Happy New Year!!

I know, I know I have been neglecting to blog. I'm constantly thinking, "how hard is it to just take a few moments to write and keep this blog up to date?" But everytime I sit to start, my mind wanders off to the millions of things that I should be doing in front of my computer. And, that's what always happens. I end up working on my one of many things that are pending on my "to do" list. As I sit here, I am waiting for my kids to finish getting ready for bed. My son just called out that there is a lady bug in the shower and refuses to get in. Put that on my "to do" list. (#101. Take ladybug out of shower).

We had a great Christmas celebration. I have about ten nieces and nephews on my side alone and if you include my three boys, you can imagine how our family celebration was. It was a lot fun and I'm sure my kids will have fond memories of our yearly celebration just as I have of mine when I was growing up. I just want to share with you this year's Christmas card. I had a heck of a time photographing my kids. The photos on the sides are my kid's true personalities-goofy and gigly. Happy New Year, everyone!

fun and laughter!

I love to photograph children and I was happy to photograph the Ami Family at home where they were relaxed and can just be themselves. I spent a few a hours with them photographing little Ava and baby Nolan. Ava was excited to show me her room. Funny how she shut the door on her mom so we can be alone. She is full of personalilty. We had a great time together laughing. Nolan was pretty cute. Look at those cheeks. Click here to see the family album.

the palace of fine arts

I was so delighted when Maria asked me to photograph her wedding. Maria is my younger sister's friend from her high school years. I was honored that she chose me to photogragh this special day for her. When Joe (my assistant) and I arrived at the hotel where Maria was getting ready, we had no choice but to park at a metered parking. To our dismay, a quarter will only give us 6 minutes of parking time. Thank goodness that the front desk wasn't stingy with quarters and saved us a parking ticket. Unfortunately, Joe had to keep going back down to refill the meter.

Maria was a gorgeous bride. She was calm and cheerful. I had the pleasure of meeting her mom and her dad. Her parents were so nice. Her dad always had a cheerful smile. I was surprised when Maria told me that her dad was over 90 years old. Wow!! He looks great. I saw him later dancing at the reception. He is still going strong. I think people who always have a happy attitude toward life live long and healthy.

The wedding ceremony took place at the beautiful Palace of Fine Arts. Ricardo looked so dashing in his white tuxedo. Ricardo is a professor at SF State teaching design. Maria is an interior designer. So I guess we can say that they have something in common besides their love for each other. The ceremony was touching and elegant. The setting was beautiful and the weather was nice. I whipped out my new baby..oh,I mean my new lens. The amazingly HEAVY 70 - 200 IS 2.8 Canon lens. I got some really great close up shots of the bride and groom and the guests. I guess it had its other benefits too in that I was able to work out my flabby arms at the same time. One of the groomsmen told me later that he can tell that I was different from other photographers becuase of the way I was shooting at different angles. I do get very busy during a wedding and I strive to photograph it at different angles and different lenses. I love variety and adding artistry to this beautiful and festive event.

The ceremony area got pretty windy and so many were cuddled up with their coats and each other. Sacramento at the time was in the nineties. So, the cool breeze was welcoming. After the ceremony, the guest along with passerbys were treated to a traditional Filipino dance. I wish I can tell you the names of the dance, as I should know because it is a cultural dance that is very popular with Filipinos. In college, I did participate in these dances when I joined the Filipino club. I never get tired of watching them.

After the ceremony, because the ceremony was delayed by half an hour, we had to hurry to photograph really fast so that we can go to the Palace of Legion of Honor. Unfortunately, we got there with just 15 minuntes to photograph. Since I have shot there so many times before, I was able to quickly get as many shots that I can. The bridal party was so much fun. We had great time despite the short amount of time we had. The photos turned out amazingly well.

We headed back to the Marina Greens for the reception at the Golden Gate Yaught Club. I was pleasantly surprised at how much light was pouring into the dining area. Beautiful light means I can photograph people candidly and get ideal lighting from several angles. Funny seeing an old high school buddy of mine, Jose Guillermo at the wedding. He still looks the same after.... (well, I'm not telling many years, then you'll know how OLD I am)....let's just say after many years. He was surprised to see me photographing instead doing some engineering work somewhere. Well, I followed my passion and here I am enjoying what I do and loving every minute of it.

Maria and Ricardo are two people who are meant to be together. I know that watching the two of them together that this loving couple will be happy forever. View their wedding by **clicking here***.

Catta Verdera

I have so many photographs to share with you. I have been so busy and have not had time to get in and post the fabulous experiences I've had with the people I had the honor of photographing. So, on the next few entries I will share some of my photographs and fun time I had with them.

