21 reasons to drink in L.A. is an ongoing project I started years ago. My idea is to photograph 21 of the best female bartenders in L.A., the ones who keep the customers coming back.
No.23
This is Chris. She ran The Brig in Venice beach when we shot these photos.
A beautiful redhead with a handshake that will crack your knuckles.
21 reasons to drink in L.A. is an ongoing project I started years ago. My idea is to photograph 21 of the best female bartenders in L.A., the ones who keep the customers coming back.
No.6
This is Nell. She worked at a club called Prey when I shot her on a different project. She was pretty glammed up for that shoot, so it was a nice surprise to see that her look was very natural and fresh when I photographed her for 21 Reasons.
21 reasons to drink in L.A. is an ongoing project I started years ago. My idea is to photograph 21 of the best female bartenders in L.A., the ones who keep the customers coming back.
No. 5
This is Annie. She’s a totally creative spirit with a beautiful voice. She worked at Cheetahs.. I’ve shot Annie for over 5 years and she has become a part of our family.
21 reasons to drink in L.A. is an ongoing project I started years ago. My idea is to photograph 21 of the best female bartenders in L.A., the ones who keep the customers coming back.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
No.3
This is Kate. Kate was recommended to me by another bartender at Bar Marmont. We’ve shot a few times and its always been a pleasure. She makes you feel like you’ve been friends for years.
21 reasons to drink in L.A. is an ongoing project I started years ago. My idea is to photograph 21 of the best female bartenders in L.A., the ones who keep the customers coming back.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
No.2
This is Kim. A friend recommended her. She was bartending at a place called NV in Beverly Hills where we took this first shot. The bar is no longer there and neither is Kim. The rest were shot in her home.
She was comfortable in her own skin which made it easy to change the feel of each photograph.
21 reasons to drink in L.A. is an ongoing project I started years ago. My idea is to photograph 21 of the best female bartenders in L.A., the ones who keep the customers coming back.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
No.1
The first bartender is Julia, a friend of mine who was assisting me during the day on photo shoots and tending bar at night at Bar Marmont.
These bartenders have a kind of rock-star status. They are in charge and this is a big plus when mixing people and drinks.
Even though I bring my aesthetic to the shoot when I photograph them in their home environment, its still a very collaborative process. It’s about how they see themselves and how they would like to be seen.
The bartenders I photograph are recommended to me by other bartenders and friends. I will add more of these photos I have shot each week.
Since people move on I need to continually update. If you, the viewer, know a bartender you’d like to recommend, just leave her name and/or the bar’s name in the Comments section or you can ask her to contact me through Comments. This information will not be posted.
The end result of this project will be a book of 21 of your favorite bartenders in L.A. and expand to other cities.
Joseph Viles - Web Log 