Photo Shoot in Little Italy

Typically, if lack of parking or crowds are involved, I will avoid it. When I did a recent photo shoot, my subject, Shane, picked Little Italy in San Diego as the location. I prefer to shoot out of studio in a location that has some meaning for who I am working with, and I have to admit I cringed a bit thinking about the logistics, especially on a Saturday morning when the Farmer's Market would be occurring. As it is with most things, the reality is not quite as bad as what the mind makes it out to be. So I had to walk a few blocks...big deal. It allowed me to shoot a few details on the way that I normally would have missed. Everything happens for a reason, right?

The first few photos are from Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, where my Great Aunt used to attend services. This statue looks like it could be Christopher Columbus:



Not sure about this one:



The day started out a bit cloudy; I probably should have shot this one at the end of the session instead of at the beginning.



The Farmer's Market was packed, and I vowed to come back and shop again. It really is a good one.

Little Italy has a chalk contest during their Festa! Celebration. These are some of the past winners that have been put on permanent display. This year's Festa! is on October 13.



This one was inspired by The Birth of Venus by Botticelli.



A closeup:



The area also has some vintage wall ads, like this one for Ben-Hur Coffee; I love these in their faded form, as if they are hanging on for dear life.



There was once a Ben-Hur Coffee Shop in Los Angeles; naturally it had a giant coffee pot on top (image courtesy of Martin Turnbull):



My neighborhood used to have a cool retro-style Mexican Restaurant called El Camino; it has since moved downtown to the Little Italy area. I love its shabby-chic retro styling and use of vintage graphics. Because of plain old laziness (and the perceived hassle-factor), I rarely go here anymore. I think I'm getting old.



The repurposed vintage sign rotates its message:





Flirting with the El Camino Señorita.



This area is right in the middle of the flight path of the San Diego Airport. It took a few times, but I finally got one of Shane with a plane overhead.



Nearby is my favorite source for vintage architectural pieces. The building is pretty cool, too.



Just hanging around.



Most of the time, the best shots are just spontaneous:



All in all, it was a fun morning and I was happy with the shots I got (as was Shane).

What in life are you missing out on because of the perceived hassle-factor?

See more of my portrait photography on my Portrait web page.