Today's post is extra special and awesome because it is my mom's birthday!!
She is a strong, independent, intelligent, yet compassionate, empathetic, and completely selfless person responsible for so much in my life. Here are just a few: I know how to ride a bike because she made our dad teach us since she never learned. I know how to swim because she deemed it a necessary life skill she had not had the opportunity to learn. I know how to play piano because she felt it was important for me to learn how to read treble and bass clef. I take photos because she photographed our childhood. I love to travel and explore new places because that's what she did when she was my age. I will overextend myself because I inherited her quality of not being able to say 'no' to people. I am proud to be my amazing mother's daughter.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!
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This shot was taken at the top of Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park (which she was totally terrified of climbing, but did it anyway because she's awesome like that).
A big thank you to Catherine Alipio for assisting and being my second shooter for this wedding.
Venue: Porto Vista Hotel
Planner: Plan It San Diego (Rachel Paniche)
DJ: Jeff Brown
Location: Canisius College | Christ the King Chapel | Buffalo, NY
I love baptisms. It contains some of my favorite elements in any kind of event: children and symbolism. The innocence of a child coupled with the symbolism of washing away his/her original sins is so refreshing. It is not unlike the feeling you get when you have an early start to your day. You feel motivated and full of potential and possibility with the whole day ahead of you. The baptism is a fresh start to life - a squeaky clean slate to a lifetime of possibilities. On this day it was Simeon (and Caleb) getting their fresh new start to their still so new lives. This is their baptism.
A special thank you to the Gray family for allowing me to include a few photos of their family in this post!
Location: Buffalo, NY
One of my absolute favorite things to do as a child was running through and jump over the lawn sprinkler over and over and over again. The summers here in San Diego don't get particularly warm or humid, but it sure does out East. It was a warm and muggy day in May in Buffalo so we decided to take my niece and nephew outside for some sprinkler fun! I think they liked it :)
Where do I even begin?? There is just SO much I want to say about these two. I suppose I can start with they are not engaged... yet (sorry to disappoint you, friends and family)! These are fabulous friends of ours that were kind enough to donate their time, patience, and pretty faces for a portrait session.
For those of you not familiar with these two lovely individuals they are Allison and Dolph, although 99% of the people in his life know him as Andrew - his real name. There's dispute as to the exact sequence of events, but essentially Allison was telling us about this cute Navy nuclear engineer dude in her life and upon describing his crew cut dirty blonde hair and blue eyes my husband immediately blurted out, "You're dating Dolph Lundgren??". And thus, the name "Dolph" was born.
To put it simply, they are awesome. However, while both incredibly intelligent with good senses of humor that's about where the obvious commonalities end. Allison is your dessert fork using, Ted Baker wearing, cotillion attended proper lady from northern California. Meanwhile Dolph is your deer hunting, taxidermy hanging, grits loving, good 'ole southern boy from Virginia y'all.
Over gelato the night before they moved I had them recount their love story. There will be a time for the unabridged version, but for now I'll let you know that it began (as with any love story) at a bar back in the spring of 2008 up in Allison's home town. Between then and present day there were missed connections, MySpace, Facebook, brunch at Fisherman's Wharf, living on opposite sides of the WORLD because of Andrew's deployment, Skyping, Charleston South Carolina, Saratoga Springs, as well as buying a plane ticket to see Andrew without him knowing. In October of 2013 it all ultimately ended up here in San Diego after Dolph completed his duties and said his last goodbyes to the nuclear reactor on the USS John C. Stennis. Finally! After a 2-year deployment and über-long distance relationship they were able to live on the same side of the world, country, and finally the same city. They've been inseparable ever since and Dolph promises to never choose a ship over Allison again, no matter how big the control rods are. (Statement approved by Dolph as "standard navy humor").
At the end of the night I asked them answer a question in regards to the other person. It's a new thing I'm trying where I ask the couple a question or two and record the answers to share on the blog post. I figure it's nice to hear directly from the couple that the post is about rather than just from me. So here is what I asked Allison and Dolph:
What is your favorite thing about your significant other?
Allison: I find it endearing that he is a fountain of useless information. Good for trivia.
Dolph: Her sense of humor which is that of a 12 year-old boy.
And that ladies and gentlemen is the perfect microcosm of who they are as a couple, because not 5 minutes later and without any kind of prompting Dolph says, "Little known fact that Seiko is the first brand to use quartz crystal oscillator for time pieces." So with that, here are Allison and Dolph!
Recognize this lovely family? We were at Dan and Ana's apartment back in March for baby Vera's newborn session. On a beautiful and sunny Father's day we were back for a mini-session to round out family portraits since Dan's parents were in town. Vera was wide awake and full of fantastic expressions this time around. Here are a few from the day!
