Perez Kids. 2011.

My husband and I always look forward to hanging out with the Perez family. We don't live very close to each them, but it's always worth the drive whenever we do get a chance to spend some time together. There's something awesome about being around great friends that always encourage you to walk strong with the Lord. Friends that make you laugh the whole time you're hanging out with them. And whenever we're leaving the Perez household, two things are guaranteed: My heart always feels uplifed because they've prayed for us and my face, no doubt, has suffered from serious laughing cramps. And I'm ok with that because I'd rather have my face frozen on a smile than frozen on a frown, you know?

And a few weeks ago was no exception. We spent the afternoon doing a photoshoot of their 4 growing-up-way-too-fast kids and and had a blast. A local park to hang out in and a bag of White Rabbit did the trick on getting all the kids to be happy and smilin' for my camera. The kids did an awesome job and after the shoot, we got to hang out, eat pizza and laugh some more. What can I say except that God's blessed us with great friends. Great friends who always send us home with a happy-laughing-smiling cramp on our faces.

































 

Yipee!! - My Very First Published Photo

It isn't fun having a sore throat and thinking as I wake up this morning "OMG, what if it's strep/bronchitis/the flu/some unknown-I'll be-the-first-case-of-a-new-disease-they've-discovered."

But first, I guess calming down and just waiting to see the doctor is the best thing to do first, right? Right.

On the bright side, I got a pleasant surprise in my Inbox this morning as soon as I quit panicking about my possibly diseased throat. Ms. Ava Albano, whom some of you may remember from the photoshoot we did here sent me a message to let me know she had been featured in an article at her college and that they had used a photo from her photoshoot with me. I got all sorts of happy to see my photo used, but even more so to see why they had written an article on Ava. She's a hard-working college student I'm super proud of her. Check out the article on:

Finishing school, working, and supporting her family - 
Ava Albano's SOS story

Thanks, Ava for sharing this with me and keep up the great work!
Happy Tuesday, everybody!!

White Rabbit Candy and the Perez Family

If you have never had White Rabbit candy, go to your nearest Asian store and pick up a bag. Make sure you got a good dental insurance plan in place, then start chomping away at one of the best candies ever. Your teeth'll be hurtin', but man, they're good. Like, hecka.

They're also useful for helping kids get through a photoshoot. Sugar usually does. =) Armed with a bag of this candy, my hubby and I met up with our friends, the Perez family, to do a photoshoot of their kids. I was a little nervous because I've only done one other photoshoot of kids and it was only with two, the Maganito kids. This time around, I was going to be handling four kids and hoped they wouldn't get tired of smiling for my camera.

The shoot went awesome and it gave us a chance to hang out with friends we hadn't seen in a while. Below is a preview of the Perez photoshoot. More to come, so stay tuned!!

A lil' bit of Pinky and a lil' bit of Bwain

It’s been an exciting month so far. To actually think that the dream of being a professional photographer can very well become a reality with some hard work is uber cool. Super duper, uber, fantabulously cool.

I do have to admit though, that this past month and a half or so of planning, researching, and sketching out ideas for photoshoots, business plans, insurance information, drooling over camera gear I’d love to someday own has got me suddenly remembering Pinky and the Brain. Er, I mean Pinky and the BWAIN! Get it right…..BWAIN! Remember them? Here’s an image help jog your memory:

Ok, so now that we’re all on the same page as to who Pinky and the Bwain are...

As a kid I used to watch this famous WB cartoon with my sisters, imitating them all day, and laughing at the comedy they evoked through their futile attempts to take over the world. One smart lab rat and one not-so-smart/scatter-brained lab rat. You might be now asking yourself, “Um, ok, so in your quest to make your photography gig a reality, WHY are you remembering Pinky and the Brain? I mean, BWAIN?”

Here’s why:
When I’m all focused and being proactive about researching,planning a shoot, taking this step and that step, practicing with my camera, etc., I kinda look the way Brain does. All determined and stuff.

With the furrowed brow and focused eyes. (Ask my husband and he’ll preacher-testify-HALLELOOOOOYER that yes it’s true, his lovely wife sometimes does morph into his lovely photographer geek) In some ways, I even sometimes think accomplishing this dream is a bit like taking over the world. The photography world. With lots of new, prime lenses. That capture lotsa pretty images. And color. And bokeh. And fantabulous depth of field. Ooooooooooohhh. (See? Geeeeee--eeeeek!)

