Ari Simphoukham Photography

Ari: Wedding Photographer in San Francisco

2012-01-20T01:32:00.000-08:00

Ari is a wedding photographer based in San Francisco, Ca.

New Blog!

2009-10-23T03:18:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!

I finally have a new and improved blog. I will leave this one up, but please go to the new one and bookmark it. I hope you enjoy it.

Jennifer x Peter | Engagement | Happily Ever in Disneyland

2009-10-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

My big bro is getting married!!! Congtulations to Jenn and Peter B aka PB&J. :-)

I was planing to write a little about their love story and how it all happened, but Jenn beat me to it. So here's a piece from Jen's blog in her own words on how the propoal went down:

The Proposal...

So after almost 2 yrs of officially being PB&j, we ended up going to Disneyland (our happiest place on Earth) for my 26th birthday. Peter was totally acting weird the entire day, spacing out, and eating everything in sight. We were enjoyng our Disney's Grand Californian Villa, eating turkey legs and Dole whips, taking pictures and just enjoying our day. We ended up having dinner at the Blue Bayou restaurant, where during the dinner Peter borrowed my phone, typed something into it, handed it back to me while saying "you can't look at your phone for the next hour". That's when I was thinking "What the hell is he doing".

After dinner Peter said he needed to go to the bathroom, so I waited for him outside. I was waiting for around 15min and started to wonder "what is he doing in there? Stomach problems?? LOL" Then I got a phone call from him, but instead of his Peter B named popping up on my phone it now had the caller ID of "Fauchon Frog". The call dropped and I was starting to get confused thinking "why did he change his name in my phone and why is he calling me from the bathroom???" I noticed after the call failed that I had a new text mssg. I didn't think anything of it, since I had been getting bday texts all day, PLUS he said not to look through my phone for an hr. He called back again and just said "open your text mssg". I opened it and it read "Ribbit Ribbit, meet me at the Court of Angels". This was a small secluded courtyard next to Club 33/Blue Bayou with a beautiful staircase, lots of pretty flowers and a fountain. Getting even more confused I follwed the instructions

Once I got to the Court of Angels all I saw was a random couple, who I've never met before standing there staring at me. Once they saw me they pointed me over to the fountain which was lit up with a lily pad and a dmall stuffed frog prince floating on it. On the frog was a note that said something along the lines of "I've traveled past the wishing well and castle, looked under the stars at Space mountain and licked dole whips in adventureland and now i've arrived here at the court of Angels to make you wish come true and grant you your happily ever after" At this moment I though to myself "OMG, he's going to make me go on a freaking treasure hunt around Disneyland?!?!?"

This is when I heard someone call my name from the top of the staircase. As I walked up the stairs, Peter appeared, met me halfway and got down on one knee. I just started crying and saying OMG! I don't remember much of what he said since I was still uber confused about what was going on, then he pulled out the ring box which looked like a tiny PB&j sandwhich. He said that "this was the moment we've been waiting for, and I love you, will you be my PB&j??"

What's funny is that during all of this, he was so nervous that he forgot to say the actual words "will you marry me", so he remembered right after and ask, and of course, I said YES!

Happily Ever After...

Tags: Disneyland Engagements/ engagement, Disneyland weddings, Disney e-session, Disneyland proposals, Disney Couples, world's best disneyland proposal, Disney wedding proposal ideas

Alia x Jay || Laguna Beach- Seven4One

2009-10-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just haaad to post this teaser up. I just love when a couple is not shy about being photographed- especially when doing the naughty. lol.

This was was taken in Laguna Beach at Seven4One- a very mordern venue.

2nd4: Robert Her

Tags: Laguna Beach Wedding photographer/photography, Laguna Beach- Seven4One 741 weddings, Seven4one.com, 741 South Coast Highway, Daniel Sussman, Mordern weddings, boutique hotel, martinis, Laguna Beach wedding venue, laguna beach hotel

Crista x Vincent || Engagement || USC Campus

2009-10-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Crista is a pharmacy student at USC and Vincent is a doctor. Together they make a pretty good lookin couple.

Sooo, Crista went to Cal for undergrad....and USC is playing them this weekend. I wonder who Crista is rooting for.
:-D

We did an engagement session on the campus of USC. The architecture in that campus is amazing. I loved how each corner of the campus is a piece of art work within itself. I would love to do more engagement sessions on this campus. If any of you Trojans are getting married, hit me up!

~Ari

Here are a few of my favorites from their shoot:

Tags: University of Southern California, USC couple, USC engagement session, USC campus, Los Angeles Engagement Photos at USC

Dawn | Portrait | Stockton, Ca

2009-10-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've seen my friend Dawn from high school. I think it's been six years since I've seen this future psychologist/super model. hahaha. It was good to see you again Dawn. Anyway, we had a little photoshoot around downtown Stockton. My home town--Woot woot!

~Ari

Tags: Stockton life portrait, Portraits in Stockton, Ca, Downtown Stockton

Han x Sam || Engagement Session || San Francisco, Ca

2009-09-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

After nine years of being together, Han and Sam are finally tying the knot. These two definitely complement each other. When Sam says peanut, Han says butter. When Sam wears blue, Han wears baby blue. That's why they're so perfect for each other. I can't wait for the wedding!

We spent the day having fun exploring San Francisco. I love S.F. It was the very first place my family and I landed and lived when we came to the U.S. (Go Niners!!!)

Here are some teasers from their engagement session:

After our shoot they took me to a Korean BBQ place. I have to say, SF needs to step up their Korean BBQ game. The the all you can eat Korea BBQ in L.A is so much better. Sam/Han, I can't wait to take you guys to the food joints here in L.A.

