The One with Daniel's Family

In many ways, shooting for another photographer is more nerve wrecking than shooting for a client - especially when you have a ton of respect for that photographer as a person and a friend. My brother in Christ, Daniel Galang, asked me to do a family shoot for him while his parents and brothers were in town one weekend and it was such a blessing to be able to meet his family.

Liberty Station is where our church, The Rock Church, is located in Point Loma. It's a beautiful redevelopment with lots of grassy areas, fountains, and hallways lined with arches. In my mind, I've always wanted to do a shoot there, so this was a great opportunity to try it out. Luckily, the sun decided to peek out by noon and we got some nice, crystal clear blue skies. It truly was a typical San Diego day in all its glory.

Of course, Daniel's youngest brother, Jesse, stole the show. He was such a well-dressed little man of 6 years. They were on their way to Legoland that day, so I was pleasantly surprised that he stuck through the whole shoot because if I were him at that age, I think I would much rather be at Legoland pretending to be a pirate and shooting water at my parents than out in the middle of the day taking photos with some strange lady lying face down in the middle of the sidewalk with a camera.

No matter what kind of shoot I'm doing, I somehow (subconsciously really) find myself following the littler ones around. There's just something about kids that make them so much fun to shoot.











Such funny faces - esp from Daniel. :)




The three brothers.


The hallways of seemingly endless arches...



And then we had some fun throwing the football around on the HUGE grassy field. My fave shots are of Jesse in action. His hair flying the air and his little hands catching this huge football. Way too cute. And missing his two front teeth? I'm getting a tummyache from all this sweetness... :)




My fave shots of the day.


Mom and Dad even threw the football around a little bit. I love the look in her eyes.




A future football star in the making.



Daniel, thanks for asking me to shoot. I had a great time getting to know your family and I can see why you've become such a great man of God today. Vaness is one lucky lady because I just know in my heart that God has created you to be a great father someday after seeing you with Jesse. Praise God!


And special thanks for my lovely husband who did an excellent job as the bag/football/purse carrier. :)

The One with Julia and Chris' Engagement Party :: 08:09:08

I was invited to shoot an engagement party in Irvine for Julia and Chris last weekend. They were referred to me by the amazing Sarah K. Chen who's shooting their wedding next May in Palos Verde.

Something I absolutely love about parties is the food. And this party had an abundance of it. Trays and trays of yummy delicious food. Chinese and Vietnamese food too! I know Adam would have drooled over the huge trays of spring rolls, fried rice and chow mein. The clubhouse had a kitchen and some of the women were cooking HUGE pots of porridge. Yum! A mini candy bar and a chocolate fountain was definitely the cherry on top. Kids had so much fun with the chocolate fountain too. Food is such an essential part of my own family, so right off the bat I could tell that this was going to be a great party.




These little cupcakes and ice cream cone cupcakes were so adorable.


He was such a ham for the camera. I love it!

I had the chance to take the couple around the complex to get some quick shots. They were celebrating at the The Village Apartments right across the street from Irvine Spectrum. Wow. I thought La Mirage was a huge apartment complex, but The Village is like a town! A really hip and trendy town. They have their own Starbucks and Julia said that they play movies on the lawn sometimes. It was a beautiful place to shoot and I'm still in a little bit of awe still. So many different nooks and crannies... it would be a great place to shoot at night too.

They mentioned that they probably take about three photos of themselves in a year, so it was a treat to help get some shots of them as an engaged couple.















It was such a blessing to share in your engagement celebration. Thank you for making me feel like a part of the family. I can only imagine how awesome your wedding is going to be next May. Best wishes to you both!

The One with the Mommy and Me Playgroup :: 06:19:08

Mothers. Moms. Mommies.

I have total and complete admiration for mothers. There's just something different about the "job" of being a mother. I cannot even fathom a fraction of what it means or feels like to be a mother. Even being as career-driven and oriented as I am, I have a feeling that one day, God willing, when God blesses Adam and I with a baby that it will be something that nothing could prepare me for. And me, being the control freak, always wanting to be super prepared for everything. I just know I will probably have a hard time dealing with it all.

Just saying. :)

I had the honor of shooting a Mommy and Me playgroup today that Lisa (Elle G) referred to me. Anne invited me to their weekly playgroup to take photos of their babies that are all around a year old or so.

Omigosh, can you say PRECIOUS?! They were all so cute and energetic. I got all sweaty just chasing them around the backyard trying to capture a focused shot of them. Note to self: when you shoot babies and children... you gotta be FAST!

After spending some time with the moms, you could just feel the love in the room. It's so awesome that they have each other. To support one another and be able to understand EXACTLY what each other is going through as a new mother. I can't imagine trying to raise a baby just by myself and the fact that these moms have each other is such a blessing!


















One of the moms even brought a hanbok for the babies. It was so cute!





Anne, Min-wha, Joy, Misun, and Dawn... thank you for allowing me into your playgroup for a quick moment to get some shots of your beautiful babies and giving me a glimpse into your everyday lives. Know that I have a lot of admiration for you as mothers and hope that I can come back again when the babies are older to see how much they've grown!

The One with the Graduation Party :: 05:24:08

Walking into Jayne's home, I just knew right off the bat that she was a natural hostess. Normally, when one attends a party, the hostess is running around finishing up the last minute details. Jayne, on the other hand, was as cool as a cucumber.

Also, Jayne throws a good party. And I'd totally ask her to help me throw a party any day. She had beautiful flowers everywhere. Her dining room table is perfect for hosting. (I even looked up the same table on the Internet to see if I could purchase it for myself.) She had a filled wine bar. Music everywhere. A table full of photos of Sarah next to a wall of photographs too. Decorations all throughout her home. All these special touches... all for her sister

Jayne threw a graduation party for her sister, Sarah, on May 24, 2008. You could also tell right away that these two have an amazing connection as sisters. Having a sister of my own, there's just something special about sisters. She graduated earlier that day from USD and even received a special award!

Jayne and Sarah are also so great with their younger cousins. They're amazing with kids and the young ones just naturally gravitated towards Jayne and Sarah... you could feel the love in the room.

What made this gathering even more special was that this was a get-together with family that hasn't seen each other in a long time. It was nice to see everyone be so proud of Sarah and also just happy to be in each other's presence. I felt incredibly blessed to be able to share in this with them and they made me feel like a part of their family from the first moment I stepped through the door.


The hostess: Jayne


(Sarah)


Sisterly love






Grandpa enjoying the photos. I love grandpas... even when they're not my own because they remind me of mine. And I always hope that when people encounter my grandpa, they treat him with love and respect because he's awesome. So I can't help but feel that way whenever I'm around other people's grandpas.


He was such a cutie with chubby cheeks to die for!




He even lost a tooth at the end of the party!




Mother & daughter


She was such a cutie!


Cousins


The whole gang


I loved these flowers and found myself trying to get them into all my photos


I can't help but be drawn to kids... they make such interesting subjects and they're just so darn cute!


This is my fave shot from the day... the red wall was perfect.




Jayne and Sarah, thank you for allowing me to share in your wonderful day!