I always have a camera with me.

I was born in Encino, California, and if you look at my photographs you'll realize that I have spent far too much time in the San Fernando Valley. Many people think The Valley is the anticulture hub of Los Angeles, but that's not really true. Culture is here, but it hides behind tract homes and strip malls, behind cinderblock walls and overcrowded McMansions. My favorite subjects are things that are not afraid to show their age: bent and broken signs, rusty fences, historic buildings, anything that has endured and survived the attacks of external forces and now proudly wears its scars.

Event photos are boring.

Well, posed ones are boring. I rarely shoot posed or planned shots; I would rather find something unexpected. I can (and do) take a picture of the couple's first dance, but they won't be isolated from reality. My shooting style at events is more photojournalistic - usually high-grain, high-speed, black and white shots. My pictures don't present a stiff, artificial reality; they capture the actual emotions of the day.

You can purchase my pictures.

Below are some examples of my work. Most of them are available for purchase at lukegattuso.zenfolio.com . If you are interested in owning or using one of my pictures, or you would like to include my pictures in an exhibition, or you have a location you'd like me to photograph, or you would like me to be the photographer at your event, or you have a great recipe for chocolate chip cookies, you should drop me a line so we can work out the details.