Angels in California.

Angels in California
November 13, 2010

When I ran off to take pictures of the palm trees next to the LACMA in LA, one of Ashley's friends said, "All the tourists are so fascinated with the palm trees!" Why yes! Same deal as magnolia trees. It's new, it's exotic and it's iconic. Do you think I give a shit about photographing hot air balloons? Shoot me in the face first.

Joel has some of my favorite tattoos in the world. Not nessacerily the craftsmanship (which they're lovely, no hate) but just something about the placement and how simple they are on him. He just wears them well, if that makes any sense. I guess if I knew him before he had them, they might seem weird but when I met Joel, they were already there and I can't imagine his arms without them.

This picture reminds me of my friend Jex's photography. She'll walk up to people who have tattoos she likes and asks if she can photograph them. It's sort of a thing, if you run into Jex, she will take your picture. I wish I could be so bold about it. Photography's always been such a private thing for me. I think I miss out on a lot because of it.

Privacy is probably why I like this photo so much. It's almost like a secret. I just snapped this one by chance, but I think it might be MY image of California. The palm tree, the bright sky, Joel (really Ashley is more California but they'll be permanently associated with LA for me) and his angel tattoos. It's the City of Angels after all.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/250, Aperture f/8.0, No Photoshop.)