It was one of the first evenings in Los Angeles that felt like winter was in the air (for Southern California, anyways).  The air was brisk and the air smelled of leaves and stoves burning.  The sun was just starting to set, creating a beautiful light (a photographers dream!).  I was sitting on a bench at the entrance of LACMA where I was meeting Julian, Jessica, and their dog Brewer.

I’ve been working with Jessica for over a year now and she asked me to shoot some quick shots for their family Christmas card.  When she told me her chosen location was the lamps outside LACMA I couldn’t resist!  The “lamps” are an installation by Chris Burden and is correctly named, ‘Urban Light.’  The 202 cast iron street lamps light up at dusk every evening and create an enchanting glow.  There is just something mysterious and romantic that gets stirred up when standing among the lamps.  It really is a perfect place to capture a fun holiday picture.

Jessica, Julian, and Brewer appeared across the street and as soon as they meet me by the lamps I got to work.  The lamps weren’t on yet, but the light being cast on them and the lamps was perfect!  As we joked and teased Brewer, I snapped away.  Here are a few of my favorite from this winter evening photo shoot…

Brewer’s face kills me in this one, so stinkin’ cute!!!

This shot was just for fun.  I had already gotten some really great shots and had this image of my head of Julian dipping Jessica.  Some how, I talked them into this silly, yet romantic move.  They were both good sports and had a lot of fun editing this one.

So, which one did they choose for their holiday card???

Ta-da!

The winning picture was one of my favorites from the day.  I dubbed it “Xmas in SoCal.”  I’m sure their family and friends in snow ridden states were pleased to see this image when it showed up in their mailbox! Ha, you gotta rub it in a little every now and then, right?