Growing up in Southern California, I made friends with all sorts of people coming from different backgrounds. Never really fit in to some sort of group really. I was the roamer hanging out with one crew to another. My interest and curiosity in others is one of the reasons on how I got into photography, and to be able to photograph many different things I like. Not just fashion. Or news. Or food. Or whatever.
Making a trip back to Cali for a visit from Tokyo is always a nice fresh of breath air and to connect with friends you grew up with since you were a kid playing cops and robbers together in the neighborhood. I knew Raymond Gonzales (in the photo above) for ages and it was a nice surprise that he caught me rolling up on my family's driveway from the airport and called me over to catch up on life stories. Man does time fly that's for sure and before you know it, you're up in a coffin and off to your final destination in life. I guess the point of this all is to live your life the way you want to before you never get to do/see those things you have always wanted to experience. For me, my ultimate goal in this line of work of mine is to leave a history of all the photos I've made since the start of my career and have it up with friend, family and the world to see how I lived, even when I'm gone.
And there's nothing like having a good game of poker on the front lawn with the Gonzales family!