I am a freelance photographer living in Southern California. I don't think there is a better feeling on the planet than traveling to another country, exploring it, & documenting life with my camera.
"Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music- the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls & interesting people. Forget yourself." - Henry Miller
I did headshots for a client of mine Monday. Very fun, beautiful girl & we got amazing shots.
A quick editing time is always something I deliver quickly- never sacrificing quality, but if you shoot the pic right in the first place, the pic is pretty much ready to go. I still don’t understand photographers who take weeks and sometimes months finishing images.
Her’s were done the same evening. And they rocked.
~dw
I remember being 13 years old & hearing the news Van Halen was breaking up. That was probably the 2nd kick to the teeth I endured as a young shit in the streets of OC (the first one was discovering Led Zeppelin at age 14, a hypnotic love with all their stuff ensues & then I find out the band broke up years before I even knew they existed). I didn’t take it well & honestly, I took it a hell of a lot worse when Sammy Hagar decided to join up amid wild rumors & being I was so desperate to fill my VH void, I eagerly awaited. “5150? I have no idea what the hell that is, but lets listen and give it a sho……wtf is this? This doesn’t sound ANYTHING like Dave and what? Dave is singing something about being a gigalo? Omgomgomg. ” I wanted to throw Eric Marshall’s VH tape out of my VW bug going 50mph and would have if I didn’t have a screwdriver in the tape recorder to keep the tape from eating itself (true story, kids- our technology ate itself). I took it hard & never listened to another Sammy/Van Halen tape again.
I was listening to 95.5 KLOS this morning & one of the guys talked about “the only Van Halen I know is with David” & that brought back great memories. Amen brother! The David Van Halen brings back good times- young, not having a clue in hell what you’re doing, cute girls in your jr high classes, street football (the touchdown zone is the stationwagon), playing vid games at the liquor store before school- all those great carefree things you did that wasted time but just proved you were having a blast.
I still know all those Van Halen songs by heart.
Best damn thing ever.
I made a video for the OC Roller Girls bout on 11-14-09. Had fun making it.
~dw
I shot the Orange County Roller Derby match about about 3 weeks ago- just a few of my favorite shots from that match.
The skater is Btrain. She owns Wicked Skatewear & she is faaaaaaaaaaaast.
~dw
There are times that I feel like I’m going to jump out of my skin- a claustrophibic feeling- being that I’m not in Japan. Its the weirdest feeling, but I love that country. I always wish I was there.
The late night ramen shops. Yakitori. Japanese stew. Natto. Takoyaki off the street vendor. Ahh, so many great memories.
Japan is always close to my heart tho- like a girlfriend’s picture close at hand while she’s away on a long trip. I saw this at Union Square in NYC- it made me smile & walk on air as I daydreamed about Tokyo & Osaka.
Union Square artist, NYC. 2009.
~dw
Sorry for the lack of posts lately to those who emailed me- been swamped since NYC & have been swimming in work. I recently sold a picture to a Tokyo magazine of the NYC skyline & have been swamped with sending them more photo projects per their request. Keep your fingers crossed for me…
After shooting Glen Friedman, I walked around NYC & took shots of anything, everything & probably in some sort of Zen way, nothing at all.
But damn, that was Darren Nirvana.
~dw
Hurley surf contest, Huntington Beach, CA. 2009
by darren
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