As a first generation Mexican/American I was born in the city of Angels. I grew up in Cudahy, CA where I was fortunate to see lowriders right next door because the neighbor in our duplex always had his lowrider friends over. Some of the now famous cars that would park in my driveway included Old Memories “Gangster of Love” a candy painted ‘39 Master Deluxe. There were plenty of other lowrider makes and models displayed there that would help influence the style of cars that I now own. At the age of 15, my first owned lowrider would be an’81 Cutlass, Brougham. I quickly learned basic automotive skills and most important, the attention to detail which helped throughout my life and during my High school years. The time eventually came in having to clear up my driving record so I was forced to sell off my car and step to the sidelines until I was fortunate enough to afford another lowrider.
Landing my job at Lowrider Magazine was a fairy tale type of a dream that was given to me by the owner of the magazine then, Alberto Lopez. I started off in the warehouse and also helped to contribute in writing features. One day I was handed a camera along with a quick lesson, and I never looked back as I continued to receive my on job training. I started as a photography assistant and along with being mechanically inclined, I became one of the technical editors for Lowrider. Over the years I have coordinated several builds, which include all of the Pennzoil and Gum Out giveaway vehicles. I have helped influence the lowrider market through articles, and in some cases suggested automotive aftermarket manufacturers what was needed for our type of industry. Some of the parts that I helped develope included, the Flowmaster Impala exhaust kit, Edelbrock’s Endurashine finish on carburetors and one that I’m really proud of, is the Coker 5.20. As far as photography goes, over a decade I’ve shot and written several covers, features, car show coverages, and technical features that have included the faces of certain celebrities like Holly Madison, Ice Cube, Mack 10, The Ying Yang Twins and Baby Bash just to name a few.
In the Lowrider world, cars are the stars, and lowriding has been accepted in mainstream America. I’m lucky enough to do what I enjoy as an employee and hobbiest all while shooting hot girls along the side.
Current Cars/Projects:
1970 Chevrolet, Monte Carlo
1970 Chevrolet, Caprice
1989 Chevrolet, Camaro Iroc
1964 Chevrolet, Convertible