the picture story

John and Mai.

2011-07-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

I don't think these two lets a day goes by without laughter. A simple touch, gesture or one-liner from John and Mai responds with an amused grin or a burst of giggles. They really are the best proof of laughter being the shortest distance between two souls.

....Here's to wishing you guys a beautiful happy ever after.

Qara Elizah - the little girl who brought out the absolute best in my friend.

2011-07-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Farrah, a dear friend since grade school, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Qara, last May 11, 2011. I've always known that she was a special woman - she has the biggest heart and everybody just adores her. Now as a mother, she's extraordinary. She fusses about Qara and looks at her baby with so much love and tenderness that it's such a joy to witness.

Farrah and Jay-ar, may God bless your family. Many, many, many more years of love and laughter to you guys...and more babies.

A Weekend With The Majestic Sequoias

2010-10-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

Gen Shernan , largest tree in the world

Breathtaking - that's the best word to sum up what it felt like when I first saw the towering Sequoia sempervirens. As someone who saw The Planet Earth documentary multiple times (Fine, I am utterly fascinated by BBC nature documentaries ,specially those narrated by David Attenburough. ) , my level of excitement is probably similar to that of an Elvis fan going to Graceland for the first time. The whole placed looked like something of a fairytale, but more beautiful. I definitely want to go back.

Nature lovers; Jeg, Phillip and Nancy

The sun trying to peek out from the fog.

Early morning fog

Husband standing amidst the forest of giants.

Gen Shernan in the middle

Phil and Jeg , dwarfed by the giant trees.

The Lovely Olivas relaxing in front of The Senate.

Nancy walking through a sea of beautiful autumn colors.

Ferns starting to change color.

Phillip gazing up at the tress, or looking for flying saucers.

The Oliva's with the root structure fallen Sequioa.

Snow capped mountains.

Composite Crazy Weekend

2010-09-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

I've got nothing but time on my hands this weekend . Caught up with my reading and of course, I played around with cross processing and composites. The results are still hit and miss but I'll persevere. I'll get it right one of these days.

Daisy With The Golden Eyes

Red

She Will Linger In Your Memory

Edgar

The Many Faces of Aidan

Gavin The Adorable

When This Video Was Made, A Hundred Hipster Angels Sprouted Their Wings

2010-08-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

(Dance, Dance, Dance by Lykke Li and Bon Iver)

If you're watching this and you're not , a.) smiling, b.) tapping your feet or fingers and/or c.) wanting to dance, then something is seriously wrong with you.

Absolute Perfection

2010-08-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

(Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie)

Everything about this video is absolute perfection - from the music, the voice , the concept. ( The entire album is excellent, by the way). I also love how each frame is picture perfect and how they're woven together to form a beautiful story.

I'm pretty sure I'll never get tired of this song or watching this video.

Nina and Gabby

2010-08-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

I've seen these girls, Nina and Gabby, on their Mom Coleen's Facebook page. They always looked very fashionable and comfortable in front of the camera. As I was wanting to try my hand at children's photography, I then asked Colleen if I could do a photoshoot with her daughters. Boy, was I glad she agreed.

Here's Nina , every bit as lovely as her picture. When I first met her, what I thought was shyness was actually her silently observing the environment. She's fiercely intelligent, very mature and possesses this quiet confidence that is uncanny for someone her age.

What I love about Nina is her gentleness and generosity towards her younger sister. Any girl would be lucky to have her as their "ate".

And here's the super adorable Gabby. She took time warming up to me . She was a bit shy, almost apprehensive to get in front of the camera. That all changed when I said the two magic words : Justin Bieber. As soon as I uttered that name, she unleashed her full charm. She is one of those girls who brightens up an entire room with just her smile. Just like her Ate Nina, she's also quite bright. The Gabster, as what her parents sometimes calls her, engages you in conversation and has this ability to capture your full attention.
Ten minutes after working with Gabby, my husband whispered , " I'd be in deep trouble if we have a daughter in the future. Most probably, I'd just let her get away with everything . I'd be helpless."

