For Hannah and Topher, it was definitely hiking, being outdoors and enjoying the beauty all around.  It was such a beautiful day for a 9 mile hike!!  Just kidding… it was actually only about 2 miles to get to Stuartevant Falls.  However, if we were to do the entire hike, then it would have been 9 miles.  But then that would just be suicide for me.  Hahaha  =)  We had so much fun hanging out with Hannah and Topher as we took our time and enjoyed every step of the hike and appreciate all the natural beauty that surrounds us.  It was quite relaxing and I would definitely love to do it again.

This beautiful fall (Stuartevant Falls) is totally worth crawling over rocks and through water to get to!!

As the sun starts to set, we made our way back and on the way stopped for some low-light photography.

Thank you Hannah and Topher for such a wonderful adventure!!  Can’t wait to hang out with you both again for your wedding at Almansor Court in Alhambra.

We photographed Janice and Kawai’s engagement session over the Christmas Holidays when Janice was visiting Kawai from Hungary.  I love meeting my couples for the first time, but Janice and Kawai were extra special to me because of their love story.  They told me that airports and airplanes are very meaningful to them.  They spend a lot of time on flights flying back and forth to see each other.  I’m super thrilled to be their Los Angeles engagement photographer and capture some wonderful memories for them to take back to Hong Kong.  For their engagement photography session, we started off at the El Monte Airport.  Engagement photography at El Monte Airport (or any airports) is a no no due to security reasons.  Fortunately for us, one of Kawai’s friend at Cal Tech teaches flying lessons there and so we were hooked up.  =)

Janice has a beautiful smile!!

We continued their Los Angeles Engagement Photography Session at the famous Walt Disney Concert Hall (engagement photography).  You can never go wrong doing  Engagement Photography at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

There are just tooooo many beautiful spots that make awesome backdrops at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (WDCH).  During certain time of the day, we were able to utilized the sunlight bouncing off the surfaces to create awesome images.  And at night time, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and downtown Los Angeles glows beautifully!!

And finally, we ended their Los Angeles engagement photography session with beautiful and romantic sunset engagement photos.  Another popular spot of engagement photography in Los Angeles is at Santa Monica Pier.

Janice and Kawai… enjoying the sunset in Los Angeles.

We had some really low-tides that day and it created some really cool patterns in the sand.

They really do embrace every second with each other!

Thank you Janice and Kawai for such a beautiful love story and a wonderful afternoon!!  We had lots of fun hanging out and getting to know you both.  All the best as you finish your education and start a family together!  Hopefully Gavin and I can visit you both in Hong Kong one day!  And then you can show us around!!  =)

I was so happy and honored when Connie contacted Gavin and I to be their Los Angeles wedding photographer and videographer.  Connie and James met each other at the hospital where they work together.  Connie started noticing that Dr. James (Pediatrician) was making his round to her nursing station quite often.  =)  And then it all started with a cup of coffee.

We did their engagement photography session in Laguna.  The shoot started off in an open field, then we made our way to downtown Laguna, and finally ended with some gorgeous sunset engagement photography.

Thank you Connie and James for such a fun and energetic engagement session, AND for introducing us to a new delicious all you can eat Korean BBQ!!  Let’s do it again!!  =)

Check out our other Laguna Beach Engagement Photography Sessions .

Believe it of not but this is the Milwaukee Public Library.  The building is one block long and is designed in a combination of French and Italian Renaissance styles known as Neo-Renaissance.  (Thank you Wikipedia).  =)

Like I previously mentioned, Jeni and Jay have amazing chemistry.  It’s the crazy kinda love that everyone admires when looking at them!!

After the Library, we headed over to the Milwaukee Art Museum.  When we got there, there were huge crowds of people running, screaming, crying, etc.  What is going on I thought.  Well… it turns out that American Idol was doing their 2010 audition there that day!!  WOW…  JLo, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson are in the building.  Unfortunately, because there were so many people, the actual Art Museum was off limits at the time.

Grant Park (aka 7 Bridges Trail) was the last stop in our engagement session.  This beautiful park is located along the shores of Lake Michigan.  It’s an attraction in Milwaukee because it’s supposedly haunted.

I love the way he’s holding her…

Here are some random shoots that I took while Gavin lead their engagement session.

We took some trails and finally made it to the beach.  It was WOW-mazing.  (Yeah… I just made that up right now).  =)

The calm ripples of the tide pool, the ragging waves of the ocean, the smell of fresh air, and the gorgeous sunset colors all painted a beautiful image of love… Jeni and Jay!!

Thank you SO MUCH Jeni and Jay for everything!!  We had such a blast and can’t wait to visit you both again!!  And thank you everyone else for visiting!  We look forward to the pleasure of hearing from you and your love story!!

Don’t forget to check out Jeni and Jay’s wedding at the Milwaukee Public Museum and our adventurous trip to the Mid-East.

