I’m very grateful to have the privilege of working with the greatest couples. It’s 4AM but I HAD to get these images up for H + J. Hopefully they’ll get to see it before taking off on their long Memorial Day weekend holiday later today. Hong and Joe: you guys were unbelievable today! You cracked me up every minute of our half-day e-session. I felt like we were going on an adventure together and you allowed me to be YOUR storyteller with my camera. Thanks for putting up with my whacky suggestions and picking out the shooting locations. Having an overcast day was a blessing in disguise; who needs the sun right?

I loved how you were so happy and care free the entire day. Both of you have a sense of humor that is so contagious. I couldn’t help but join in and laugh with you: from the silly faces to the corny poses, you guys cracked me up and MADE my weekend. Thank you for asking how my wedding photography business is going and buying my ticket to the “Lost island” :); for giving me a band-aid when I cut my finger and a bottle of water when I got thirsty. It’s those little things you did that motivates me to do the best job I possibly can. Have a wonderful week together and be sure to laugh and make fun of each other every chance you get, just like today :).

Yesterday evening, I had the utmost pleasure of being the event photographer for Mr. Manuel Edralin’s 80th birthday celebration held at the Mariott Hotel near LAX. It was night full of laughs, smiles, hugs, and a few surprises, including a performance by Elvis! One of Manuel’s nieces, Edna, called me a few months ago to be the photographer. I’m not sure how she found me but I’m certainly glad she did! Special thanks goes to Edna and her husband Paul. Both were super nice and kind to me throughout the party, offering me a delicious meal at one of the many tables. Really sweet people like Edna, Paul, and Manuel just makes my job as the photographer so enjoyable!

I can only hope to follow in similar footsteps as Manuel and have over 250 family and friends show up to my 80th birthday. Hopefully we all live a healthy and worthwhile life like Mr. Edralin. Happy birthday Manuel! Thank you and your wonderful guests for allowing me to be your photographer :).

I’m very excited to start offering Leather Craftsmen wedding albums to all my awesome current and future clients. They are the epitome of what quality albums are: professional feel/look and hand-crafted to withstand the test of time and wear/tear. Just about a month ago, I contacted Leather Craftsmen and within a day, I received info on how to go about designing and ordering their amazing products. What really influenced me to fall in love with their albums was their outstanding customer service and attention to details.

I’d like to send a special “thank you” to Ira, who resides in Los Angeles and is the West Coast representative for Leather Craftsmen. Just about a month ago, Ira invited me to check out LC’s wide range of albums at his lovely house just a few days after I signed up to be a client. At our meeting, he took the time to explain to me in great detail the many aspects of designing, choosing, and selling an album. Not only was I impressed with LC’s stellar line of albums, but also with Ira and his team of representatives. If you’re a wedding photographer wondering which album company to work with, I HIGHLY recommend Leather Craftsmen! And if you’re around Southern California, get in touch with Ira. He’s been a lifesaver, helping me understand album design and getting my first studio sample out the door.

Earlier today, I went down to LC’s office in Santa Ana to pick up my first studio album. It is a 11×14”, 43-page, distressed brown leather cover 3500-series album:

Super thick, durable, flushed pages:

Sleek yet large and heavy, just the way I like my albums!

The pages fold flat down and are all binded tightly together:

The slip case is just as stunning as the album:

Made with the same high quality leather as the album cover and protects your memories for many, many generations:

My design style is clean, simple, and elegant:

Here are a few more layouts:

Please let me know if you’re interested in a LC album for your wedding. I’ll have several more samples in the coming months.

These two are absolutely adorable! Gotta give Chad the thumbs up for sporting the casual t-shirt, shorts, and sandels :). Ann looked stunning and radiant! This was probably my toughest e-session since part of the day was at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. It appeared as though everyone and their mother decided to visit this place on a super hot Sunday afternoon! We had to find empty areas and waited for the crowd to pass us by before shooting. Ann and Chad handled the many folks that checked us out. So kudos to them for being very comfortable in front of the camera AND the various random people :).

Afterwards, we headed on over to the Queen Mary. This place was the complete opposite of the aquarium. We thought the ship might’ve closed already since hardly anyone was there. Fortunately, we still had about two hours to check out the many levels and mysteries of this classic (and haunted!) place. I loved how both Ann and Chad were completely natural and candid all day long. All I really had to do was follow them around and document their time together. I’m definitely stoked for their wedding in early August!