Elton Anderson

DESTINATION WEDDINGS // NEGRIL, JAMAICA

L10 — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:15:12 +0000

When Ayesha Onyekwelu, of Bedazzled Photography, contacted me to shoot her wedding I was excited for so many reasons. The first being that she is an awesome photographer and I’ve been a fan of her work since I started 2 years ago. Another obvious reason being that her wedding was in Jamaica! Even in my excitement I could have never prepared myself for such a perfectly, beautiful weekend.

Ayesha and her new husband Chinedu have such impeccable taste. The location, the colors, the food and every detail you could imagine all came together perfectly. The most refreshing part of the whole weekend…. Ayesha took her photography hat off and was simply a bride. I am beyond flattered that Ayesha trusted me with one of the most important days of her life and allowed me to tell her wedding story. Check it out below!

*Sidenote: If you know anything about Ayesha, you would know that she could not have found a more perfect wedding shoe, lol*

Venue: Moon Dance Cliff Resorts

Wedding Planners: TiannaVivienne Events (These ladies are AWESOME)

The reception was amazing… they even hired a fire eater!!

Ayesha and Chinedu were every photographer’s dream couple. They were down to wake up at 6 am the next morning and do a portrait session with me. What happens next is some of my favorite wedding portraiture ever!

SUMMER TRAVELS + NIGERIA’S TREASURE

L10 — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:50:58 +0000

My trip to Nigeria was truly amazing for so many reasons. Being an African myself (Liberian to be exact), the experience tends to be more special when you return to your ‘Motherland’. I was there for 7 days and I completely immersed myself in the culture. I wore the traditional clothes, ate the local food and interacted with every Nigerian I could. I have a ton more pictures to share, including Uju and Obi’s beautiful wedding, but I wanted to start with Nigeria’s greatest treasure — their children.

The more I travel, the more I find that kids are the perfect subject for pictures. They have no insecurities or hesitation in front of the camera and they really help tell the story of wherever you visit.

By the way, the shot below just might be my favorite picture of all time. The simplicity of this moment is something I can’t recreate and he was such a cool little dude too.

Summer Travel Schedule:

June 19th – Fort Lauderdale, FL

June 27th – Savannah, GA

July 3rd – West Palm Beach, FL

July 10th – Negril, Jamaica

July 17th – Atlanta, GA

July 23rd – Philadelphia, PA

August 1st – Orlando, FL

August 7th – Riviera Maya, Mexico

August 12th – St. Lucia

August 14th – Washington D.C.

August 21st – Princeton, NJ

CHASING THE SUN

L10 — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:43:22 +0000

I dubbed this little test shoot ‘Chasing the Sun’ because in life we are all chasing something: money, love, success, fame… pick your poison. As a ‘professional picture taker’, its ALL about the chase because there are a billion moments for me to capture. With that being said, I love when I have a chance to do shoots that I create myself. My team and I get together to create the concept, choose the models and bring the story to life. This particular story is about youth, friendship and time when the only thing you chased was your dreams.

*Special thanks to everyone who helped make this happen*

Check out the full story here: http://eltonanderson.com/slidingstories/chasingthesun/

ESME + RONALD // ENGAGEMENT

L10 — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:12:59 +0000

My first trip to Arizona was a great one! Esme and Ronald were the ultimate hosts and this shoot started a whole new direction for my engagement photography. We wanted to tell so many different stories — how they met in high-school, starting their new life in Arizona, the night they got engaged and even some intimate moments. The fact that they are a great looking couple didn’t hurt either!

We’ve all been great friends since high school and it’s so amazing to see how far they’ve come together. I couldn’t be happier for Esme & Ron and I hope you enjoy the peek into their love story.