Angelic and Mike are a fun and sweet couple!!  They knew of each other in high school but never really hung out until they reconnected in college at a mutual friend’s house party.  Ever since then, they dated and even went to USC’s Marshall School of Business.  In the last blog, you saw Lisa and Koichi’s engagement session at UCLA,  so it’s only fair that I show USC some love as well!!  I actually applied to USC Pharmacy School a few years back, but it didn’t work out so here I am!!  =)

For their engagement session, Angelic and Mike wanted a city and modern feel to the pictures.  There’s no better place to photograph than in Downtown Los Angeles itself.  I LOVE that she brought along the balloons as props.  I also love love LOVE the red dress!!

Here’s one of my favorite pictures!!

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is great for engagement pictures around 4pm-ish.  It’s definitely a photographer’s playground.  No reflectors need here… the sun reflecting off the surfaces of the building creates awesome lighting.

After photos at The Walt Disney Concert Hall, we headed over to the Union Station.

Angelic got a little carried away!! LOL  So cute!! I love this picture too!

Save. the. date!!

All her dresses are so cute!!

We then made our way to USC Marshall School of Business… a big part of their lives.  USC’s campus is not as big as UCLA, but it is definitely just as beautiful.

I love the way they hold each other.

And we finally ended the engagement session back at Downtown Los Angeles.

Have you ever seen Dowtown LA at night!?!!?  The sun gives way to a parade of twinkling lights!!

Thank you Angelic and Mike!!! Can’t wait to share your happiness on your big day!! xoxo

Lisa and Koichi met about 7 years ago at Church when Koichi was visiting the states from Japan.  It’s amazing that during their entire courting years, the longest they’ve ever been apart was 2 weeks.  Koichi was either here in the states or Lisa would travel to Japan.  For their engagement session, we started at the Getty Center.  I love Getty Center engagement sessions… there’s always so much to do there and so many photo opps!!

The remaining half of their engagement session was done at UCLA!!  ”Go Bruins!!!”  — that was shout out for Gavin (since he’s a UCLA Computer Science and Engineering Alumni).  Lisa graduated from UCLA with a chemistry degree.  She told me that Koichi would take the bus (he didn’t have a California DL yet) to come and see her when she was done with class.  So cute right?

Yes… Koichi can walk on walls!!  LOL

Not long after they started dating, O’s student visa expired and she had to go back to Thailand.  So what did Benny do?!?!?  He flew to Thailand to be with her.  So sweet right?!!?!  They continued their relation there and finally he popped the question and the date is set for August 14th of this year!!

We did their engagement session at the Gateway Plaza in San Pedro.  What can I say about The Gateway besides that it was AWESOME!!  We walked around the park and found a really cool water fountain (with water squirting up from the ground).  Gavin and I call this picture… “Water fireworks.”

From there, we took the Trolley back to the entrance where we all enjoyed a wonderful water show.  During their engagement session in San Pedro, I’ve noticed that O and Benny have little gestures that are so cute.  It’s the way he looks at her and holds her, or how she softly touches his face and genuinely kisses his lips that I find so darn cute.

I love reflections.

The Gateway and it’s surroundings starts to glow as the sun begins to go down.

And this was during the water show that comes on every half hour.

By the way, I LOVE Thai food (actually I LOVE ALL TYPES OF FOOD), so after their fun water park engagement session, O and Benny invited us to join them for dinner.  I was in heaven with all the dishes she ordered.  I even got my very own dish of Mango with sticky rice and coconut sauce!!! oooohhhhh… my favorite!!  So hungry just thinking about it. =)

Let’s meet Sasha and Howie.  They are a fun and sweet couple to be around; Gavin and I had a blast hanging out with them and we can’t wait to be their wedding photographer in Jolla, San Diego.  We started off their Laguna Beach Engagement session at an open field.  Sasha wanted a dry, desert kinda look.  From there, we headed to downtown Laguna and of course ended with some beautiful sunset engagement photography.

I love beach silhouette pictures.

Don’t forget to check out my other Laguna Beach Engagement Photography.

Christina owns a cafe in a commercial building where George manages.  She notices that George comes in quite often to order food, and George couldn’t help but notices his sandwiches were “extra” special.  =)

A wise couple once told me, “the core of every successful marriage starts with a true friendship.”  With that said, what better place to do an engagement session (with this set of best friends) than at the Korean Friendship Bell.  The sky was blue, the flowers were in full blossom… it was really a lovely day for an engagement session in the beautiful city of Rancho Palos Verdes.

It was a bit windy, and George was almost blown away.  Luckily for him, Christina was there to pull him back!! =)

It was really cute how George brought Christina a little bouquet of Gerber Daisies.

We found a nearby field where they picnicked and enjoyed some wine as they soak up the sun.

Cheers… to a beautiful couple!!

After the bottle of wine was done (hehehe), we made our way to Abalone Cove for some beach engagement photography.

