Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz describes her photography career as seeing "life through a lens". At a young age she cultivated this feeling during the numerous family road trips. Leibovitz recollects daydreaming in the backseat, as the ready-made frame of the window naturally captured subjects outside. She had six brothers and sisters, making her childhood playful and open for creativity. Leibovitz ventured off to San Fransisco to study painting in college.

She became more involved with photography, capturing protest that took place during the 1960s. After finishing school, she allowed herself to flow into photography, where she became the greatest rock-n-roll photographer. She always had a camera in hand, once she warmed up to people they forgot she was there. She enjoyed being active and always moving around, at one point it was her goal because it kept her happy. She joined The Rolling Stones magazine, continuing to push her limits, she kept people guessing and wanting more. Years later, she started working for the magazine Vanity Fair, where she did celebrity portraits.

Annie Leibovitz has had several relations with people, but her work is the greatest and most passionate relationship of her life. Her style is unique, working with Annie can be difficult because she knows exactly what she wants and cares deeply about the end result. She is a successful career woman and mother that is in it, until it's over.

Jasper Johal

Jasper Johal is a self taught photographer that resides in the Los Angeles area but grew up  central India. He was exposed to his first camera by a Persian traveler when he was a teenager. The traveler was passing through the town and needed to sell his camera for extra money. The town he grew up in didn’t have a photo lab. So he did it all by hand, first feeding his passion by reading books that gave a formula to mix the chemicals needed to develop his film. A few years later, his father grew ill and the family business was taken away. Little did he know at the time, this was a blessing in disguise. At the young age of nineteen, Jasper and his family of six others, decided to start over in the land of new beginnings: America. Jasper Johal talks about his humble beginnings as a now well-known and established yoga photographer.

“Whether shooting a small piece of jewelry for Energy Muse, or the spacious award winning Jai House for architect Lorcan O’Herlihy, what I am really shooting is light. Light is this beautiful living thing. It wraps, it plays, it suffuses, it cascades. I am self taught, and as I worked on my craft over the years, I never focused on shooting the object. Instead, I focused on capturing the beauty of light as it played around the object, often through the object, sometimes underneath the object. Light dances, and as a photographer I become its dance partner.”  -Jasper Johal

The Art of Photography

I started to do some research on The Art of Photography Exhibition in San Diego before traveling out of the North County bubble that consumes my soul. Steven Churchill, the CEO and producer of the show, has been and currently plays an active role in the photography industry of San Diego. He has coordinated with a team of others to produce The Art of Photography Exhibit. He's continued the exhibit each year, since the first one was such a success back in 2004. The show gives out first, second, third, and fourth places including honorable mention awards, ranging from $400-$2000 in prize money,  an entrance fee is required from applicants (international recognition). The judge of the competition, Natasha Egan, is also the curator and associate director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago.

This being said, there are a lot of different themes and cultures being pulled together in one space. Entries from all over the world have  been accepted into this exhibit. As I ventured into the centrally-located studio in downtown San Diego, I found it to be a lot larger than I had expected. Though there was plenty of imagery to follow, I wasn't particularly intrigued by the gallery space, content (photography) was diverse and interesting but the experience I had wasn't particularly memorable. 

MoPA in San Diego

I went to the MoPa Museum in Balboa Park about a month ago and saw an array of different exhibits. The names of them were Seeing Beauty, Reflections: Exploring Cultural Identity, and New Realities. I found all to be profound moments captured through the photographic lens. I haven’t explored outside of my point and shoot camera that I currently have and the photo class I took in high school. In fact, I’ve never learned so much about photography up until this class and all the exhibits I’ve gone to over the last few months. The Reflections: Exploring Cultural Identity really hit home, since it was a San Diegan student show, it made me think about all the different people we have in this region of the states. A big melting pot of cultures, learning to work with and appreciate the challenges makes our community unique and diverse. As I wondered deeper into the museum, I found myself walking one step closer and two steps back at particular photographs in the exhibit Seeing Beauty. The photo of a a man tattooed from head to toe on his back. It was a piece that pulled me in and pushed me back allowing me to dance in the museum. An untitled piece by Masato Sudo in 1982, questioning beauty and in different cultures. Tattooing is an art in American culture and others on the other hand people find it hard to relate. Other cultures think female circumcision is beautiful but most American’s  wouldn’t agree. These were some of the thoughts that came up after viewing this show…

Ordover Gallery in Solana Beach

The Ordover Gallery in Solana Beach, is located two streets west of my home. As I walked down the hill, it made me think of how grateful I am to live in such a nice neighborhood and I sometimes forget to explore all the fabulous galleries, that are only minutes away. I've been to this gallery before but this time was more significant, I was going for a reason.


Since September 25th,Mitch Dobrowner has been one of the featured artist at the Ordover Gallery. He works in primarily black and white photography. His subject is primarily landscapes, nature, skies, etc. Dobrowner captures nature in sync with it's surrounding elements. There is a sense of balance, rhythmic serenity, and a wide range of value, explained through light. His work can be found globally from Asia to Europe and here in the States where he resides. I really enjoyed the Storms series that he did. I am able to connect with it since I grew up in East Texas and remember how powerful those thunderstorms were. He really captures the strength of the storm, making the viewer feel like a small piece of dust in the hands of Mother Nature.

Aaron Chang

“Photography, like surfing, is an infinite process, a constantly evolving exploration of life.”-Chang

Truthfully the only reason why I stumbled into the Ocean Art Gallery in Solana Beach, was because most recently Chang and Wade Koniakowsky (one of my favorite local artist) share a space on South Cedros. To a certain extent they are collaborating and inspiring each other. The space is absolutely gorgeous and every time I see Koniakowsky’s work, my heart nearly explodes, therefore I trust that he’d make good decision when it comes to collaboration. There is a longboard in the window of both their works, glassed and painted to perfection accompanied with photography by Chang.

Chang not only does photography but is also the “co-founder of a multi-million-dollar apparel company that bears his name”, a surf, husband, and father that lives in North County San Diego. He has been featured globally for name brands like Nike, Polaris, Macy’s, and Levis. The theme of his photography are surf/ocean-minded cultures. He travels all over the South Pacific and the Americas, chasing the waves and diving into the culture that surrounds him. Chang capture’s sublime moments in nature. The clothing line was inspired by the ocean and the company enforces eco-friendly fabrics based on his respect for the environment.

Chicano Park

Chicano Park is located in San Diego, close to Coronado Bridge. I have never seen so many vibrant murals before. This park is actually recognized nationwide with the moss murals. People from all over the World come here. The murals represent Chicano civil rights movement during the 1980s. Some of the murals expressed religious and spiritual themes which were really beautiful, others had actual shrines. The park is kept very clean, no graffiti on any of the murals. The park has many purposes, mainly a place for people to connect. There are basketball courts, a playground, and even a skate park. I really enjoyed this park because the sense of community, support, and love are all manifested in the murals.