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Her Style

Her Style

Hurry Up! Here Comes The Rent-O-Cops!

Long black dress by Free People Clothing in downtown los angeles with street fashion photographer John Ussenko and model Janelle Carroll.

It makes me so frustrated when you’re trying to do a fashion shoot and you see the security guard running towards you. I already know what he’s going to say. It’s the dreaded deja vu. We don’t have much time. Now it’s a rush rush and hurry hurry type of shoot. I was only able to snap three photos near this red structure. The security guard gets close enough and shouts, “This is private property and you can’t take any photos.” I’ve heard this so many times. How can a building in the middle of downtown Los Angeles be private property? They don’t care if you walk around or sit down or even eat your lunch but has soon as the camera comes out, 9-1-1! 9-1-1!  Dang rent-o-cops.

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Her Style

BCBGMAXAZRIA Black Leather Fashion Shoot Takes Over Laguna Beach

For being such a small beach town, Laguna Beach has many things to offer with great locations to shoot. I love this place and the fresh ocean breeze. It’s now mid-day and getting hot here. The last thing I want is for the Belarus model, Katya Katie Kutz, sweating in her black leather BCBGMAXAZRIA dress and belt. So let’s knock out a few shots and call it a day.

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Her Style

Surfing The Concrete Fashion Shoot In Downtown Los Angeles

Surfboard fashion photo shoot in downtown los angeles with photographer, John Ussenko.

One of my fav fashion shoots. I love combining completely different elements and creating art from it. When was the last time you saw a model, Jeffrey Campbell high heels, and a surf board against some murals in downtown Los Angeles? Exactly my point. When I collaborate with models and hear some of their ideas, it helps spark new visions in my mind. And then we create something like this.

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Her Style

Bringing Street Fashion To Old Town Irvine

Irvine downtown old village fashion shoot with photographer, John Ussenko with model Janelle Carroll.

I’m a nostalgic kind of guy and when I find a place that was built back in 1895, I start to drool. And Old Town Irvine is one of those places. I’ve done a few street fashion shoots here and it feels new every time I visit. The ancient wood, that appears to be original, keeps my mind wondering about the history of this place. I love old stuff.

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Her Style

Alyona Elena Alekhina Brings Roxy Fashion To Sunset Beach

Photo shoot with Roxy sponsored pro snowboarder, Alyona Elena Alekhina and photographer, John Ussenko on location in Sunset Beach, Tower 8.

I met up with pro snowboarder, Alyona Elena Alekhina to do a fashion shoot for one of her sponsors, Roxy. She was kind enough to share her story with me while we headed over to Sunset Beach. I’m clueless about the snowboarding industry and hearing about her accident almost brought tears to my eyes. Seriously. I don’t know what I would do in the same situation. After listening to her story, I immediately felt a sense of complete inspiration. I have to admit, she’s a true warrior and an inspiration for a lot of people. Kudos to her. This photo shoot really hit home for me and I started thinking about what it takes to never give up.

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Her Style

Edgy Street Fashion With An Attitude In Downtown Los Angeles Artist District

Black leather jacket and wolves fashion shoot in downtown los angeles with street photographer, John Ussenko and model Janelle Carroll.

If you’re going to do a photo shoot in downtown Los Angeles, you definitely have to get some murals in the shot. This place is filled with some of the most amazing graffiti murals in the artist district. To me, downtown LA equals urban art. This is where I go to be immersed in it. And if you take a moment to appreciate the art, you’ll realize how massive some of these pieces are. It blows my mind away. Kudos to all those artists who run the streets looking for the perfect canvas to express their soul.

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Her Style

As The Crow Flies From Belarus To Old Town Irvine

Belarus model doing a fashion shoot in Old Town Irvine with street fashion photographer, John Ussenko.

A good friend, Katya, is visiting from Belarus. Don’t worry, I had to look it up too. I definitely want to travel and shoot some amazing street fashion there.  Not sure if it’s anxiety or what but my heartbeat quickens ever so slightly when I think about all the new places in Belarus to discover and shoot; but enough of dreaming.  I met Katya at my brother’s place. We chit-chatted about random things like health, weather, drinks, food, exercise, shopping but the energy quickly changed when I mentioned about getting into street fashion photography.  Next thing you know, we’re doing a photo shoot. Winning!

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Her Style

Laguna Beach Gets Hit With Street Fashion

Fashion shoot in Laguna Beach with fashion photographer, John Ussenko and model Janelle Carroll.

I’m not too far from Laguna Beach and I think it’s such a neat little beach town. The locals are cool. The food is great. And if you take the time and explore, you’ll find hidden gems everywhere. This turned out to be an adventure since we really didn’t know where we wanted to shoot.  And when you have a model that’s down to earth and adventurous, it really makes all the difference. We started with some strong organic coffee and then got down to the fun stuff, shooting.  Like I mentioned in a previous post, coffee before a photo shoot makes all the difference. Well, for me it does.

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Her Style

Rocking Out In Downtown Laguna Beach

Rocker lifestyle fashion shoot with fashion photographer John Ussenko on location in downtown Laguna Beach.

I enjoyed this shoot a lot and hanging out in downtown Laguna Beach is a blast. It’s interesting how certain things will give you flashbacks, specifically this photo shoot. I started to reminisce about the time I moved to a new school during 7th grade. Moving = New city. New school. No friends. Medieval times. Yeah, it really sucked.  And it didn’t help that I had the classic comb over and looked like a dork.  However, my path as a loner changed during lunch period.

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Her Style

Jeffrey Campbell High Heels Meet Backyard Boards

Surfboard fashion shoot in downtown los angeles with lifestyle photographer, John Ussenko and model Janelle Carroll.

It’s really awesome to setup a fun shoot like this.  I enjoy experimenting with different props and ideas. I believe the most important aspect of shooting is being able to listen to the model and share her vision as well. After all, no matter how you look at it, it’s a team effort.  It’s about having fun, laughing, and being productive at the same time.

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