I really love their smiles!!

They both love to read!! Christina enjoys the Twilight Series (which I’ve only finished the first two books), and George with this Martial Arts Magazines.

They both enjoy long walks on the beach!

And more importantly, they both LOVE being with each other and having fun with each other!!

I love this picture!!  There’s nothing better than the feeling of walking on clouds with your best friend!!  Thanks Christina and George for such a wonderful engagement session!!  I am so excited for your big day at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden.

Special thanks to my assistant Steven Tran for coming along.  Steven is my “baby” brother and is an aspiring photographer.

Valerie and Addison have been together for 7 years!!  In fact, their engagement session was on their 7 year anniversary!!  How thoughtful is that right??  Both Valeria and Addison went to the same high school and knew of each other, but didn’t really hung out until Grad Night at Disneyland.  We all gotta love Disneyland… it’s the happiest place on earth and also such a magical place!!  I did an engagement session at Disneyland a few months ago and it totally brought out the kid in me! =)  When I met with Val and Addison a while back, they both were going to school, but now they’re done and have their teaching credentials!!  I am so excited for what the future holds for these two love birds.

I had so much fun hanging out with the two of them.  We started the engagement session in downtown Laguna Beach!  Valerie and Addison are so playful… so energetic!!  I LOVE IT!!!

I absolutely LOVE their eyes!!  Both Val and Addison have beautiful blue/green eyes!!  They both make such a handsome couple…

This was at some random person’s house!! LOL…

Isn’t this house so cool looking!?!?

It was such a perfect day for the beach!!

Hahahaa…

They had lots of cute little moments like this!

Here’s another picture in front of some random person’s house!  SO sexy…!!

What a beautiful couple!!

I love playing with lights and reflections!  I was so excited when I saw that the tide pool was full with water when we got there.  The last few engagement sessions at Laguna Beach, the pool was not full.

This picture is also one of my favorites!!  There were some really big waves that day!

Valerie and Addison are so so so much in love with each other!! I can really feel their chemistry the entire time!  <3

HOT!!!

I love this picture!!!

After the engagement session, we all went to grab some Korean BBQ at Star Korean BBQ in Orange Grove.  It was Val and Addison’s first time trying Korean BBQ.  The wait was an hour long so we hit up a bar across the street while waiting to be seated!!  We got 1 Corona Light, 2 New Castles, and 1 Shock Top Belgium White Ale.  Not hard to remember right??  Well… it took our waitress 4 times to get that order right!! I kid you not!! We all couldn’t hold back our laughs!!  The second round was just as bad!! We couldn’t believe it!!  You have to be there to understand how hilarious it was!!

Thank you Valerie and Addison for such a wonderful time!!  I can’t wait till your big day in September!!

Let’s meet Carolina and David shall we?  Carolina and David met each other about 6 years ago via the internet… Friendster!!  They’ve been dating since and finally David popped the question last year.  I am so excited to be their wedding photographer at Hotel Maya in Long Beach.  Carolina is a smart and beautiful sweetheart.  She’s a chemist for a cosmetic line, Merle Norman.  It’s so sweet of her to give me a ton of make-up (formulated by her) at the end of their downtown engagement session.  David is a shy, kind-hearted guy that works for our government, Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  He didn’t say much at our meeting, but I got him started with just one word… “guns” !! LOL…

Carolina says that David doesn’t really like to take pictures and will not smile in them.  Well… these pictures seem to proof otherwise!!  We started off at the Downtown Los Angeles Central Library.   Both Carolina and David likes to read.

Shhhhhh… keep it down guys!!  =)

I love the look on David’s face when seeing Carolina looking at wedding magazines!!

So cute!!

It was so funny when Carolina lightly tapped on the bell and David (who’s inside) was like… “Ouch”

After pictures at the Los Angeles Central Library, we made our way over to the Bradbury Building.  The Bradbury Building is definitely a hidden gem in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles.  For those who haven’t been there, it’s a must stop by when in DTLA.  The Bradbury building is  five story building with an ornate interior design.  It’s rich marble tiling and cast iron stairs create a beautiful backdrop for pictures.

After the Bradbury building, we made our way to the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall at night time is just oh so gorgeous!!

I love how downtown LA glows at night.

Thank you Carolina and David for a wonderful evening!!  It was so much fun hanging out with you both!! Can’t wait till the wedding at Hotel Maya.

A special thank you to my little brother Steven Tran who came along as an assistant.

For their engagement session, Joy wanted a background that has wooden fences, brick walls, park bench, train tracks, etc.  I told her Rancho Capistrano has it all!!  We were originally gonna shoot inside Rancho Capistrano Mission itself (permit required), but since it was Good Friday, the Mission closed earlier.   I love shooting engagement sessions in Rancho Capistrano, there are so many great places around the mission that serves as a great backdrop.

