Well, now that I have had some time to sleep, I’m feeling well-rested and ready to go. Actually been conscious for couple of hours now, organizing and cleaning in my usual manner. But I thought would write down the events of yesterday before I forget them … It all started with three hours of sleep. [...]
Well, now that I have had some time to sleep, I’m feeling well-rested and ready to go. Actually been conscious for couple of hours now, organizing and cleaning in my usual manner. But I thought would write down the events of yesterday before I forget them …
It all started with three hours of sleep. Why? Because both Brian and I are morons. Brian was busy setting up an old laptop to work with our home network and I was busy editing and packaging pictures for a model we photographed a few weeks ago. We both ended up going to sleep at around 2:30 in the morning. And then we both woke up around 5 and started packing up and getting ready for Fact Finding Mission: Los Angeles 2006. But first, we had to pick up the very lovely, Daisy, who was going to be riding with us. Little did she know what she was getting into. :)
The traffic going up wasn’t that bad. We hit a few patches of bad weather, but nothing too traumatic. We arrived in Inglewood a little after 8 and we met Megan and Melinda at the hostel they had stayed at. For Melinda, the experience was pretty traumatic and not much sleep was had. I don’t blame her. I hate hostels. Hate with a capital “H.” I’ve done my share of hostels overseas, no need to do it here in the states. Especially in Inglewood. After packing up the girls and their stuff, we drove to Redondo Beach for our first photo shoot of the day. Oh, I probably forgot to mention that the purpose of this trip, aside from visiting with Megs, was to accompany her on photo shoots. Being that I am her manager, I thought it would be a good idea.
We got a little lost, made a couple wrong turns, drove around Manhattan Beach like a bunch of morons … but Brian finally got us to our destination; the home and photo studio of Rory Peters. We were originally supposed to shoot out in Manhattan Beach, but because the weather was so terrible, we had to move the shoot indoors. But we had an enjoyable time shooting with Rory and meeting Jasper, a very fluffy white dog who was really cool. In between sets, I had a great time talking shop with Rory and getting some ideas of my own to incorporate in my photography.
After what was a great photo session, we drove around bumping gangster rap and trying to decide what to eat. The ladies wanted Mexican … and who could blame them, since I’m Mexican. But seriously, this is precisely why Fact Finding Missions are so important. I decided to drive out to the Olvera Street monument in Old Town, Los Angeles and share this great spot with my friends. For those of you who remember, Daniel Glenn Harrison von Rosenberger, III and I visited the spot last year on our Fact Finding Mission and was even featured it in FFM: Stinkeye, Translated on NiceGuySociety.com. The food at El Paseo de Los Angeles is exceptional, so I decided to bring everybody there to try it out. El Paseo did not disappoint; everybody was pleased with the ambiance and the cuisine. As was I.
After lunch, we drove out to Universal City and walked around Citywalk for a little bit. Everyone tried to get me to do karaoke, and did a pretty good job on the guilt trip I must admit … but I didn’t give in to peer pressure. My voice wasn’t properly warmed up. (Basically, that’s just an excuse to get out of singing in public.) But we had fun killing time and meandering about.
Our second photo shoot of the day was in Culver City. It took us 45 minutes to get there from Universal City. Traffic was terrible! I’m not surprised, however, since it is Los Angeles. We were a couple minutes late … but the photographer, Gary Cloud, was understanding. Gary is an exceptional photographer and expert in photo retouching. On this shoot, Megan and Gary were going to be concentrating on creating some retro “pinup” style photographs. The shoot lasted four hours. By the end of the session, me and the other natives were getting restless … to the point of singing, dancing, and laughing at stupid things. Don’t worry, it’s all on video. The shoot itself was great. Gary was very meticulous and detailed and took his time setting up each shot and making sure the lighting was just perfect. While reviewing some of the photos after the shoot on his Mac, I see that the time he took was worth it. Each shot was amazing.
In summation, it is great to see these experienced photographers do their thing. I see that I am on the right track, but have quite a bit to learn still. You never really stop learning no matter how much you know, which is what both Gary and Rory showed me. It was great to talk with Rory and get ideas and hear what he’s done … and it was really neat to watch Gary set up each shot and work with a model. Good times.
We were all a little crazy and loopy, which is probably why the next two hours were so unusual. We were hungry and didn’t exactly know what the plan was, but we knew we were going to meet some friends in Huntington Beach for dinner. That didn’t exactly work out as planned and we spent the next two hours driving around trying to find people. There was little bit of frustration and a lot of hungriness. Our maybe it’s the other way around. But we decided to forgo the sit-down to dinner at BJ’s and hit the road to San Diego a bit early. But that wasn’t before stopping at Bob’s Burgers for some solid nourishment and possibly the worst spicy carne asada burrito I have ever had.
We made it to San Diego in one piece, no thanks to the “eargasms” Melinda was trying to give me. Not such a good idea while I’m driving, but good any other time. ;) I rolled in to bed around midnight and slept really good. And now, here I am writing this for you fine people who care to read it. A really fun day …
And now, I’m going to find things to do. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, party people!