Bruin-Owned Photography Part Two

Photo by Vinukh Kalansuriya

T

hese Bruin-owned businesses showcase the work and art of Bruin photographers. Whether it’s for grad portraits or wedding shoots, corporate events or commercial ventures, you can support the arts and Bruin entrepreneurship by booking a shoot, buying prints or following them on social media to see their current and upcoming projects.

Michelle Guan '18

Current City: Los Angeles, California

Website: https://michelle8guan.wixsite.com/mguan

Social: @mguanphotography 

My name is Michelle Guan and I graduated in 2018 with a B.S. in psychobiology. I am extremely grateful to have been able to stay at UCLA for medical school as part of the class of 2023 and am currently finishing up my last year of schooling. My love for photography began during college in 2016 when I started exploring Los Angeles with friends and a camera in hand. As I ventured more into the graduation photography scene, I enjoyed the new friends I met (some of whom ended up becoming my medical school classmates) and being able to immortalize moments of joy for others as they celebrated their achievements with their friends.

As I had more opportunities to travel, photography has also been a great medium for me to share with others the beauty of the landscapes and cultures found across the world. Five of my landscape photographs were published in the UCLA Health community's annual arts and literature magazine "The Beat."

Photography continues to be a way for me to find balance in life as I am pursuing my career in medicine, and I'm always looking forward to events or photoshoot collaborations with others. I hope to continue connecting with other Bruins and alumni clients throughout the years!

Photo Showcase:

Description: I absolutely love capturing these candid laughter moments, which can sometimes be difficult to produce when posing in front of a camera. I continue to make it my goal during every photoshoot to create a warm and relaxing environment so my client's personalities and styles will shine through!

Charline Messa '21

Current City: Los Angeles, California

Website: www.charlinemessa.com

Social: @charlinemessa

I started as a self-taught photographer in Brazil, my home country and where I had the opportunity to capture uncountable moments on and off stage for great artists and bands. After moving to Los Angeles, I decided to embrace photography as a career and chose to study at UCLA. I have always been fascinated with the idea of capturing a scene or a moment forever in time. During my childhood, I used to exercise my creativity by drawing, painting, organizing and doing handcraft activities. Bringing movement to a static image, playing with space, and interaction and proportion of objects with the environment inspired me to photograph toys and miniatures.

Photo Showcase:

Description: I’m constantly using my personal collection of toys as my models, playing with light, composition, poses and creating a dynamic environment inside static images. What inspires and fascinates me while working with objects are the infinite possibilities to explore the different colors, textures and shapes.

Kevin A. Gilligan '90

Current City: Torrance, California

Website: www.photosbykag.com

Social: @photosbykag

Kevin Gilligan ’90 is an award-winning landscape, portrait, sports photographer and destination workshop instructor. Based in L.A.’s South Bay, he frequently travels to capture the beauty of our national parks and stunning destinations, including Patagonia and the Italian Dolomites. In 2020, Gilligan’s image of the Three Towers in Torres del Paine National Park won a Bronze Award from the highly competitive Epson International Pano competition. His portrait work, including his recent solo exhibition “Developing Men,” has been gallery-exhibited and was featured by UCLA Magazine. His sports photography includes professional surfing, professional soccer and mixed martial arts. Gilligan is a second-degree black belt in Krav Maga, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is passionate about MMA. His images have been in over 30 group shows, three solo exhibitions and displayed in museums three times. Gilligan is also a full time-prosecutor who won UCLA’s Public Service Award in 2016.

Photo Showcase:

Description: It was challenging to choose only one image for this profile because I photograph and teach workshops in three areas: landscapes, portraits and sports. Traveling and shooting images is an incredible feeling. This image captured the "Three Towers" in Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. The hike to get to the location took 11 hours round trip with a 30lb. photo pack. At the top it was so cold I could only shoot for about five minutes before taking shelter from the wind behind large rocks. Although I hiked with a tripod, it was too cold to use it. Instead I took several images handheld and combined them in post production. This image represents many things to me: the wonder of exploration, natural beauty and determination. In the near future, I will conduct destination photo workshops to beautiful locations like Patagonia and the Italian Dolomites. I was thrilled that this image won a Bronze Award from the very competitive Epson International Pano Competition.

Vinukh Kalansuriya '21

Current City: Los Angeles, California

Website: https://thedarkroomjukebox.com

Social: @thedarkroomjukebox

My name is Vinukh and I am a recent grad from the University of California, Los Angeles. I studied sociology and film during my time there. I really developed my photography and filmmaking abilities on the back of a wont to capture moments and document them as a part of someone's life history.

My primary medium is film photography and have honed in on shooting mostly commercial and editorial work. I also have experience in concert and music festival photography. Some of my clients have included Insomniac, Google and Irvine Company Apartments.

Photo Showcase:

Description: This is one of my favorite pictures I've taken and I took it during my time at UCLA. I initially had started photography as a way of documenting my life so I had something to look through when I was older and show my kids whenever they asked me what my life was like when I was younger. This photo was a result of me taking pictures of my friends playing basketball, and it just happened to be so loved by people in my life and on the internet, that it kickstarted my whole journey of professional photography.

