Roenna + Chris || Wedding

What a way to start the wedding season! I had a blast shooting Roenna & Chris's wedding in Oakland past Saturday. It was a fun, emotional, sweet, rocking, moving, sensational day for everybody, including me! I met the couple in July of '08 for their engagement session in SFSU. (I can't believe that they are married already!) The ceremony took place in the "Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church" in Oakland. It was one of the most beautiful Churches I've been to. Right by Lake Merrit, there couldn't be a better place for this beautiful wedding.

The ceremony itself was very touching, heart melting (I was in tears as usual). Roenna looked stunning and Chris, in his traditional Barong, looked awefully handsom! I love traditions and mix of cultures. I really appreciated the way Roenna and Chris brought in the Philipino culture to their wedding. The bridal party was super fun! I couldn't stop saying "cute" when I was shooting with the girls :) They were seriously soo cute! This crowd knows how to party and have fun. They rocked the evening reception. Roenna's brother was MCing all night, he was so hilarious! Roenna's bouquet toss was one of the most exciting moment of the night, I think.

I am excited for Roenna and Chris to begin their new adventure together. I'm even more fond of them now after being a part of their wedding day. I have waited months for their big day to arrive. Roenna and Chris - Thank you so much for having me as your wedding photographer. It was a pleasure! I wish you the very best for your life ahead. Enjoy these teasers :) Hope you are having fun in NY!

Thanks to Regas Chefas for second shooting with me at the wedding.

Here is the slideshow of their wedding.

teasers from Saturday wedding

These are just to get you going until I post the details of this amazing wedding I experienced last Saturday! Please check back soon...

Marie + Justin || Engagement

Last Friday I headed out with Marie and Justin for their engagement shoot to a near by park in Roseville. I discovered this park not to long ago. When I went there for location scouting, I thought that it would be perfect for their shoot. Unfortunately it rained the night before making the ground wet and muddy. But that didn't stop these two from having fun.

M+J are an absolutely beautiful couple! She is going to be a gorgeous bride, I know. I am super excited for their upcoming wedding in February.

Enjoy some teasers from their e-session. Here is the slideshow.

Mary Anne & Family

Last Sunday(around noon) I got a call from one of my early clients, Tanya. She was checking on my availability on that very after noon to shoot their family session. This family is very special to me. Almost two years ago I was hired to shoot Mary Anne's (Tanya's mom) 60th birthday party. After working with several photographers, assisting & second shooting several weddings, spending hours and hours on practicing the skills, I was ready to go out and shoot on my own. Mary Anne's birthday was my very first ever solo job!

I have come a looong way since then. But I still remember the day I was at their house capturing Mary Anne's surprised moments(it was a surprise party). So when I got the call from Tanya, I couldn't be any happier. Yes, returns clients are awesome!!!

Meet Mary Anne's family :) See the gazibo behind, Mary Anne's husband Chuck built it for her.

This is Ms. Meera. Isn't she a cutie :)?

Jonah, the jumping boy, is the newest addition to the family. He was born to Tanya last year.

Here's Tanya(L) and Sandy(R) with Mary Anne in the middle.

Mary Anne and Chuck - the cute couple :)

Mary Anne's son and his lovely wife.

This is Abby, neighbor's dog. She was the entertainer for the kids :)

Sandy and her family.

I'm so glad that I was at home on Sunday to receive Tanya's call. It was really nice to see them again and shoot for them. Last time I only told my husband the stories from Mary Anne's party. This time he tagged along with me and was able to meet them all :) Hopefully, I'll see them again in the near future.

song of the month

Songs explain a lot about people, they can also be very inspiring and uplifting. I think it would nice to share some of my favorite songs with my blog readers. Starting from now, each month I will post one feel-good song on my blog. This month's song "You and I" is by Ingrid Michaelson from her album "Be Ok".

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this song.

Enjoy!

Samaira

One of the great things about having long term friendship is that we get to celebrate the journey of life with our long term friends. We become a part of their joyous occassions like birthdays, weddings, baby births, etc or that of the dreadful moments like mornings before exams!!! Tahseen is one such a friend who I have been sharing my significant moments with. At this point in life I only know that I am going to grow old with her, in a good way of course :)

This post is not about Tahseen or I, but her baby girl Samaira. Almost seven months ago Tahseen and her husband Ahsan brought in a beautiful baby girl to this world. They named her Samaira. Last month I had the priviledge to meet Samaira at their beautiful residence in Atlanta, GA. My heart melted as soon as I saw her. Tahseen has always been a part of me. Now this little munchkin also holds a special place in my heart. Like the meaning of her name, she is enchanting! She is so tiny. She has a way of keeping her arms when someone is holding her. She is very observant like her mother (as I was told) and has the sharp eyes of her dad. She is a darling!

These are a few of my favorites from her session. You can see the slideshow here

Another birthday

Getting older is no fun when we are really getting old! But I try to see it as an opportunity for experiments and self discovery. I believe that we are like wines, as many say, we get better as we age. Leaving all the philosophical discussions aside, today is my Birthday! This is the last year I can enjoy my twenties. I'm not sure if anything special is happening today. I am at work, sitting at my desk, sneezing periodically. Everyone around me is gone! Seriously, the entire office(almost) is on vacation. But I'm here, celebrating my Birthday with you and preparing to consume the edible arrangements from my sister!

New Year 2009

Part of being an Asian is growing up with superstitions. I was no different. I was told that what we do on the first day of the year have imapcts on what we do through out the year! So I decided to do a few things that I would like to do for the rest of the year.
1. I woke up late.
2. I ate breakfast.
3. I prayed.
4. I helped out a friend with her move(not that I only want to help people moving stuff, I will be happy to help with anything!)
5. I cooked Thai food(I'm not Thai, I just cook it pretty well).
6. I organized the pantry.
7. I talked to my mom and sister on phone.
8. I watched America's Funniest Home videos.
9. I had a relaxing time with hubby.
10. I blogged.

One thing I was not hoping for new year is to go through any sort of illness. I have been down with cold. I feel dizzy and light-headed. My new year started with stuffiness all over :(

To make me feel better I decided to post some pictures from my recent trip to Charleston, SC. I was in Summerville, SC(to be exact) during the holidays. The most exciting part for me was to visit the Magnolia Plantation. Jason took me to this beautiful plantation three and a half years ago and asked me if I would marry him :) Standing on a partially broken bridge with two baby alligators underneath, I couldn't say anything but Yes! We went back there during our trip only to find out that the bridge was collapsing and no human access was allowed. We ended up video taping and taking pictures of the broken bridge.

It doesn't look broken, does it?

This place has beautiful bridges!

Jason took this one. Isnt' this place amazing?

This is Spanish Moss. They are every where, hanging from every single tree in Summerville.

There was also a Swamp garden which we didn't go to. But there are swamps inside the plantation that we could walk by.
I think Magnolia plantation is the most beautiful place in Summerville, but you know I'm biased. If you ever visit Charleston, be sure to stop by any of the plantations there. You won't regret it!