Some behind the scenes:

Bombing birds!!!

Tags: engagement session in San francisco, e-session in San Francisco, Wedding photography in San Francisco, Embarcadero in S.F

TIFFANY x MATT || Wedding - Colfax, CA

2009-09-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

In case you're wondering, Colfax is located in California's Sierra Foothills, just off of I-80 between Sacramento and Reno, Nevada. Yeah, I had to Google that one too. :-)

You may remember Tiff & Matt from their engagement session in downtown L.A. After getting to know them more after their e-session, this is how I would describe them: UFC lovin, motorcycle drivin, fun lovin, awesome couple! I'm always diggin it when I get clients who are so down to earth and fun like Tiff and Matt.

Tiffany and Matt's beautiful intimate wedding took place in their parent's backyard in Colfax. I love doing outdoor weddings--there are so many nice backdrops to use. Their parents' house was pretty awesome. You can tell that they put a lot of work into it. Luckily the weather that day was just beautiuful. Everything seemed to just fall nicely in place for the couple.

DJ: Greg Joens - Www.aspecialrequest.net

The pastor's last name was Fox, so he had a yellow tie with little foxes to match his name and the wedding's theme. Nice.

Both moms were crying. awwwe. :-)

Father/Daughter dance.

Mother/Son dance.

We also gave Tiff & Matt a surprise gift. I had my 2nd shooter, Sam, set up a "crazy booth". This was our first apperance with the photobooh and it was a hit. Everyone loved it! Check it out:

Tiffany Matt Wedding Crazybooth

Bianca x Bronson ||Wedding

2009-09-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

You know you're a hardcore USC Football fan when you delay your wedding ceremony time just so you can watch the game. The wedding ceremony started at around 7pm. This gave us plenty of time to photograph Bianca and Bronson before the wedding. We headed for the Browers Museum to do the first glance. The architecture and scenery at Browers gave us plenty of nice locations to do our thing. I think doing the first glance is great because I have more time and freedom to do nice portraits of the bride and groom. Bianca looked stunning and Bronson was one cool dude.

2nd for: Miguel Pola

1st glace location: Browers Museum

Reception: The Hacienda Restaurant in Santa Ana

~Ari

When I walked into the room, I knew I would have a good time with these dudes because everyone was cheering for the USC football team. (USC whiped Ohio State 18-15 that day!) Wooot WoOOot!

Fight On. >V<

The first glance. Bronson was crazy nervious!

The Bowers Museum is a great place to get photographed.

It's not over until the fat lady puts her clothes back on! Don't quote me on this, but I think this statue is by Fernando Botero.

The toast.

Cake!

This is my fav.

Tags: Wedding photography at The Bowers Museum, The Hacienda in Santa Ana, Anaheim weddings, Double tree Hotel in Anaheim, Wedding in Rancho Capistrano, Orange County Wedding Photographer, USC Football Wedding

Arcie x Jun || Wedding

2009-09-19T01:06:00.000-07:00

This is the cutest couple ever. They call themselves “His Sunshine” and “Her Sunshine.” You can tell that they really do brighten up each other’s lives. Jun is probably one of the chillest/coolest/illest dudes I’ve ever met. And Arcie is just a total sweetheart. These two truly do belong together.

On the wedding day, before the ceremony started, Arcie eagerly waited in her limo parked outside the church. I ran towards the limo to get a quick shot of her. As I opened the door to the limo, there she was, tearing up all by herself. It then hit me that this is it- this is the day she’s been waiting for; probably one of the happiest days of her life. For Arcie, at that point in time, nothing else really seemed to matter--only who was waiting for her inside that church, preparing to take her hand in marriage. I totally got chills after Arcie finished wiping off that first set of tears. Whoa, crazy. It’s moments like these that remind me why I love doing what I do.

Arcie’s walk down the isle was picture perfect. You see and FEEL her excitement and anticipation as her parents delivered her down the isle. Even more emotional was the father/daughter dance. The way Arcie tightly clinged to her dad and crying into his shoulder said it all.

Thank you for letting me be apart of your special day “Junarcie.”

Church location: St. Clements Church - Hayward, California

Reception location: Sunol Valley Golf Club

2nd shooter: Quan D Nguyen (Thanks for coming out to help dude!)

~Ari

Tags: Hayward Wedding, Bay Area Weddings, Suncol Valley Golf Club Wedding, Ari Wedding

Krstina x Ran || WEDDING

2009-09-15T23:01:00.000-07:00

This was my first Jewish wedding held on top of the Marriott Hotel in Marina del Rey. The ceremony was on the helipad, overlooking the whole city. The view was breathe taking and the decorations were pertty amazing. I love it when I get to photograph a wedding that's filled with beautiful decor and good looking people. Krstina's wedding had all of this and more. I had a great time shooting this wedding with the one only Greg Bumatay.

Location: Marina del Rey - Marriott Hotel

2nd for : Greg Bumatay

~Ari

Look Mom! I'm on T.V!!! Trashing the Dress

2009-09-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

Trashing the dress (TTD) is a growing trend among modern brides who want to continue to enjoy their wedding dress after their wedding day. I had the distinct privilege to assist my friend, Greg Bumatay on a TTD session which was going to be broadcast on national television for That Morning Show on E!

We headed out to Laguna Beach to meet up with Stacy, the person playing the role of the bride. This was probably one of the most fun I've ever had during a shoot because we did all kinds of crazy stuff. We had Stacy climb on rocks, dive in the water, and even get shot by a paint ball gun. Maad props to Stacy. Try going to the beach and surfing in your wedding dress- trust me, it's not that easy.

Here's a clip of Greg getting interviewed on That Morning Show on E!

