A Living Death Valley

Death Valley is much alive with sand dunes that stretches for miles and the salt flats and valleys are endless. The landscape here is indescribable. There are so many photo opportunities here, especially when the sun is out, that I need to go on several trips to cover the vast beauty here. Our photography group left Orange County at 1 am and drove for 3 hours to Death Valley to catch the morning sunrise over the sand dunes. Death Valley is still living and breathing with wonder and beauty that left me breathless.

Here is one of the many ruins at Death Valley.The salt flats. I thought the placement of this rock was intriguing. I am curious as to how this rock was "dragged" across the salt flats.

Majestic! A Powerhouse Night

My wife and I attended "Nhac Thinh Phong Thu Quyen Ru" at the Majestic Club in Huntington Beach featuring the Big 4 Vietnamese singers of our time. At this upclose and personal concert, Y Lan, Tuan Ngoc, Khanh Ha, and Bang Kieu serenaded us with autumn-themed love songs. The audience was very mesmerized as these singers took center stage.

Son and Mai 10.17.08

Son and Mai were married at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach. Their wedding was exquisite and photographing the happy couple was pretty special. I've had the pleasure of knowing Son's family for over 15 years and to witness Son and his beautiful wife tie the knot and be so in love is extra special.
Here are the bride and groom dancing the Madison.

Cigars and Wine

Over Labor Day weekend, I visited some family in wine country, Santa Rosa. After a wonderful steak dinner, we capped the warm night with some cigars and fine wine under the stars.

Tin and Quynh 07.08

Tin and Quynh's summer wedding was held in a Catholic church in Orange. They were such a nice and sweet couple to have worked with, and I am glad that I have been able to continue my friendship with the couple after the wedding.

Jennifer and Christopher 07.12.08

Jennifer and Christopher were such a fun and energetic couple! They were married at La Purisma Catholic Church in Orange and had their beautiful reception at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Anaheim. The bride was glowing and the groom was relaxed, yet their wedding was filled with lots of party excitement. Jennifer and Christopher are huge Laker fans. They had their guests sign in on this Laker jersey. They also had their groomsmen wear Laker jerseys during the reception and the band members wore referee shirts. All the bridesmaids crowd in into the photo booth.

I could just feel the rush of excitement! Congrats!

Jessie & Dave 05.24.08

Sometimes the uninhibited and intimate moments are experienced at the very beginning and the very end of a wedding. Here, finding some time to breathe a little before the tea ceremony started, the beautiful Jessie goes over the last minute details.

I don't usually see this moment often... The mother of the groom helping him get ready and spending the last moments before he greets his new wife. That was pretty heartfelt.
Jessie's bridesmaids enjoying some snacks after the tea ceremonyAt the end of the night, Dave and the rest of the men had to have the last hurrah in the parking lot, grabbing cigars and bottles of Greygoose and Jameson. Boys will be boys.

Violinist Beata Kardewicz

Born in Poland, Beata Kardewicz is a performing violinist in Europe and the United States. She performs as a soloist as well as an orchestra member. She mainly studied music in Poland and recently finished her Master Degree in Violin Performance at Cal State University of Fullerton. Upon finishing her masters program, Beata wanted me to take some studio pictures for her portfolio. I also had the pleasure of attending some of her concerts and listened to her beautiful violin playing. Below is one of our favorite photgraphs as she gracefully holds her violin against her bright red scarf.

This was her graduation performance.

Sister Mary-Pauline

I had the honor of recently being asked to take some photographs of Sister Mary-Pauline at the Mission San Juan Capistrano before she took her permanent vows. We took some photographs at the mission as well as in the studio.

Yosemite National Park

My photography friends and I recently took a road trip to Yosemite National Park. Nothing beats photographing the spectacular landscape in the winter time. The weather was beyond freezing, but I didn't mind. Though it was winter, the natural colors here reflect the autumn season.