THEY DON’T SMILE IN NEW YORK

L10 — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:49:02 +0000

Being a Miami-based photographer has truly spoiled me. I have grown so accustomed to warm beaches, sunshine and smiling models that my recent trip to the “Concrete Jungle” was like a kick in the gut. Picture it: It’s the middle of January by the Hudson River at 9 am… needless to say my camera finger was frozen for a few days. Check out Joe and Justin, two rising stars from Red Models… no smiles but great models nonetheless.

Check out their full story here: http://www.eltonandersonblog.com/slidingstories/redmodels/

ADVENTURES IN LITTLE HAITI

L10 — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:57:04 +0000

Waking up for a 6am shoot is not necessarily my idea of fun but when having great models like Lisa M makes its all worthwhile. I’ll have to start posting the behind the scenes to show just what goes into a test shoot like this. FYI, finding a photogenic slushy truck in Little Haiti is not easy!

Here’s her full spread: http://eltonandersonblog.com/slidingstories/lisam/

AMANDA IS IT??

L10 — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:13:38 +0000

If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that I have not posted in nearly two months (yikes). That’s because my life has been consumed by shooting, traveling, brainstorming, meetings, business plans, marketing campaigns, blah, blah, blah… Anywho, I’m blogging again and to be chronologically correct I’m going to start from the beginning of the year and work my way up to what I’ve been doing lately.

Up first is Amanda, one of the new faces to Next Modeling Agency in Miami. Just a quick note to photographers, test shooting with an Agency is a GREAT way to break into the industry, make a few extra bucks and build your portfolio all at the same time. I’ve also had a chance to build a great team of individuals who have worked tirelessly on helping me create these shoots. Apuje Kalu styled everything and helped direct the creative visions, while Tia Smith served as producer and kept the shoots running smoothly. This shoot was back in early February… thank God I live in Miami so no one had to freeze during the bikini pics. enjoy.

Check out her entire story here: http://eltonandersonblog.com/slidingstories/amanda/

THE BEST KITCHEN IN LA

L10 — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 04:28:43 +0000

LA is really starting to grow on me. I’m back here for the 3rd time and I’ve fallen in love with the weather, the people and most importantly the FOOD. I already had a list of restaurants that I highly recommend but after today’s lunch, Kitchen24 just climbed up to the #1 spot. Affordable, great location and some of the best service ever… and on top of all that the food is superb. Trust me… I don’t lie about food.

I recommend heading over there during happy hour for the best deals on food and cocktails.

www.kitchen24.info

1608 North Cahuenga Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 465-2424

As you can see, these wings did not stand a chance.

My frat brother James opted for the turkey burger…

While I had breakfast for lunch. Nom, Nom, Nom!

KATIE + CHRIS // WEDDING

L10 — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:36:40 +0000

Katie and Chris… oh where do I start? Katie is one of the most genuine, kind-hearted people I’ve ever known and she has found a perfect match in her new husband Chris.

My friendship with Katie goes way back… Back to my Corporate America days with Pfizer. We were actually coworkers on the same team and I can remember the day she brought her new boyfriend Chris to one of the team dinners. Apparently, they met on MySpace :-0 and my first thought was, “How is this gonna work?”. Nearly three years later, not only has it “worked” but it has grown into something more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

Their wedding was truly special to me because of Katie’s faith in my talent. When I made the decision to pursue photography full-time she was one of the first people to support my fledgling business — no questions asked. Katie & Chris, I can’t thank you enough for your support from day one and I hope my pictures capture the beautiful people you both are on the inside and out. Enjoy.

**Special thanks to Dan Rakofsky for stepping in as Second Shooter.**

While the ladies did make-up, the guys found time to take a plunge…

….Okay, back to business.

Chris and the ring bearer… don’t kill me for this posting this Chris.

HOW COOL IS THIS??

L10 — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:50:40 +0000

Not only am I blessed to have the coolest clients, they are also the most creative clients ever! Check out how Bernie brought his engagment photos to life with this movie poster invitation. DOPE!!

Below are the two pics he spliced together to make this happen. Such a cool idea I just had to share!

And just to think, this couple found me through Google.