Watch out for me. (1:02 and 1:22, 1:30 i'm behind Greg lol, and 3:22 holding the reflector)

Here's some behind the scene photos:

My feet

My camera got soaked with sand all over it.

eww, salty.

Greg and me.

Paint ball time!

Greg being interviewed:

You can view the photos from this session on Greg Bumatay's Blog

~Ari

Tags: Trash the Dress Photography by Greg Bumatay, Orange County Wedding Photographer, wedding dress trashing on the beach and paintball, Laguna Beach photography, E! Entertainment, That Morning Show premiere episode

Tanya Maternity

2009-09-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

About seven months ago, my phone starts to ring. I let it play for a little bit longer as I start jam’n to my ring tone. It was one of my past brides, Tanya, calling to tell me the good news. She was having a baby! I remember my eyes widening up and jaw dropping before saying my congrats. This was nearly the same reaction I got when I first found out that Tanya was going to marry Ivan, one of my best friends from college. Man, was I excited for them.

I remember being there when these two met for the very first time at UC Davis in front of Shield’s Library. Nodding towards Tanya, I whispered to Ivan, “Aye buey, handle it.” And “handle it” he sure did. They spent the next five years together and now they are expecting a baby girl next month! I’m a little taken in by all of this because it still feels like just yesterday that they got married. Their wedding was held in Tijuana, Mexico where all their closest friends and relatives were able to celebrate their special day. I could not have been more grateful to Tanya and Ivan for flying me down to photograph and be a part of their wedding. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Yesterday, I drove to San Diego to photograph Tanya’s tummy. We went to one of the beaches in San Diego. I was expecting her to move like a turtle with her big belly in the sand, but wow did she prove me wrong! Tanya, you’re a soldier!

One of these will hopefully be put on a huge gallery wrap:

Tanya’s beautiful dress was actually made by her mom.

Cheers!

-Ari

Vegas Adventures With Ed Pingol

2009-09-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day weekend, my friend, Ed Pingol flew me down to Las Vegas to help him shoot two engagements and a wedding. How cool is that?!? When Ed called me to ask if I was available, I looked at my calendar and quickly cleared whatever I had planned for that weekend. I gave up going to the Mos Def x Erykah Badu concert to hang out with the amazing Ed Pingol. It was so worth it. I had a blast spending the whole weekend cracking jokes and talking photography with Mr. Lightstick himself. We found ourselves spending as much time searching Vegas for places to eat as taking pictures. This is why I love being a photographer--we eat the best food. I swear we could have our own show on the Food Network Channel. We’ll call it… “Food Adventures with the World’s Best Wedding Photographers.” I can be the judge tasting all the food. :-D

Aside from our food adventures, we had a great time photographing Ed’s awesome clients. Las Vegas is great for engagement sessions and weddings because the resorts there provided plenty of beautiful landscapes and architecture to use as backdrops. Combined with Ari’s :-P and Ed’s artistic eye, the possibilities for amazing photographs are endless! Be sure to visit Ed Pingol’s Blog to see his unique and incredible work.

Through out the weekend, I had my iPhone in hand to shoot some really random videos. Here’s a video I quickly threw together from the clips I filmed:

“Pretty eyes”

Because random pictures are always fun, here's a few iPhone snaps:

Doing the craziest wedding dress photo ever-

Breakfast before the wedding @ Board House

Filipino Food @ Salo Sala Grill.

Lunch - fried seafood

Gearing up @ the airport.

Get in my belly!!!

I had a great time hanging out with you Ed. I learned a lot from you and I think I became a better photographer after that weekend. Thank you for being such a great mentor and friend. Congratulations to you and Monica on your beautiful baby girl!

-Ari

Jasmine Star

2009-09-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

Orange County wedding photographer, Greg Bumatay (the best mentor ever) is freakin awesome! He was able to get Jasmine Star to guest speak in his wedding photography class at Cypress College. If you're not familiar with Jasmine Star, she was voted as a 2009 top ten wedding photographer by PopPhoto. In the wedding photography world, Jasmine is somewhat of a celebrity. I mean, look at her--her presence resonates awesomness. With her good looks (don't worry JD, I'm taken :-P ) and ability to charm, it's no wonder why she's so sucessful. Check out her popular blog, she's a great writer as well.

Here's a group picture of us from Jasmine Star's Blog (Find me!):

Jasmine, Me, JD

-Ari

MARECEL x JP: Engagement Session

2009-09-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to have clients who are enthusiastic about you and your work. A couple of months ago, Marecel and JP met with me for a consultation for their 2010 wedding. They were one of the first couples I booked for 2010, so I was pretty excited. I got even more excited to see how thrilled they were to have me as their photorapher. Makes me feel all special and mushy inside. :-D
I recently did their engagement session at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA. I can't wait to photograph their wedding!

Bingo! This on is my favorite.

Cheers!
-Ari

Location: Golden Gate Park- San Francisco

Stylin'- Rock'n Roll style!

2009-09-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

Party like a rock starr!

TaTaTotally Duuude!

I teamed up with my friend Conrad Lim for this one. Always a pleasure to shot with this guy. Rock on.

2nd for: Conrad Lim: http://www.c-limphotography.com/

Location: St. Paul the Apostle Church, Los Angeles

Greg Bumatay- Master Photographer

2009-09-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that I've temporarily moved to So Cal! Don't worry, I'll be back in the Yay area soon. Since most of my clients are in Nor Cal, my car has been putting on some crazy millage. I've been driving back and forth to Nor Cal to get to my shoots. Despite all the driving, I totally don't mind because I love what I do. I wake up every morning looking forward to going to work. How cool is that?!?
If you've been following me on Facebook, you've probably noticed that I've been hanging out with some amazing photographers in the L.A area. I am so blessed to be in a field where my colleagues are all so freakin awesome!

