Bookstore Flirtations / August 24, 2018 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!

Aolani & The Colorado Street Bridge / July 11, 2018 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!

Ami & The Disney Concert Hall / July 6, 2018 by Mike Daclan

Super excited to be shooting with Ami again this weekend so I wanted to throw back to our first shoot together at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

She has a great energy about her which is super infectious! I’ll definitely be needing it as we have a super early shoot time tomorrow to try and avoid the triple digit weather.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Keep Moving Forward & Don't Stop / June 13, 2018 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.

New Year New Post New Photos / January 19, 2014 by Mike Daclan

My last post was back in October of 2013. This is completely unacceptable. Updates need to happen more frequently and with some consistency. I've always wanted a place to share my photos so why not use this resource that's been available the whole time?

Although I have been taking a lot of pictures since my last update, they often wind up on my Flickr page with little to no fanfare to those I really want to see the images. It becomes an archive in a gallery way off the main street that not a lot of people actually see. Only those that are down that alley for a purpose end up seeing these photos.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be catching up on my backlog of photos and posting and sharing here along with some stories about particular photos. I've made it a resolution that over the new year I'm going to be more active in my photography. Both in taking pictures and making sure that this blog/site gets updated with more images.

These latest images are from early October when my friend Cliff came into town. He's a great photographer and was here in Los Angeles for a few jobs. While in town we spent a morning/afternoon walking through downtown Los Angeles and Old Town Pasadena. Going out for a photo walk by yourself is always a great experience but going out with a friend, and one who hasn't gone street shooting in your city is an even greater experience. You get a different perspective with fresh eyes looking at the city and you can both approach the same shot in different ways. If you ever get a chance to meet up with someone from out of town for a photo walk I highly recommend it!

Hope everyone has a great 2014 and cheers to a photo filled year!