Joy’s name definitely suits her personality.  She’s so joyful and pleasant to be around.  Joe too!!  These two are totally naturals… the camera loves them!!  I love how they are always smiling and giggling.

After Rancho Capistrano, we headed over to Laguna Beach for the remaining half of the session.  It was a bit overcast when we got to the beach, but we still got gorgeous pictures and a beautiful sunset.

The waves were so big that day!!

Chris and Sandy’s wedding is a special wedding for Gavin and I in that Chris is a good friend of ours.  We’ve known him for about six years now and we couldn’t be more happier for him.  Sandy is a great girl and they are definitely two peas in a pod!!  We are so excited and honored to be their Huntington Hyatt Wedding Photographer and Wedding Videographer.   For their engagement session, we hit up the Getty Center (engagement photography), Santa Monica Pier (engagement), and LACMA Light Display (engagement session).  It was so much fun spending the afternoon with our good friends Chris and Sandy.  To top it off… we ended the night with some delicious Sushi!!

The beautiful architectural backdrop of the Getty Center is a photographer’s play-land.

I love this picture!!

I absolutely LOVE the following series with the various background colors!!  So cool right??

I love shooting into the sun!! Solar flairs are so awesome for pictures…

Santa Monica Pier… here we come!!!

The LACMA light display is getting more and more popular!  If  you haven’t already… check out LACMA, it’s awesome there.

I had so much fun spending the afternoon with Winnie and Donny!  What I love most about these two is their love for each other.   They have been together for 14 years!!  They met in high school but didn’t start dating each other until the beginning of college.  The first two years (LA and Berkeley) and last two years (California and Ohio) of their relationship was long distance.  Their love for each other was so strong… they made it work and distance was not a problem!!  I’m so happy and excited for them as they are together now… in one place and starting a family of their own.  When we first met over coffee to discuss their wedding, I instantly clicked with both of them.  We all had pharmacy in common! hahaha.  Winnie works for Procter and Gamble (a large and well known pharmaceutical company) as a business, marketing consultant.  Donny just graduate Western Pharmacy School and had some mutual friends with me.

“We used to take walks along the beach at night and sit and talk until morning” is what they told me!  How romantic is that!!  So what better places to do their engagement session than at the beach!!  These two love the beach so much, they decided to get married on a beautiful yacht in Newport.

I shot their engagement session at only one location… Laguna!!  Laguna Beach engagement sessions are just gorgeous!!  We started off at a few random homes (LOL) and made our way down to the beach!!

I absolutely love solar flairs…

Yeah…this was in front of someone’s house!!

Laguna Beach has one of the most gorgeous sunsets I’ve seen!!

I LOVE doing engagement photography at Laguna Beach.  Check out Valerie and Addison’s Laguna Beach Engagement Photography Session as well.

It was so much fun hanging out with Theresa and Darlington for their engagement session at Cal Poly Pomona.  The first time I met with them, we connected instantly in that we were all total foodies!!  And for those who know me… I love to eat!!  I always tell people, “eating is blessing!!”

We were blessed with a clear and beautiful day (right before all this weekend’s storm came in). I love how their engagement pictures turned out.  Their love, their energy, their sexiness completely showed in each picture captured!!

They are definitely super cute with each other.

I love the way they hold each other.

It’s always great with couple’s bring props into a session.  It’s so fun…

I love this picture!! LOL

This is usually what happens to Dar when he tries grabbing Theresa’s boobs!!  Yikes!!!

Gentle kisses are always so romantic!

The Cal Poly Pomona campus has a beautiful Japanese Garden… perfect for pictures!

My favorite type of fish… Koi!  I especially love the beautiful Koi.

One of my favorite types of flowers… cherry blossoms!!

I totally dig the red shoes too!!

I love how Theresa and Dar could switch from being lovey dovey at the beginning of the session to super model status in no time!!  These two are so not camera shy!!  i LOVE it!!

Super sexy!!

Being the foodies that we are, we had to end the photo session with some delicious ALL YOU CAN ORDER Sushi at Joe’s Sushi in Montclair!!  oooohhhh man that place was delish!!  All you can order… fresh sushi for just 21.99 per a person!! The sushi is great, fresh and big, and the rice is super small.  Must definitely try…

It’s an end to a wonderful month and a fresh start to a brand new week!!  I thought it would be sweet to start off the week with a fun and refreshing, romantic engagement session.  This is Trina and Trey!!  They are a sweet and quiet couple who are madly in love with each other.  You can just tell by the way the look at each other… they way they hold each other.  I met with Trina and Trey a couple months ago when I was referred (to them) by Channy and Jimmy —  thank you guys!!  Oh… don’t forget to check out Channy and Jimmy’s family portrait session from a few blogs back.  Trina and Trey met about a year ago (on e-harmony) and hit it off instantly!!  Isn’t so sweet that they just knew they were right for each other and didn’t want to waste any time!!  I completely understand when they say, “you just know when it’s the right one”.  They were totally meant to be!!

