enjoy by East of Western
An exclusive online editorial by Susannah Tantemsapya
OUR FRIENDS. YOUR WALLS.
Enjoy is a showcase of photographers, illustrators and artists that we have had the pleasure to work with and know over the years. Their passion and work is our inspiration and Enjoy is our platform to share their talent with you. You will find limited edition prints from some of the biggest names in the industry as well as amazing emerging artists. The common thread is beautiful work from creative people who we are proud to call East of Western family.
ABOUT EAST OF WESTERN
We are a boutique agency based in Los Angeles, CA. Our passion is designing and building custom web and mobile applications for creative people and businesses. Our specialty is creating custom portfolio and e-Commerce websites that put you in control of content without creative limitations. Visit us at: eastofwestern.com
Shelby Duncan
is always ready to throw down. Shelby Duncan is all about living the good life. Hailing from the wild west of Reno, Nevada, she moved to Los Angeles seven years ago and started photographing her friends and emerging musicians such as Ariel Pink, Phoenix and Soko.
Always inspired by genuine emotion, she strives for the intimacy to be seen by everyone, and the story to be fully felt: anything that evokes the thirst to feel it, to dance with it and to experience an authentic connection with her subjects. From documenting friends in the sultry, portfolio entitled "Wild Things," to running around with ex-pats in Tangier, to getting naked with French actress Lea Seydoux in her swimming pool, Shelby wants to tell the visceral story of living a passionate life.
What is your secret talent?
I’m really good under the hood of a car, especially old cars.
Where do you find inspiration?
By what is happening right now, in my own environment… from my wild friends dancing in the kitchen to eating fish tacos in Mexico. I'm inspired by the light, color and different cultures, whether it’s in Reno or Paris. Also, experimental images from the 1960s and 1970s continue to amaze me.
Tell us about the picture or job where you realized “Damn, I might actually make this happen”:
When I was 18 years old, I took my first photography class. There was an open-call that my teacher submitted my work to, and my photo won. The exhibition actually paid to show my work in a gallery. From that moment, I knew this is what I wanted to do.
I ENJOY…
Travel. Fresh food. Giving lots of good love to my friends. Finding real charm and grit in everywhere I go.
EoW story:
I use to bartend at this dive, blues bar in Hollywood when I first moved to Los Angeles. Curtis use to come in, so we became friends. I thought he was just a cool, musician dude. Then, years later all the photographers in Los Angeles that I liked had their website designed by EoW. I was pretty broke then, but still wanted them to design my site. I wrote them, and got a response from Curtis saying "Hi, my name is Shelby, I use to work at this bar and give Curtis free drinks…" Well, it worked out just fine from there.
Sam McGuire
is a bona fide hustler.
Six years ago he moved to Los Angeles from Iowa on the promise of a staff photographer gig. On the day he arrived, they gave the job to someone else. Out of pride and determination, Sam stayed in Los Angeles, couch surfing and living out of his car for close to a year. Almost giving up, he moved to Minneapolis, then Chicago, then that same company called him up to offer him a job again, a year later. So, he decided to just go for it.
Looking back it was perfect: it was a humbling experience that shaped his approach to work and life. He had stressed so much about getting a job. After everything fell through, he accepted how little control he had over anything. He also made one project that he always wanted to do: to shoot a photo in every Midwest state. That ended up being a 12-page feature in The Skateboard Mag and a bad case of strep throat. Recently, Sam started shooting surfing, which pushes him even harder and in new directions.
3.5 Questions with Sam McGuire
What is your secret talent?
I’m really good with potatoes: hash browns, mashed potatoes, any sort of potato making, I can crush it.
Where do you find inspiration?
Maybe since I was struggling for so long, I get inspired when people are actually doing what they love. Aside from that, I really enjoy observing normal, everyday life.
Tell us about the picture or job where you realized “Damn, I might actually make this happen”:
There’s been many of those moments, it’s really anytime I’m getting paid to shoot. In 2010, I was in Mazatlan, Mexico on a shoot, which coincidentally is where the waterslide photo (on this site) was taken. I actually remember laughing. It felt cool that I had to leave this shoot to fly to another shoot. And, I wasn’t living in my car anymore.
I ENJOY...
cold beer after a long day, sunsets, a nice porch, a cool breeze, a thunderstorm rolling in, surfing, checking into a hotel is always exciting, Xanax before a 12 hour flight, classic American breakfast (hash browns, eggs, bacon, coffee). Maybe I enjoy really, boring stuff?
EoW Story:
I know East Of Western via word of mouth that they are the best, and they actually are.
Aaron Farley
puts the “F” in the Fine Art. Aaron Farley is a longstanding cohort of East of Western. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, he spent much of his youth exploring the great outdoors. Since 2000, Aaron has called Los Angeles his home.
