State of Affairs

If you are an old visitor to this blog, welcome back and thanks for coming by!  If you’re wondering what happened to the old photography blog, well, I have a bit of news.  I’ve decided to put my photography side ventures on hold, so I can focus on family life and other creative pursuits, like putting together and decorating our new place!  Since this is what preoccupies my life right now, I am redirecting my blogging activities HERE and the focus of this new blog will be home improvement, inspiring design, and some DIY.  Photography will always be a fervent passion of mine, but at this point in my life I am more inclined to focus my creative energies into improving our home, hence the blog reboot and relocation.

Cheers!

Reunions

My brother and my sister recently visited from Singapore and India, respectively, and it reminded me of what a tremendous gift it is to be afforded time with your family, especially when you are a continent apart, and moreso when it is over the holidays.  Our time together, mostly spent laughing, swapping stories, exchanging presents, regurgitating stupid jokes, and venturing off into deep conversations make visits like this almost like a hazy dream, the kind where you wake up smiling, but in trying to remember the details all that comes to mind is how pleasant the dream felt and how fleeting it all seemed.  In that way, it is bittersweet.  Yes, everything seems all too quick when you are having a good time.  With the people you care about the most.

And so, here I am, wondering when the next reunion will be.  Until then, I am left to dream, and look back at these moments, captured.

Mackenzie + Justin | Coronado Dog Beach | San Diego Engagement Photographer

Sometimes, the cliche is true about how, in an imperfect world, one can find a perfect love. Such is the case it seems with gorgeous couple Mackenzie and Justin, who clearly adore each other and are unarguably the light and joy of each other’s life. The uncanny combination of this man-in-uniform with the goofy, laid-back personality and the sweet Texan belle with a soft spot for animals (and absolutely smitten with her furry babies) could not have been a more perfect match.  And on a beautiful November day in San Diego, I was given the honor of documenting this beautiful couple’s engagement.  To Mackenzie and Justin — CHEERS!  May your love and laughter keep you going as you begin this exciting new chapter :)

An Ode To Fall

Oh fall… Why are you the best of all seasons? Let me count the ways.

I love you because of:

1. Football – I know, I know, America’s favorite pastime next to Candy Crush Saga, Facebook and Instagram also happens to be my favorite spectator sport. And I don’t think I’m the only one counting down the days ‘til the first game of the next season the day after the Super Bowl.

2. My birthday – You know, presents and stuff. And getting lots of Facebook and text messages ☺

Fall means pumpkin patch time!

3. Halloween – Halloween means: pumpkin patch time, scouting the internet for awesome costume ideas for the little girl, figuring out this year’s trick-or-treat strategy. As a parent, I think I’ve grown to enjoy this holiday more because of what I anticipate I’d be doing with my daughter. If it wasn’t such a costly and exhausting holiday, I’d probably wish we celebrated Halloween every month ☺

Fall means Halloween dress-up fun!

4. Fall means Thanksgiving is just around the corner! I am not a big turkey fan, but I am a sucker for any reason to get together with the family, or any reason to brave the malls to shop for things just ‘cause they’re on sale. Added bonus: the time off you get from work.

5. Fall fashion – Yes, when you start feeling a bit of a chill in the early morning or late afternoon air and you start noticing the days getting shorter you know it’s time to break out the boots and the puffer jackets and the sweaters and the scarves. Oh how I love fall fashion. I love any reason to layer up and dress cozy.

Sandi + James | Coronado Centennial Park | San Diego Wedding Photography

HER:

Just a few things I’m looking for ….. RESPECT, TRUST, HONESTY (in caps because they are the most important), someone who is a gentleman, sweet, affectionate, mature, smart, passionate, handsome, physically fit, stable. Sense of humor is SO important, especially if someone can make me laugh when I’m really not in the mood to, like they say, laughter is the best medicine.*

HIM:

A little about my personality … I’m funny. No, really, I am. I know everyone likes to think that they’re funny. But I really am. I’m hilarious. Okay, maybe not hilarious. Somewhere safely between very amusing and hilarious. How’s that? I’m polite and respectful and genuinely a nice guy. I’m definitely not the loud, brash, obnoxious type of guy. I’m actually more on the quiet side. But I definitely play well with others and wouldn’t describe myself as shy.*

If the words don’t make you think that this was a match made in relationship heaven then I don’t know what will.  It seems as if the forces of the dating universe conspired to bring Sandi and James together five years ago, and they have been inseparable since.  So inseparable, in fact, that they couldn’t have come to a different conclusion other than to promise to love and stand by each other, through thick or thin, for the rest of their lives.

So on one glorious day in September, Sandi and James decided it was time to stand in front of friends and family and pledge their love and everlasting devotion to each other against the romantic backdrop of San Diego’s scenic downtown and the Coronado Bay.  As I witnessed the two exchanging their heartfelt vows, I was reminded that sometimes, dreams of love and happiness in the arms of the person you were meant to be with still happen.

To Sandi and James, may you stay as beautiful and happy and in love for the rest of your lives.  Congratulations and best wishes!

*Quoted from their wedding website — presumably from their dating profiles :)

Vendors:

Wedding Coordinator: Katrina of Francine Ribeau Events

Make-Up – Loli Romero

Hair – Leticia Acosta

Restaurant/Catering – Il Fornaio

Florist – Kiyoko Ando

Music – Kenny Earnest

Branding, and Why Business Cards Give Me the Goosies

These past few months, I’ve been working hard on getting the “infrastructure” of my little business done: researching and putting together packages and pricing, putting flyers together, working on tying the look between my blog and portfolio website (to accomplish some sort of “branding” at this early stage in my venture), purchasing and setting up my domains, and figuring out some tools to help in marketing my photography, like business cards.

Being a true creative, I think the last item has been the most fun for me.  Some may think of business cards as a small project, merely a fraction of the marketing pie.  But I think of business cards as a milestone for any beginner in business.  On one hand it is an exercise in creativity and a tool to showcase your personal taste.  But I also see it as a psychological device that helps in reminding you to “buy into yourself” and believe that your talent is for real.  It definitely helps in asserting your creative identity.  I look at mine and it reminds me of how far I’ve come in this endeavor and how much promise lies in the road ahead — really useful when moments of self-doubt and uncertainty creep in.  Looking at the word “photographer” under my name still gives me the goosies sometimes.  Nowadays I vacillate between feeling like a hack and feeling like a burgeoning superstar artist :)

I’ve seen quite a bit of Moo around the interwebs in the last few years, and figured that it’s popular for a reason.  So I swung by the site and ended up creating and ordering my cards within the same day.  Their interface is so easy to use and I love how you have so many beautiful templates and custom features to choose from.  It caters both to those who are wanting to be truly creative and independent in their design endeavors, and those who like to browse through templates and make decisions from there.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of of my Moo cards — they are printed on thick and heavy cardstock and the colors are so vibrant!  I chose images from Ashley and Sean’s wedding because their photos and stunning good looks just beg to be showcased!  I loved how my cards turned out and not because I get to see the word “photographer” under my name any time I want :)

So aside from the business cards, I also picked up a stamp (almost on a whim) from Etsy.  I’m one who stalks Etsy every now and then, and it’s definitely one place that always gives me tons of pretty stuff to look at and drool over.  Anyway, stamps are one of the items that I always enjoyed browsing on Etsy, and I figured that a stamp with my business name on it would come very handy — from thank-you cards to packaging to invoices to albums..you get the drift.  Of course, Etsy delivers once again.  Check out my beauty of a stamp in the pictures.