Month: May 2008

  • Jenny And Tom (tease) – South of the Border?

    Okay so it is not really South of the Border but more like South Bay up in the Bay Area.    Last Saturday I got a chance to second shoot with Scott Robert at the wedding of Jenny and Tom.  It was a great time to hang with Scott and take in more of just how he works his magic in capturing amazing images.  This is just a little teaser as I really liked this whole sombrero thing.  Scott and Liz saw these and just went with it, and I think it resulted in some great shots.  This was not really the theme of the wedding and I will get more up as I have the chance but in the mean time make a run to the border.

     

    AIMG_6613  b jpeg

    AIMG_6618 b

  • Put One Foot In Front Of The Other

    Had to make an entry to commemorate our little girls first time walking.  She has been cruising but has never really taken steps without holding onto something.  I mentioned in an earlier entry that she has been standing a little but that was it.  Well today she was standing there by one of her toys and I decided to hold out my arms and call for her to come to me.  Well to my surprise she sort of squared herself up and then walked over.  Okay, maybe it was only like 5 steps or so but it was truly exciting.  Of course once she starts walking we will probably wish she was less mobile but for now we will relish the act and be beaming parents.

    _MG_6067 b

  • Bellagio

    Okay, just a quick entry.  A couple of my good friends happen to be off on a romantic vacation in Italy.  I think this is sort of their delayed honeymoon, although, I could be wrong.  If I am, who cares, they are in ITALY!!  Plus today I got this e-mail informing me about the “special” summer rates for the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas.  I do like the Bellagio but did you know there is a real Bellagio?  Bellagio is a small resort town on the shores of Lake Como in Northern Italy.  It was one of our stops when Diana and I went on our honeymoon.  If you have never been up to Lake Como try your best to make it up there someday.  It is absolutely beautiful there.  If you want an idea of what it looks like, they filmed part of Star Wars Episode II there.  It is the part when they go to the Lakes Region of Naboo.  On top of all that beauty, I had the absolutely best porcini risotto in my life there. 

     

    So indulge me, things just reminded me of Bellagio so I had to reminisce.  Here are a couple of shots from there, actually a couple are from neighboring towns but they are all in that area of Lake Como.  Sadly when we were there I only had the ole Nikon Coolpix 950 with a screaming 2.1 megapixels.

     

    Bellagio From Water JPEG b

    Blue Sky Church b

    Lake Como Stairway b

    Lake Como Mansion b

  • Stop And Smell The Sunset

    People say that once in awhile you need to stop and smell the flowers or maybe go out and watch a sunset.  Somehow those statements don’t always seem to fit into our lives these days.  There is always so much to do and not enough time to do it.  We must always be pushing forward or we will fall behind and not accomplish our goals and get ahead.  But is that always what is best for us?  Quite awhile ago I found myself passing out and not knowing what was happening.  Well what was happening was I had a bleeding ulcer, so I was basically bleeding to death without knowing it.  When I tell people this they are usually surprised since I think most people think I am kind of a mellow easy going guy.  I think I am overall but unfortunately I also tend to internalize things. 

     

    When this was happening, my plate was full to say the least.  Work was crazy for a number of different reasons.  My personal life was terrible too.  My folks were trying to rebuild their home after it burned down, and to make things worse they had a bad contractor to.  And the relationship I was in at the time was falling apart as well.  Whew…no wonder I keeled over!  I was emotionally bankrupt.  Obviously something needed to change.  During that time God really took me on a journey and taught me that even in those bad times he was there and that there is beauty and wonder around you if you can let go and see it.  So some of the best things are simple and in places you would not expect.  We just have to take the time to look.

     

    Well I have to say that of late photography has become my haven more and more.  It allows the creative part of me, which has not always had expression, to come out.  It has also helped me to let go of things as I concentrate to see things around me and seek to capture them.  So here are a few shots that lend themselves to “Stopping to smell the sunset.”

     

    _MG_0022

     

    This orchid is awesome.  Diana bought it on a whim for $25 and this little dynamo has pumped out more and more blossoms each year.  Check out how many there were this year!