Greg Bumatay was one of the first photographers I've had the opportunity to become friends with in So Cal. Greg, an established and very talented wedding photographer in Orange County, has grown to become one my mentors. You know a person is great at what they do when they have the ability to teach it. Greg teaches the popular wedding photography course at Cypress College where even pros enroll in his class. I truly appreciate all that you do Greg. Make sure to check out his website: http://bumataystudio.com/

Here's a few from me as the 2nd shooter for Greg:

Nicole Zambolla Fashion

2009-08-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

I took another shot at doing some fashion photography. This shoot was was very fun because I got the chance to hang out with an old friend, our awesome model Nicole, and a new friend, Orange County photographer Greg Bumatay. This shoot was done around Fullerton. We started off at the Fullerton train station and then went to Greg's secret park. Check it out:

Here's an iPhone behind the scene from the shoot:

Sheena+Mudit Bollywood Style

2009-07-23T23:56:00.000-07:00

Remember the last dance scene from Slumdog Millionaire? That's some awesome Bollywood flava right? For their reception, Sheena and Mudit wanted to have their own music video recreating this dance scene with a bunch of their friends. My girlfriend who is Sheena's Phi Delta Chi "lil bro" was invited to be apart of this awesome dance. I just tagged along and brought my camera with me to USC, where the video was filmed. Oh, did I mention that they all had to learn the dance and film on the same day?! I think they pulled it off nicely. Check out the fun!

This is Anoop (you know, like Anoop Dogg from Idol!) He's the videographer for this video. I can't wait to see what he cooks up.

I'm Teaching a Class!

2009-07-13T23:44:00.000-07:00

Well, not quite my own class, but I still got to teach. I had the opportunity to teach my speech class at ELAC a little about photography. I was very excited to do this because I got to practice my public speaking skills and share my craft. My presentation was a hit! A lot of people were amazed at how big my camera was and how many different lenses I had. But I made sure to break it down to them that it's the photographer that makes the picture, not the camera!

I had a great time giving this mini workshop. It was great practice for me for the day I become famous and everyone will want to learn from me! :-D

This is the image I took to demonstrate to the class on how to get that cool light on your subject:

Here's one of the class paying close attention to me- :-D

How Strong?!?

2009-06-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Chi Rho Omicron! This weekend my fraternity celebrated 14 years of brotherhood in the Sheraton Hotel at Pomona. It's amazing how much XPO has grown since I first crossed (4 years ago). There is no doubt in my mind that our strong brotherhood will continue to exponentially grow in the years to come. I hope that all the new brothers will continue to keep our strong brotherhood alive expanding all over California. Remember guys, you now have 339 brothers worldwide! Continue to keep our strong ties among our different chapters alive. Make sure you make the best of XPO and utilize your resources! Congratulations to all our neos and Eta Chapter for throwing this year's formal.

To view your pictures from that night please CLICK HERE.

-Ari XPO239

The Leather Album!

2009-06-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

The wedding album really is the main attraction of what a photographer produces from a wedding. Photographs are meant to be seen in print. Nothing compares to seeing your beautiful images wrapped up and displayed in an amazing leather album. My leather albums are simply awesome. This hand made album uses 100% full-grain natural leathers. The binding for this albums lay flat and the sturdy pages are 2mm thick!

It's always exciting to receive a new wedding album in the mail. I literally opened this package as soon as the UPS guy dropped it off.This album is from Meryl's & Romels Wedding.

These pictures & videos cannot describe the awesomeness of these albums. You have to see it to believe it.

I can't wait to deliver this to lovely the couple!

Tiffany + Matt E-session : Los Angeles, CA

2009-06-17T01:41:00.000-07:00

You gotta love L.A. Last week was the first time I did an engagement session in downtown Los Angeles. Downtown was abundant with cool looking backdrops and scenery. Not to mention the beautiful weather. While Nor Cal was gloomy and raining, So Cal was nice and sunny. I love it. Tiffany and Tim…eeer…I mean Matt ;-P Was a blast to work with. We started at the Walt Disney concert hall. The building was art within itself. Tiffany sported her gorgeous blue eyes and a super funky cool hair due. Such a cute couple, I can’t wait to shoot their wedding in August!

Their session turned out great. These engagements photos would be awesome if used in the guestbook or put on a large gallery wrap.
Location: Downtown Los Angeles, California. Walt Disney Concert Hall

Shooting with the Best

2009-06-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

In everything we do, there is always that someone who you look up to. For me, Ed Pingol is one of those people. Ed's wedding work is simply breathtaking and inspiring. A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor to be a second shooter with him at one of his weddings in San Francisco. What an awesome experience to be working with one of the best photographer out there! Make sure to check him out.

This one's from Ed's blog. Yes, that's me cheez'n:

~Ari

E-session w/ Sam Hassas

2009-06-13T22:37:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I drove down to San Jose to to shoot an engagment session with one of my favorite photographer, Sam Hassas. This guy is awesome! He's one of the most creative and charismatic person I know. Thanks for having me Sam!

We shot this couple in Santa Cruz:

Here's a behind the scene of us at the Santa Cruz beach:

May Anne

2009-06-12T00:38:00.000-07:00

This shoot was with the lovely May Anne who is graduating from UC Davis. It was hard to take a bad picture because May Anne was so pretty. We walked around the UC Daivs campus and I think I wore her out. :-) I had a lot of fun with this shoot. Here's some of my favorites from the day:

Congratulations on your graduation May Ann! Good luck with grad school!

