Candaq12 Trip Day 1

After working a 12 hour shift and running on no sleep for the past 24 hours, I finally was able to get my family and our bags packed into the car and off to LAX. We arrive at the airport 2 hours before departure, which for us, is a rarity. Half the time we're running way behind schedule and have even missed a flight in the past. We have the shuttle from our long term parking take us to the terminal, and after fighting the kiosk, we finally talk to a check-in attendant. We got onto our flight with minimal fuss and were off to our stopover, Calgary. My cousin had completely passed out during the plane ride and I am so glad I snapped a shot of it. When we arrived in Calgary, it was snowing, making the entire airport look like a winter wonderland! My cousin had never felt, or even seen the stuff so this was pretty momentous. After 2 hours of waiting, we boarded the short flight to Vancouver. The plane was a bit smaller and only seated in pairs, but the entertainment system made up for it. My mom was able to charge her phone on the USB port, while my cousin and I watched a movie. It was pretty great. By the time we made it to the baggage carousel, they had already gotten our bags and put it on a cart for us. Though a bit embarrassed at our lack of punctuality, it was awesome we didn't have to wait and lift the bags. The ride over to our hotel was about 20 minutes. We stayed at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Harbourfront. The hotel and room itself was modern, clean and had tons of elevators. Rarely did we ever wait for one. What a beautiful hotel, and at such a great price for 4 days. The bellman helped with our baggage and even gave us the lowdown on where we should visit while in Vancouver and what places we should eat at. He was extremely pleasant and kind to us. My mother wanted to go out and explore, but after work, driving to LA and the lack of sleep on the plane ride I was exhausted. Instead, I decide a nap was in order. When I finally wake up a few hours later, my cousin and mother had fallen asleep as well. I coax them to wake up, and after a few moans and groans we were off to have a late dinner. Luckily for us Vancouver seems to be a city full of late night eateries. We were supposed to eat at the poutine place, but mom decided she wanted the Chinese seafood restaurant. It was so-so. On our way back to hotel we stop by a nearby 7-eleven to pick up snacks and water. Turns out the cashier was Filipino, so while my mother conversed with him, my cousin and I devise a quick photo shoot. I decided to start a jumping photo series while we were in Canada. It had my cousin at several locations we visited jumping in the middle of the shot, making him look as if he was meditating.

Absolutely hate waiting in airport lines.

My mother is ready to go.

The view from the outside of our airplane window was gorgeous.

And ladies and gentlemen, my cousin in all his sleepy glory.

We were in Calgary and wanted to feel what the weather was outside. This was my mother's expression.

The beginning of our meditation jumping series.

Waiting for our plane to Vancouver.

My mother charging her phone in the airplane's USB port.

Calgary Airport.

I love this photo with my mom. Experimenting at the time.

One of my favorite photos of the trip. Loving the playfulness of it.

Seriously the best bellman we've ever had.

Chinese restaurant. Mother's choice.

7-eleven shenanigans.

I love this photo of my mom.

Hotel lobby of our hotel room.

Life's Most Precious Moments

I wrote about a maternity shoot I had done a few posts back, and now I was ask to return and do newborn photos! Their precious child, Leiva'i, was incredibly adorable. The thing with newborns is that they are so unpredictable. They're fine one second and the next they want to be fed, making the shoot a bit trickier. You learn that this is one of the challenges of newborn photography and you learn to roll with it. If the mother has to feed her baby, then take the time to capture those precious moments. You need to work with what you've got in the time you have. Check your lenses...settings on the camera and even where you want to place the infant next. You should be conversing with mom, telling her that it is normal for newborn shoots to take periodic breaks. Remember, it is not YOUR schedule that should be followed, but rather the baby's! :)

Schierenberg Family Portrait

The weather during this shoot was absolutely perfect. The location the family chose couldn't have been more right. These two children were photogenic in every SINGLE picture. The only ones I had the heart to delete were the blurry shots. 

I work with children almost every day, both as a nanny/babysitter as well as a preschool teacher. I take pictures all the time and as much as I possibly can. But when I say these children are adorable, I absolutely mean it! Lucky mama has beautiful children!

Rivera-Robinson Maternity Shoot

These two were absolutely destined for each other. From the playful antics and pranks he pulls on her to the teasing reprimands she pushes on him they were fated. Their kind hearts and openness with each other made the shoot easier on not only me, but themselves as well. His joking attitude kept the shoot from feeling dull and the couple's way of playing off each other definitely shined through the lens.

I had previously had this shot in color (which I added to the picture set I gave them), but there is just something so innocent and wondrous about having this particular photo in black and white. It captures the essence of this new marriage and the journey of parenthood they are about to embark on.

Winter's Spell

According to my blog, the last update I made on this account was on June 24, 2012. If I calculate that correctly it's been approximately 6 months since i've done anything on this. Though I won't go into detail, just know if I had choice i'd rather much be typing to you, my nonexistent friend, aka blog, about what my everyday consists of, but for now i'll just get straight to what this blog is really all about - PHOTOGRAPHY.