     

    _MG_4338

    Check out the size of this peony. 

     

    _MG_4362

     

    And now the sunsets and almost sunsets.

     

    Blue Grey Cloud

    _MG_0079

    IMG_3856

    _MG_0078

    IMG_3630

    Cafe Cacao w The Lims-2-2

     

     

     

     

  • Melissa & Matt’s Wedding

    The other weekend I got a chance to go out and second shoot for Brian Ng of Photograph(ng) at Melissa & Matt’s wedding.  I met Brian through my friend Pat, who knew that I’ve been trying to grow and develop into a better photographer.  So he put out a shout and next thing I knew I was going to meet up with Brian.  Well to be honest I was a bit nervous as I did not know what to expect, but Brian is a really good guy.  He is laidback and pretty mellow but with a great passion for photography. It has been great to hear what he has to share and see how he does his thing. 

     

    I did not get to meet Melissa & Matt before hand but they are one of those couples that just make you feel comfortable right away even though you probably shouldn’t, if you know what I mean.  They are a totally fun couple and the thing that stands out even more than how fun and crazy they are is just how much they love each other and were looking forward to getting married.  We were at the SF Zoo and Brian and I were a little bummed that the animal’s beddie bye time was before the ceremony.  So sorry, you will have to settle for pictures of the “Lovebirds” instead. 

     

    Congratulations Melissa & Matt!  May your life together be blessed and thank you for making me feel welcomed. 

     

    A_MG_4746 v2b

    A_MG_4741 b

    A_MG_4726 b

    A_MG_4755 b

    A_MG_4769 b

    A_MG_4781 b

    A_MG_4811 b

    A_MG_4819 b

    A_MG_4837 b

    A_MG_4845 b

    A_MG_4842 b

    AIMG_4974 b

    AIMG_5020 b

    AIMG_5206 b

    AIMG_5244 b

    AIMG_5249 b

    AIMG_5282 b

    AIMG_5129 b

    AIMG_5350 b

    AIMG_5396 b

    AIMG_5000 b

    AIMG_5471 b

    AIMG_5473 b

    AIMG_5526 b AIMG_5167 back b copy

    AIMG_5156 b

    AIMG_5586 b

    AIMG_5176 b AIMG_5623 b

    AIMG_5241 b

     

  • Melissa & Matt A Day At The Zoo

    Last Saturday I got to second for Brian Ng of Photograph(ng).  We covered the wedding of this great couple Melissa and Matt.  It was a fun day watching the lovebirds get married at of all places, the San Francisco Zoo.  I’ll post some of the images once I get a chance to go through all my stuff.  I’ve been tied up a bit more this week since my daughter decided to have a 102-degree fever on Monday, but she is better now so hopefully I will have something up soon.  So come back and see what I got.  In the mean time here is a little teaser.

     

    AIMG_5167 back b copy   

  • Remembering Mom

    Yesterday was my second Mother’s Day having my daughter but not having my own mom around.  So it of course made me think of my mom and how I wished that she were still here.  I guess last year it did not affect me as much since C was only like 2+ months old and you know how coherent parents are with a child that age.  I miss my mom…some days more than others but I think what makes me most sad is that she did not get to share all the great things that are going on these days.

     

    My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer about a month before Diana and I got married.  She in fact started chemotherapy the week before our wedding.  I was so grateful that she was able to enjoy our wedding day, as I was afraid that she would be wiped out by the treatments.  I think my mom, like many moms, was looking forward to seeing me get married, and she had to wait quite awhile. =P  So it was a great joy for me to see that she had enough energy and was able to fully enjoy that day.  I truly believe that was a gift from God.

     

    My mom always wanted a daughter but had to settle for two boys.  According to my dad she cried when I popped out and she found out I was a boy.  Screaming, “A boy?!?!? Let’s have another!”  Well they never did.  So I think she would have loved her granddaughter to death.  Probably would have spoiled her to death too!  So I am sad that she never got to see her and that my daughter will never know her grandmother either.  But hopefully one day we will all be up in heaven together, what a glorious time that will be. 