And then, alas, there are my Pinky days. Yes, the Pinky days. These are the days where the details of all the stuff I’m learning and practicing just make me feel a bit scatter-brained/haven’t got a clue/I gotta fill out what paperwork?/wait, what am I doing and why am I doing this?/ durrrrrrrr, I dunno/what’re we gonna do today, Bwain? Oh, right, take pictures or something??

You know. The days I can't focus, when I look a little more like this:


But you know what? It’s ok. So what, right? I think most people, in their quest to take over the world/make that dream come true, finish that degree, win that race, find that job, all have a bit of Pinky and a bit of Brain in them. It’s all part of the process. So do it. Go on and dream big. These lab rats did and they had their own cartoon. =)

After all, Pinky couldn’t be without BWAIN couldn’t be without Pinky couldn’t be without BWAIN.

Happy Thursday!

Allyn the Ninja

At first, she seems quiet. A little, quiet, um, Asian girl-person I was doing a photoshoot of.

And well, for the most part, it’s true, she is. But don’t be fooled because once she gets on stage or even if you pay really close attention when you’re just hanging out with her, you’ll notice that this kid-turned-grown-up packs the one-liners and humor like she’s the comic ninja or something. Like, really quiet, and then BAM! You don’t know what happened, but she musta just hit you with her HA-HA stick cuz you’re suddenly laughing over a seemingly harmless comment she made a few minutes ago. No, for realz, she’s not just funny, SHE FUNNNAAAAY! (like, heeeey, snap yo fingers and do the chicken neck thing)

For realz, I personally think she’s like the Asian Tina Fey or something. Tina Fey, if you’re reading this, WOOOHOO WE LOVE TINA FEY WHOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!

Meet Ms. Allyn. I met her at the same time I met her side-kick Ava, whom I just finished a photoshoot for. The hubby and I have had the fortunate experience of watching Allyn do her thang in a few improv shows at her old high school and what can we say except that again, she is THE comic ninja and an awesome performer. But more than that, she’s grown up into an awesome young woman, who’s already doing great things in the world.

Allyn, if you ever end up acting or even just meeting Tina Fey, I’ll buy you all the mint-chocolate chip ice cream in the world if you let the hubs and me kick it with you in Hollywood.

The Boos and Yays of Mistakes

Mistakes.

Booo to mistakes…and yay to mistakes. Boo because it just sucks making them and the aftermath of tense shoulders and flutters in the tummy seem like it wasn’t worth the misstep. And yay (yes, yay) to mistakes because if you learn from them, it means you’re growing, you care about learning, and are an actual human and not some superhuman you kinda thought you were. (What? Am I the only one who thought she was WonderWoman at one point in life?)

Ah, joy to the pain of mistakes and the learning process that comes with it. I admit, though, I sometimes wish the process was more “yay!” than a grumbling “boo.”

Here’s to the mistakes and the painful learning that comes from it.

C’mon now, say it with me.....

YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, Ava!!

So, when I first met Ava, she was a teenager.

Until I started talking to her.

That's when I discovered the truth---she was a old soul appearing to be a teenager. No joke, I soon realized that Ava was young, but mature at the same time. What cracks me up about her is that she can call it how it is, no beating around the bush, with just this one look of hers. It's like this smirk, but with a twist of "are you freakin' kidding me?" kinda look. The kind that would make you think twice about acting like an idiot around her. I liked her  personality immediately, fo realz!

Ava's now a grown kid, an awesome young woman and I'm proud to call her friend.

If you ever need assistance on a huge event, call her. The girl has got mad event planning skills and even helped in the chaos of my own wedding a few years ago.

Just don't act all crazy on her because she's packin' that Ava smirk and ain't afraid to use it.

KFC Ain't Got Nothing on Me, yo!

I am finally, finally, finally, FINALLY attempting to shoot in Manual mode. Whoo-hooo! Why have I taken so long to try out this camera mode that other photographers rave about?

Well, I'll just tell you why...because I am a straight up Kentucky Fried CHICKEN! The crispy kind. But alas, this fried bird is finally making the change and oh, wow, who knew this camera function could be so fun?

So pardon me while I go fluff my feathers and run into the world of Manual mode. Photography adventures, here I come!

Eh. Fried chicken actually sounds good right now.

