Brother Roque Blanco

I've known him since childhood. I've grown up seeing him as one of the leaders in our locale. I can't believe it's true... but friends have already confirmed of the news that he has finished his race...

Although Ka Roque will not get to read this, I'm going to continue anyways for his loved ones to read.. to know.. how much I appreciate his care, support he has given not just to me, but to the locale of Long Beach.

I know that we'll see him again, but I hurt not for him, but for the family he leaves behind... I pray that our Father will give you all the strength you need, most of all the faith that we will all see him again...

You will sorely be missed po Ka Roque.. so very much!!

Like Vapor

I am looking at a photograph of my cousin and I. It was taken this past January during our short family get-together in the Philippines. I'm sad because I didn't get to converse with him as much as I could have... I can't tell him how much I appreciate him traveling just to be with the family... now, I won't be able to encourage him to return to the church... it's just too late...

Life really is like a puff of smoke... like vapor.. that appears for a short time and then vanishes... I don't think I'll ever be prepared for death... whether it be of a family member, a relative, or a friend... Until now, I still remember those who have passed and I think of them often.. how they've finished their course... how I'm happy because they've kept the faith. They've become an inspiration for me...

But what about those I know who have not? How do I feel?? I'm beyond sad... I'm afraid...

I'm going to miss my cousin... the only thing I have left are the memories I had seeing him and the picture that was taken of us together...

----------------------------

14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

James 4:14 NKJV

----------------------------

INC Brotherhood

There really is something special about the church that I belong to: Iglesia Ni Cristo(INC) - (Church of Christ). This past Memorial Day weekend I enjoyed seeing and being with brethren not just in my locale but from all over the Southern California District! Some of them were also visiting from the Philippines (a break from their ministerial classes) and I realized how much I missed going to district activities! It has definitely been awhile... Although each locale was competing against one another (friendly competition that is..) everyone cheered for all the participants whether they were part of their locale or not. Brotherhood was truly felt throughout the whole day and I am so glad to have been a part of it!

There is a story someone shared with me. A brother in our locale has competed and is part of the school's track team. So I could only imagine how many medals he must own from all the competitions he's been a part of. Well, he won first place for one of the races and he got his gold medal. One of the children who attended was admiring his medal. "That is so cool!" the child had exclaimed and so the brother decided to give him the gold medal instead of keeping it for himself! How awesome is that? Another comment that made me smile that day was when after a child runner finished competiting.. and although did not win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place... still blurted out to his friends, "That was so much fun! I want to run again!". One last comment I want to share that I heard about that made my spirits even high was when another brother had mentioned to his friends that it's definitely worth hanging out with church brethren because we know how to have "good, christian fun!".

Our Track & Field was truly successful! I admit that during the closing prayer I was in tears because I was soooo happy! For the wonderful events I experienced this past weekend.. I give all glory and honor to HIM above. I am so thankful to HIM for letting me be a part of this strong brotherhood inside the Church of Christ! I really want to be a part of as much church activities as I can possibly go to, which is why I'll be working around church schedules before booking any photography/videography work... Church comes first always, family and then work... ;-)

Successful Day!

I had a wonderful Saturday yesterday! I attended our Track & Field event and saw a lot of old friends that I haven't seen for ages!!! There was rain in the morning, but towards the afternoon and up to the end of the event, it was just a beautiful day! Thank God for answering our prayers for good weather! Congratulations to ALL the participants... to ALL of us who joined the activity as well! Everyone - E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E - did a wonderful job!

While I was busy helping to keep track of the awards for each locale as well as the long jump event, my most wonderful husband Ryan took photos throughout the WHOLE DAY! We got over 2,000 photos! But these long jump shots are my favorites.. and of course the group shots!

Thanks Ryan!!!! =D

You Rock!

Okay, so I opened up my email today and guess what I found!?!? An e-mail from Jasmine Star! At first I couldn't believe it…especially since I’m a nobody in the photography industry.. but it was there in my inbox and within the FROM column it read: "JASMINE STAR". I know I know.. She emailed me before, but even now I get excited getting a response from her! SHE actually checked out my recently created wedding slideshow and this is what she had to say:

"you go girl!! it looked awesome and once you start using it regularly, you'll realize how easy and second-nature it'll become. you rocked it out!! :)xoxo...j*"

Don't you love her “j*” signature! It’s so cute! But this totally made my day! Thank you Jasmine for taking time to view the slideshow and emailing me back! You rock! ;-D

Photographers I look up to..

