My very first platinum print ever is going up for auction on April 16th at the Belasco Theater for the Above Ground event that Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison organized, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! Over the years, I’ve been asked numerous times about selling some of my work and I’ve always been hesitant for a few reasons. Part of it had to do with me feeling that many printing techniques didn’t feel special enough. Then I learned about platinum printing a couple years ago and my ears perked up, but I never had time to dive into it properly. It was another thing that I always wanted to do but never did. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I got an email from Dave Navarro (yes, you know that awesome guitarist from Jane’s Addiction and one of my favorite humans) about the possibility of contributing something for the Above Ground charity auction. I knew immediately that I had to do a platinum print. This was the perfect excuse to learn more about it and, finally, do it. What I learned is that it’s going to take me a bit to get it down properly. By a bit, I really mean a long time. You see, making platinum prints is an art form itself and it takes some time to master the process. However, I’m super-lucky to know someone who has already mastered it and was willing to let me see the process from start to finish.
The next step was selecting the image. At first, I wanted to create three prints and let Dave and Billy choose which one would go up for auction. Then I realized how much it actually costs to print each one and that idea got quickly thrown out. So, my image selection became even more critical. I took two images with me and talked to Larry (my printer/friend) about it. I loved how dramatic one of the images was, but I wasn’t sure if it would work because it was a bit grainy. The other image was pretty and technically great and I’m sure would have made a fine platinum print, but it was missing some of the drama of the first one. Once we started and I saw the chemicals react with the print, I knew I made the right choice. That moment is probably the most excited I’ve been in a long time and, in my opinion, it came out great! I’m making a limited edition of five. No more of that image will ever be printed in platinum again. The other four won’t be available until after the auction and it’s exciting that I already have a list of interested people.
I’m hoping, though, that the first one will fetch a good sum because it’s going to a cause that is dear to my heart. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the event are going to support mental health via Music Cares. If you know me, you know how important mental health is to me. My mom has been sick since I was four-years-old, so I’ve been to just about every psych hospital in the LA area and have seen firsthand how vital this cause is. Everything around my life revolves around helping my mom and maintaining my own mental sanity in the process. Some days are super hard and other days you wouldn’t even know there’s a problem. So, when Dave asked me if I would be willing to contribute something, he had no clue how much it would mean to me, I’m both honored and excited to be able to contribute something to this amazing event. It’s another reason I went with platinum. I wanted the print to be special and I think I achieved that.
Down the road, I plan to do more prints of different iconic images I’ve taken over the years and, hopefully, there will be an art exhibit soon (I’m already manifesting the shit out of it). I love that because this is a handmade item and it’s both expensive and time consuming, none of them will ever be mass produced. No two prints will ever be identical which makes them even more special. And, did I mention, they are platinum!?! Side note: I’ve said platinum so many times the last few weeks that you can play a drinking game with it. Ha!
To buy your ticket to Above Ground before it’s sold out click here.
Minnie Driver: So a few weeks back I was watching Return to Me, for the 3rd or 4th time. I don’t remember if I had seen one of her pictures on the popular page on Instagram, or if I searched for her after watching the movie, but I saw that she was on Instagram and I thought, ” Love her. Follow.” About a week later, she posted that she was going to be singing at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach. My first thought was, “Minnie Driver sings? Yes, definitely want to go see her.” I commented on the picture, “Can I bring my camera?” She replied, “Yes”. I was totally stoked, but I kept pretty quiet about it because, although I love my photographer friends, I wanted to keep this one to myself. Going there, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never been to that venue, and I had never seen her sing before. Was I going to like her? Was the lighting going to be good? Was the venue going to be cool with me doing my thing? But, at the show, all my fears were silenced. It turned out to be a magical night. She was lovely, adorable, and MAGICAL. I couldn’t have been more stoked that I got to take pictures of that night. The venue was also super nice. The crowd wasn’t what I was expecting, but they were nice, too. I came home excited to edit pictures into the late hours of the night, even though I had to go to work early the next day. It didn’t matter how tired I was, I was on a Minnie high. And then she actually liked my pictures, followed me back, retweeted me, and comped me for her next show. Yes, I was totally on a high. So not only was she a pleasure to shoot, but she turned out to be super sweet too. It doesn’t get much better than that. The next time I shot her was at Hotel Cafe. I liked the pictures from Saint Rocke better, but I liked the show at Hotel Cafe even more. At Saint Rocke it was standing only, so I was able to get around a little better without disrupting the audience. At Hotel Cafe, the lighting was a little lower, and because they have tables in the front, I didn’t want to get in people’s way. While I love taking pictures, I’m also a fan, and I know how it is when a rude photographer invades your space. Whenever possible, I avoid being that rude photographer. Overall, I hope these pictures I took capture at least one third of the magic that I saw before my eyes. She really was awesome! But don’t take my word for it. Go see for yourself. 
Little Miss Nasty: The name says it all. On the same night I shot Minnie Driver at Hotel Cafe, I shot Little Miss Nasty at Harvelle’s in Santa Monica. What can I say? They were at opposite ends geographically and visually. One was magical and lovely, while the other was in-your-face sex . Literally, there was a point, or several where I had an ass in my face. (That’s not to say they weren’t magical, it was just a whole different type of vibe as you can see by the pictures.) These girls are hot, talented, and totally rock n’ roll. If you see their “after” pictures with all the bruises on their knees, you see how much they put into their performances. They give their audience everything and then some, so go check them out. If you’re wondering how I know of 
The Viper Room All Stars:
I was raised to never ask for anything. I’m not sure if it’s Mexican culture that dictates that it’s not polite to ask for anything, or if that was just Chilo (mi Abue’s thing). I lived with my grandparents from the ages 5 to 8. During that time, it was so instilled in me to not ask for anything that even when someone gave me something, I never accepted it. This was particularly hard when I was a kid. I remember someone once tried to give me a toy, and I couldn’t accept it even though I really, really wanted it. To this day, I’m still being shamed for asking my mom for money when I was 19. Really. But despite how I was raised, once in a blue moon when I have a wild hair up my ass, I go against everything I was taught.
