Aaron Riveroll | Photographer

Okay, I am pretty good with directions. I also have a photographic memory, so I can pretty much remember places I’ve been and all that jazz. But I have to tell you, one of the best things about my Civic is the built in navigation.

This was one thing I HAD to have in my new car. And even though I had to have it, like the XM, I thought I would rarely use it.

And I was totally wrong.

I’ve lived in San Diego all my life and pretty much know this city like the back of my hand…but I can’t tell you how often I use my navi to get me to places I know so well. Sometimes, my navi shows me routes I never thought of…and more efficient ways to get where I’m going. When I head up to LA or the OC for photos shoots, this thing takes me exactly where I’m going with confidence and ease. It is seriously the slickest thing ever. It’s voice activated, so I never have to take my hands off the wheel…and my voice also controls the audio system as well. Pretty stinking cool, if you ask me.

It was pricey…but to be able to get around confidently, quickly, and easily, it was well worth it. I also find it impresses the chicks.

Fun with ribbon. That’s what I call it. :) And it was definitely good times…

After months and months of having this idea…Erika and I were finally able to shoot it…and it came out more perfect than we had planned.

I wish I could say the idea for this shoot was mine…but yes, I stole it. :) And when I stole it, I KNEW Erika and I would totally rock this shoot…and we did. :)

It had been several months since we shot together…and let me just say I had *almost* forgotten how amazing it was to take her picture. She’s pretty effing awesome…I’m not gonna lie. And we had a fun little adventure getting the ribbon to work. I know, my job is tough…but what are you gonna do? We ran all over east county, barely getting to the ribbon store before it closed…but we definitely made it work. Yowsa!

Okay, let me stop rambling long enough for you to see the photos…

We also did some “little black dress” photos…

Her lip bite drives me CRAZY…and she knows it. ;)

Definitely fun times…we’re both dorks.

Check out the rest here.

We’ve got some cool secret projects in the works, so definitely stay tuned for that! ;)

Later, gators!

I have been very fortunate in the last couple of weeks because I’ve been able to spend lots of quality time with my good friend, Laura.

I’ve also been very fortunate because I put on a brand-new pair of socks today… there’s nothing quite like a brand-new pair of socks. Comfy. Squishy. Good times.

Anyway, Laura is such a sweetheart and I always have fun with her no matter where we are. Last Friday, I headed up to her house in Fontana for a birthday party; had an awesome time hanging out with her family and friends. And the week before that, we headed out to the middle of nowhere… Coachella, to be exact… and we shot a couple of different looks at this property out there. We did some classic train track pictures… that is, before getting kicked out by the train police. :) Yes, we are rebels. I understand, national security and all… but when I see a girl hanging around train tracks in lingerie… well, let’s just say I wouldn’t tell her to leave. :) But, it was fun. We also shot some super-hot jungle pictures. Those, I think, were my favorite from the day. Laura’s just incredibly beautiful! But, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about it… check out the pictures for yourself…

My Favorite:

After a fun, long day of shooting, we drove out to Palm Springs for dinner at a fantastic Mexican restaurant. The perfect end to a fun day. And there you have it.

Oh, and I almost forgot…the behind the scenes pictures from this shoot (courtesy of Laura’s mom), are up in the portfolio in the Behind the Lens section. Go check them out. Don’t mind that my underwear is showing in some of them. Laura was showing hers, so it’s only fair, right?

Anyway, since it’s so late, I’m going to wrap this up… I have to wake up early tomorrow to help take pictures of food. More later!

When my sister and I were younger, we would watch VH1 together…and one of the things we would do is make fun of the way people danced…especially a talented young gentleman by the name of Rick Astley. He’s quite the dancing phenomenon, I’m not gonna lie. All the moves I have I stole from him.

So imagine my excitement when I found the following information out…

I was driving out by Palm Springs on Friday and illegally IM-ing with my ridiculously cool friend, Shea…and she told me about this thing where people leave a random link on a forum (the fact that you’re even on a forum is sort of geeky, but it gets better…) Anyway, when you click on the link, thinking you are going to one place, you end up going here:

This is probably the best news I’ve ever heard in my life. And I’m sort of bummed I didn’t know about it sooner. But now I do…and I’m the better geek for it.

Why are there so many songs about rainbows…and what’s on the other side….

For some reason, rainbows inspire song.

A couple years ago, while Brian and I were in Hawaii, we were driving around Honolulu looking for a Walmart (and James Duropan) and this gorgeous rainbow appeared. This is our discussion…

Since it’s been so cold lately, I thought I would warm things up with a little video of Ashley Taylor doing her thing…

It was almost a year that we did this particular shoot…so I guess you could say I was sort of lagging on editing this video. But it’s a great reminder of how freakin’ sexy Ashley is. I’m not gonna lie.

And there’s no one better to brave the cold with than she is. :)

Anyway…here is the video.

Wow…it’s been a busy last couple of weeks. The stress of being self employed is getting to me and in an effort to keep busy and keep my wallet full, I am finding myself with very little time. But it’s fun.

A few weeks ago, my best friend married his sweetheart. Yes, Brian and Flor are now married and back from their honeymoon. I even had the pleasure of having dinner with them earlier this week. Cupid’s arrow couldn’t have found two better people.

In the all the craziness, I didn’t even post teaser images from the day…even though I was the best man and photographer all in one. :) So here are a couple to satiate your cravings of Brian and Flor…

First, me and the groom:

Then the man and his bride:

Cutting a rug:

Serenading each other:

More to come…stay tuned.

Yes, I know…I should be asleep…but for some reason I’m not.

Here are some random words of wisdom, if you care to listen…

[audio:brother.mp3]

Well, I can’t believe it’s 2008. Ugh. Another year gone by. I will be even older before you know it…and that, my friends, is depressing. But I definitely don’t act my age…maybe it’s all the younguns I surround myself with. :)

Katrin is back in town for a while, so we had lunch on Thursday. As always, it was quite swell. It was frickin’ freezing up in Julian…I even stopped for a hot chocolate. 37 degrees, baby! Whew!

On Sunday, I had my last photoshoot of 2007. I went out with a bang. :) I got to photograph two absolutely SMOKIN’ hot ladies…Natalie and Emily. They are models/go-gos from Eye Candy, who we shot with a while back…and I loved shooting with them so much, I had to get them to myself for a day. :) We had an idea to do a schoolgirl theme…and as cliche as the schoolgirl theme usually is, I kicked it up a couple of notches and 1) did it at a school and 2) brought apples. The apples were not only quite large, but rather tasty as we devoured them later in the shoot. :) I also shot a little fashion too and some little black dresses, which the ladies, of course, look tasty in. All in all, it was a fun, fun shoot…and a great way to send out 07. I look forward to shooting with them again soon, though. ;) Here are some samples…

I may not have been popular in school…but dammit, I am now. :)

And today, the first of the year…we did a little more photography. Along with the Essence boys, we headed out to Poway to photograph a multi-million dollar estate nestled in the hills. Today, we tackled mostly the details of this lavishly decorated home…and we are planning on hitting it a couple more times to finish the rest of the details. This house is pretty much amazing. I’m really excited to be working on this project…more details on it later. :)

Anyway, happy 2008 to everyone. May this year bring a lot of exciting things. :)