First, I will start with Ranin and Ron. What a wedding!!! The festivities started the day before the wedding where the Muslim Ceremony took place. It was an intimate ceremony shared only by immediate family members and close friends. After the ceremony, Ranin's mother invited everyone and me to a feast of middle eastern ciusine. It was delicious! My favorite was the hummus. Ranin's mom was kind enough to share with me her recipe. I had tried making it before but had no luck in perfecting it. Hummus is a thick sauce made of ground garbanzo beans, tahini paste, olive oil, garlic, and lemon. It is delicious if made perfectly as it was that night.

The next day was the day of the wedding which took place at the Catta Verdera Country Club in Lincoln. The whole day went smoothly thanks to Leslie and her staff. They took care of all the coordination from ceremony to reception. This place is one of the most gorgeous place to have a wedding. Ranin outdid herself in putting together this fantastic wedding down to the smallest detail. Her sense of style showed in how the reception and the ceremony site was decorated. The flowers were fantastic thanks to Shannon of Flourish. And, the cake was gorgeous. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the candy table and photo booth. How fun are those?!! I was so excited because I knew that these are very special to her and that I would have to make sure that I beautifully document everything that she had put her heart in designing.

As Ranin sat down to have her make up done, she came to the realization that this is it. I saw a little tear of excitement in her eye. Not only is she marrying the love of her life but also be able to share this special day with her most closest friends and relatives.

Ranin and Ron's photos reflect their personality. They are a sweet, fun, and caring couple. There were so many places to photograph, we had to rush through it to get to the reception on time. Because of their easy going personalities, I am proud to say that the photos look amazing. I was able to capture their true essence. For a wedding photographer, photographing the couple is special but being able to capture the other aspects of the wedding is just as important and meaningful. For example, I love the look on her face as she came down the aisle. She had a smile that was contagious. Another was Ron and Ranin's reaction as they saw the reception site for the first time. Little things like that make photographs memorable.

I am lucky to have met and have had the opportunity to be part of the Ranin and Ron's wedding day. Click here to view their wedding!!

a lifetime of happinesss!

The wedding of LeDonna and Quintin was held at Arden Hills. The Villa was finally opened for wedding couples to stay. LeDonna and Quintin were one of the first couples who stayed at "The Villa" on their wedding night. I met LeDonna there to photograph her while she was getting ready. So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to view the site for the first time. LeDonna and I were first to arrive. We were ushered into her room and saw this gorgeous room with a beautiful canopy bed. There were french doors leading out to the courtyard. LeDonna looked so fabulous and glamorous that day... which I already new she would. When she was ready for her portraits, I took her to the entry way where a tall staircase with wrought-iron banisters greeted guests as they enter the building. I was in photo heaven. I love to see beautiful architectural details, mirrors, chandeliers, etc. It just adds to the drama of the photographs. It suited LeDonna's looks and personality. It was a pleasure meeting both LeDonna and Quintin's families. They were warm and loving to each other. I see were both LeDonna and Quintin's sweet, quiet and calm demeanor comes from. As the evening progressed, dancing started and everyone was on the dancefloor even both grandparents. LeDonna's parents can dance! They were doing a latin dance. I wouldn't know one dance to the other. Someday, I will take latin-dancing lessons and hopefully look as good as them. Not with my husband, though. You'll never catch him on the dancefloor...moving. It was a happy day and happy moments. LeDonna and Quintin are clearly made for each other. You can see by the way they look at each other that this sweet relationship will last a lifetime. **Click here** to view their slideshow.

december bride!

I remember driving to Teresa's parent's house early that morning. The pavement was wet and knew that it will be raining most of the day. It did not, however, dampened the spirits of the people who were in the wedding. Teresa was gorgeous and waits in her room for Van to come and whisk her away. Before Van can come into the house and take his bride away , he must perform anything the bridesmaids asked him. He had to sing and give money....do some push ups. It was hilarious watching him and his groomsmen plead to the girls. And, finally he was allowed to come into the home and the traditional Chinese ceremony begins. From there, we caravaned over to their home where another ceremony was held for the groom's side of the family. We then headed to the State Capitol. I was so amazed that despite the wet ground and slight drizzle, I did not hear one complaint from anyone. We just hurried under that front porch of the capitol and took some fun and amazing photos. After that, we went to the Holiday Inn for the ceremony. Later that evening, they had a Chinese banquet with hundreds of people in attendance. The food was amazing and just kept coming in. Unfortunately, I only had a few bite here and there. Van and Teresa couldn't either, they had guests to greet at each table. Teresa changed into her gorgeous traditional Chinese gown. She looked amazing in it. Teresa and Van are a great couple...happy and gracious. I enjoyed being around them. ***click here*** to view their slideshow.

I'm back!

It has been a while since I posted anything here. I apologize for not keeping this up. Since the holidays, I have been so busy with trying to finish last seasons work and have not had time to post my photos. My next post will be from the wedding I did last December. I want to share with the fun I had photographing the wedding of Van and Teresa.