A few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to photograph Kim and Vinny, a cute couple from Orange County, at the 3rd Street Promenade in the city of Santa Monica. Time flew as we chatted, cracked jokes, and took some pictures under the sunny sky.  Even though Kim and Vinny live close to Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, Santa Monica is where they would go and hang out. You could always find street performers in this small strip of retail shops, boutiques, and eateries, and I think that’s one of the charming things about this unique area. I have some good memories of this area myself, so I thought a photoshoot here with those two would be a lot of fun.

It doesn’t seem as though those two have the same thing on their minds.

The two love birds taking in the view of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Pier.

Kim actually won this race and gave Vinny a cool teddy bear that had a “Italia” hoodie on.

Om nom nom nom.

I can’t wait for their wedding in September! Until next time, everybody!

Best,

Danny

Aside from photography, I love things that go fast (legally and not on public roads) and things I can pilot. I’ve always been a huge enthusiast of Japanese cars and motorcycles. There’s just something about them that tickles my fancy.

Over the last couple of months, I have had the opportunity to snap some pictures of scooters, motorcycles, and cars that belong to close friends of mine that I would like to share with everyone.

We’ll first start off with a couple of scooters. This is the Honda Ruckus. It is a 50cc scooter that gets about 95 miles per gallon and has a top speed of about 45 miles an hour (with a good tail-wind). These little guys are getting really popular among car enthusiasts who don’t want to invest in a real street bike but like the idea of modifying and fabricating parts and pieces on the two-wheel chassis.

Modifications don’t all have to be large investments. Even a simple cup holder is considered a cool modification (the opened New Castle doesn’t hurt either).

This next Ruckus has a few more parts and several hundred dollars more invested in it. Check it out!

Check out the beefed-up stopping power with this single Brembo brake caliper paired with a steel-braided brake line! Fancy!

Nice little Yoshimura of America carbon exhaust muffler.

Let’s move on to motorcycles, shall we? For me, this is where the fun really begins.

Ducati 1098 (before the fancy race bodywork was finished)

Marchesini wheels, Ohlins rear shock, and full titanium Akrapovic exhaust system help differentiate this Duc

Suzuki GSX-R 750 with a custom replica paint job from a race bike in the Japanese Superbike series.

It’s got full carbon fiber wheels from BST!!

Next in line is a 2007 Honda 600RR with a MotoGP Konica Minolta replica theme

And finally we have an Acura Integra Type-R with lots of goodies and parts that you would only find on a Type-R model in Japan.

What do you think? Pretty cool huh?