I joined the yearbook staff during my last year in Carnegie Jr High School, Carson, CA and I always had a camera in hand. I remember taking photos of people and how excited I got when most of my shots made it to the final layout on the yearbook. Looking back at those years, I realized how much I enjoyed photography... it's just too bad that once the yearbook was done my camera went into hiding... until now...

There have been a number of photographers that have caught my eye and rekindled my interest in picking up the camera again. I have even started my own photography business... So this blog post is dedicated to them for inspiring me. Hopefully I'll be able to meet them all one day... I just wanted to share a couple of photographers who have given me a reason to pursue my dream!

Jasmine Star is so awesome! I love her blog site and I visit it EVERY DAY! She gives a lot of advice and has written lots of articles for photographers that I've read over and over again. I discovered her site just about 2 months ago! I emailed her a couple of times and it was sooo cool to have gotten an email back from her too!

Mike Colon is another photographer I admire. He was one of the first photographers that I was introduced to when meeting with the wedding album vendor: White Glove. Mike's name came about when I was discussing my pricing and the guy asked me why I was charging so low to do weddings! He then said, "Have you heard of Mike Colon?" When I got home, I checked out his website and I was in AWE because I wanted to take pictures like MIKE!

Richwell Correa was the one who started my interest in photography again! The photos he posts up on his myspace just grabs my attention! He's a really nice guy and a brother in the faith as well!

Last but not least, Sarah Chen is another one who inspires me too! I love her shots! I love how the colors in her photos just pop out at you! She's another photographer I hope to meet one day... but for now, I'll just continue to visit her website!

Thank you all for your inspiration! More success to you all and if any of you do get to read this humble blog of mine... I hope to meet you one of these days and I hope to get as good as all of you!!

Farrell & Tallulah's Wedding Recap Slideshow

Here's the slideshow for Farrell and Tallulah's wedding! Please click on the image below to start the slideshow.

Thank you Farrell and Tallulah for giving us the opportunity to capture your wedding day!

Steve and Lauralee - Fun Shots!

Yesterday, Ryan and I met with Steve and Lauralee. They hired us to photograph their engagement photos and their wedding on September this year! They have such an awesome idea as table numbers and don't want to spoil their surprise so I'll keep it to myself... However, I just wanted to thank them for trusting in us and giving us this opportunity!

They are the first couple that booked us without any referrals... Lauralee found ES-Sense through an online search, called me one day, and we set up a meeting time for them to view our work. We met at their house where I was introduced to Steve and his mom, Linda. Oh and also to their baby, Lola, who had 6 puppies.

They're another blessing from God :). I'm so glad Ryan and I met them and can't wait to start shooting their photos! Here's a shot I took of them yesterday during our photoshoot. They wanted a photo for their invitations... :) THANK YOU LAURALEE and STEVE for your trust in us!

Farrell and Tallulah

Ryan and I had the honor of photographing Farrell and Tallulah's wedding on Saturday, May 10, 2008. It was so beautiful! The bride, the groom, everything! Not only that, but what we loved most about the wedding is how the family welcomed us. They are such the nicest people that we've worked with and we did not meet the family until the wedding day. It was a blessing to have worked for this family. I'll post a slideshow of the wedding photos later, but for now, here are a couple of teaser photos from Saturday.

Temecula Wedding

Ryan, Johnson, and I attended a beautiful wedding today in Temecula, California at the South Coast Winery Resort. Actually we were hired as the videographers for the couple. John is a police officer in the city of New York, NY. Chas is a flight attendant. There was a funny story that the matron of honor, Vanessa, had shared with all the guests. She said that the first time these two had met, Chas told Vanessa that John was a fireman! Well, policeman or fireman... it didn't matter to Chas and today they are official husband and wife.

Although I was not hired as the photographer... I just had to take some shots... even some details at least... it was just too beautiful there not to! Plus I wanted to respect the camera men there as well! Here are the shots I got to take before I retired my photo camera for the day and picked up my video camera. I'll post up the video summary as soon as it's ready!