Sunday, November 30, 2008

our first thanksgiving






ok, it's not our FIRST thanksgiving, but it's the first one that the family LET us cook. actually,  more like assigned. it was exciting, but also was nervous about it, because my brother and dad are the worst critiques. there was a time i was all in to cooking, i bought all these gourmet cookbooks and wanted to experiment these recipes. after a bunch of discouraging comments, i gave it up. i just cook for myself. so when this opportunity came, i was excited. but i wasn't able to do any of my gourmet recipes, because it was very unexpected. we used whatever ingredients and recipes my mom had on her list. it came out pretty good. even the turkey didn't get overcooked! (thanks to my mom's fancy shmancy convection oven and chad's technical skills and reading the manual). check it out! 

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!


to everyone that has supported us, to everyone that we had the pleasure of meeting and offering our services, to everyone we love and care about....we wish you and your families a happy thanksgiving. let us be grateful for the people in our lives today, and to the loved ones who have passed on and are looking upon us now. (special blessing to auntie pake*god bless your soul* i will always remember your kindness. rest in peace.)

check out my latest family portrait! you can view the slideshow in its own window, just click here!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

girlie & marion: family portrait








i was so excited about these pictures, that i am blogging about this before putting together the slideshow. my cousin asked me to photograph her family for holiday portraits and cards and such. she asked if they could do more than one wardrobe change, and i said, sure! whatever you want!


little did i know that she was going to represent every season! you'll see!!! 

capturing the personality of families is something i strive to do at every shoot. and these pictures reflect the humor and laughter of this family. well, my cousin's laughter. guess which one is my cousin...

anyway, it was our pleasure to take their photographs. and a personal note to my cousin, "girlie, i don't know how you're going to pick just one! they're all cute!"

stay tuned for their family slideshow!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

terrible twos





nah...just kidding! he's not a terrible two. he just turned two years old! yay! popo, our chihuahua, celebrated his birthday, monday, november 17. so he was showered with gifts, like this cute T-shirt. we often wonder, if he could talk...what would he say about us? hopefully, he'd say we were good masters/owners/parents!


happy birthday, popo!!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

my goddaughter, and cousins




had so much fun photographing my goddaughter and cousins' kids. jaylyn did a great job her first time at a photo shoot (although she is immobile and can't move around as much, haha!). chloe, her cousin, is about 10 months, and will be running before we know it! i think by the time we got the girls together for a shoot, they were had it for the day. everyone was crying in unison, it seemed. but that's ok. to me, i'd take real life moments over fake, posed ones, anyday! i love taking portraits of babies in their environment, the environment that makes them happy. whether it be in their crib, bath tub, or backyard. to get the most naturalistic photos that say something about your child will not be found in front of a plain white backdrop in a cold studio.  it will be found at home. at a place they are familiar with. with you. interacting with them is the number one way i get great pictures. i'm there to capture the precious moments, and document them so no one will forget. 


if ya wanna see more cute pix of these girls...ya gotta see 'em in their halloween get ups!! click here to view the halloween slideshow

Saturday, November 8, 2008

santa anita church, arcadia, wedding photography & the hilton, pasadena, wedding photography: roy + germeen


we had to split their highlight pictures into 2 slideshows!!

thank you to Carolyn Simon, at Santa Anita Church, for taking the time to meet with us and learn about the church. the wedding coordinators on the day of the event were professional, and made everything run smoothly! it was beautiful ceremony.

Santa Anita Church
226 W Colorado Blvd
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 446-8206



special thanks go out to Shalom Tinsley, at Pasadena Hilton. she was so welcoming, and helped make Roy and Germeen's day a special one. we had so much fun on the dance floor!! and the catering service was attentive and friendly. we stayed at the Hilton for our wedding night, so it brought back memories. i hear they are renovating, so i'm excited to see the new Hilton!

Pasadena Hilton
168 South Los Robles Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 577-1000

Friday, November 7, 2008

santa anita church, arcadia, wedding photography: roy + germeen















what you put out in the universe, your thoughts and intentions, is what you receive. it's not a mystery how things manifest in our lives, especially after we request it. i remember a time that i stopped dating, and wanted to be alone, to gain perspective, and clarity in my life. i stopped doing the norm, and really immersed myself in solitude and silence. not a normal (or easy) thing for me, mind you. i definitely did not want to meet someone new or date someone new because i really wanted to figure things out for myself. without distraction or drama. then, one day, when i was "ready," i wrote in my journal a list of the person i wanted in my life. it was in detail. specific. down to the stature, the demeanor, and the personality. i wanted someone tall, dark and handsome. i wanted someone who adored me, and showered me with affection. i wanted someone i can feel safe and protected. i wanted someone to see me the way i see myself. that i was worthy. i was special.

a few weeks later, i felt the urge to hang out again with my friends. i was in better spirits, and not somber and introverted anymore. i was feeling brand new. ready to be a better version of myself. before i met my friends at the local bar, i stopped at a gas station, paid the cashier guy, and proceeded to pump gas. that's when he stopped me in my tracks. he was a tall, thin guy in a KFC uniform. he approached me with such a soft spoken manner, i took notice (but i didn't show it, of course!). he asked me my name, and number. of course, i refused. he continued to talk to me about music i was interested in, and what i liked to do on my spare time. i gave him an "A" for effort. i asked him how old was he, and he said he was 19 (i was 22 he was really 18 and in high school). i hopped in my car, and he made a last ditch effort to ask for my number. persistence pays off, i tell ya (and flattery gets you everywhere, for me), so i gave him a lipstick-written version of my number on the back of a bank deposit envelope. it's not like i'm going to marry him...

...that's what i did.

j. was the guy i had asked for in my journal. to the tee. what i put out in the universe, what i ordered. what i requested. and for the last 13 years i can't get rid of him!! (just kidding, j.!!)

when we started our business, we had a rough start. we were nobodys. after many rejections later from strangers, feeling discouraged, a little frustrated, we thought, okay, what kind of clients do we want? what kind of people do we want to serve? if we had a catalog of types of people we wanted to help out, who would they be? it was easy. people like us! people who appreciate photography and the importance of life milestones. people who are down to earth, and friendly. people who are family-oriented. people who like to laugh, and are real. once we wrote that down, we started to receive more positive reactions and interactions. we started to meet interesting people. people that we would probably be friends with in our personal lives.

we met germeen and roy through germeen's sister, mira, whom we had the opportunity to photograph her beautiful family. like mira and her husband, eddie, germeen and roy were down to earth and laughed at our jokes. they have 2 cute, energetic boys, and asked us to include them in our engagement portrait session. we were so happy they asked us to photograph their family and their wedding. germeen and roy met under special circumstances. they have an interesting love story, that i won't depict here. but i have to wonder if they put their request out in the universe, just like i did. looking at them, their love seems meant to be.

i know we were meant to meet them.

here are just some of my favorite pix. check out their slideshow coming soon!!!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

our lady of solitude, los angeles, quinceanera photography: lolita


if you want to view lolita's album pages, click here to view in it's own window

happy halloween!





pix of our child, popo! 

last year we got him a dinosaur costume, an extra small, because he's well, a small dog. well, it didn't fit him and we have painful looking pix of him standing in one place (because he couldn't move, it was so small). so this year, we upgraded to a costume that fits! he's a jack-o-lantern!!

my chihuahua doesn't wear clothing, so when he does wear a sweater (or this costume) he does not like it. he acts un-popo like. he mellows out, as you can see in this picture (i was at a 60th of a second taking these pix...the dog did not move!!!) he looks unhappy. but cute.