This is Merrill. Merrill is the proud owner of a 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser.

I met Merrill one afternoon after picking up some dry cleaning on Hwy. 101 in Encinitas. As I walked out of the dry cleaners, I immediately noticed his car–totally immaculate. Merrill had a tabletop set up with some information about the car and the restoration process. I was taken aback not only by the restoration process, but also the deep burgundy and gold paint.

As I further took stock of the car, I noticed that Merrill was dressed in an outfit with the exact same color combination as the car. Merrill wore a burgundy button-down shirt, gold tie, burgundy pants, gold shoes. As I walked toward my car, I thought Merrill and his car would make phenomenal subjects for a series of pictures. I turned around and introduced myself to Merrill. I told him that I *had* to do a portrait of him and his car. Merrill was gracious enough to agree, we shook hands and gave me his card as I left.

Merrill’s card has his name, address and phone number. At the bottom, it reads “Provacateur to the Graphically Inquisitive”. I still haven’t figured out what this means, but as you can see, Merrill and his car are one of a kind.

I spent Monday evening photographing Kristen and Tom’s engagement session in Solana Beach. Kristen and Tom are getting married in Hawaii in September and I’m excited and honored to photograph their wedding. We had a great time shooting their engagement pictures, and afterward we grabbed some sushi and beers at Masuo’s, which is where Kristen and Tom had their first date. Here are some of my faves from the shoot.

Ran across this on CNN. These guys come out of the woodwork when it’s windy here. My opinion of them is not favorable.

Thursday night I shot Brett and his daughter, Amelia, for some portfolio pieces. Enjoy.