICH WAY TO THE BEACH?

With Aunty Missy in town for the weekend a trip to the beach was in our cards. And believe it or not this marked Sylvie's first visit to the Pacific. We started with breakfast in Malibu at one of our favorite little spots called Coogies. We haven't been in so long that we must have missed the remodel in the last year or so. From there we rolled down Malibu Road admiring all the beach front property, got back on the PCH and headed to the pier. It was a beautiful day. We played on the beach - Sylvie had her sand toys. We walked the pier up and down once and then went back to base camp in West Hollywood - all before one o'clock! Good little morning. I think I even got some color!

Here are a few...

LACMA SESSION

Two postings in one day...I'm on fire.

I've wanted to do this shoot literally since Sylvie was born - I've been waiting 15 months. It was a tough shoot though as little Sylvie wouldn't stop moving. She was obsessed with trying to escape Amanda and I. We had to have someone in front and behind her as she tried to ditch us! No kidding!

Amanda had taken Sylvie to the park around 415. I told them I'd pick them up around 5 but got side tracked getting caught up on Hansel & Gretel dailies. But we swung over to LACMA around 545 to get some nice light. It's so much fun over there - beautiful landscaping, green grass to take a nap in, people hanging out having an early cocktail. This particular installation is amazing. You might have caught it in No String Attached when Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher go on their date. Anyway, it's an interesting space, all these beautiful street lamps that create a great depth of field. At night it's all lit up.

Here are some from the day. We'll definitely be going back soon as she gets older and next time into the actual museum!

LIFE THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS

We had some fun the other week with one of my wide angles lenses - a Nikon Zoom 14-24mm f2.8. Primarily for vast landscapes and great when in cramped quarters - haven't pulled it out of the bag in a while but when I recently saw some portraits from photographer JR (see my post from April 8, 2011), I was curious and inspired to try something new . When shooting close-ups it gives an interesting perspective and distortion. The lens is so big that Sylvie couldn't help herself reach out and want to grab it...she's such a character. Here are some fun shots of Sylvie as well as a couple shot with an 85mm f1.8.

Nikon 14-24mm F2.8






Nikon 85mm F1.8

HOLLYWOOD

A little over a month ago we made the trip to Chicago, in and out under 48 hours, but I spent some quality time with my nephew Dakota, just the two of us playing Michael Jackson: The Experience on his Wii...kid has got mad skills. He's a die hard MJ fan. In fact for Halloween, he went as Michael, but not just any old get-up, he specifically wanted the "last curtain call" costume, red jacket, black pants, penny loafers, white sequined glove, and aviator sunglasses...hot. We played some of Michael's tunes in the upstairs loft and it was like he was channelling Michael from the dead. Kid can move so I whipped out my D300s and began shooting. I promised him I'd cut together the footage into a music video. Well, here it is...

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce Dakota B to all of you and the world. Hit it!

Hollywood from Andrew Calof on Vimeo.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE AS A PHOTOGRAPHER

Came across this video as sleepy eyed Sylvie climbed into my arms this morning. Powerful. Awesome. Inspiring. It just shows that you can make a difference as a photographer with the right approach. Take a look at this short five minute video from photographer JR.