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Bookstore Flirtations /  by Mike Daclan

This was definitely one of the funner shoots I did. It started with the thought of a stolen glance in a book store. The idea was that she spotted someone she had eyes for and wanted to entice him into following her. Once he realized her plan it would’ve been too late as her trap was set and he was hers.  

She immediately took to this idea and ran with it all the way.  I love how concepts and ideas turn into looks and feels evoked in the photos. By putting her in the subject of power she was able to put forth some great looks and poses. In the end I think it came off a little more natural and slightly voyeuristic which adds a better element to the shots. 

There are a lot more concepts and ideas that I want to shoot so reag our and let’s create something fun together! 

Scenes From a KTown Night /  by Mike Daclan

It was a Thursday night and I was feeling tired and drained from the week but I’m so glad I went out into the night. Food. Drinks. Good memories. 

Aolani & The Colorado Street Bridge /  by Mike Daclan

Yesterday I had a chance to shoot in a location I've been wanting to shoot at for a very long time.  I drive past it nearly weekly so once I found a model in Pasadena, I knew immediately where to book the shoot.  It's definitely a popular spot as there were three other photo sessions that were taking place over the course of the afternoon/evening.

Aolani joined me with her mom as a chaperone and we had a very fun time on this shoot.  Her would pop in every now and then to help adjust hair/makeup and swap stories with us while we walked to a different location.  She's been at this since she was 5 years old and with her 18th birthday coming up later this year, she's excited to do some more traveling for work and see the world!

We joked and laughed throughout the shoot and she very much felt like the little sister I never had.  By the time the shoot was wrapping up, we had already begun to plan our next shoot together later in the year.  The themes and ideas she had for that one were things I haven't done yet so I'm excited to try them out!  

52 Week Project - The First Few Weeks /  by Mike Daclan

Before 2017 was over, I had found myself taking a few more portraits than I normally do.  It was fun and a little bit outside of what I would normally do.  To keep myself motivated and challenged, I figured I would engage in a portrait a week challenge for all of 2018.  I had never done something like this and I figured it would keep me moving forward and constantly try to push out work.  It's not been the easiest of challenges to be sure...but so far I've only missed one week.  

These portrait project updates will typically fall on a Wednesday on my Instagram Account.  I'll post a little story about the shoot either that same day or the following day.  The goal will be to continuously stack portrait sessions in advance so I can have everything ready to go once the day hits.  Ambitious (for me) but I'm going to try and stick to it.

Week 1 was kicked off with a selfie...because why not? Seemed easy when I first thought about it but I found out quickly I don’t like taking photos of myself. Here were the ones I considered. 

Next week I met up with my good friend Lauren for a few beers and an impromptu session at The Yardhouse. I really love the coloring from the lights inside.  She’s a huge beer fan so I think this turned out to be a perfect setting for her. A few shots we couldn’t use because the guy in the booth behind her would pop his head out or get into the frame. 

For week three I was able to connect with a lovely model who was in town. It was fun going through Chinatown and discovering some interesting light sources and backgrounds for the photos. The original plan was to use window lighting but by the time we got out there most of the shops had closed. We made do and I, but most importantly the model, were very happy with how it all turned out. 

So that's it for now!  Keeping checking back as I add in some more while I play catch up and post the other weeks.  Hopefully I can be caught up by next month there won't be a slew of new posts every week (unless you are enjoying these!).

Cheers.

Keep Moving Forward & Don't Stop /  by Mike Daclan

So one of my most recent photo sessions I got a chance to work with my buddy Ernest.  From the moment I met him he's always been working hard at becoming an actor and not letting anything get in his way.  It's been his goal and purpose and I recently found out that he booked a major supporting role in an upcoming movie with Scott Eastwood and Orlando Bloom.

HUGE AND AWESOME NEWS!

I love seeing these kinds of stories.  What's even better is that I see more and more friends with these breakthrough successes.  They have been putting in the hours and their own blood, sweat, and tears relentlessly in pursuing what they love.  It gives me hope.  It makes me take a second look at my processes and what I need to be doing to get there. 

Even though it may not be something I say directly to my friends, I want them to know how much I look up to them and admire what they do.  It helps me to look at what I'm doing and to gather focus and purpose.  Figure out where I can improve and raise myself up to match what they're putting out.  When speaking about the output I don't mean the level of creativity that they're at (I have a long way to go for that!), but more in terms of volume and regimen.  The more I keep this up, the more I can raise the personal bar I'm setting for myself.  

Taking all this into stock I just have one request.  STAY ON ME.  Don't let me stop in this journey.  If you see it's been a while since I've posted something kick my ass into shape!  Tell me I'm breaking a promise that I set out here.  Tell me that no matter what, I need to keep moving forward, and don't stop.  EVER.

Cheers. 

NYC in the Fall & The 9-11 Memorial /  by Mike Daclan

Warm LA Nights /  by Mike Daclan

Earlier this year I had the pleasure to work with a great up and coming model.  Since we last shot, she's gotten to shoot with other photographers and build up quite an impressive portfolio.  As you can tell from these early photos, she had a lot of confidence and knew how to pose.  

The backdrop of Little Tokyo suited the shoot very well.  In total we captured three great looks and here was the first of the sets.  You can check out her MM profile here and make sure to follow her on Instagram!


Metro Night Ride /  by Mike Daclan

So my buddy Q asked me if I was interested in joining him, his girlfriend, his daughter and his cousin on a journey on the metro.  His girlfriend needed to figure out which route to take to get to her evening college classes.  It was just a simple evening ride but looking back on these photos there were so many that I love from this set.  

Over the course of the evening we met a woman proud of her beautiful earrings despite having matter hair from her hair net after a long day of work, a fight breaking out in which one man swung a metal sign at the other, and solitude at many stops.  People riding together but being alone.  

The metro was and I suppose always will be an interesting cross section of the local population.  The sights (and smells) tend to linger in your mind for a good period of time even after you reach your destination.

The Ghosts of LA /  by Mike Daclan

I've tried starting this blog entry several times but no matter how I try to phrase it something about it seems off.  Maybe I'm reaching too far for what I want to express.  I wanted to reference the past and how ghosts are all around us if we can keep our eyes open.

The collection of photos I have here represent what I feel to be the everyday ghosts that haunt LA.  Spectral trails of light that pass through the night while we sleep and mainly go unnoticed.  I had a great time capturing these and I really can't wait to get back out there to catch a few more ghosts.

Thankful /  by Mike Daclan

So recently I just posted a link on my Facebook Page about 10 National Geographic photographers who gave thanks for a photo that they took.  My aunt (who herself is a great photographer), asked "What's yours...?"

It was such a simple question but it forced me to go back through a lot of my old photos to look back at one I was thankful for.  I combed through several albums looking back at what photos stood out and what they meant to me.  It was tough to pick out a single photo from the thousands (yikes I need to post more!) I've taken.  Eventually I realized I had to go back to a very early photo.

The photo below is one of the first photos I took with my new camera.  I decided to go in on a new system from a company called Fuji.  It was part of the new wave of mirrorless camera's which were thought to be part of a fad.  As soon as I took the photo I was absolutely in love.  This small and unobtrusive camera helped me to capture a great candid moment without being noticed.  This small and seemingly random photo helped to reignite my love for photography and really steered me into the direction I was to head down.  

It may not seem like much, but this photo really is the source for all that followed.  There are more photos that I've taken along the way that I am thankful for and I'm sure I'll go over them in further detail as time goes by but for now, I wanted to start back towards the beginning.

Cheers.