Remembering

Did I even spell that right? Mullets? It takes two seconds to look it up and eh, I'm going to leave it that way. MULLETS! The hubs and I attended THE CONCERT OF THE YEAR! Madonna? No. Bruno Mars? No. Katy Perry? EH, NO!

Wait for it....wait for it.....

HALL AND OATES!!!! Yep, I said it, and ya'll know what I'm talking about! And shall I say it was quite an experience for my husband and me being among the youngest ones there belting out all the words to "Private Eyes" and "Maneater"? The only ones younger than us were the "kids" who's parents took them out there with them to watch this show.

"private eyes....are watching you! they see your eeeevrrrry mooooove!! private eeeeeyes are watching you watching you watching youuuuuu..."

Now. While I do realize that there probably wasn't anything cool about our look in the 80's, there was something VERY cool about rocking out to all the hits of Hall and Oates at last night's concert. Like, I felt like I should have fixed my hair into a side ponytail and I know the hubs felt like he had to sport a turtleneck like he was 8 years old again.

And whatcha know about them mullets???!! Yes, I know. Somethings are better left in the past and straight up forgotten. Mullets included.

While the 80's are behind us and bad hairstyles are a distant memory (mostly) and last night's concert brought back the fun memories, today brought about  a solemn reminder of somethings that should never be forgotten. Ten years ago this nation was rocked in such a way that still sends a chill through my spine and places a sadness in my heart. Again, some dates should never be forgotten and September 11, 2001 is one of them. Here's honoring the men, women, and children who lost their lives in the Twin Tower attacks. We will never forget.

Gettin' all kindsa ugs

My sister calls it “gettin’ all kinda ugs”--as in, getting all ugly, making crazy faces & expressions as you really get into a song and sing aloud like it’s nobody’s business.

Well, I call it having a good time singing along to the old school beats. The joy of remembering the sophistication of tape recording, the high tech of pagers and secret agent pager code, waiting all day for that ONE song on the radio, and doing that whole point, open, and close thing with your fists, as you sang to that imaginary crowd and imagined yourself busting out the coolest dance moves in front of the crowd. Yep….the good ol’ days that were tied into the best of the old school rap and hip hop and R&B.

Yes, that’s right. Some songs just wanna make me get all kinds of ugs.

Just last week marked the 10 year death anniversary of one of my all-time favorite artists, Aaliyah. And in the midst of my own little party in my car on the way to work, I dug out her One In a Million album and immediately got lost in the captivating trance of her hit “Let Me Know”.

It’s weird how songs take you back into a chapters of your life, how it touches upon old memories and even makes you laugh remembering the weird outfits you wore that convinced yourself you were the hippest kid in school. I loved Aaliyah for her style and the art of her music and still remember, as I’m sure most true R&B fans remember, the day the news broke out of the tragic plane crash that ended her life much too soon. I remember how sad I was hearing that the music industry lost one of its greatest. I even remember where I was—roaming around my college campus on a typical “I’m gonna melt” type of day in Arizona.

Even now, 10 years later, I still find a little part of my heart saddened as the hauntingly sweet voice of Aaliyah sang my favorite songs, taking me back to a time when it was indeed cool to wait all day for your favorite song on the radio before you hit the play/record button on your cassette recorder, to wear the baggiest pants your body could possibly swim in and still look great, to sport a pager, and most of all to enjoy an era of time in which Aaliyah’s “Back and Forth” made you giddy for the party of everyday, not just a Friday.

Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to get all ugs to this beat.

Happy Monday, to you and yours!

Kick up yo heels and do the happy dance with me!

Fantabulous song! It makes me want to do a happy dance. Just Jesus and me and a whole lotta happy! Oooh and a guitar! If I knew how to play one, I’d be toting that thing around WITH my camera. Ohhhh, yeah!


Be the blessing…happy Wednesday all!
"Hold Me" by Jamie Grace

Dude, you can Photoshop this, right?

I think that when you’re surrounded with like-minded artists be it photographer, painter, hairstylist, or otherwise, they “get it” when you get just a bit too dorky over a light reflected just right. When you just gotta chase that sun for that one last shot cuz it just looks so cool. When you freak out because the click of your camera was not fast enough to capture that fast-fleeting moment at near perfection. They get it when you talk about the seemingly endless challenges and failures that comes with the territory in this quest to perfect your craft. They get it when you still wanna keep trying and trying and trying, though the odds to be a professional artist seem, at the moment, taunting you each step of the way.