~Ari the Wizard

Model Status: Belle

2009-06-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

I've been in Nor Cal for the past two weeks where I have no access to the Internet. Here's a quick one to satisfy those who visit my blog often.

This was a senior session for Belle shot in Davis, California.

Many awesome things have been happening with me, but I'll tell you more about it on my next blog when I get back to L.A.

- Ari the Wizard

Congrats Cherry & Chee

2009-05-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

I just found out that a good friend of mine, Chee and his wife Cherry just welcomed in a new baby girl. Congrats guys.

Arcie & Jun E-session

2009-05-22T02:13:00.000-07:00

1

~Ari the Wizard.

New Website up!

2009-05-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce my new website! Check it out because this marks another progression to my road to becoming a top ten photographer in the world! :-D Click on the picture below to visit my site and let me know what you think.

Studio 239: Redefined

2009-05-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

After two years of struggling to find my identity in the photography world, I've made another development towards my growth. I am proud to present a new fresh look to my logo that Sophie Taylor designed for me. I am also excited to announce that I will be launching my new website by the end of next week. So stay tuned in for the launch.

Check out the new branding on this photo of Jeanne:

In the next few weeks, expect to see some cool new work. I am continually searching for and redefining my style. You will be seeing a lot of experimenting. I hope that I can find a style that will distinguish me from other photographers and something that will awe my clients. Thank you for your much needed love and support.

~Ari S.

Makin' Babies

2009-04-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Remember Diana & Chris from the San Francisco wedding? I had another photo session with them, this time with a fat tummy. That's right, Diana is having a baby! Congrats to the awesome couple! What's crazy about this shoot was that it was the due date for the baby! I was hoping the whole time that the water won't break untill we're done. haha.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-04-22T12:59:00.001-07:00

April 19th marked the 3rd year that my girlfriend and I have been keepin it fresssh. We spent the day exploring the Getty Museum and taking pictures. It was an unusually hot day, so we went to Pink Berry and Pinks Hotdog to cool down. Happy 3 years Beautiful!

Family Session with Quan

2009-02-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

I was invited to go along with Quan (http://www.quanDnguyen.com) to a family session in Roseville California. Quan is the man! He's an awesome photographer who's mos def going to become big one day. We had the shoot at the client's HUGE property. The property included a lake, vintage cars, a barn house, and a man made water fall! It was awesome.
It's interesting to see the different perspective and approach different photographers take at the same location.
Check out my shots from the day:

Awesome old car-

coolest dog ever-
He even knows how to dance-

Finally! A smile

The Quanster at work:

-Ari

Diana & Christopher

2008-11-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

Phew! I'm finally done with my masterpiece! Diana & Chritopher had a nice and small wedding in SF with close friends and family. The weather was perfect that day. San Francisco has so many nice homes which I was able to use as backdrops for some of my shots. I wish I lived in SF. I had a blast speading this special day with Diana and Chris. Check out their wedding album design-

Evelyn & Victor

2008-09-18T04:26:00.000-07:00

WoW. What a long summer!

To help bring my summer to a nice end, I photographed Evelyn and Victor's wedding in El Cerrito with Samule, my cousin/videographer. Throughout the day, Samule documented me in action and here's what he produced:

Here's the lovely couple:

Super funky fresssh wid it.

Evelyn is a makeup artist. Get it?

Jan Antonette and Maynard Ster Alido Wedding

2008-06-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday one of my bros from XPO got married! Maynard Ster Alito aka Kuya Maynard, aka XPO 236 is one of the dopest person I know. He's been there for me during some of my worst times and continues to be an awesome Kuya to me. I was honored to be invited to his wedding. So who's the lucky bride? Her name is Jan and she's the bride who wants it all. It clearly showed through her BEAUTIFUL wedding. Every little details in the wedding was perfect. The ceremony was held at the Holy Spirit Church in Fremont C.A. The reception was held at the Hilton Hotel. As I walked into the reception hall, I was in awe at how beautiful the set up was. The color theme of maroon and gold worked out really well as all the tables were covered with white cloth accented with maroon ribbons. Well, check it out for yourself!

LoL, don't ask me why the boxer is in here. hahahaha, Maynard insisited.

XPO! We roll deep.

I was also introduced to Aaron Leong, a videographer from Sacramento. Aaron is from 4th Wall Productions. Their professional apperance and equipment was very impressive. I also enjoyed the sideshow that they produced for Jan and Maynard. So if you ever need a videographer, hit them up!

What A Beautiful Family!

2008-06-27T01:08:00.000-07:00

Janina and her beautiful family came all the way over from Vacaville to take her family portrait in Davis. Her daughter, Genevieve, was such a joy to work with. When they first arrived, Janina's Genevieve ran up to me and gave me a big hug. How cute is that?!? Here are my favorites from the day:

The ducks in Davis are not shy whatsoever. They passed right is front of me in the middle of our shoot. I was able to caputre them perfectly lined up. cooool. This shot perfectly symbolizes this family. I love it!

So here we have Mama Bear- Janina, Papa Bear- Dan, and Little Bear- Genevieve

Genevieve is the most well behaved 4yr old I have ever seen! She's so itellegent! Congrats to the parents on such a wonderful child!

Luisiana & Gerald Wedding- Previews

2008-06-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

Little did I know that the random phone call I recieved from a man during my shoot in S.F would lead me to meet such a wonderful couple. After Gerald called me inquiring about my wedding service, my first thought was, "whoa, a dude is planing the wedding???". Hahaha, yeah, talk about resisting gender roles! I'm very glad he did call me. It was a beautiful wedding in Davis, CA. Here are some of my favorites:

The Beautiful Dress

The Bride Getting Ready...humm, i wonder what's she's holding. :-P

Luisiana Getting Some Luv'n from Mom & Her Siser

The Beautiful Bride

Whooa, super model status!