     

    So this entry is sort of my Mother’s Day Card to my mom.  Hope everyone had a good Mother’s Day!

     

    Here are a couple of pictures of my Mom when she was obviously younger growing up in SF. I have no idea what the writing says on the bottom, if someone can tell me I would appreciate it.  Hopefully it does not say something embarrassing.

     

    Mom 4 adj

    Mom 3 adj

     

    Here are my folks on our wedding day.  This picture is from Scott, he was not actually our photographer, it would have been hard since he was my Best Man.

     

     

    DianaEricWed131

     

    Finally a couple of shots from yesterday.  Someone just started standing up a little without holding on to anything.  She particularly does it on the bed.  Hummmm…softer…pretty smart…I guess she doesn’t take after Dad.  =P

     

    IMG_5681 b

    _MG_5957-Edit b

  • Bud & Tina

    These are my friends Leanne and Christina.  I wanted to take a portrait of them together because they are good friends and also because we all belong to the same Home Group.  Well unfortunately both of them will be leaving our group soon.  Christina to find a group closer to her new home so she can attend with her husband and Leanne, because she is moving away from the area.  It is sad to think we will not see them on a regular basis since in some ways they are like family.  Hopefully though, they will be able to come and visit us from time to time.  In any case they will still be in our hearts no matter where they are.  So for now it will be farewell but by no means goodbye.

     

    A_MG_4702-Edit back JPEG b

     

     

     

     

  • Just A Walk In The Park

    For our Sunday outing Diana and I packed up our “bunny” (you’ll see) and headed up to Tilden Park.  I have gone up there from time to time because of the golf course but have not been around most of the rest of the park for awhile.  Back in college my zoology class used to always go up there for field trips.  Somehow it was less fun to go there back then, although, I must say in retrospect, that particular class was one of the better classes that I took.  Okay, yes, I am partially a science dork.   Some of the more memorable things about those zoology field trips were:

     

    1)      It was always raining and we could not use umbrellas since they scare the birds.

    2)      Our professors especially the ornithologist, never like to walk on the trails and would often walk right through creeks if he saw something on the other side he wanted to show us.

    3)      We had to write field notes in the rain, try keeping paper dry while writing.

    4)      Getting up at 3:00 AM so we could be up at the park early enough to walk in to where we needed to go before the sun started to come up so we could listen to the dawn chorus (that is when the birds that sleep separate from one another sing first thing in the morning so they can find each other).

    5)      And did I mention it was ALWAYS raining!

     

    I was not going to take my camera with me today but at the last minute decided I should bring something so I grabbed my Rebel and stuck my old Tamron 18-200mm on it.  I figured that way it would be fairly light and easy to just carry around.   I have to say it was nicer walking around there than I remember.  Hummmm…I wonder why?  =P  Plus, they have added a little zoo, and because our daughter is so young it is almost better than being at the real zoo, and it is all FREE!  So it was a good outing…I think we will be going back, as long as it is not raining.  =)

     

    BIMG_4830-Edit

     

    Like I said “bunny”. 

     

    BIMG_4845

    BIMG_4964

    BIMG_4878

    BIMG_4977

     

    Here is that little zoo.

     

    BIMG_4984

    BIMG_4988

    BIMG_5014

     

    Some real bunnies.

     

    BIMG_5024

    BIMG_5058

    BIMG_4896

    BIMG_4920

     

  • Out To Lunch

    Today Diana and I got a bit of a treat since we managed to get ourselves out for lunch.  We went to one of our favorite little places in the Rockridge District of Oakland, CA.  The name of the restaurant is Noodle Theory.  Okay, granted it is owned by our friend Louis, but really the food is great.  To tell the truth, when we heard he was going to open a restaurant we were totally excited.  We used to love it when he would cook for us from time to time.  Ha ha…the only drawback now is that we have to pay for it, but it is still worth it.  So if you are ever in that area you might want to stop on in and give it a try. 

     

    Noodle Theory Front sm2

     

    One of our favorites.  The Grilled Niman Ranch Beef Udon in a Coconut Lime Curry Broth.

     

    Beef Udon sm