Practice makes perfect. And what better person to practice the photography thing than with a fellow artist - my sister! She’s a hair stylist, an aspiring business owner, and a gifted artist herself. AND she was here on a visit that was way too short. Though my photography is far from perfect and definitely more practice, I still had fun. Mostly because I think somewhere deep inside, I needed to hang with another artist to confirm that I was indeed proactively chipping away at a huge goal, that yes I was indeed moving towards my dream of being a professional one day.

My siblings and I are close. And in this afternoon of shooting one of them, I reaped the benefits of having a close sibling bond---I received encouragement I didn’t know I needed to hear. I received critique I didn’t know I needed to hear. I received the loving butt-kick only your sisters or brothers can give. Most importantly I received the opportunity to just laugh and learn during the moments I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. Fear can paralyze me to the point of being so hesitant to create the photo I was envisoning, to hesitate on pressing that shutter release button, to really GO for that shot. I mean, REALLY. I was actually having brain farts on trying to figure out how to pose my sister and at the same time hurry because of fading sunset lighting that I love oh so much in my photos but still don't know how to quite capture. Um, do all of that AND learn how to switch the settings on my camera AND act like I'm confident? Yep, I can still hear my sister’s voice:

“C'mon, you gotta lead your subject, dude!”

“You can’t just say “ok”....tell me how I need to pose! You gotta engage with your subject.”

And of course…

“Oh my gosh. You can Photoshop this, right?” =)

There’s still so much I want to learn about photography. So much I have to learn about my camera, what this button and that button does and how do I make the photo look like this or that oh man, how do you simply be a brave artist not afraid to try? Small steps, one at a time, right?

In exchange for her encouragement, critique, and some much needed laughing time, but mostly just for being a sister I am thankful to have---yes, dude, I can Photoshop anything you want.

Now...if only I can get my other fabulous sibling to smile for my camera...in the meantime, enjoy the preview!

Gonna trust in You only....

I'm bummed that I can't find the full song of this online. Heard the clip and it's awesome. It's this heart tugging reminder that walking with God, being carried by Him, being loved by Him and transformed by Him is hard and great, all at once. Especially to any woman who reads this or hears the song clip online - please know that this is a message that God does  love you with all your mistakes, hang ups, etc. despite whatever life or people have said or made you think or feel. I only believed it when I realized it for myself.

Be blessed.

You
-by Yolanda Adams

From the first day

You came in my life

I knew that I would

Be forever changed

Turn away from all my foolish ways

And in my heart I know I’m truly saved

You showed me something everlasting

And it’s Your mercy that I’m asking for

No longer do I ignore Your power

Your power

Cause You

Got the kind of love that never fails

And it’s the kind of love that never fades away

It’s by amazing grace

How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was blind and but now I know I can see

All of the things that You do for me

You told me there’s no need to worry

Gotta keep You before me

Gonna trust in You only

Every new morning...

It's cool to get a Bible verse in my email, actually look it up, and then find even more cool verses. 

Lamentations 3:22-25

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is  your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seek him…

Meilani. 2011.

It was, as Outkast once eloquently put it, colder than a polar bear's toenails one Sunday. But the sun was gracing us with it's late afternoon golden shimmer and softer light, so we all took a chance and ran around the beautiful city of San Francisco to do a photoshoot of the lovely Meilani.

Ray and Sarah. 2011.

You’re my unfathomable precious unimaginable joy
And you’re exceedingly exciting and abundantly more than I could ask for
With your hand in mine we will pass through time and space
                                          -Jimmy Needham, “Unfailing Love”

I get giddy watching a moment captured through a photograph. I get even giddier when my camera captures a moment between two people who have been given the blessing of each other, the opportunity to love and share life together. Man has written songs time and time again to express, as Jimmy Needham puts it, that “..unfathonable, precious, unimaginable joy” that the love of another can give.

Meet Sarah and Ray. I asked them to be my subjects, because there’s nothing funner (and yes, I said funner) than doing a photoshoot of two individuals in love. Though the locations we shot at were just a little too close to the smell of city marsh waters, these two proved to be great sports as they continued to smile and say “cheese” long enough for my camera to make a photo.

Them Bebots

Yes, I sat around in traffic this morning bumping Bebot by Black Eyed Peas, and yes with that genius beat creation of B.E.P. cranked up in my little commuter car, I had a growing urge to throw my hands in the air and start dancing…as much as I possibly could sitting in a very enclosed spot. This song also suddenly reminded me that I am my husband’s bebot. Yep. I am. It’s a cool thing. And if you don’t know the translation of that word, I shall trust that Google with help provide that to you.