And I don't blame him. She is absolutely adorable. One look with those puppy brown eyes and you're done for.

Working with them was another learning experience. As someone who grew up with brothers and who hung out largely with guys, there's this fragility and gentleness between sisters' that's so foreign to me. They have this unspoken connection that's very beautiful and it made me a little bit sad that I don't have that. How lucky are they that they're not just sisters but they're also each other's best friends.

Pablo Neruda - Tonight I Can Write The Saddest Lines

2010-08-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today, I woke up to a uncharacteristically cold and gloomy summer morning. As I was making my coffee, I had this craving to read Pablo Neruda's poems.

Bad idea.

No matter how many times I've heard or read this poem, it always gets me. Every. Single. Time. It's only 9:30 am and I'm already a crying mess.

Excuse me, I need a moment.

I Follow The Light Then Shoot Against It.

2010-08-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

   Remember those illustrations on the Kodak manuals on how you're not supposed to shoot against the sun? Well, I really like to break that "rule".
   I stumbled upon the online portfolio of James Rubio. The way he makes the light source evident in his photographs was really gorgeous. I was hooked. I got inspired and from that inspiration, the creative juices started to flow. Ok well, maybe not flow, but trickle.
   Shooting against the sun is one of the hardest things for me to do - camera focusing goes haywire ,which usually results to either overblown images or really dark images. But out of my perseverance and stubbornness, sometimes I do get it right and when I get it right, I get all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Seth and Grisel Vanover. Laguna Beach 2010

Gabe and Dane. Long Beach. August 2010

Gabe content with the bubbles.

Nina and Gabby, May 2010

Now the next step is how to get it right consistently. I'll just have to continue being stubborn and persistent and I know, with A LOT of practice and experimentation, I'll be able to do it...eventually.

Treasured Memory Immortalized in a Phone Photo

2010-08-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

We now live in a time where a lot of people have this compulsion to photograph every single event of their lives and share it to the rest of the world through social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. As a somewhat private person who does not like to divulge my every move, I have this hankering of putting down my camera and keep some moments in my own personal memory.

This picture is not one of those memories. I constantly thank the photography gods that my picture happy cousin took this. I look at this photograph and I'm reminded over and over again why I married this man.

One night, husband lost his wedding band on a hill of sand and by sheer luck and perseverance, he found it!
(Photograph by Karen Castaneda)

Gavin, White Balance Issues and Other Random Stuff.

2010-08-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

This cuteness. Too much.

   He smiled and I was enamored. Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of photographing , Gavin, before he leaves for a few months to be with the rest of his family. The beautiful little boy was adorable and has one of the sweetest dispositions I have ever encountered.
   As we started the shoot a little bit late, I only had 45 minutes to take his pictures before I lose my main and only source of light, the sun. I was secretly frantic , almost panicky. At the back of my mind, I knew that I had to make this right coz the little boy was leaving for the Philippines in a couple of days. In my haste, I forgot to change my White Balance and only realized later into the shoot that it was still set in Flash. Fortunately, I have been shooting in RAW format. I knew that this could be easily corrected in Bridge and was then silently thanking the computer geeks who made this program and who made the lives of clumsy and absent-minded photographers like me, much easier.
   Last Sunday's shoot was also the first time I've experienced almost exclusively shooting with my non-pricey but awesome 50 mm f 1.8 prime lens . This was my only fast lens and I had to make do with what I had. To say that I love that cheap lens is an understatement.

I dare you not to say "awww".

It took all of me not to bring him home with me.

Gavin at Long Beach 08/22/2010

Overall, this session was tons of fun. There were mistakes that I made but I decided , or at least tried my very best , to keep my cool. The boy's laughter and his sweetness made me easily forget the technicalities and made me remember on why I absolutely love photography.

Hello world!

2010-08-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

And to officially start my photo blog, here's my favorite picture for this week. Why is it a favorite? For the main reason that I have no recollection of taking this. And no, I was not inebriated.
Once again, sheer luck and being at that moment was on my side.

Kinn and Aidan at Griffith Park