2013 - Portrait & Family Session Favorites

December 27, 2013 in Families, Lifestyle, Portrait, Events

2013 has been one hectic year. Aside from engagements and weddings, I never really got to blog any of the portraits and family sessions. So to make up for all the lost blog posts, here are few of my favorites from the portrait and family sessions (I'll post my favorite engagement and wedding in couple of days)

[Group 1]-rlp-Nghi+Lai-Maternity-46_rlp-Nghi+Lai-Maternity-76-24 images.jpg

[Group 1]-rlp-family-Berry-108-2_rlp-family-Berry-112-2-2 images.jpg

Under the Lighted Stage

April 07, 2013 in Lifestyle, Portrait

So this is what happen when you put a talented artist/actress under the stage lights, an magical photo was created!

Of course using the technique of "Prisming/Hurding" by Sam Hurd, helped creating the magic straight within the camera.

Couple Portrait : Vivian & Sule

September 19, 2012 in Lifestyle, Portrait

Key ingredients for a "quickie" couple portrait session consist of four things: planning, an awesome couple, a location and a Lamborghini...

Thanks Vivian and Sule for the opportunity to photograph you two, even though Sule have the reputation of not smiling in front of the camera, I think I captured some smirks and smiles (see evidence below).

San Diego Portrait Session - DJ Chris Anthony

June 25, 2012 in Lifestyle, Portrait

Back in late April, the wifey and I drove down to San Diego to do some portrait shoots around the city for Chris' upcoming project. Having to work with Chris in the studio for his press kit previously, it was definitely a pleasure and an honor to work with him again! We explored the city by foot, from San Diego Train Station, to Little Italy, then to the historic Gaslamp district, The Rooftop at the Ivy and finally stopped at the Lincoln Room where he perform every third weekend of the month. Though we only were able to stay for the day, we all had a blast and treated this more as a mini getaway than a photo session. So without further ado, here are some of my favorites from the day.

Also, please make sure to checkout DJ Chris Anthony's mixes and website here:

http://djchrisanthony.com/music/

http://djchrisanthony.com/

HDR Friday : Dynamic Portrait

March 02, 2012 in HDR, Lifestyle, Portrait

Wooaahh.. HDR for portrait?? There are always skepticism when it comes down to creating a HDR image that pertains people. Mainly it's because most artists who creates HDR tends to "overcook" it to make the landscape and clouds super dramatic, however almost all the time, it will ruin a person's skintone and make them look super fake and unflattering. So for this week's HDR Friday, I want to show that with proper processing you can still get a great portrait without losing the details that a HDR image would bring. So yes.. the shot below is definitely a HDR portrait ;)

In case you're wondering on how my raw files look.. here's 0 exposure, +2 exposure and -2 exposure, respectively:

For kicks.. here's a black & white film version (edited via Lightroom):

Happy Friday!

Salton Sea Couple Session - Karina + Chris

January 19, 2012 in Engagements, Lifestyle, Portrait

So a half day trip to Salton Sea was just not enough time for two different photo sessions. Regardless the time crunch, I was grateful that Karina & Chris was able to come out to hang out and do a quick shoot... after all, the love birds just recently got engaged! Congratulation guys and happy planning!! :)

Superhero Inspired Editorial - Apryl C.

January 06, 2012 in Lifestyle, Portrait

According to Weird California, Salton Sea is one of the oddest place in California and personally there are no doubts about that. Just imagine a HUGE lake with high concentration of salt in the middle of a desert; and along the shore there are hundreds of fish carcasses and the debris of old vacation homes eroding down into the ground its sitting on. What once a popular vacation destination, now it looks as if a bomb had detonated in the middle of the desert and destroyed everything and kept the lake in pristine condition.

So why would anyone go there?? Well, just check out some of the gorgeous landscapes and backdrop it has.. now just add a gorgeous model, photographers and half a day of some creativity experiments, you'll get the perfect formula for a photo session ;)

Model: Apryl C.

Stylist & Makeup: Apryl C.

Assistant Photographer: Nick P.

Location: Bombay Beach, Salton Sea, California

Bonus photos: this is what happen when pissed off a superhero model...

P.S. I'll post up some out-takes on Facebook fan page soon, so make sure you LIKE the page and stay tune :)

2012 First Sneak-peak

January 03, 2012 in Lifestyle, Portrait

Happy 2012 everyone! I hope everyone had a great holiday with lots quality time with your love ones. 2011 for me was a year of adaptation, provided with new environments, and new ventures I learned so many things along the way. Now 2012 will be a push to improve and expand both on the photography front and the personal end, so stay tune for some exciting new changes and projects in the upcoming months! Now for the sneak peak, straight from the beautiful yet urban decayed... Salton Sea - Superhero fashion theme inspired editorial:

Model: Apryl C.

Stylist & Makeup: Apryl C.

Assistant Photographer: Nick P.

Location: Bombay Beach, Salton Sea, California

Steampunk Editorial - Crystal Monte

November 22, 2011 in Portrait

Here's a full post of the Steampunk Editorial we worked on back in September! Got to thank Apryl and the team for the opportunity! There'll be more photos posted on Facebook so make sure to LIKE the page to get the updates!