Happy New Year everybody!!

It was a hectic 4th quarter and I apologize for pushing blog posts down towards the bottom of my to-do list. It was great to finish 2009 strong and I am excited that that momentum is starting 2010 in the right direction. I have tons weddings and engagement sessions to blog about and cannot wait any longer to share these epic pictures.

I’m going to flood my site with new pictures for now and will come back later and elaborate on each couple and each event, so please check back often to catch up the details.

Enjoy!

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?

Holy cow!

It’s been a while since I’ve last updated this thing. I’m terribly sorry, everybody (everybody being all 3 of you)! The last two months have been filled with lots of great things, from motorcycle track days at a world level venue, college graduations, auto/moto photoshoots, engagement sessions, to assisting world famous fine art photographer, Jose Villa, with a small website project.

A couple of my closest buddies and I took a 4-day trip to Tooele, Utah a few weeks ago and got our knee-drag on at Miller Motorsports Park. I’m a huge fan of motorcycle racing, from AMA racing, the World Superbike Series, to MotoGP. I love to ride my little Yamaha R6 on whatever track I can get my bike to. So far, I can say I’ve dragged my knee across Autoclub Speedway in Fontana, Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch near Las Vegas, Nevada, Reno- Fernley Raceway in Reno, and as of several weeks ago, at Miller Motorsports Park. It was an interesting weekend of riding because it was one out of three spots on the US map that had rain, so we had to deal with a wet and drying track along with thunderstorms. It was a successful weekend and none of us crashed. It’s always nice when everyone keeps the rubber side of their bikes down on the pavement and goes home in one piece.

Here are a few action shots of yours truly having some fun on the pavement:

And this is when I went into a corner way too hot and had to stand it up and ride into the dirt. I came up towards the photographer because I thought he was a corner worker and could tell me when the track was clear for me to get back on.

May and June are also months for college graduations, which marks the end of a very memorable chapter of his of her life and the start of adult life. The Class of 2009 had three very special graduates – Jay, Lucky, and Janet. Jay and Lucky graduated with their BA’s from Cal State Long Beach and Janet graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a Masters in English. I am super proud of all three of them!

Here are a few pictures I snagged of each of the coolest grads from the Class of 2009:

Like it says on her nicely decorated cap, this is Lucky.

That’s right Lucky, Om nom nom nom nom. Haha!

This is Jay and his parents. I’ve known him since freshman yr of high school and we were room mates in Long Beach for 5 fun-filled years.

Jay and his two older brothers. “We did it, Mang!”

This is Janet. She graduated with a Masters in English with a 3.82 GPA (how nerdy is that??) and I am uber proud of her.

Stay tuned for posts from an engagement session with Kim and Vinny, a very cute and cool couple, and a session with some scooters, motorcycles, and a Honda Intregra Type-R, all with lots of upgraded parts that drain bank accounts!

Danny
dannynphotography@gmail.com
626.731.0144

Hey y’all!

It’s been a couple of years since I have been here, but The Getty Center in Los Angeles is still as amazing as I remember it. Just off of the 405 freeway, The Getty Center sits on a hilltop in the Santa Monica Mountains. Visitors are greeted by the breathtaking views of LA, the Pacific Ocean, and San Gabriel Mountains. The modern architecture and the extraordinary garden coupled with magnificent Western art collection from the Middle Ages to the present creates a dynamic environment full of beauty and awe. It is a fantastic place to spend the entire day experiencing the sights, sounds, and scents of what The Getty Center has to offer.

I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to photograph a couple of my good friends here at The Getty Center. Dephanie and Willie promised to take me out for yummy food if I took a few nice pictures for them to put on their wall. The Getty Center, great friends, AND food?? Let me tell you, this was not a hard decision for me.

Check out a few of the shots we got from that beautiful day!

I used texture I got from tofurious.com to help add a little something to this detail shot of their rings.

“You are here.” What a place to be at in life, right?

What a passionate kiss against the cleft-cut Italian travertine.

Willie displaying some of his jumping abilities and Dephanie showing her enthusiasm.

More texture used that were from tofurious.com.

Willie displaying a little more of his talents

A shot while we were taking a tour of The Central Garden.

The happy couple laying down on the grass, watching the clouds go by.

What an exciting day! To fill up our empty stomachs, we headed to the Silver Lake neighborhood to dine at El Caserio. It’s an Ecuadorean-Italian spot that really hits the spot when you want a familiar taste with a twist. If you go, I recommend the llapingachos con fritada (cheese-filled potato patties with roast pork ribs). It’s amazing!

Hope you’ve enjoyed our day at The Getty Center! Stay tuned for more posts!

Cheers,

Danny
626.731.0144
dannynphotography@gmail.com