Heidi Ryder Photography: The Blog » Southern California and Destination Wedding Photography

I have a couple of super fabulous weddings to blog, but until I’m ready to share them, I have some non-client work to share today. Last week I went on another day trip with a group of wedding and portrait photographers. I’ve gone a couple of times before. You may remember my posts from Calico Ghost Town, in B&W and Color, and my set from Salton Sea.

The purpose of these day trips is to stretch a different artistic muscle when we photograph and to make images that are just for us, not our clients. It’s  a great time and at the end of each day trip I’m always very glad I went. This time we stayed closer to home and explored Downtown Los Angeles. We started at Union Station and hopped across the way to Olvera Street and then proceeded to walk to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Pershing Square, and then finally to the colorful Grand Central Market before heading back home on the train.

The best part about this day trip is my husband Chris tagged along! He’s not a photographer, and barely knows how to use a camera, but he’s been taking more of an interest in that world lately so I invited him along. I gave him one of my old DSLRs, showed him how to work a few settings and he went to town! He had a fantastic time and we’re in the process of editing his images now. He got some great stuff and looking at his images make me feel like a proud wife and teacher.

Here are a few of my favorites from the day. Enjoy!

Last April I had plans to visit Olvera Street with my pals Karl and Alicia. Our original plan was to see an exhibit of tortilla art—a local painter uses large flour tortillas as his canvas and his work was on display. What we found when we arrived, though, was the annual Blessing of the Animals event. There were people (and their pets) literally packed into the small urban mecca for the event. I got some great shots of adorable dogs, slinky snakes and even a duck or two. The image of the guitars is my standout favorite because of the colors. I’m really a sucker for saturated colors that pop. As for the image on the right, who doesn’t love a pug?