Photographer

My goal with every session is for you to walk away with great service, a great experience, and ultimately great headshots

Hi, I’m Rafael. As a kid, I used to draw and write my own comic books. Over the years, I created enough of them that I had a half a dresser full of these creations. It was a lot of drawing and writing. I would also take new notebooks and draw full animations on the bottom edges, flipping the pages rapidly with my thumb to make the animations come to life. I loved art and it started early. Eventually, I took a photography class in high school. I was fascinated by it and immediately fell in love with it. My teacher saw something in me for it. He was a great supporter and motivator. He gave me extra project after extra project and I made the time for all of them. I entered some contests and won a few. Eventually, he took my work for the year and turned it into a special assembly for the school. The whole school had to sit and see my work – which was all of my classmates, captured throughout the school year at various school activities. It was well received and so many of them wanted some of the photos for their memories. Nothing stokes a fire more than success like that. I’m thankful to my professor and the love of photography he helped kindle.

The Light Committee – the Name

So, why The Light Committee name? Lighting a person varies by the goal of the image being created. On one occasion, it might call for a single-light setup while on another it might require a four or more light setup that need to work in concert. The word “committee” is defined as a group appointed to perform a function or act upon a particular matter. Sometimes all the group is required and sometimes just some of the group. In a loosely similar way, lighting a subject requires lights to perform the function of lighting for a particular matter, just like a committee is to operate. And so, The Light Committee.

I joined the US Air Force and later also served in the California Air National Guard, both with honorable service. I graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a B.A. in journalism, and also graduated with honors. I went on to work at a couple of the world’s largest public relations agencies and also as a PR consultant to dozens of technology companies. All the while, I’ve owned many DSLR cameras. I never stopped using and learning more about photography. It is decades now in learning. I love photography and I hope you can see that in the images I create.