Trina wanted a “nature” type of engagement session but at the same time wanted a beautiful sunset engagement session.  I’ve shot at this field multiple times, but each time it get prettier and prettier to me!!  I don’t think I’ll ever get bored or tired of taking photos here.

It was indeed a beautiful day!!  The skies were blue and the sun was warm… perfect day for an engagement session in Huntington Beach.  Enjoy…

I LOVE these sunset pictures of them at the beach!!!

I love LOVE LOVE this pictures.  See what I mean when I say, “the way they look at each other says it all.”

If you look really closely, these two are troopers!! What they are standing on is not just a rock, it’s actually clams, mussels, shells, etc., things that really hurt your feet!  Trust me… I know.  LOL.

See… not soft sand!

There was a really cool bed of seaweed.  This picture was taken with natural light…

…while this picture was taken with external lighting.

Trina and Trey, you guys are SO cute for each other.  Gavin and I look forward to being your wedding photographer this February for your Long Beach Wedding.  It’ll be really fun…

Here’s is another Laguna Beach Engagement Photography that you’ll also enjoy.

Amber and Rick had their rehearsal the day prior to their BIG day!  It was great meeting everyone and seeing their venue the day before.  Stay tune for their wedding pictures in my next blog entry!

The real is gonna happen real soon!!

After their rehearsal at church, we were all invited to lunch at Fuego at Hotel Maya.  While guests headed over to Hotel Maya first, we took a detour and went to Shoreline Village for a quick engagement session.

LOL!

Rick saw this “boat” and asked Amber to have a seat.  We really didn’t know what he was doing until he started “rowing” the “boat”.  Their version of a romantic gondola ride in the middle of the afternoon is just tooo cute!

And of course, an engagement session at Shoreline Village, Long Beach is incomplete if the famous lighthouse is not in any pictures.

After enjoying a delicious lunch, we did some quickie formals with their family and bridal party while we’re there.  From just hanging out with their family and group of friends, I KNEW it was gonna be a great wedding!!!

Being a tsuch a beautiful hotel, I couldn’t resist asking Amber and Rick if they were up for some more pictures around Hotel Maya.

They’re laughing at me (in this picture) because Gavin literally picked me up and I am hanging off a bar to take this picture.  Thank God the structure didn’t collapse!!  It would have been pretty hard to explain to the Hotel.

PILLOW FIGHT!!!  Everyone’s a child at heart!

With that said… let’s go back in time to Monday, September 27th, 2010.  For those who may not remember, this was the HOTTEST day since the National Weather Service began keeping records in 1877.  The temperature that day rose to 113 degrees.  What’s its relevance to this blog entry??  Well… I photographed Emily and Darrel’s engagement session on this day!!  We had no idea it was gonna be so FREAKIN hot that day!!!  I was dying… (and so were they), but it was so worth it for these awesome engagement photos.

Despite the blistering heat, we had so much fun (especially towards the end of their engagement session when we all got to play in the water).

Emily and Darrel brought along their old classic Chevy as part of their engagement session.  Here are some of my favorites of them and the car.

We ended the engagement session over in Laguna Beach for some “fun in the water” pictures!!!  It was a PERFECT day to jump into the water at Laguna Beach.

These pictures were taken around dusk, after the sun had already gone down.  I absolutely LOVE the colors at dusk.

This picture makes me feel like they are on top of the world!!

So romantic…

Darrel tells me he works out a lot.  No kidding!!! Check out his six pack!!  ”I can’t go to sleep if I don’t work out”, says Darrel.  LOL… “I wish I had that will power”, replies Judy!  Yes… that would be me!!

Here’s another one of my favorites!  Inside this cave-like looking castle in Laguna Beach.

Karen and Binh have such a cute love story!!  They both met when they were in middle school (in the 6th grade).  Binh had a huge crush on Karen, but Karen was completely oblivious and thought he was a total nerd!! LOL…  years passed and they remained friends all throughout high school (even though Binh moved away and attended a different high school).  Karen and Binh met again in college while both were attending UC Berkley.   This time… was no puppy love!!  They dated all through college and finally Binh popped the question.  I totally believe in fate and I think it’s absolutely AMAZING how two strangers can randomly meet, fall in love, and one day become family!!

Binh proposed to Karen in a rose garden in San Jose, so rose gardens will always have a special place in their hearts.  For their engagement session, they wanted to do pictures at a rose garden and the only one I can think of was at the Huntington Library (as seen in my previous Hungtington Library engagement).  Everything was set and we showed up at the Huntington Library to find that they are closed on Tuesday.  Fortunately, we were close-by to the other hidden gem… the LA Arboretum in Arcadia.  Karen and Binh have never been there and they were excited to explore the Los Angeles arboretum for their engagement session.  This worked out perfectly!!

I’ve done engagement sessions at the LA arboretum before and each time I come back, I find the place more and more inviting.  I love finding new nooks within the same location.

