Baby Gavin

I shot Gavin’s Dad Tom Atencio gavinatencio_landrymajor-78blogfor Fight! Magazine. He had just had a new baby and asked me to shoot photos of him with his baby.  Gavin was 6 weeks old and the sweetest little baby. What was immediately clear was the special bond already between father and son.  The whole time Tom held Gavin he either slept at total peace, or smiled. You can see Tom transformed into this amazing loving person before your eyes when Gavin is near. The magic that a child works on our lives never ceases to amaze me. I was so honored to have been asked to take these photos.

Communication Arts Annual Photography 2009

http://www.commarts.com/annuals/2009-Photography

I am so proud to be featured in the Communication Arts Annual Photography Issue. The company I am keeping is extraordinary. The image selected is one of my favorite images of Randy Couture. It really shows who he is on so many levels. Thank you to Randy for his generosity and to Comm Arts for selecting me. I am blessed!randycouture_landrymajor-3940sm

Cheick Kongo

Cheick Kongo looks pretty intimidating. He is 6′4″ of MMA Heavyweight muscle.  But with his black glasses, and huge smile, there is so much more to this French fighter. His body looks like it is carved out of granite, but he is shy and needed to be asked nicely to take off his t-shirt. He is the kind of fighter that gets under my skin and intrigues me because you see those layers. That he is tough and strong, is obvious….but he is funny, charming and smart. I love the incredible friendship that exists between he and Gilles. Cheick splits his time between his home in Paris and Los Angeles. gillescheick_landrymajorblog-98

Gilles Marini

I met Gilles when I offered to shoot a charity poker tournament. While the women were swooning over how gorgeous he was, I was watching his genuine warmth and grace. When he was on Dancing With The Stars, I noticed his best friends Cheick Kongo and Donal Logue all there front row cheering for him. These three seemingly different men intrigued me that they love and support each other all the time. Gilles and Donal are also front row at Cheick’s MMA fights.  I think it is incredible how three very successful men are there for each other and their families.  I set up a shoot with them for Fight! Magazine. We shot at The Nine MMA Gym, which is a great location. Gilles and Cheick were both charming and fun, as well as the obvious…gorgeous.  When we wrapped I expected them to rush off to their busy schedules. Gilles was just starting on ABC’s Brothers and Sisters and is excited about his new venture. gillescheick_landrymajor-519blogInstead they stayed and talked with the staff of the gym and signed the ring. Many thanks to Casidee and Don the incredible owners of The Nine, who made our shoot feel like we were home.

Ronnie Faisst

I love being surprised by the people I shoot. I spent an incredibly hot afternoon in Temecula to shoot Brian Deegan and the Metal Mulisha. I have seen them before at X Games, and can’t believe what they do. They defy gravity and all good sense with the height and moves they do on their motocross bikes. I was with my son Cash two years ago at X Games when Ronnie Faisst crashed and couldn’t believe he was ok. Without a doubt these guys are tough, but Ronnie has layers to him. There is a kindness in his eyes. My job constantly reminds me that people are so much more than what they appear to be on the outside. I love my portraits of Ronnie. We couldn’t shoot the guys jumping because the wind was up, but it was so worth it! I hope they end up on the box at the X Games next week.briandeegan_landrymajor-156web

Caroline D’Amore

Caroline_Landry Majorsm-17Caroline D’Amore is a model, actress and DJ. She has a new movie coming out in September called Sorority Row, that is a thriller with other young Hollywood hotties like Rumor Willis.
We did a shoot right before she was off to Japan for the MTV DJ awards.

Mike and his boys

I recently did photos of a Dad about to ship out to Iraq for the next 14 months.  His ex-wife was the one who hired me, which is incredibly special. They have two young sons who are going to miss their Dad so much. If anything happened to him, she wanted them to have special photos of them together. How wonderful is that? These boys love their Dad so much, I can’t imagine them not seeing him for over a year. Our kids change so much in that short time. I was honored to be able to spend time with such a great family and capture the love they all have for each other. I put the images up on a web gallery so the Dad can see them anytime while he is away. I am sending out a big wish that he comes home safe and early to his boys!jodi_landrymajor-2-47

Amir Khan

I spent a few days shooting Amir at the Wild Card. He is so grounded it is hard to believe how young he is. He already has that incredible focus. Freddie believes in him. He thinks he is his next big fighter coming up, and Freddie knows fighters.  The first day I watched him spar his sparring partner was on the mat looking stunned in the second frame I shot. He had no idea what had hit him and how he had gotten there so fast. Amir KhanAmir has no ego, it is work and fun. I love watching these guys smiling through their training, enjoying the process. Amir’s next big fight is in the UK June 27th. A big thank you to Freddie, Amir and his Dad Shah for letting me hang out and photograph him.

The Wrapping of Hands

BlackHouse_LandryMajor-198 copyI am not sure why, but I love to watch some ones hands being wrapped.  I am not sure if it is the intimacy of it, or the zen moment, but it fascinates me. Watching Freddie Roach get his tape ready and the care that he takes with each hand is a pleasure. Watching MMA guys wrap is a different process, there is no gauze. Everyone has their own colours and tape, in their unique ritual. Some boxers use gaffer tape or electric tape. How do you decide how you will have your hands wrapped? One trainer who boxed for years told me the story of how he was late to arrive at a boxing match so they wrapped his hands in a hurry and badly. During the match he felt his hands breaking, but kept fighting through the pain. By the end he couldn’t even feel his hands striking. He won, but both hands were broken.  He only tried to fight one time after they had healed. The bad wrapping ended his career. So the ritual, is incredibly important.

Smitten

Ok, I am smitten. Smitten by the Wild Card Boxing Gym and the people who inhabit it. The international boxing talent that train in this small gym in the middle of Hollywood is amazing. I was there two days this week shooting English boxer Amir Khan. While I was there Andrei Arlovski was there sparring in preparation for his next MMA fight. There were boxers from Scotland, Kenya, you name it.  Freddie Roach is the quiet presence that every one flocks to. He is somehow still grounded and ego free. He just went to Vegas to accept his giant Trainer of the Year award and trophy. Since he hates trophies..he left it on the bus, and they will mail it to him. His assistant trainer heavy weight champion Michael Moorer is working with Arlovski while Freddie concentrates on Amir who is amazing already at only 18 years old. The first day I was there his sparring partner was on the mat looking stunned after the first two minutes, trying to figure out how he got there. There is a quiet intensity to everyone in the Wild Card. WildCard_LandryMajor-89The Wild Card parking lot and being yelled at by the woman who runs the laundry downstairs is considered a rite of passage.  I had some amazing conversations with trainers who have given me such great insight into boxing and boxers. Pictured Scottish Boxer Gary Young.

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