Being a seasoned photographer and director, Aaron has started to focus on his fine art practice for the last five years. He turns photographic images into objects that play with color, light, time and space. He was also a gallery partner and curator of the now closed THIS Los Angeles (2009-2013). Aaron currently resides with his lovely wife and two children in the neighborhood of Silver Lake.
Being a seasoned photographer and director, Aaron has started to focus on his fine art practice for the last five years. He turns photographic images into objects that play with color, light, time and space. He was also a gallery partner and curator of the now closed THIS Los Angeles (2009-2013). Aaron currently resides with his lovely wife and two children in the neighborhood of Silver Lake.
3.5 Questions with Aaron Farley
What is your secret talent?
I’m attempting to make my talent "Video golf." It’s indoor golf where you hit real golf balls into a screen, then lasers from the ceiling check your swing, and beers are brought to your table. It’s the perfect storm of games. Neal still has the longest drive though.
Where do you find inspiration?
Being surrounded by so many creative people is always what pushes me, but the actual inspiration for my work just comes out of the need to make things – no idea where that comes from.
Tell us about the picture or job where you realized “Damn, I might actually make this happen”:
That feeling comes and goes multiple times a day. Every time I think I’ve got it, I realize I don’t, which is what keeps me going I guess.
I ENJOY...
watching our kids grow up, it’s like living with little insane people.
EoW Story:
I’ve known Curtis and Neal for so many years, that there are too many stories to tell. But, I thought Neal had an uncanny resemblance to Tom Cruise when we first met; he’s much better looking now. Curtis seemed to have secretly met all of our wives before we ever met him.
Joshua Spencer
just wants you to be comfortable. Joshua Spencer lives to capture moments. Born in Los Angeles and raised in San Clemente, he started shooting skate videos at the tender age of 12. As a teenager, he started playing around with different formats and discovered black & white film. Attracted to its timeless quality, he got into old, Magnum photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Joshua primarily shoots portraits, fashion and editorial. He strives to get his subjects comfortable in front of the camera, which to him is a balancing act that sometimes requires psychological warfare. Currently, he is working on a book of black & white portraits for Garrett Leight California Optical, whom he shot his first campaign for years ago. This time, he’s headed into the darkroom to do some old-school dodge and burn.
3.5 Questions with Joshua Spencer
What is your secret talent?
Jesus, I have no idea. Not much about me is secret.
Where do you find inspiration?
Inspiration is fickle. It pops up everywhere. Honestly, the harder I work, the more I'm inspired.
Tell us about the picture or job where you realized “Damn, I might actually make this happen”:
I ask myself that every job. It’s still happening…
I ENJOY...
stolen moments, life… I try to enjoy everything. What’s the point otherwise?
Lindsey Brynes
Mad, Bad and Slightly DangerousLindsey Byrnes creates a diverse tableau of portraiture infused with color and personality. She started out documenting her peers in the California skate scene while working at Thrasher, Slap and Juxtapoz.
These humble beginnings naturally evolved into the music world, shooting artists such as Moby, Kate Nash, Tegan and Sara, FUN, Paramore, Theopholis London and Scarlett Johansson. Curious and enthralled by her surroundings, Lindsey draws splashes of light and humor into her images.
Although she has spent most of her life in California, she gets asks at least once a week, “So, when did you move from New York?”
Although she has spent most of her life in California, she gets asks at least once a week, “So, when did you move from New York?”
3.5 Questions with Lindsey Byrnes
What is your secret talent?
I’m really talented with my tongue. I can actually insert my tongue inside my nose. I can fold it in half. I can blow bubbles. It took me weeks and weeks to perfect that when I was in grade school. Nobody has the patience for that shit when you get older.
Where do you find inspiration?
Every single place I look. Right now, I am feeling extremely inspired by my neighborhood, Echo Park. I am in love with it.
Tell us about the picture or job where you realized “Damn, I might actually make this happen”: This happened?
When I started, I remember thinking, “Damn, you want to pay me for that?” I think the first photo that I ever got paid for was of Elissa Steamer for a Bootleg ad. She was holding her pro deck at skate park in Tampa and was like, "Hey, wanna shoot my ad?" I was really into it and just learning... But even now, I’m more like, “Can I do this?”
I ENJOY...
coffee (a lot), karate (even more)… I enjoy my job. I enjoy my life.
EoW Story
I know Curtis through his wife Katie. I met her in the bathroom at a skater party – that’s how girls met each other, in the bathroom. She looked cool and had dreads at the time. We started talking, had a lot of friends in common, and then I thought: “I want to be friends with this girl.” Then I saw her at a party when she had just started dating Curtis. After that, I got introduce to East of Western through my agency, and they just happen to work with everyone that I think is great.