Lately, I haven't been picking up a camera as much as I would want to be. It seems every time I feel like doing a shoot, I either get tired or--who am I kidding, i'm always tired. Maybe it's the changing of the seasons, or how it's so dang cold I have to wear socks and snuggle under layers of blankets before even feeling a tad warm. Whichever reason seems more bonafide, i'll use that. BUT, miraculously, I felt the inclination to do a shoot. The sun is finally shining down! Ironic, considering I hate the sun shining down...more like the diffused sun beating down.

I did a shoot with the wonderful beauty guru, Pauline, aka pmofoshoo. You can find her youtube channel here. It was a wonderful winter day, and because it was incredibly overcast, we were able to get shots all throughout the shoot without worrying about the sun's harsh light. We went to one of my favorite parks to shoot portraits due to the fact that the area is so versatile. I'm the type of person that likes to capture things without the thought of 'I'll photoshop that later'. I want to get the right quality on the camera, then not edit the photo in post-production, but merely enhance the already great image. Through all the hustle and bustle, I was careless when it came to signs, trashcans and the occasional speedbump on the road. Like I said earlier, i'm not a big fan of editing things out, but after reviewing my pictures I noticed a sign posted on the grass as well as trash cans. Now, that just won't do.

This is the original photograph. It's beautiful, but little did I know, a sign and a pair of trash cans made their way into the image.

The sign and trash cans are edited out. I'm absolutely horrid at photo manipulation, so I must say, that's not too bad.

June Gloom

The rabbit said it all, "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date." Lately, it seems like it's been my motto. I've been currently out of the whole blogging loop for awhile now, it's unfair to disappear on the radar like that. Life has been hectic lately, and it seems I can't even sit down and write in my journal, like i've been doing since i was 13. I'm on my fourth one, and it makes me sad that my baby is getting neglected.

Anyways, enough about my journal sob stories. Photography wise i haven't done much either, it seems work and play has overtaken my life and i don't even have time to stop to do what i love. I've done an event every now and again, but portraits have been shoved aside. I want to get back to it, and hopefully at some point..i can. The following are some things i've been up to since i last posted, though nothing is in chronological order, nor are they EVERYTHING i've done.

Cabos Cantina - Funnel Head Show - Singer: Italix

This band was amazing, and i loved them. I know, i'm being biased considering they're friends of mine,  but it doesn't change the fact that i like they're music and what they stand for. They want to bring people in no matter the race, background or status together and listen to one sound with one heart.

I've known this for quite awhile not, but i'm going to tell you anyways. I have one distinct style when it comes to portrait and events. Obviously they won't be strikingly similar, but i use the same concept. When i do events like the one you see above, i always wait for the right moment. I don't just snap photos mindlessly. When the moment comes, i see it then i shoot a frame.  The whole room was dark and a only a few lights were on so it practically made it difficult to take a nice shot. I noticed that the strobes would kick in every few minutes and planned accordingly. Right when those lights hit the singer, i snapped around 15 photos in a few seconds. Similarly, when i do portraits, i get my angle perfect and have the model freeze for a few seconds so i could snap a few shots. I wait till i have the sun at the perfect angle and snap. For both portraits and events, i try not to use flash. It only washes out the natural colors that are already there. The only time i ever use it is i'm doing crowd shots, like walking around events.

Luz Clothing - Model: Pauline Monillas - APAC Fashion Show 2012

Tahitian Dancing - APAC Fashion Show 2012

I was honored to take photos at this event after their Vice President asked me to help with the fundraiser. All proceeds went to Pusong Pinoy and i couldn't be anymore prouder. This event was well organized and exceptionally planned, everything was properly placed and everyone knew their cue. When i arrived i saw that another photographer from Pusong Pinoy was setting up his LARGE strobe lights and multiple external strobes around the event. I said, hmm wonder how annoyed people are going to be by the lights. They were all aimed from the back and one HUGE one in the front. He was holding a 70-200mm lens, which isn't cheap at all. It's a nice lens. He had a canon like me, probably the same model too. The only problem was i don't think he understood the concept of 'understanding your surroundings'. I didn't move from my spot (which i totally should have, but decided not to block anyone's view), I also didn't use any flashes, like i always do. I took a few test shots before and the lighting on stage was perfect and didn't need it. I used a 80-200mm (an old model). The only problem was once the models got to the end of the long catwalk i wouldn't be able to shoot them because of the terrible lighting. My solution: take a photo before they get on the catwalk..problem solved! It turned out nice, and crisp. What i learned: just because you have a nice lens, or a million strobes it doesn't make your work any fancier.

Don't be sad, you're a grad!

Assisted by my friend Kenji it would be my second time at OTO in less than two weeks. I was commissioned for a shoot, and was requested to find somewhere vintage. My first thought was hey, why not old town again! Instead of a dreary day, it turned out to be mildly warm and cloudless.We searched for different parts of old town i hadn't taken pictures at yet, and to my surprise found some.

At one point we actually went into a church's garden that was currently unoccupied. I mean, it was completely deserted which was a bit creepy considering the church was left wide open. We ended up not using any of the photos from that part of the day, but found more spots to get a few shots. 

After about five hours of post production we came up with this (See photo above). It wasn't the editing that took so much time, but the lettering. Fonts had to be chosen as well as layout and color. In the end the product came out beautifully and i can't wait to see it printed out.