This back drop was by request of the grandfather. He really liked the banana plants so wanted it as the background. What do you think? Does it look like they're on the edge of a banana plant field?
A little departure from the usual post, today. Part of being a photographer is to continually learn and to improve upon the craft. Today's post is brought to you by Snap Knot. It's a website for both the client looking for the photographer and the photographer themself. They have a "match" system for after you put in information such as your location, budget, etc.. For photographers there are tips about equipment, workflow, new software or methods that people continue to discover and create. So check them out!
While you're there visit the blog to see the evolution of cameras since it is National Camera Day.
This is a special post for me because it involves my two lives - one as a chemistry/science educator and the other as a photographer.
Being an adjunct professor gives me the ability to keep in touch with my science background while giving me the time to pursue my passion in photography - it's a pretty sweet deal and I am incredibly grateful. As with any teaching job, it is the students that make it so rewarding. One of the classes I teach is "Chemistry and Society". In short, it is a science class for non-science majors that have to fulfill a science requirement as part of their liberal arts education. As you can imagine I typically have less than thrilled students sitting in front of me on day 1 of class. (It's pretty much how I felt as a chemistry major sitting in my upper level theology class when I was at Villanova.)
Amber was one of those students. One time during office hours she said to me, "...it's just that I spend so much time studying for this class, but I'm never going to use this information."
Truth be told, that was a small dagger to my heart, but it gave me the motivation to be sure I was going to be relaying information that was relevant for students like Amber - a makeup artist, plus-size model, and communications major with the goal of working in public relations (PR). At the end of the semester I asked each student to write a short paper about a topic of their choice and researching the science involved in it. Amber chose to research the role of silicone in makeup.
Nearly 6 months after class ended I unexpectedly receive an email from Amber:
"Thought about some chemistry stuff the other day when we got some new makeup at my store! When looking at the ingredients a customer asked me why there was silicone in the primers and boy did I have an educated answer for her!"
I am not lying when I say I nearly cried reading this.
When talking about our interests I mentioned photography as one of mine and she asked if I could do some portraits for her sorority. So I spent a lovely afternoon with the ladies of Sigma Theta Psi at San Diego's famous Balboa Park for some portraits and good times!
Graduate school is one of those experiences you can't quite fully describe and people don't fully understand unless they've been through it or have lived with someone who has gone through it. If you haven't read the "About" section you may not know that my background is actually in chemistry. (In case you're interested in giving yourself a headache my dissertation is most likely available at your university science library and here.) For 5.5 years I conducted research under the direction of a professor by the name of Dr. Patrick Holland (or just Pat) - who received the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists almost exactly one-year ago. It's a BIG DEAL!
In short, "The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists supports and honors outstanding scientists and engineers... by recognizing their extraordinary achievements as vital contributions to science and society." (nyas.org) Basically you have to be really freaking awesome with great research ideas and a bit of luck that they work out (those of you in the sciences know what I mean). To learn more about the award and/or awardees please visit the video links below:
Pat's Profile - Watch him talk about his work.
Overview of all the 2013 winners (the cover thumbnail for the video are 2 photos I took! Homepage of an award's website? Don't mind if I do!)
As a way to say 'thank you' to his students Pat graciously hosted a reunion. Different generations of students attended and I reconnected with friends and colleagues - some that I had not seen in nearly 7 years! It was a quick reminder of just how nerdy I truly am. As we reminisced about our days in the lab there were many hilarious stories that made me cry from laughter that I am sure no one else in the restaurant would have found remotely amusing. It was a wonderful night and fantastic to see those that were by my side (quite literally) everyday (also literally) to support me and help me through grad school.
Here are a few from that night. It really was a great time. To those that couldn't make it, we missed you! And to my close friends I gained from my years at Rochester, you are absolutely irreplaceable.
Held at the Richardson's Canal House in Pittsford, NY.
Photos that I shoot for my own pleasure have a tendency to end up at the bottom of the pile since photos for clients take priority. However, the upside to this is I find shots like this that I completely forgot I even took. It's like finding that $10 bill in your coat pocket from last winter! :)
Yogurtland is a fine establishment (that I frequent) for your afternoon or after dinner "froyo" and delicious toppings, but for Dana and Vinay and it was where they first met. It wasn't a blind date, they didn't meet through friends, Vinay just saw Dana there and decided to sit down and talk to her. I personally think it's totally adorable.
We were in Little Italy to take their engagement photos since that was not only where they met, but also live. We took a stroll to the harbor with their bikes and stopped back at the first place they ever met. Congratulations on the engagement, Dana and Vinay! I can't wait to shoot your wedding in August!