Here are some of my favorites from their engagement session at the LA Arboretum.  Enjoy…

Apparently Karen likes to bite Binh’s ears!!!

I LOVE the lighting in this picture…

the Catawampus…

From the waterfall, we made our way to the Coach Barn and into the stable.

The view from Queen Anne’s Cottage.

We didn’t find a rose garden at the LA arboretum, so we had to improvise and settle for some rose bushes outside Queen Anne’s cottage.   =)

After the LA Arboretum, Karen and Binh wanted to do a quick session at their middle school where they first met!   We got to the school and after the principle heard their love story and gave us permission to wander the school for pictures.

This pictures is SO freakin’ cute!!

“No kissing allowed”, says Karen, “we are on school grounds!!!”  LOL…

Congratulations Karen and Binh!!  Gavin and I look forward to being your wedding photographers next year!!

WOW… I can’t believe I’ve come this far and learned SO much (about photography) ever since I quit my pharmacy job at Cedars-Sinai 2 year ago.  I didn’t realize that I can be so passionate about photography which is the reason I’ve come so far so quick.  To think … 3 years ago… I had absolutely NO idea what shutter speed or what ISO meant!!!  I’m so grateful to be where I’m at today and I absolutely love love LOVE my job!!!  I recently hung out with a fun and goofy couple (Perlyn and Paulo) at  happiest place on earth… that’s right… DISNEYLAND!!!  It’s awesome getting to say… “okay, I’m going to work… at Disneyland!!!”   I haven’t been to Disneyland in years and was probably more excited to go than the couple themselves!!  I can’t deny it, being at Disneyland makes me feel like a kid all over again!!  It was such a great day!!!

Here it is… enjoy this playful, fun and romantic engagement session at the happiness place on earth!!

I have absolutely no problem going on big daring roller-coaster (like the ones at six-flags magic mountain), but I CAN’T do ANY rides that go around in circles… teacup… NO WAY!!!  I figure the mary-go-round can’t be too bad!! Well… I was wrong.  I almost missed a step when we got off.

I LOVE the lighting in this picture.

We were on the hunt for some Disney characters, but for some odd reason they weren’t around.  Maybe because it was a Wednesday afternoon.  I was really looking forward to seeing my favorite character… GOOFY!!!

We hitched the last ferry ride over to Tom Sawyer’s island!!

The suspended bridge was so fun to play on.

Yum… cotton candy!!

Big thunder mountain was awesome…

Mickey’s Toontown was more awesome and soooooo much fun!!  It was like living in a cartoon, everything was so big and super-sized.

Failed!!!  They tried to open this huge door to see what was inside!! LOL…

I told Perlyn and Paul they had to keep it G-rated while in Minnie’s house.  =) so they sat apart.

Paulo somehow “fell” into the wishing well and Perlyn came to the rescue.

so cute…

We ended the Disneyland Engagement session at New Orleans Square!!

Thanks Perlyn and Paulo for a super fun day at Disneyland!!  It was great being a kid again… although my feet seem to disagree at the end of the day.  ;-)

Micha and I played phone tag with each other a few times before we got a hold of each other to arrange for our meeting.  Micha is an emergency room Doctor and Darlington (aka D) is a self taught computer programer (with a Biochemistry degree).  They both met at a bar and a couple years later… engaged!! Micha and D are just so happy in love and it really shows.  They simply adore each other; no doubt about it.  I hardly had to give them any direction at all, they are simply naturals in from of the camera.

We started at the Lily Pond and made our way around…

The beautiful Jungle Garden!!

The Rose Garden…

The Japanese Garden…

LOVE the red shoes…

.

The Chinese Garden…

Thanks guys for being such troopers in the blistering 100+ degree!!

Sarah and Daniel are a great couple and is such a pleasure to work with!!  Sarah is an easy-going high school mathematic teacher (she got her Masters in Mathematics at UCLA), and Daniel is a down-to-earth, goofy kinda guy!!  For their engagement photography session, they wanted something with a botanical garden setting, and what better place to go then the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens and  Art Collection.  The Huntington Library is a BEAUTIFUL location for engagement photography sessions, but unfortunately, they are now becoming VERY strict with allowing photography inside the place.  This is because there are a few photographers that have trespassed certain areas in the gardens and violated the garden’s rules and regulations resulting in damage to the priceless property.  I was told that someone decided to hang off the arm of a 300-year old statue and ended up breaking it.  It’s a shame that these irresponsible photographers have ruined it for other photographers who appreciates and wants to photograph at the Huntington Library for it’s true beauty.  If one wants to photograph at The Huntington Library, advance reservations, fees, insurance, and permits are required.  Note to photographers: please respect the location in which you’re photographing at.  We are lucky to be able to photography at such a beautiful location, so please use common sense and respect the property.  Don’t disturb other visitors who are there to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but instead try to photograph around them.

