When Kristin approached me about taking maternity photos, I was super excited!  We had a bit of a scheduling issue and thought maybe we wouldn’t be able to do the photo shoot until very close to her due date… and I was super nervous about 2 things: 1) her getting exhausted due to heat/big belly/almost being due/walking and 2) the baby coming early!  I’m glad we worked it out and came up with a way to do this much earlier!

Kristin and Isaac got married in 2008 in beautiful Hawaii and they’re totally the family type!  I attended her baby shower and one of her friends brought her newborn son.  Kristin and Isaac were so good with him and everything seemed to come naturally to them!

Kristin, Isaac, I had a lot of fun on this shoot!  You guys are going to be great parents and your little one is going to be so cute!  I can’t wait to meet him!  And now… just a few shots from the photo shoot!  Enjoy!

Since they wanted these photos with her belly showing, we went for it!  They weren’t shy at all, even with all the people that were around us!

Isaac loves the belly.

Super quick post!  This was a beautiful wedding at the stunning Wayfares Chapel in Palos Verdes, CA.  The chapel itself is surrounded by glass windows and it’s amazing!

Thanks Mike Sweeney for bringing me out to shoot with you and for letting me post these!  I had a lot of fun!!

See!?! Beautiful chapel, right??

Waiting for her hubby so they can make their grand entrance at the reception!

Earlier this month, I went to Japan to play taiko at a wedding.  Our group met the couple through one of the members a few years ago and they invited us to perform!

Weddings in Japan are totally different from the ones here in the US.  I wish I could have taken photos, but we were performing!

Here are 4 photos from that trip.  Next post will be a wedding post!

This is a seasonal Pepsi that was available.  It’s Azuki (red bean) flavored!! And, it really tasted like red bean!!

We ate a lot while we were there.  Actually, most of the photos I have are food photos.  Here’s the first thing we ate when we got there:  Karashi (spicy) Miso Ramen!!!  And yes, it really was THAT red! lol!  Personally, though, I think it could have been spicier! :p

A random shot of my friend walking in the streets of Tokyo.

And finally, a quick snap while we rehearsed for the performance!

I recently had the opportunity to take photos at UC Irvine’s Shocktoberfest.  What is a Shocktoberfest, you ask?  It’s a new tradition with a Halloween theme…. and it’s a combination of several events: an outside street festival and performances (they close off Mesa Road), Bren Events Center concert (featuring Shwayze and Gym Class Heroes), the kickoff to the year’s basketball season, and an after party called Aftershock on Mesa Road.

Here are some photos of the outdoor festival.

Inside, there were performances and activities going on to kick off the basketball season!

Then, Shwayze took the stage!

And of course, the headliners… Gym Class Heroes!!

After the concert, everyone filed outside to party at Aftershock.  The music was bumpin’ and everyone was having a good time.

I attended UCI and graduated…um, not so long ago… but there was nothing like this! Full on concerts? Party on the streets?  Being an anteater is not the same!!  :)

Akemi and Eric are engaged!  I’ve known Akemi for 10 years now (we even lived together at one point) and I’m so happy and excited that she’s getting married.  Eric is always making her laugh (as you’ll see in the photos) and they are way cute together!  :)

They decided they wanted to go to Laguna Beach to take their engagement photos and we went on a perfect day!  Akemi and Eric are so much fun and they were willing to get wet and do whatever else I asked them to do.  Their wedding will be in Hawaii next summer and I just can’t wait!  Congratulations guys!!

Aren’t they too cute?

They were pretty far away from me and the waves were pretty loud, but their laughter carried all the way to where I was.  :)

Akemi and Eric brought jerseys and a football… so why not play a little catch? and wrestle!!