The Groom Waiting for his Love

The BestMan su Hermano

Luisiana y Gerald

HOT HOT HOT! Literally!

A proud and happy family. Here we see Gerald's father and his brother jumping for joy for the newlyweds.

Summer Time!

2008-06-15T03:28:00.000-07:00

Yaay! No more finals! I've been mad busy this past two weeks. I've been doing a lot of senior portraits and e-sessions. My bookings have increased 3x! Who wouldda thought that I would be doing so well. My photography is mos def improving with each shoot that I do. It makes it so much easier to book a session when my photos do the selling for me. Good photography sells itself, and I believe that's why I've been so successful. Hopefully the booking will continue to come in and I will continue to improve on my photography.

Thanks for putting me through school everyone! :-D

So I've been really behind with my blog post. But here are my favorites from the past two weeks. Enjoy!

Andrea & Albert:

Andrea and Albert have been together for 5yr now. Wow. They've both recently graduated from UD Daivs and are ready to hit the work force soon! Congrats on graduating and the job Andrea and Albert! I had a lot of fun with these two luv birds. Fun coupple= dope photos!

I also wanted to note that Andrea was a participant in this years PCN at UC Davis! Check her out!

Vanessa:

Vanessa? What can I say about her? She's only the coolest sister of Lambda Sigma Gamma!

Luisiana y Gerald:

Luisiana and Gerald first contacted me after they saw the photos I took for Lousina's sorority, Sigma Pi Alpha. I'm glad they did because you can tell they're two love birds in luv. And it's always a pleasure to photograph couples who are in love. It makes my job so easy! They're getting married this weekend and I'm their photographer, so I'll keep everyone updated with photos from the wedding soon!

Congratulation to Luisiana-She's 3 month pregnant!

LeeJay & Angel

2008-06-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hi LeeJay and Angel. Can't wait to do your wedding! *wink wink*

The UC Davis Arboretum is officially my favorite places to photograph couples. LeeJay and Angel are soon to be graduates of UC Davis, so they brought over their custom Mickey Mouse Graduation Hats to be used as props. It worked out great! Congrats guys!

Fishy's Debut- Teasers

2008-06-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Felicia!
I was taken back to memory lane when I was photographing Felicia's debut last weekend at the Scottish Rite Center in Stockton. I remember when I was an escort for the birthday girl when I was in high school. Hours of practice every weekend leading to that one special day for the birthday girl. This event was a fun one for me because I was reminded of all the fun I can when I was apart of something like this.

I think the highlight of the day was when we drove around in the HUMMER LIMO to our photo destination. A Hummer Limo!!! How cool is that?!? I took Felicia and her entourage to Victory park in front of the Haggin Museum to take her group photos. What a fun day!

This was me 5yrs ago! Throwback. Still lookin goooood. yadadadigg? :-D

Jenn Session

2008-05-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

Jenn is my big bro's girlfriend. We went around Davis looking for spots to photograph her for her senior portraits. Here are the ones that I liked from today:

Brotherhood at it's Finest

2008-05-19T02:32:00.000-07:00

www.davisxpo.com

Paul Grad Session- UC Davis ( 1st attempt with Offboard flash)

2008-05-12T01:39:00.001-07:00

I recently did a senior portrait for one of my bros, Paul. This shoot was fun because I got to use a new lighting technique using off board flash triggered via a remote. Paul had his girlfriend, Jackie come along for the shoot. I'm glad she came because she was my assistant for the day. Thanks Jackie! I had Jackie hold my flash for me. After the shoot, I was extremely excited to go home and work on the images. This has got to be one of my favorite shoots.

The shoot was at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis. Check it out:

Chepo aka tha 93!

2008-05-01T02:25:00.000-07:00

Chepo is a bay area rap artist who happens to be one of my bros. We finally got a shoot done in SF last weekend. We wanted something that he could use for his album cover. Hopefully these make the cut:

Marylou- Congrats!!!!

2008-04-23T00:22:00.000-07:00

Marylou is graduating from the University of the Pacific. Yaaay! Congrats Marylou! I went to Stockton (my hometown) to photograph Marylou and her other half, Craig. I've always wanted to photograph UOP's lawn so it was fun for me:

Lauren & her Unitrans Bus!

2008-04-08T02:20:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of taking out the double decker bus with one of it's super cool drivers, Lauren! Check out some of my favorites from the shoot:

Way of Life

2008-03-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

My Portfolio Book

2008-03-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone. I finally made a portfolio book. Check it out and tell me what you think:

http://Studio239.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=4588263&AlbumKey=8QWXM

Easter Sunday.

2008-03-24T01:55:00.001-07:00

I finally get a day off! I went home on Sunday to chill with my family in Stockton. I wanted to practice shooting with my 70-200, so I forced my family to go outside and pose for me. :-D This is my family:

Graduation Season is Here!

2008-03-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, anyone graduating? Need cool pictures for your parents so they can pass it out to relatives and brag about how smart you are? Wanna save money? Hit me up for your grad session!

Click Here to visit my blogs to see more photos!

Fashion shoot with designer Nicole Z.

2008-03-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to work on these fashion photos done to help my friend Nicole Zambolla with her portfolio. Here are some quick ones that I worked on:

Thanks for your help Will!

Buuuusted

2008-03-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

So I went to San Jose's Santana Row to take some pictures because there are some beautiful locations and architecture there. Well, about 15mins into the shoot, I was stopped by a security guard. Apparently you can't take pictures there without a permit. Booo. Welp, I was able to sneak a few shots in. Here's my favorite:

*****************
update 3/18/08

For the photographers out there, look at what I found. This might be helpful to you for when you run into this situation. Apparently it WAS ok for me to photograph in Santana Row.