My husband and I have entered that phase in our life where seemingly all of our friends are having their first (some second) child. It's been great to be around all these munchkins, play with them, take lots of photos, and then hand them right back to their parents at the end of the day :) The latest was Dan and Ana when baby Vera arrived just a few days shy of my own birthday! We spent a wonderful afternoon dressing Vera in various adorable outfits that her grandmother knitted for her! (Seriously, so freaking cute). They also have a bassinet I'm absolutely obsessed with! I want one even though we don't have kids yet. Congratulations once again, Dan and Ana!!
Once again, a big thank you to my good friend and the very talented Linda for assisting me on the shoot.
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I met Angela when her sister married my cousin a few years ago when I still lived in Rochester, NY. It wasn't until I moved to San Diego that I found out Angela not only lived here, but we were literally about 2 miles from each other! It truly is a small world. I was grateful to be able to capture a few getting ready and portrait shots for Angela and Ross on a beautiful Saturday in La Jolla. No issues with being camera shy here!
Ceremony & Reception: Cuvier Club
Hair & Makeup: JHigs Hair Studio
Seasons Greetings!
The holidays for me and my husband means lots and lots of flying to see family back on the East. This time we flew into snowy Buffalo, NY. A LOT has happened since I last saw my brother and sister-in-law and their little guy, Eli. He's grown, he runs, has begun talking, AND he's going to be a big brother! I'm always looking for opportunities to shoot (even if I'm traveling), so I was so happy to be able to take a morning and photograph this beautiful ever-growing family and also take my new camera out for a spin!
We are very excited to share our first set of newborn photos! At just under a week, baby Aleesha handled the shoot like a champ. What a tranquil, warm, and fuzzy feeling it is to edit photos of a newborn. Just absolutely precious.
A big, big thank you to my talented friend Linda for her assistance and guidance for this shoot. Also, thank you to the parents, Hardeep and Aveleen, for trusting me with your perfect angel. Congratulations on another beautiful daughter!
I hope you all are ready from some "awwww" in your day!
I was incredibly honored to become a godmother to this beautiful, big-blue-eyed, baby girl. The poor thing was a bit under the weather and was pretty miserable throughout the service, but her sweet smile came out afterwards. Maggie, we wish you a lifetime of health and happiness and outfits more comfortable than your baptism dress :) We love you!
A big thank you to my husband who tried his hand at photography during the ceremony.
Enjoy!
Here is your tip for the day. When someone gives you an excuse to go to Hawaii, YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN AND GO!!! Here is one reason why:
But I digress. This post is about a dear friend of ours, Dr. Ryon Nakasone, who is now a full-time hematology/oncology physician back home in his home of Hawai'i.
Within the first few minutes of meeting Ryon you find out a few things: 1). He is a PHENOMENAL story teller 2). He is from Hawai'i and 3). He couldn't wait to be done with his Fellowship so he could go back home. The first time I met Ryon was at one of the hospital's social functions. My husband introduced him to me and with other friends we sat at a table and initially made small talk. This quickly turned into story hour for Ryon and before we knew it the place was closing. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed so much for so long. The other thing you learn about being around Ryon is that you leave feeling better than when you started. He has one of the kindest souls. Naturally, when he invited us to his graduation party back home in Kailua, HI we had to say HELL YES!!!
We landed in Hawaii on the day of the party and what a way it was to start our trip. Upon arrival at St. John Vianney where the party was being held we were given beautiful orchid leis to welcome us since were from the mainland. Ryon had 3 leis when I first saw him at the party. By the end of the night they would have been over his head if had not been taken some off to make room. Being there we quickly learned that the running joke was how many graduation parties he had had: high school, college, medical school, residency, and now fellowship. Did I miss any? Many more jokes were made at Ryon's expense as his family and friends graciously put together a roast in his honor (my husband even took part)!
However, despite all the jokes about how many parties he has had he has also deserved every single one of them, especially this one. This one marks the end of his official medical training and the beginning of him becoming a full-time physician in complete charge of patient care. It was a long, long road (as it is for any physician, especially those that specialize) but he did and he made it back home.
So Dr. Nakasone, a heartfelt congratulations and welcome home!!!!! Your patients are lucky to have not just a knowledgable and smart doctor, but one that truly cares for their well-being and quality of life.
I know Michaela through my husband as they are co-workers at Scripps Green and being the Chief Resident she technically is his boss (bless her soul). On a slightly overcast day I met up with her and her husband Russ and Windandsea Beach (one of my favorites) in La Jolla to take a few shots of them and that baby bump! They are some of the most easy going people I've ever worked with. Their chemistry with each other was so natural which made my job much easier. The expressions they had on their faces when they looked into each other said it all - they are just giddy with excitement to become parents! Michaela and Russ, we are so excited for you guys! Congratulations!!
There were a few moments the sun peaked out and we took full advantage of it! Here are a few of my favorites:
Oh sun, you are so magnificent.
