Looking back at my first year as a celebrity photographer I am flabbergasted at all the adventures I had covering events and stalking famous people in 2009. Most of my best shots were not published here because they have to hit the market or I will starve. However, now that the year is up, I don't see the harm in showing you a few of them. Featured here are Taylor Swift, Grace Park, Wyclef Jean, Sandeep Parikh, Felicia Day, Mickey Rourke, Chris Brown, Christina Ricci, Adam Lambert, Zac Efron, Rick Fox, Eliza Dushku, Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jane Fonda, and Ladyhawke.
I wansn't planning on covering the ESPY Awards because I wasn't able to get press credentials for it. But being a Wyclef Warrior has its perks! I knew Wyclef was coming to town, but didn't want to bug him since he was so kind to me on his last visit. However Monday morning I awoke to a tip off of his hotel drop in less than an hour. Ran out the door and got downtown in record time! Waiting on the curb for his arrival, I sent him a direct tweet explaining that I wouldn't be at the ESPYs, but might see him at the hotel. Minutes later he arrived and kindly let me take some photos. I didn't even ask him for any favors, he just asked for my card, told me not to worry about it, then disappeared into the hotel. Later on I got a tweet from him saying simply "stand by." Fast forward to Wednesday, hadn't heard back yet and didn't want to get my hopes up to be disappointed. Too late to cancel the other job, so my overnights had begun and I was up from noon Tuesday till 9:30 Wednesday morning. But around noon I awoke to a text that Wyclef had a guest pass for me, so again I bolted out the door and made it downtown just in time. Wyclef's manager met me outside and, to my complete surprise, asked if I wanted to go say hi to Wyclef in his dressing room! I spent about 45 minutes backstage at the ESPYs, chilling with Wyclef and Jerry Wonder before the show, listening to music while Wyclef twittered away to his Warriors online. I recorded and posted the videos below during the visit, direct from my phone, and you can tell I need sleep, badly! I asked Wyclef what I could do to thank him, and he said he wanted me to tell you all just how real his Warrior movement is, so that's why I am telling this long story!
After that he needed to get ready, so I headed up to the red carpet, and bumped into Samuel L. Jackson on the way! I asked if it was okay to take a few shots of him and he said, "That's what you're here for ain't it?" Yes, it was! After the red carpet I watched the show from the press tent, but I won't be revealing any winners here, because the show hasn't aired yet! But I got a cople of shots of the presenters, Jeremy Piven and Rashida Jones, that I can share... Thanks again Wyclef for another incredible experience I will surely never forget! Warriors Unite! Join the movement! @Wyclefhttp://wyclef.com
It was a great day to find myself on the Red Carpet covering the 2009 ESPY Awards at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, especially since an hour earlier I had no idea I was going. Some of the worlds biggest athletes were in attendance, including Kobe Bryant, The Venus sisters, Mike Tyson, Michael Phelps, Evander Holyfield, Julius Erving, The Iron Sheik (still looking for that rematch vs Hulk Hogan!) and Jared, the Subway guy! But not all the stars at the ESPYs were sports heroes. Seth Meyers & Andy Samberg of "SNL", Rashida Jones ("The Office"), Jamie Pressley ("My Name Is Earl"), Zach Levi ("Chuck"), and did I mention that Jared was there? I was unable to score press credentials to this event, but an old friend came through for me at the last minute... Thanks again @Wyclef!! That story and more photos and video later... For now, enjoy the first gallery!
I told you about how Wyclef picked me out of the crowd of photogs at the BET Awards last week and made me feel very special after treating me and a small group of Wyclef Warriors to breakfast at ihop that same morning... well Wyclef posted his own Behind-The-Scenes video of the event and I made the cut! Check it out below! About a minute and a half into the video... that's me! Thanks again Wyclef for capturing one of the proudest moments of my career! Visit www.Wyclef.com, Download the latest Wyclef mp3s FREE, and JOIN THE WYCLEF WARRIOR MOVEMENT!
My exclusive video of Wyclef Jean explaining the importance of social activism at the first ever meeting of The Wyclef Warriors, a grassroots campaign to reach out to fans personally and get them organized and ready to be active in their communities. Wyclef organized the meeting through Twitter with help from his California Zone leader, Secretary of State Mari Torres. A small group of fans met at 10am at the Hollywood Ihop for a secret intimate breakfast with Wyclef! Thanks again Wyclef! Warriors unite! Sign up to be a wyclef Warrior at the Clef Zone: http://wyclef.ning.com/ if you want to join the movement and make a positive difference in this world!
UPDATE 7/2/09: Wyclef is switching his website to a new server, so the Ning site is gone. You can sign up to be a Warrior on Twitter. Step 1: Follow @Wyclef Step 2: Reply to a @wyclef tweet, tell him you want to be a warrior and the word FOLLOW. Step 3: When Wyclef starts following you, DM your contact info. Step 4: Wyclef may actually call you! He called me!
It was absolutely sizzling on the red carpet for the BET Awards 2009 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles yesterday, and I'm not referring to the soaring temperature in the parking lot! The event was quickly restructured as a Michael Jackson tribute and everyone was there looking their best! Here is my first set of photos, including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Ciara, BOTH Uhuras: Zoe Saldana from the new movie, and the original, Nichelle Nichols, Kanye West and his girlfriend, Amber Rose, & of course my new BFF Wyclef Jean! I got to meet Wyclef earlier for breakfast at ihop with a small group of fans, so when he saw me on the carpet he came right over to shake my hand! This really irritated the other photogs I'm sure. After the arrivals, the media was brought inside to watch the show from the (air conditioned!) press room, and they brought some of the winners by to get photos with the awards. Wyclef was being honored with a Humanitarian Award, and when he came to the press room after getting the award, Wyclef again singled me out in the crowd and made me feel pretty special, even telling his producer Jerry Wonder to video me shooting pictures! Clearly, I have entered Bizzarro world and the hunter has become the hunted! Thanks again Wyclef, for letting me share that moment with you!
HOLLYWOOD, 2009: Dangerous and deadly car chases. Drug-fueled starlets refusing to wear underpants. D-listers begging to be photographed. Beefy bouncers with headsets and no brains. Lap dances in the gutter. Has-beens stealing your kush.
Everyone had a story, and most of them were working on a script based on that story. The landscape had changed, and what had once been a glamorous and dreamy boulevard was now a dark and seedy underground of hanger-ons and fame junkies.
That's where I came in. I could say I did it for the money, but that would make me a liar just like the rest of them. The truth is I was drawn to it. Like an accident on the side of the road. I didn't want to look, but my camera guided me, daring me not to ignore my destiny.
