Yummy Goodness!

I'm not talking about food.  I'm talking about yummy babies!   All babies are adorable, but I must admit that I have a soft spot for the chubby ones.   There's no other time in life when it is cute and completely acceptable to have stomach rolls!

I was so thrilled when my friends allowed me to photograph their little girl, Ella.  She's an absolute dream.  An interesting mix of Filipino, African-American, and Iranian - the result is strikingly beautiful.   It's multiracial babies like Ella that briefly shake our "current" stance on not having children.   Being Filipino and my husband a mix of Mexican, German, and Hungarian descent, it's tempting to wonder what our children would look like.  

GQ Kids

There's nothing more adorable than little boys in a suit and tie!   A few years ago, I was assigned to create a series of photos based on a common theme for a photography class.  I decided to do it on children.  Although it may have been overly simplistic, I thought, "I love photography and I love kids - what a perfect combination for me!"

While in class, the students were amazed and asked me how I got the children to wear suits.   While dressing up is reserved for special occasions for most people, in my world, finding little children dressed up and little boys in suits and ties is not uncommon at all.   

In this photo, I love how you can see Elijah's affection for his little brother while connecting with the camera at the same time.  

All of Manny's photos had a sense of innocence and wonderment in his facial expressions, this one above, no less than the others.

The combination of the pin-stripe pattern and the peak lapels contribute to the vintage, "bygone-era 

feel to this photo.  His facial expression and hand position are perfection!

Late Bloomer

It's cherry blossom time!   After weeks of waiting, the blossoms are finally out.  

I drive frequently in and out of Washington DC, and it's amazing how many tourists come for the Cherry Blossom Festival. The crowds have been coming in as early as 3 weeks ago when there was nothing on the trees.   "I hope you enjoy visiting the Jefferson Memorial because that's all you're going to see," I thought to myself several times these past few weeks as I watched people hopelessly walking toward the Tidal Basin.  

Growing up in the DC area,  the cherry blossoms are just one of the many local sites that typical Washingtonians take for granted.    I've never been to the White House, for example.    But I guess there's something dreamy and ethereal about these pink flowering trees that keep people coming back for more.   Despite the horrible traffic, the lack of parking spaces, the annoying crowds, somehow, people are still drawn to these trees.

The last time I saw the Cherry Blossoms was in 2010.   Before that,  it might have been 2005.  Perhaps, I'll wait until 2015.

Here's a photo taken back in 2010.

A Blustery Cold Day

Since Jessica and Boscolo were planning a small wedding and reception, they opted to do wedding portraits prior to their wedding day.  That scared me a little because I didn't want her to ruin her dress before the big day.   Usually, couples who decide on a wedding portrait session choose to do it after the wedding day.  These are quite popular, and they're sometimes called "Trash the Dress" photo sessions.  Personally, I prefer wedding portraiture sessions over covering a full wedding day.   There are no creative limitations, and the possibilities are endless!

They wanted their photos done at Union Station, and so we headed to hair and make up at around 6:30AM.   We were probably shooting at Union Station by 9am.   I advised them that an early shoot would be best to beat the crowds.

I felt so bad because Jessica was sick with a cold, and it was one week before her wedding day.  I asked her many times if she really wanted to do the portrait session as it was below freezing outside.   She was a trooper and insisted on continuing!   As you will see, they were amazing models!   They made it look like it was a beautiful warm day.

After Union Station we headed to the Kennedy Center, and took shots on the terrace.   Despite the cold, the wind made for some amazing images.   After our 2 hour shoot, we treated ourselves to brunch at the Terrace Restaurant, which, by the way, is one of the best brunch deals in the DC area.

Quickie Photo Shoot

While we were in California visiting friends last year, I managed to squeeze a mini photo shoot with our friend's little girl, Harper.  She was just shy of 5 months and already a stunning beauty.   She is a little heartbreaker!  My husband and I always melt inside when we think of her.  

We had about 1 hour before we had to head to someone's house for the Super Bowl, and I literally had 20 minutes to shoot Harper.    I was pretty happy with the results!

I'm Back!

After about 3 years, I've decided to resurrect my blog!  I didn't get far with it the first time around.  I think I only managed to complete 2 posts.  We'll see how things go this time!

While my photography website is undergoing some serious reconstruction, I had been trying to think of ways to share my work without posting them on Facebook or using some photo sharing website.   I thought of posting them here, on my blog, in the meantime.

What started as a mere hobby and interest in photography has turned into a little business of mine this past year.  I always felt that I had an "eye" for photography but I had very little knowledge of the technical side of using an SLR camera.   I wanted to understand how to shoot manually.  I didn't want to rely on the automatic setting my whole life.  Eventually, a combination of class, instructional books, and actual practice lead me to understand the basics of photography.

At the end of one of my courses, we were given a project to shoot a series of related photos.  I chose children to be my theme simply because I adore kids!   Plus, since many of my close friends have children, accessibility to my subjects would not be difficult at all.   Well, as a result of that project, I began getting referrals to different jobs:  child and family portraiture, engagement portraits, headshot sessions, and, finally, weddings.   At first it was cool shooting my friend's kids for free but then as the referrals started coming in, I decided it was time to get paid.  So, I started the business officially a year ago.

Early last year, I had the privilege of shooting an engagement session for some very good friends of mine, Jessica and Boscolo.   We had a blast!   It was an unseasonably warm December afternoon, and we spent about an hour and a half in and out of Old Town Alexandria.