Photography Gets Me Wet

Only in the literal sense of that statement, of course.

Water & the human body is a beautiful thing... Something I've really been inspired by lately.

There's emotion to water, as there is light. Other than the obvious variations in temperature, water very much has a mood and an emotion to be conveyed. Showers can sway my feelings from happy and content in a warm bath to very much isolated in a cold shower, water pounding down your back. This is something I wanted to explore further.

Las Vegas

A lot of my experimentation in photography begins at home... A place that inspires me most.

Las Vegas and the lights of the city are a constant theme in my images. Whether it's the subtle glow or the harsh vulgarity of the neons, the city lights are always prevalent in my photos.

Person at Work Portrait

David, "Spicy," Sachs performs a routine oil change on a customer's 1991 Honda Accord Ex in Las Vegas, Nev., on December, 14, 2009. (L.M. PARR/ BROOKS INSTITUTE ©2009)

Stills taken for a "Person at Work" assignment for class in the fall. Another experiment with fill flash and manipulation of light, using rear-curtain sync for my lighting class PJN150.

Cars are my passion in life, as well as photography. I'm so intrigued by the way oil and grease seems to find its way into each and every crevice of the hands while working on an engine, something I tried to convey in my photos.

Two Am

In the city of sin that never sleeps, Las Vegas is at it's peak during the hours of early morning. A portrait series of Las Vegas, Nev., taken on December 14, 2009 (PHOTOS BY L.M. PARR/ BROOKS INSTITUTE ©2009).

My final assignment from my PJN150 lighting class one of my first sessions at Brooks. This is a small selection from that assignment.

Developing an idea for a theme and executing a series of photos based around that idea, I created the concept of "two am" inspired from my home, Las Vegas. Everything I found lacking in Ventura... the 24-hour, all-night lifestyle that I had grown so accustomed to growing up in Nevada that couldn't be found there, I tried to convey here... Trying to best explain my city to new friends in California.

Using my best friends as models, we shot a "guerilla" photoshoot throughout the city over the weekend. Completely candid, these photos are true portraits of who these people are to me. None of them have any professional modeling experience.

Experimenting with my 580ex flash and different light to convey emotion, I wanted to really push the boundaries of what I knew about the use of light in photography.

Faces of Las Vegas Boulevard

In the city of sin that never sleeps, Las Vegas is at it's peak during the hours of early morning. A portrait series of Las Vegas, Nev., taken on December 14, 2009 (PHOTOS BY L.M. PARR/ BROOKS INSTITUTE ©2009).

Portraits taken of my friends after a long night spent on the Las Vegas strip.

Exhausted and slightly drunk, the honesty of the evening is what struck me the most through my glass. Though we tend to be jaded from the bright lights and instant gratification provided by the lifestyle of Sin, even children of Vegas find themselves swept away by the glow of city.

Quiet, candid moments found... unexpectedly. These photos, despite obvious composition errors, are still some of my most adored images taken.