I remember when this scene started, I was on the other side of the stage trying to get more photos of puppets. Then Autumn Sylve started her monologue and I realized that I should probably run over to see what was going on. Looking back, I’m happy I was there to capture such an intense moment, and I love the way the light illuminates her face.
It's rare that performers look you directly in the eye, but, at the Dia de los Muertos celebration, these performers seemed to have something to say. As I stood in the center of the parade – fixed literally in the middle of Mexican history come to life – I caught this woman's eyes and instantly understood what an honor it was to be able to document this celebration of Mexican culture in America.
I am not a portrait photographer and had signed up for the hypebeast fashion gallery solely to get some practice. I was alarmed when one of my subjects showed up wearing all black on that dreary, drizzly February day – though I should have expected no less from hypebeasts – and decided to combine a portrait with a panned action shot to bring out the skater-boy vibe.
Before his time at UCLA, Louis Mathieu had been the road manager for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and I wanted to capture his spirit in the photo. It was starting to get dark, so I put my flash next to him and got really close so I could capture everything from his Ozzy knuckle tattoos to his signature trucker hat.
I had just finished grabbing some shots of the Oregon players running onto the field for their entrance, and I started to notice the incredibly energetic atmosphere in the Autzen Stadium. I began looking for some interesting crowd shots, and then I turned around and saw Isaiah Pitre jump onto the stands. He looked straight at me as I grabbed as many shots as I could. I had always wanted to grab a shot like this and I’m so happy I was at the right place at the right time.
Before this shoot, Eden Tefera and I shared similar stories about the challenges and beauty of having textured hair. Even though all the girls I shot for this gallery had different types of curls, it was special to be able to personally connect with their experiences. I love how this portrait helps tell Tefera’s individual and unique journey in accepting her natural hair.
Hippo Campus was the first concert I ever shot. I was allowed to shoot the first three songs in the photo pit, which is pretty standard. However, they also let me shoot the rest of the concert from the back, which is how I could double-expose the audience on the singer’s face during the encore song.
I love photography because you don’t know what’s happening beyond the photo. For example, the hands covering Buddy Al-Aydi’s mouth are coming from somewhere outside the frame, and the LGBTQ flag is the same one you always see outside of the UCLA LGBT Center while walking to class.
It's always been a dream of mine to photograph George Balanchine's ballet ''Serenade,'' so when the Los Angeles Ballet came to Royce Hall to perform it, I immediately asked for a photo pass. The curtain opened to a breathtaking array of motionless dancers in long blue dresses, an iconic image of the ballet. It was so mesmerizing that it took some time for me to realize that I needed pick up the camera and start photographing.
I was covering the men’s tennis match against our crosstown rivals, USC, and anytime we have a match against them, it’s definitely going to be crazy. It was an intensely close match and I knew there was going to be a crazy celebration, so I had my widest lens ready to run in with once it finished. It definitely captures the emotions and energy of the UCLA players after a very close win.
When I read the description for Irvin Mason’s one-act play, I knew instantly that I wanted to capture the idea of time and space that his play focused on. I used a glass prism against my camera lens in order to create the rainbow effect in this photo – an object that I had used quite often when taking portraits of my friends, but hadn’t had the right opportunity to use yet for the Daily Bruin. Looking back, I’m glad that I thought to use a prism because I really think it captured the concept behind Mason’s play.
In my experience, it’s really easy to get overwhelmed and miss powerful moments when shooting a concert. As Luke Bryan and Dave Ristrim walked toward the front of the stage, I kept thinking, “This is it. This will be the moment. I cannot mess this up.” When I sorted through my photos after, I was so relieved to see that I had captured exactly what I wanted.
During this photo, I was knee-deep in the sand of Alabama’s Gulf Coast, with only a bucket hat to thank for protecting me from getting worse sun poisoning. Going into the day, I focused on these players because I knew beforehand that they're both expressive on the court and were an important storyline to cover. I'm happy that I was able to capture the emotions of this pair's comeback arch and showcase a compelling moment after the whistle blew.
The 2019 FAST runway show was one of the coolest events I’ve shot for the Daily Bruin so far. Trying to capture the models’ poses and walks from various angles was exciting and it was a pleasure to see all the garments made by student designers.
When I was taking the picture, I was basically pressing the shutter all the time, fearing the Royce Hall security staff would ask me to stop because my camera was loud. So as I was taking photos, I had to press the shutter according to the tempo of background music so it wasn’t distracting for others. When the music reached the climax, I took this – as soon as I saw this photo, I knew it was the one.