The Ten Legal Commandments of Photography

I. Anyone in a public place can take pictures of anything they want. Public places include parks, sidewalks, malls, etc. Malls? Yeah. Even though it’s technically private property, being open to the public makes it public space.

II. If you are on public property, you can take pictures of private property. If a building, for example, is visible from the sidewalk, it’s fair game.

III. If you are on private property and are asked not to take pictures, you are obligated to honor that request. This includes posted signs.

IV. Sensitive government buildings (military bases, nuclear facilities) can prohibit photography if it is deemed a threat to national security.

V. People can be photographed if they are in public (without their consent) unless they have secluded themselves and can expect a reasonable degree of privacy. Kids swimming in a fountain? Okay. Somebody entering their PIN at the ATM? Not okay.

VI. The following can almost always be photographed from public places, despite popular opinion:

* accident & fire scenes, criminal activities
* bridges & other infrastructure, transportation facilities (i.e. airports)
* industrial facilities, Superfund sites
* public utilities, residential & commercial buildings
* children, celebrities, law enforcement officers
* UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, Chuck Norris

VII. Although “security” is often given as the reason somebody doesn’t want you to take photos, it’s rarely valid. Taking a photo of a publicly visible subject does not constitute terrorism, nor does it infringe on a company’s trade secrets.

VIII. If you are challenged, you do not have to explain why you are taking pictures, nor to you have to disclose your identity (except in some cases when questioned by a law enforcement officer.)

IX. Private parties have very limited rights to detain you against your will, and can be subject to legal action if they harass you.

X. If someone tries to confiscate your camera and/or film, you don’t have to give it to them. If they take it by force or threaten you, they can be liable for things like theft and coercion. Even law enforcement officers need a court order.

Source: http://photojojo.com/content/tips/legal-rights-of-photographers/

Tre

2008-03-11T02:14:00.000-07:00

The, the only Samoan I know. hahaha. We had a shoot today near the XPO house. The shoot lasted for about 15 minutes because somebody was late. ahem..Tre. We were starting to loose sun as soon as we found a cool spot to shoot. Welp, here's what we got:

Out of my Comfort Zone

2008-02-26T22:28:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been experimenting with fashion photography. This is totally out of my comfort zone. Usually I do portraits, shooting exclusively with natural light. With these fashion type shoots, I've been using the strobist techniques, using off board lighting to light up my models. I went out and bought two sets of Nikon SB-800's and a pair of Pocket wizards (remote triggers). I'm starting to play around with these equipment and learning what my limitations are. I'm still not too sure what to think if this fashion photography thing. We'll see how it goes.

Below is one of the images from my shoot with Sophie and her models:
......

This one was edited by Kate Wang.

Peep the new logo. Complements of Sophie Taylor of www.sophietaylor.com

********************
Update: Here's what Sophie did to that shoot we did. Great Job!

Org Ad!

2008-02-21T23:52:00.000-08:00

I finally made a flyer for my org services! I would say I almost have all the orgs in my area on lock. I want to expand to So Cal too, so if your org is located in SoCal, hit me up!

For the Orgs in Davis, Sac and SF, thank you for your luv and support.

*University of the Pacific, Rho Delta Chi
*UC Davis/ Sac State/ SF State Chi Rho Omicron
*UC Davis Gamma Zeta Alpha
*UC Davis Sigma Omircon Pi
*SF State Beta Phi
*UC Davis & Sf State Delta Omicron Chi
* San Jose Pi Alpha Phi
*UC Davis Nu Alpha Kappa
*UC Davis Sigma Lambda Gamma
*UC Davis Lambda Sigma Gamma
*UC Davis Sigma Epsilon Rho
*UC Davis Phi Kappa Psi
*UC Davis alpha Kappa Delta Phi
*UC Davis Kappa Psi Epsilon
*UC Davis Chi Delta Theta
*UC Davis Pre Law fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta
*UC Davis Delta Epsilon Mu
*UC Davis Alpha Phi Omega
*Sac State Lambda Phi Epsilon

And to all the other orgs that has booked me for their special events. My success is because of you all.

A New Mama

2008-02-13T01:14:00.000-08:00

This shoot was done a while back. Dao drove all the way from Merceed to Davis to get photographed by me. I feel special. :-)

The Aftermath

2008-02-12T03:58:00.000-08:00

The excitement of shooting a wedding for me usually makes a long, fast paste day of the event fun and...well...exciting! The adrenaline usually keeps me running the whole day on full alert looking out for the best moments to capture during a wedding. After the wedding, however, I'm knocked out!

...and after the wedding comes the post-processing and editing. Yaay. :-P

Right now I'm in the process of working on a wedding album for Tanya and Ivan. Their wedding ceremony was held in SD and their reception was in TJ, Mexico! I had a blast photographing the wedding. It was a long day for me. My assistant and I started shooting at around 8:00am and ended our day at 1:00am. Like I said, the adrenaline keeps me going. The wedding was the fun part, now it's time to get down and dirty with the retouching and editing. Here are some of the images I've finished working on:

The Album Cover:

A page from the album:

I retouch ALL the images that are going in the album. Each image is carefully worked on. What does that mean? Well, on a typical image I would enhance the color/brightness/contrast, as well as remove any distracting elements in the picture; such as ugly street signs. I also take out any blemishes from the face and sometimes brighten the teeth, etc. What I'm trying to get at is that I spend countless HOURS retouching to ensure that the images are impeccable. Hopefully Tanya and Ivan will love their album! :-)

