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Sunday, October 3, 2010

Matthew’s 1st Birthday! :: Eagle Rock Recreation Center

About 2 months ago my friends, Trisha and Ryan, came to me and told me that after they had shown their families our work, Ryan’s sister-in-law was interested in having us photograph her son’s 1st birthday party. I was told by Trisha of how significant this party was going to be because not only is Baby Matthew turning 1, but also that he came a long way to be the first baby born into his family. So as a result, parents Regina and Radcliff were expecting anywhere from 125 to 150 guests to celebrate this momentous occasion! Oh! And I had to go about this event by myself like a big girl without Jove because he had an army drill he had to be at.

So after a number of emails were exchanged between Regina and I over the past 2 months, the party quickly arrived and this past Saturday I had finally met her, her husband and the birthday boy. I was immediately impressed with Matthew, as he was such a quiet boy. I don’t think he cried once during the duration of the party nor did he mind me getting all up in his face taking pictures of him. He really is such a sweet boy! The day was filled with lots of loving family, supportive friends, good food, and crazy games. I felt right at home. I was quickly entertained at how silly their families were during all the party games, some of which were a 3-legged race, a scavenger hunt, and a game where you had to form the longest line using your body and anything you had on your body! I managed to get quite a few shots of these crazy acts.

By the end of the day, I was thrilled to have been able to document such an important event to so many people and I was happy with how my pictures turned out. It got me thinking, during my long drive back home, at how rewarding pursuing this business is going to be knowing that the pictures I take will be cherished and looked at for years to come and that I will have had something to do with it. Upon arriving at my house, I was in shock at how amazing the sunset looked, so I quickly pulled into my garage and ran down my street with my camera in hand to get a better look and I managed to get a few shots before the sun had a chance to change its beautiful appearance. It made for a great way to end an already amazing day.

Look who got a picture with the birthday boy!!!

by Annie

3 comments

RHODORA CASTILLO - October 8, 2010 - 9:09 pm

Hi, Veronica,

God has given you the talent and mastery of what you have done on my loving grandson’s (MATTHEW) first birthday on Oct. 2, 2010. And I praise, thank and give glory to God first, secondly, I am very grateful you were so patient and gracious to capture the many memorable scenes, sceneries, and people who made the day a very memorable day for us. My prayers for you are deeply embedded in our hearts and we wish you the best in every endeavor you pursue.

We love you!
Matthew’s maternal grandma and family

Regina - October 5, 2010 - 10:26 pm

Hi, Veronica!

We absolutely LOVE these pictures you posted. We can’t wait to see the rest of them! You did such a great job in capturing a very important time in our lives. Your pictures make Matthew’s first birthday that much more memorable! Thank you so much!

Regina and Radcliff

Rhodora Brill - October 5, 2010 - 9:01 am

Dear Veronica,

I am Matthew’s Lola (grandma). Thank you very much for the pictures it was fabulous and so perfect for that day. I will treasure this pictures till he Matthew) is 2, 3, …. hehehe. You did a great job. I do appreciate your good work. Can you do my 40th Wedding Anniversary IN YEAR 2018. 8th more years to go. Matthew can walk with me going to the altar and of course my loving husband Dario(Tic).

Again, Thank you.

Lola Dora

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Vegas Routine

So when it comes to Vegas, I have developed a routine over the past 10 years that has worked really well for me. We usually drive in late, rest for a little while, then I would go out, sit down, beverage in hand, and count cards at my favorite game of Blackjack…..more often than not, I would bank enough money to cover the rest of the weekend.

This past weekend, we went with Annie’s high school BFF’s and had a great time partying and just hanging out like old times. That first night/early morning will never be forgotten….4 ‘waters’ in 4 minutes and for some, 6 ‘waters’ in 4 minutes. It was a rather unusual Vegas trip for me….the first in which I did not play a single hand of my favorite game. So instead of talking about how I made a killing at the tables, I will opt to talk about food instead. SAY WHAT?!?!?! Yup…..food, cause you know how much we love it. =D

First on the list, The Capital Grille located in the corner of the Fashion Show Mall…you know, the building with the big UFO on it. My hat goes off to our waiter who was able to sell us all on getting the Lobster Bisque and taking my request to add applewood-smoked bacon to my Lobster & Crab Burger. Annie chose to get their signature burger which was infused with sweet onions, cheese, and the smoked bacon. The bisque definitely hit the spot and had giant chunks of lobster. Our two burgers were amazing….I’m sure my burger would have been amazing without the bacon, but honestly, bacon enhances everything. In fact, my burger was glowing from all the bacon.

Second on the list, Fix located in the Bellagio Casino. I couldn’t really tell if this was a bar or fancy restaurant, but we went there all dressed up thinking it was a fancy steak place. We were all kind of full from our lunch, so we didn’t overdo it. We had the 10oz Filet Mignon, Lobster Tacos, and Lobster Mashed Potatoes. The steak was nice and juicy and the bite sized tacos were bursting with flavor. I wish it didn’t end. As for the lobster mashed potatoes, I much rather prefer the lobster mash from Mastro’s Ocean Club. Our friends ordered the Surf & Turf, which I couldn’t keep my eyes off of. The desserts were really good too…the Shake & Cake, which was a brownie and mocha flavored shake, and the creme brulee in the fancy sprial dish was a good way to end.

Lastly, we ate a quick lunch at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill located in Caesar’s Palace. We all started off with some goat cheese and chips and some kind of bacon quesadilla, which was really good. For the main course, we chose to split the Spicy Chicken + Sweet Potato Hash, which had a good kick to it. It was funny because when our waiter noticed me busting out my camera, he asked us if we knew Bobby Flay. I said, “Yeah, he throws down, ” referring to his TV show Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Our waiter then talks about how Bobby comes to visit a couple times a year and encouraged to come out to some food fest in March or something. He then leaves the table, goes to the back, and randomly comes back with a chef’s outfit. He tells us Bobby isn’t here today, but you can try this on. Random. Anyway, that’s how I got my “Master Chef” Jove picture. =D

Happy Friday everyone….is it time for lunch yet???

by Jove

no comments

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

OC Photo Club with Gene Higa – Sept 2010

Yesterday, Annie & I strolled down to Irvine to attend the OC Photo Club meeting to get some tips and advice from Gene Higa, who has been named one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world by American Photo Magazine. We definitely didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some of the things discussed were working with clients, posing, and lighting.

Here’s a shoutout to the people that made this event possible:

Organizer – Kerry Garrison
Speaker – Gene Higa
Models provided by – JLP Model and Talent
Hair and Makeup by – Sheena Rush Roark
Models – Evan Harney, Kristin Keating, Michelle Saikali, Taylor Thorne, & Mera Zero

On a side note, you may notice that we have a new look for our watermark. I had originally created an action in Photoshop that puts our previous watermark in all four corners of each picture and then we would go in and select which one looked the best. That was fine and dandy, but having to do this with each and every photo kind of took time away from other things. So Annie created this new, cleaner watermark, which is embedded on all images on export in Lightroom. What took 3 to 5 minutes before, now takes 1 or 2….hey, every minute counts =D …. This is just temporary though because we have a graphic designer in our pocket working on our new brand!!!

by Jove

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