Sorry… enough ranting on my part!!  Back to Sarah and Daniel… it was a hot HOT Friday afternoon when we photographed this engagement session, but Sarah and Daniel are such troopers and we had a great time hanging out at the beautiful Huntington Library.

The Chinese Garden is a must-visit when at the Huntington Library.

Thanks Sarah and Daniel for a wonderful time!!  I can’t wait till your big day in November!!

When X’cel and I talked for the first time on the phone, we clicked immediately cause we had so much in common (especially with our pharmacy background).  X’cel and David are two of the sweetest people.  The first time we met, they walked me back to my car after I embarrassingly broke my sandal as we were walking out. I had such a wonderful time hanging out with them both during their engagement session.  These two are so silly and SO in love!!  David LOVES to kiss and every now and then, he also likes to bite X’cel (love bite — that is)!! =)

Isn’t this such an architectural gem??

And this is inside the caged-elevator.

After the Bradbury building, we walked over to the Walt Disney Concert Hall for some more architectural pictures.  I’ve shoot at the Disney Concert Hall many times, and each time I’m happy to find new nooks.

Love the daisies…

We ended their downtown L.A. engagement session with a DELICIOUS bowl of ramen noodles at Daikokuya.  The wait was about an hour (and we were starving) but it was sooooo worth the wait!!  Thank you so much X’cel and David for the wonderful time.  I can’t wait for your wedding in September.

What a perfect dip??!?!!!

It was SO freakin funny my friend Kat (whom we randomly ran into at Union Station), sneaked up behind them and breathed down their neck while this picture was taken.  They honestly thought she was some crazy girl that was gonna attack them!!  Thanks for freaking my clients out Mama Kat!!!

And at the Walt Disney Concert Hall…

love, love, LOVE this picture!!!

Now.. back to Yajahira and Guillermo.  These two love birds are have been together for almost a decade (9 years to be exact).  Yajahira is a lawyer (hehehe… guess who wins when they have arguements) and Guillermo just graduated from grad school.  They are so cute together and I can’t wait to be their wedding photographer on June 5th at Almansor Court in Alhambra.

The Huntington Library now has a “playground” for children.  It’s great for kids on a hot summer afternoon.  There are water fountains that randomly shoot water out and the kids can run around in it.  Fun… fun… fun… makes me wanna be a kid again.

The newest addition to the Huntington Library is the Chinese Garden.  This BEAUTIFUL garden took 10 years to complete (and was finally open in 2006) is a must MUST visit when there.  The garden’s meticulous design reflects harmonious balance between humanity and nature.

I LOVE this picture!!!

From the Chinese Garden we headed over to another beautiful garden… The Japanese Garden!!

And last but not least… the Rose Garden.  It was in full blossom and WOW… it was BEAUTIFUL!!!

Cat and Rob are sweet sweet people.  They are very friendly and easy going!!  Cat and Rob are both Koi lovers, and in their backyard, they have a 2500 gallon pond filled with Koi.  Cat and I are both in LOVE with Plumeria.  The Plumeria flower is so pretty and smells SO good!!  Cat has a few in her backyard and has been giving me tips on how to grow mine properly!!  I didn’t know this, but you are not suppose to water the Plumeria plant often.  My Plumeria plant is beginning to sprout and I can see a tiny green bud. heehee.  I can’t wait for it to blossom!!!

Anyhow… enough about gardening and back to pictures!  Here are some of my favorites.  Enjoy…

Cat and Rob LOVES the beach and are both surfers!!  They go to Hawaii 2 to 3 times a year to catch some nice waves.  ***sigh*** I wish I can go to Hawaii two to three times a year!!  Gavin and I just got back a few weeks ago and I think we are still going through Hawaii withdrawal symptoms.  Hawaii is a beautiful place, no wonder everyone that goes never wants to come back.  As a professional wedding photographer in LA County, my goal is to one day book weddings in Hawaii and become a Hawaii destination wedding photographer.  Visit back soon to see my blog posting from our trip to Maui, Hawaii.

And their surfing positions…

It was a gorgeous day for a summer date at Shoreline Village in Long Beach (engagement photography, Shoreline Village, Long Beach).

And of course, Gavin has to add something unique to the pictures!!! LOL… in case you’re wondering, that’s Gavin’s swan!!  I think it looks more like a Duck, but let’s just call it a swan to make Gavin happy!! =D

This picture cracks me up!!!

What’s a beach engagement session (engagement photography), without some sunset/silhouette pictures???

I love these…

I shot Amber and Jeff’s engagement session a few days prior to leaving for Hawaii but didn’t get a chance to blog their engagement session till now.  Amber and Jeff have been pondering where they wanna do their engagement session for a while.  They originally wanted to do their engagement session at Rancho Capistrano (where I did Jenn and Sang’s engagement pictures) but it was a bit too far (for them).  After a month and half of pondering, Amber and Jeff decided they want to check out the LA Arboretum in Arcadia.  It’s funny because I shot Megan and Scott’s wedding at the Los Angeles Arboretum about a week prior to doing Amber and Jeff’s engagement session.  I know I’ve probably said this before, but the LA Arboretum is really a hidden gem in the city of Arcadia.  It’s got beautiful photo opps everywhere!!