I have to admit, I laughed a little at this notion of being my dear husband’s bebot because I suddenly realized that it translates into a lot of other things. These “things” being that I still have a weird need to walk around the house with slippers if I’ve been barefoot too long. That if the absence of a fork or spoon was ever upon me, I can roll up my sleeves and eat with my hands and survive. (Truly, to be able to clump rice together with your hands is an art form. I highly recommend trying it!) That super sour soup stemming from the creation of the tamarind is pure culinary genius when it’s raining or cold outside. That a duck egg is not just a plain ol’ duck egg anymore, but more like a delicacy my relatives would pair with a beer and call it a day. (I still have not mustered enough courage to savor the duck egg, but will always have respect for those that can consume this and not gag. Quack!)

So go ahead, crank up that genius Bebot beat by Black Eyed Peas and shake what your momma gave you...slippers and all!

Ice cream and other summer essentials...

My dear friend allowed me to do a photoshoot of her kids one sticky, summer afternoon. In the days leading up to the shoot, I racked my brain on a place that would not only encapsulate all things summer, but would also be interesting enough to hold the attention of two very happy and excited kids. My husband then suggested Fenton’s Creamery…perfect! What can hold a child’s attention better than the excitement of having ice cream?

So we packed up the kids in my friend’s mini-van and took off, heading towards that pot of gold the kids knew as ice cream. And believe you me, they made sure to remind us to all scream for ice cream, at the top of their lungs. Gotta love it! A little side note – and maybe this is because I’m not a mom-but man, that mini-van my friend drove was quite impressive. I’ve never known a car to be so child-equipped and ready for any drive longer than 5 minutes.

You know, come to think of it, I think that van could have made a trip to the moon quite comfortably, with its navigation system, nifty DVD player, two secure car seats, and my dear husband sandwiched between them. We were definitely more than ready to roll!


 





I think kids are fun subject for any photographer because they’re still in the stage of their life where every moment is fun to them and they haven’t yet learned how to be shy or to hold back any goofy, toothy grin or funny expression that came to mind. While we adults may have worried about having food or ice cream smeared on our face, these kids rocked those ice cream grins like it was no one’s business!








And while we adults are silently standing in line waiting to be seated, quietly excited for the treats that this ice cream parlor, these kids made it known to all those strangers standing in line that Fenton’s Creamery was the place to be and hey, don’t you people just wanna jump up and down knowing that we’re so close to the treasures of ice cream heaven?






Toothy grins and ice cream with these happy kids make for all the essentials of real summer fun.

Imperfect Me and My Imperfect Friends

We spent the evening with some friends we had not seen in a while along with others we see often. Homemade pizza always tastes better when it’s accompanied with glasses of wine and most importantly, people to share it with. In the few moments when I was not participating in the melodious sounds of laughter and lives being shared, I was basically just standing back and observing. Observing each person circled around the dining room, observing the kids and friends crowded in the kitchen, eagerly and impatiently awaiting the treasure of yummy pizza that baked in the oven, observing each person exchanging laughter and stories.

Each smile, each joke told, each outburst of laughter were beautiful reminders of how wonderful it is to be connected to one another, to be blessed with friends who have influenced and shaped people around them, simply by living out their love for God -- imperfectly, yes, with mistakes made,  yes, but nonetheless, wholeheartedly for God.  

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." - Proverbs 17:17

The Hardy Har-Hars with Hubby

The hubby is seriously the funniest person I know. I think that’s why I married him..so my face could hurt forever from laughing at all his hecka cur-ay-zay funny and not-so-funny-but-it was-a-good-try-let-me-attempt-to laugh- jokes. Even his everyday comments are funny. I keep telling him I need to write a book with all his sayings and haha-isms. His latest? He bought me MAC eyeshadow for Christmas. I bought blush just yesterday.

Hubby: “How is that any different than the stuff I bought you for Christmas?”

Me: “Um, babe, it’s blush. It goes on your cheeks. You bought me eyeshadow. That stuff goes on your eyes.”

Hubby: “Oh. Well, how the heck would I know it all looks like the same powdery stuff to me.”

And that is one of his many man-infused comments. He is quite witty, yes he is.