D.T.L.A. with A.L.L.

Thanks for checkin' out Bsombin'! Took a trip to DTLA, with Jefore (my brother-from-another-mother), to get some tacos from a great little spot in Grand Central Market called Roast To Go. Honestly, I haven't tried anything besides the asada tacos, because their asada is amazing! It's more like a slow cooked brisket that's tender and flavorful. I'm not sure how they cook it, but it is like no other asada I have ever had! And, the portions that they give are very generous, for the price. It's become one of my favorite taco spots in LA. When we got to Grand Central Market, we drove up to the roof of the parking structure to get some pictures of Jefroe and the city.

Jefroe owns At Last League and At Large Media. He's been working as a designer for over a decade and has worked for brands like Primitive Apparel, & Visual. And now he's working on his own brand called At Last League. The brand makes a variety of apparel items with a focus on bags. Jefroe makes a variety of stylish high quality bags, ranging from unisex tote bags to men's utility pouches, that cater to a variety of needs. If you're looking for a new bag, you can check out what Jefroe has available at atlastleague.com. He does a lot of small runs and one off items. So if you see something you like, don't sleep on it. It'll probably be the only chance you get to pick it up, because those bags move fast!

After snapping' off a few shots, we headed downstairs for some taco goodness. Didn't shoot much inside Grand Central Market. But I got a couple of shots I liked. After the food, we did a little shopping around downtown and Chinatown. You can find a lot of interesting stuff that you probably shouldn't be able to find, in Chinatown. ...Things like ninja stars and fireworks. That's why I love going to Chinatown.

Once we had all the goods we were after, we headed back home to enjoy the extra tacos we got for later in the day. 

Thanks again for checkin' out the blog! Be sure to check back soon for more Bsombin' stories, pictures, poems, and more...

Instagram Friends

Thanks for checkin' out Bsombin'! Over the years, I've met a lot of amazing people and made some good friends through Instagram. From the models and photographers that I have collaborated with to the entrepreneurs and businesses that have hired me, Instagram has helped me to connect to a lot of people who I probably wouldn't have met otherwise.

A few years ago I started following a photographer from Arkansa named Luke, after he followed me. Luke would share his favorite accounts with his followers, on his IG story. One of the accounts that he shares on his story belonged to a guy named Aaron. I think Aaron was living in Colorado at the time. But, Aaron and I also started following one another, thanks to Luke. After following him for a bit, I noticed Aaron was shooting in LA and around California. Mean while, Luke decided to take some time off of Instagram and went missing in action.

It had been a while since I had heard from Luke. But last week I got a message from him asking if I was still in LA and if I wanted to meet up with him and Aaron to shoot? He said they were going shooting the next day and then he was leaving back to Arkansa the following day. Fortunately, I was able to meet up with them. I had some stuff to take care of during the day. But I was able to meet up with them at night. I had asked them what they wanted to shoot, so I could plan a little tour for them. When I gave him some options, Luke was quick to answer rooftops and steel wool. So I wanted to take them on a tour of a couple of easy to access rooftops before heading into the LA river to spin wool. We started with a helipad on an rooftop close to the 110 freeway. We had good luck there. We all got shots we were really happy with and were able to get in and out without any problems. After that, I took them to another helipad on a rooftop that's just outside of Skid Row. That spot was a little more challenging due to a gate that had just been installed around the helipad. But we managed to get on the helipad and get some cool pics anyways. The next (and final) stop on the tour was the LA river. I wanted to take them to a spot on the train tracks where I had shot at about a year ago. The thing to keep in mind when showing people around downtown, though, is that things are always changing and they change pretty fast. So, the spot I took them to was gated off and we couldn't get in. I can be very persistent, when I make up my mind to do something, however. And I wasn't about to let Luke and Aaron go home without some steel wool shoots. So I started looking for another way in and was able to get us onto the train tracks after a walk around the block. The next problem we encountered were the newly installed flood lights that made the spot too bright for steel wool shots. I suggested going down into the river, to get out of the light, and shooting by the water so we could get a little bit of a reflection off the water's surface. We found a good spot and were able to shoot for a little bit before we got chased out of the river by some guy with a flashlight. Still, it was a successful mission. We got out safe and everyone got at least a few good steel wool shots before we had to call it a wrap. By the time we got back to the cars, it was a little past midnight. Luke and Aaron had a long drive back to Aaron's, and I had to be up early the next day, so we called it a night. After saying goodbye to the guys, I headed home to go through my pics. Not sure when I will see Luke again, since he's back in Arkansa. But, now that I know Aaron lives out here in Cali, we'll be shooting again soon. I didn't shoot a lot, that night, since I had already been to all of those spots several times. But I still managed to get some pictures worth sharing...

I feel very fortunate to have had all the great experiences and to have met all the amazing people that I have found through Instagram. I think it's important that we try to use our social media to connect with others in order to help one another grow and build. But I also want to remind everyone to be very careful when meeting people that you've met online. Not all the people who I've met have been as cool as Luke and Aaron. But that's another story for another time... I hope you enjoyed the pics, Thanks for checkin' out the blog. Please check back soon for more Bsombin'!

D.T.L.A. with A.L.L.

Thanks for checkin' out the Bsombin' blog! My good friend Jeff is the owner of At Last League. It is his apparel company that he's been working on for a couple-few years. He's recently released a new batch of designs that are definitely worth checking out!

 I've know my brother Jefroe for over 25 years. We were introduced through mutual friends, as kids, and became good friends through skateboarding. Over the years we grew out of skating and got into graffiti together (which eventually lead us both to the world or art and design). At one point, we even worked together. We have been through a lot together and have seen one another through some of the best and worst times of our lives. From boys on skateboards to men with computers & cameras, we have had a great friendship and been on a lot of crazy adventures together over the years. Maybe it's because we are both crazy and inspired to create, that our friendship has endured so long. Or maybe it has something to do with the way we motivate and inspire one another. But we are definitely kindred spirits that see eye to eye. I am thankful to have a friend like Jeff. It's always a good to see my brother. With that said, it should come as no surprise that Jefroe is one of my favorite people to go and shoot with. So, when homie hits me up to shoot, I'm almost always down to go. Last April, Froe hit me up one night and wanted to shoot. I had some spots he hadn't been to before, so we climbed in my truck and headed out to downtown...

 

A Weekend In Guatemala - Pt4.2. Android On The Roof

A Weekend In Guatemala - Pt4. Morning On The Roof

Thanks for checkin' out the Bsombin' blog! It's interesting, when you go back to a place that you have been to before and see it differently. The place doesn't change, but the things you see are looked at in a different way. Or from a different perspective...

 Every time I have gone home, to my Grandma's house in Guatemala, I have always loved to go up on the roof and play. But it wasn't until this trip that I saw the option to climb on top of the exit to the roof to be at the highest point possible. And, that's just what I did, when I woke up to the hangover that the night before left me with. My head was throbbing, and I could barely remember anything from the night before, but the first thing I thought to do when I woke up was shoot! I went upstairs and, despite my fear of heights trying to prevent me from doing it, I climbed up on top of the staircase exit and shot the following...