Serena Zhang '19

Current City: Los Angeles, California

Website: https://serenatyphotography.wixsite.com/photography

Social: @serenatyphoto

I have always loved the magic of capturing memories through photography. With thoughts and visions captured in shapes and lines, photography has the power to evoke strong feelings through nostalgia, imagination and familiar scenes. Photography has also given me the opportunity to meet so many amazing people and hear their stories. Whether it is a graduation session, an engagement session or a lifestyle shoot, photography allowed me to capture and share in the joy that the clients may reminisce in for years to come.

Photo Showcase:

Description: I selected this photo because graduation season is my favorite time of the year and I love capturing the glowing joy of grads with this tremendous achievement.

Selina Pan '21

Current City: San Francisco, California

Website: https://shotbysel.myportfolio.com/

Social: @shotbysel

After receiving a camera as a gift on my 16th birthday, I originally wanted to practice and build a portfolio in the editorial and fashion space. I loved planning creative photoshoots with any of my friends that wanted to model for me. I dabbled in sessions with a wide variety of backgrounds, props and lighting. In college, I joined organizations and worked on several projects with different focuses like fashion and dance. I also started building my name in the graduation space at UCLA and other local colleges, and started branching out to shooting events. My recent focus has shifted towards portraits and events, with a heavy emphasis on graduation portrait photography, families and babies, and weddings. I discovered a love for capturing candid moments and documenting growth and milestones. I'm grateful to have experienced various facets of the photography industry, and ultimately, I love working with people, capturing real life moments and emotions.

Photo Showcase:

Description: The subject in this photograph is my best friend from my childhood and the first "model" I worked with when I started photography. Three years prior to this image, we had shot another milk bath photography series when it was Instagram trending. This shoot was inspired by a desire to try and not just recreate, but improve upon a past idea. This image is special to me because it showcases the development of my photography skills and passion, as well as the growth of my ability to plan and direct a photoshoot. It also goes to show how far the two of us have come, from our very first shoot to our original milk bath shoot to this most recent shoot.

Miranda Montenegro '20

Current City: Los Angeles, California

Website: https://www.mirandamontenegro.com

Social: @mirandaelmontenegro

My name is Miranda Montenegro and I am a filmmaker and photographer. I made photography my passion after interning and eventually working for UCLA Radio in their photo/video department. I have photographed countless artists and bands including Greta Van Fleet, Da Baby, Bishop Briggs and Ruel, and created content for Gibson Guitars and Stila Cosmetics. In 2019, I DP’d two short films, "Velour" and "Love Letter to Los Angeles," and co-wrote "Rate My Poetry: An Anthology on the Poetics of the Review." In 2020, I co-directed an award-winning mockumentary, "The Internet's First Girl Band," and directed my first fiction short film, "Hey Joe." In 2022, I wrote and directed my sophomore short, "U.S. vs. Beltran" and produced and edited the dark comedy "The Good Father." Additionally, I have interned for Sony Pictures Entertainment, Montecito Picture Company and Entravision Communications Corporation. I graduated from University of California, Los Angeles in March 2020 with a B.A. in English and concentration in film, television and digital media. I am a second-year M.F.A. film and TV production student at University of Southern California.

I am currently serving as a director's assistant on a Disney+ television show scheduled for a fall 2023 release. I am self-represented and take clients on a limited basis.

Photo Showcase:

Description: I love that this image signals that we are in a female's court. Ball is in her court and we are awaiting her wicked serve. As the Trump Administration was ramping up their reelection efforts, I wanted to show that females are more empowered than ever to claim their power.

Sabrina Yeung '13

Current City: Bay Area, Ohio

Website: https://www.syeungphotography.com/

Social: @syeungphoto

Since childhood, I've loved the idea of being able to capture moments in time through a photograph. I bought my first camera during my time at UCLA. While I should have been studying for my neurosci exams, I spent hours wandering around campus and different parts of West L.A. with my camera in hand, practicing and developing my photographic style.

During my senior year, I photographed my first wedding for a friend that I had met at UCLA. After graduation, I moved to the Bay Area and with the encouragement from friends, started my wedding and portrait photography business. Ten years later, I am working full-time as a product manager and continue to run my photography business.

Photo Showcase:

Description: When I first started my business, I had a few venues in mind that I wanted to photograph, yet they seemed so far out of reach. A few years later, this was one of the first weddings I had the opportunity to photograph at one of those venues. I'm so thankful for everyone who has encouraged me along the way and entrusted me to capture memories for them!

If you are a Bruin photographer, send us an email at connectfeedback@alumni.ucla.edu for possible inclusion into this page. Include your website, social handle, class year and a short one-paragraph bio. We will follow up to request additional info.

All Bruin-Owned Business Articles

Recent Articles

Our Proud Partners

UCLA Alumni Association
James West Alumni Center
325 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095

cog user CLOSE MENU