Before & After:

...can you spot the difference? :-)

Avalon

2008-02-11T02:38:00.000-08:00

Occasionally I photograph club events for Mass Appeal Productions at Avalon Night Club. Events like this are fun because it allows me to be creative with my photography. It's a completely different style of shooting from portraits or weddings. Here are some of my images from last week's event:

Ok, I posted this on my personal blog, but it might be useful on this blog as well. For people who keep asking me how to take these pictures and what equipment I use, listen up: First off, I switch between my D300 and my D80 for the camera. As for the lens, I switch between my 24-70 and the 10.5mm. The secret is to shoot at a sloooow shutter speed using a rear curtain flash (the flash pops twice). I use the SB-800 as my flash. I usually shoot on manual because it saves me crazy mounts of batteries. Flash is adjusted to taste and it depends on how far the subject is from you. Just practice balancing your flash with the ambient light in the club.

Han & Samule

2008-02-11T01:50:00.000-08:00

After work today, I headed over to Sacramento to photograph Han and Sam. Another E-session with fun and amazing people. Of course they're amazing, Sam is my cousin! :-D We walked around downtown Sacramento and enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL weather today. I got to test out my new lens on them! ( The 70-200mm 2.8 VR). After a couple of shots, I gave up on the lens because it was super heavy! Thanks for the fun shoot Sam and Han!

Here are my favorites from the shoot:

Sophie Taylor

2008-02-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of working with a graphic artist last night in Sacramento. I did a photo shoot for her in exchange for a logo for my studio. It was a fun shoot. The models were great. Here's a peek at what we did. Hopefully Sophie can work her magic and we'll see what she produces with these images. Check out her website: www.sophietaylor.com

Megan & Oscar

2008-01-11T04:06:00.000-08:00

Oscar, you're a super model! Think sexyyyyy. hahaha. Jk bro, you did a great job on your e-session.

For Megan and Oscar, we went to SF's Ocean Beach fro their e-session. It was a pretty cold and windy day, but the couple was pretty happy to be there. :-) Unfortunately, I was unable to get them in the water. :-P

The Wedding was in Point Richmond and the reception was in Oakland. They choose a beautiful church to get married in. I believe the church was built by a woman named Megan, so that's why Megan choose it. Wait! It's actually not a church any more! The church was converted into a Buddhist temple. Like it said, it awesome venue. If you're interested in finding out more information, then feel free to contact me. Here are some more photos from the wedding:

Tanya & Ivan E-session

2008-01-11T03:40:00.000-08:00

Ivan! You're getting married!

Ivan was my first college roommate. I've known him for over 4 years now and he's soon to be married to Tanya. We did the engagement session in Davis where the couple first met.
Man, I remember when they first met in front of Shields library at UC Davis. I recall our conversation on that day:

Me: " Aye buey, that girl is looking at you. I think she likes you."
Ivan: " hahaha, este buey."
Me: "Handle it."

So Ivan works his magic over on one of the benches and I left him to let him do his thing. And before I know it, he's getting married to her! Congrats bro.

Christmas Cards Time!

2007-12-18T02:46:00.000-08:00

Jeremy was looking for a gift to give his grandmother and his mom. He decided, what better gift than an image of his handsome self? hahaha. I had a hard time with this one because he wanted something that would be suitable for his mom yet true to his style. We went to Old Sac today where is was cold and foggy. Here's some of my favorites:

I went to Stockton on Saturday to have a short session with my H.S friend Kim and her brother. The photo is going to be a Christmas gift for their mom. The cat was not very cooperative.

Last week Lorraine found me on Davis Wiki and contacted me about getting photos done of her and her sister for their mom. We went to the Arburedum at 8am when it was getting ready to rain!!! It was a fun session dispite my bad lighting situation. I had to do a lot of post processing and retouching to help out with the gloomy day.

April- St. Francis H.S c/o 08!

2007-08-28T03:18:00.001-07:00

This photoshoot was from about a week ago with April from St. Francis H.S. She came over to Davis to have this shoot with me. I took her to a couple of places, including some of my favorite locations in the UC Davis campus! These are the photos that April choose to be printed out. Smile April because you are now my poster girl for High School Seniors all over Northern Cali!!!

Arisona- Edison H.S c/o '08 !

2007-08-27T15:24:00.001-07:00

Ahhh. It's that time of year again, back to school! Which means, senior portraits season. I'm slowly getting settled in as more and more seniors are making their appointments with me.
Your senior year may be busy and stressful with all those collage apps to fill, SAT to pass, and dealing with highschool social life! But it's also time to take your senior portraits so that you and your family can cherish it forever. Most senior tend to put it off, because they feel overwhelmed with senior year. I recommend that you make your appointments early so that we can have your photo shoot and let me take care of the rest!

This is a session with my very own 'Nana'. My sister who is a senior at Edison H.S. It was a HOT day in Stockton as we went running around the VanBuskurt Park getting some great shots. I think they turned out great!
Here are some of my favorites:

The City.

2007-08-13T22:05:00.001-07:00

...no, not SF, L.A. I was in L.A this weekend and decided to do some shots. We went to the parking structure at USC to get a good view of downtown L.A. Here are two of my favorites from the night:

Senior Portraits

2007-08-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

My first official post! Thanks for visiting! So, for the past few months, I've been trying to figure out want I want my concentration to be in photography. Although I will continue to explore the different mediums of photography, I've decided to concentrate on high school senior portraits. I believe that my age and dynamic personality will contribute to a successful business working with high school students. So here goes nothing! I'll try to update this blog as often as I can, so please drop by often to see what I've been up to.

Here's a few seniors I've done in the past month. Feel free to leave me a comment!