Amber is a sweet school teacher and Jeff is a goofy soon to be firefighter!!  The two of them have been together for 9 years now (since high school).  It so sweet to see a couple so in love.  I had a great time hanging out with them.  Jeff is such a silly guy and would crack me up during the entire shoot.

I love this picture…

Since it was pretty crowded, I started Em and Earl off at a more remote and secluded area to ease them in and warm them up to the camera.  What do ya know… heehee…that surely didn’t take long.  After about 10 minutes or so… these two completely learned to ignore me and enjoyed their date together.

I did not photo-shop this picture at all!  I’ve always loved shooting into the sun to get some cool looking solar flares but I especially love this picture for the sun rays and how it’s shining through the trees!! I think it’s pretty cool looking!!

As Em and Earl enjoy their date… I joked about being their “third wheel”.  In the middle of saying so… we stumbled into a wheel! LOL… this means they definitely have to take pictures with the “third wheel”.

Like their cute shadow faces?!?!?  Earl got a happy face and Em got… I don’t know… what does =O mean?!?!?

And of course the lighthouse is a must when photographing at Shoreline Village, Long Beach.  It’s a landmark for that place.

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These two a always giggling and laughing.  I’m not surprised if they are laughing at me because my energy during a photo shoot can make me come across as weird!! =)

This picture was taken right outside a bar along the pier and what’s cute about it is that there were so many people cheering Earl and Emrids on (whistling and clapping) as we took this photo!!

What’s better than ending a beautiful date than sharing a kiss during a beautiful sunset!!

We started off at an abandoned train station… (somewhere in Redlands).

We drove pass their wedding venue on our way to the second location.  It’s a BEAUTIFUL mansion!!  Here are some quick pictures in the front of the mansion.  We’re saving pictures at this location for the their wedding day!!

So… we finally pulled over after Miranda was done teasing me with so many beautiful locations up and down that road.

Some of the places where fenced off so we joking said… “haha… imagine if someone weird dude comes out with a shoot gun and tells us to get off his property.”  Funny thing is… after we said that, we looked on the floor and there were a couple rounds of shoot gun shells!  Miranda, Jordan and I decided that it would be best that we stay the heck out of that property!!

I completely forgot that some of the dry weeds have torn and ouch do they hurt when you walk through them!!

Here are my favorites…

I’ve always thought a kiss on the forehead is “UPER” yes… “Uper” cute!!! There’s something that is so genuine about it…

I LOVE this picture!!!

Anyone want oranges???  because I now know where we can go to get them!!  LOL…

From dry weeds to beautiful blossoms…   These last few pictures were actually in front of some random person’s house.  We were driving back to pick up my car and I can’t pass up a cute photo opp.

I was thinking… how am I going to explain it to the owner if the swing broke.

You can see their entire engagement session here

Speaking of the rain… it’s raining cats and dogs as I am sitting here writing this blog entry and sipping on some delicious wine.  It’s been raining ALOT lately… and I am not used to all this rain!  It drives me crazy because one day it’ll be nice and sunny and next it’s pouring outside.  Sadly… most of the time it’s on weekends!  I have this love-hate relationship with the rain!  I love it because it cools things down and there’s something about the rain that makes it oh-so romantic.  Imagine… it’s raining and you’re inside next to the fire-place snuggled next to your significant other (or loved ones) watching a movie or drinking hot coco while playing video games!  On the other hand, I’m not so fond of it because well… I don’t want to be inside all the time!  Can’t do much when it’s raining! I’m an outdoors kinda person so being indoor for days will make me mad!!  And I don’t like driving in the rain…

I woke up at 6:00am on the day of because the rain was coming down so hard.  I thought we’d have to call off the shoot but it started to die down a bit as it got closer to noon.  I talked to Jamie in the morning and we’re on.  As soon as we got off the phone, it started to pour again, but that didn’t change the plans.  When we got to the location, it stopped raining completely, in fact there were some blue in the sky!  Crazy…

Puddle???  No problem, I’ll take advantage of it and use it for pictures!!

And finally… it started to rain in the middle of our shoot!

So romantic.  The idea of just the two of us…  just you and me… (and um… our wedding photographer) in the rain!

The campus had a little orange orchard!  Cool huh???

cute…

It’s really not an everyday thing where Tony attacks Jamie with the umbrella!!

I love the following two pictures!!

After Scripps College, we headed over to Claremont’s Village District.

This picture makes me think of stamps!  heehee… do you see stamps too or am I just weird???

You can see their entire engagement session here.

Thanks guys!!