On Wednesday I had the privilege of attending the “Master Your Craft” seminar with Mike Colón and Bob Davis. Ever since the moment I first read about the seminar (and proceeded to sign up as quickly as I could) I had been so excited, imagining what it would be like to learn from the very best of the best. And I must say, it was everything I imagined and more! Lighting, post-processing, marketing – so many aspects were covered and by the end of the day my hand seriously hurt from scribbling so furiously in my notebook. haha.

But what resonated with me the most from the seminar was the amazing generous attitude that both Mike and Bob exuded. There was such a strong emphasis on sharing, giving, networking – it was so inspirational to see such successful photographers be so passionate about sharing their knowledge with others. I felt this vibe in the other photographers I met that day as well – everyone was so awesome and so excited about what they do.

Thank you Bob Davis & Mike Colón, and thank you to all the other cool people I met that day – I left the seminar feeling truly inspired!



Mike in action…



Bob + Starbucks



Ran into Serena Grace and got to meet her in person! She is so sweet :)



With my workshop buddy Kevin Tsang



Yuri!! I’m so glad you came :)



Yuri & I with Louis Trinh of Tikko Studios



Serena and Jonilyn – another sweetheart!



Lots of mingling…

And lastly…



The heroes of the day: Mike…



and Bob!

Okay just one more…



Post-seminar grub! Headed down to the lobby for dinner with some new friends from the day. Learning sure does make you hungry :)

I was sitting at a burrito stand in Westwood when she called me with the news. “I’m engaged!!” she told me, her voice brimming with happiness and disbelief. After getting all the juicy details, I hung up and turned to Scott, my dining partner, and babbled excitedly about my friend Joyce who he had yet to meet – how we had been friends since junior high, how we shared laughter and heartbreak over bags of Hot Cheetoes throughout high school and college, and how she was now GETTING MARRIED! (She is actually the very first of our group of girlfriends to take the plunge.)

So of course I was ecstatic when she not only asked me to be a bridesmaid, but to do an engagement shoot for her and Yuki. Unfortunately they had a plans for 4 pm on the day we decided to shoot, which meant no pretty afternoon light. So we went for the next best thing: pretty morning light! Which is how we found ourselves at the Santa Monica pier at 7 am on a Saturday morning. Even though I am the antithesis of a morning person, I have to admit the conditions were great – the sun was out so it wasn’t too cold and the beach was not yet full of people. We even had time to drop by UCLA for some fun shots in the Sculpture Garden.

A big thank you to Joyce & Yuki for a wonderful shoot. I can’t wait for the wedding!!

* A couple of the above photos utilize Photoshop actions created and graciously shared by the Furious Photographers!

A month or two ago I had the opportunity to shoot an engagement session for my good friends Becca & Keiji. I met Becca through taiko in college and we immediately bonded over making really lame jokes and laughing incessantly over the most random things. Keiji is also a taiko player and leader of the group Yoki Daiko, and now Becca plays with Yoki as well.

For the shoot we headed to the Getty Center where literally every corner is an awesome photo opp – it was the perfect place! They were both so natural and full of ideas, making the whole thing really fun and easy. They’re getting married in June and though I’m super sad I won’t be able to make the wedding, I’m so happy for them because they really are so ridiculously perfect for each other. Congrats!!