In a quick recap, last year started off rough. It was a struggle out of the gate, but luckily enough I had some real good buddies that helped me find my stride. Graduating was a real gut check and there’s no way I would have kept my sanity if I wasn’t surrounded by people going through the same thing. Trying to be a professional photographer is pretty much swinging for the fences and it’s definitely not something that you can achieve alone. I worked on a few large projects this past year that I would have never been able to pull off previously, now that I’m headed into 2012 I only have bigger and grander projects in mind. If this past year taught me anything, it’s that there will always be someone to lean on. Regardless whether it was something personal or professional I was never turned away from someone that could help me out. I learned a lot about being weak or clueless. I’m a better person now because of it.

I’m starting 2012 somewhere that’s foreign and strange. 4,667ft above sea level, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, is going to be my home for the next four months. I have a lot to learn here, not just about being a Military Intelligence Officer, but I’m sure as hell spending a whole lot of time thinking about thinking. I foresee a lot of chillin’ on the ridge line with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The little spare time I have here, I still don’t know how I’m going to handle being away from photography for so long. It’s looking like there are gonna be some desert landscapes in the next four months. I’m making myself a promise to have a plan. Last year ended on a high note, and while there’s gonna be a bit of a break, I’m coming back to the East Coast with a vengeance. I want to hit the ground running coming into the summer and there’s no way I’ll be able to do that without the collective help of everyone I’ve leaned on in the past. The expectation of 2012 is very simple, to be awesome. Here’s to rooftop raging, camaraderie and cranking this sh*t to eleven.

Some outtakes after the jump!

I just had to go for another Red Hot Chili Peppers reference with the title, hope you guys don’t mind. Last week Nicky decided to be an amazing person and take up a few lost New Yorkers, Ray and I, in her lovely San Gabriel home. If only she knew how big of a favor she was doing me. I really desperately needed a break from life except I didn’t even know it. Sometimes you get caught going 100mph all the time and don’t see that you’re slowly falling apart. Kind of like a shuttle descending from orbit, just burning up trying to get home.

This was my first time in California and I surely wasn’t ready for it. Coming from New York I thought it was gonna be more mellow, but what I found when I landed was more like long jumping sand pit full of melted marshmallows and face planting into the soft goodness of it all. Sure there was smog and hellish traffic. I didn’t even have power for two days thanks to some what I thought were mild winds. But, it was definitely the most chilled out place ever. No matter where I went it always felt like a Sunday morning in the suburbs. I really felt like I could sit and do nothing and no one would judge me for it.

Nicky showed us around to the best parts of the City of Angels, and the whole while I didn’t feel an ounce of anxiety. While I missed the morning grind of Manhattan, I’ve definitely gotten a soft spot for the light Pacific Breeze and the now familiar ridge line of Angeles National Forest. I’ll without a doubt be back this Summer, flip flops, Ray Bans and an In and Out starved stomach. Cheers, Los Angeles.

Click through for some palm trees and beaches.

Santa Monica, California

I’ve been playing with technique, if all goes well I may get the chance to create something a little more extensive with maybe even some narrative to it. Don’t forget to click through to see a few more images from a recent photoshoot!

Model: Richelle Oslinker (Wilhemina NY) | Assisted by: Ellen Yoon

I try to keep blog posts about Thanksgiving short because when I start thinking about everything to be thankful for I always end up with a 5 page letter and nothing to blog about in a month when the New Years post comes around. That said lately I’ve been finding myself getting support in the most unexpected places, and those I usually get support from have been even more gracious then usual. People are definitely going to be getting some premium ass socks for Christmas. Here’s to the friends that buy you that cold beer even when you damn well know they can’t afford it either. Next round’s on me, broskies.

Keesean describes Brim & Soul as a boutique for risk takers with an affinity for the past. Let’s get it straight from the beginning, this isn’t some hipster run wannabe fashionista sartorialist chasing hole in the wall shop. This boutique is curated painstakingly by Keesean himself.  What struck me the most about pieces were Keesean’s nearly obsessive connection to them, to the point where he could barely imagine selling them. I’m not going to embarrass myself by trying to talk about fashion, because I would get laughed of the internet, but I think what Keesean  pulled together for this season is some premium grade items.

We got together and went hard on this project early in August with a late September shoot date. It’s amazing how everything simply fell together, for one of the first times in my pursuit of professionalism I felt like that this project was being done right. When we chose our crew and cast we surrounded ourselves with people who we knew had distinctive styles and tastes along with fantastic work ethic. One of my goals since I started to take photography very seriously was to work with a larger team on more complex photoshoots. Having individuals dedicated on specific tasks and creative decisions helped a lot in letting me really hone in on what I was trying to contribute to the shoot. It was nearly two months of planning for a simple two day shoot. I’m just so freaking happy how it turned out.

It came out to be about a 60 image set, with around 20 going into a limited run printed lookbook for the launch party for Brim & Soul. Be sure to check out some of the images from the lookbook after the jump!

Be sure to stay tuned for the launch of Brim & Soul’s Online Boutique! I’ll update this post as soon as a link becomes available.

Produced/Directed/Style by: Keesean Moore | Photography: Carl Sison | Model: Rachel Webster | Hair: Edgar Parra | Makeup: Monica Garrido | Assisted by: Ellen Yoon, Elizabeth Perez, Rachel Dodson, Zeba Blay | Special Thanks: Todd, the Goldfish

Morgan and Thomas’ late August wedding happened right in between two major tropical storms, luckily enough the sun came through for us and really set the scene. With the exception of a few stray clouds and the late night downpour, it was all sun drenched windows and a big bright sky. Morgan and Thomas are both designers making for a very aesthetically pleasing wedding. They kept everything nice a simple, friends and family at the local riverside country club. Talk about making my life easier. Just take a look at Morgan’s bouquet. The thing was massive, and infinitely gorgeous. All the quirkiness and characters hanging around made it an absolute joy to shoot. With this wedding season coming to a close I definitely think this is going to be on I remember. Totally reminds me of this years summer. Check out the rest of the photos after the jump!

Post graduate life has been a mix of unexpected busyness and relentless moments of boredom. At one point I was very literally watching paint dry. Though I managed to reign in my procrastination and get around to living my life. In my last post I said that there would be some changes in how I ran this blog. One of those is actually an addition! I’ve been posting onto a Tumblr account. I’m already informal as is, so what you see there is very much unfiltered. When I started getting into photography I took my camera everywhere and took photos of everything. Somewhere along the line I stopped doing that as much. Now its back, accompanied by a flood on immature side comments and life stories. Join the ragefest!

chuas.tumblr.com

Link to my Personal Blog.

As always, things are in a state of transition. I’m going to be changing the way I add to this blog, as well as introducing awesome new and pretty things for you all to look at. Things have been a bit stale and boring lately and I really hope to change that. To everyone who has supported my photographic endeavors over the last four years, thank you. You have no idea how important you’ve all been to my growth and confidence.

P.S. Sorry for the completely arbitrary photo, I promise previews and new work coming soon!