Sneak peek: Miss J and K

I know mom and dad have been waiting to see something from today, so thank you for being so patient!

This session rocked in so many ways. I have a ton more I'm excited to edit and show in the next few days. Thank you M family for an awesome morning; your girls are darling!







I realize they're tiny specks in this photo (I know how I want to compose next time!), but I loved Jenn's Cherry Vanilla Cream action on this:

Tess

Tess is a gym rat, and proud of it.

In addition to working full-time as a nurse, she's a wife and mother to two beautiful girls (I photographed her oldest, Angie, recently). Somewhere in between shuttling the kids to activities and studying for an advanced nursing exam, she manages to make it to several gym classes a week. Some days it takes every ounce of energy I have to walk to the mailbox, so I've great admiration for this woman. Her religious gym-going has paid off; she met her weight loss goals and more in the course of 7 or 8 months. So this shoot was a way to celebrate the "new" her. Doesn't she look fantastic? She told me the jeans are from her pre-pregnancy days ~ pretty impressive if you ask me.

this was her idea (walking barefoot, shoes in hand) and I love how it turned out. can you say... hot?!








She told me she realized red was her favorite color when she went through her closet the other day. I think it suits her. Oh, and I wish I had a beauty mark above my lip like she does.

Vampires in my life recently

I can only post one for now from a fun shoot with my good friend Tess. My computer's been a little slow lately so I haven't been able to edit efficiently. And, truth be told, I'm positively hooked on Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight." Thanks for getting me sucked in (no pun intended), Pinky. I tried to resist but it's a page-turner, AND there's 3 more after this one. Then there's "True Blood" on HBO, probably the only thing on tv which doesn't cause hubby and I to argue over remote rights.

Sisters ~ G and S

This session reminded me of a pair of sisters Aviva recently shot. These girls are nearly the same ages; G is 14 and S is 10. They're somewhat opposites ~ G is incredibly mature for her age, quiet and soft-spoken, while S is bubbly, full of energy, and outspoken. Their individual personalities were fun to photograph, but even better was observing them interact with each other.

G, for gorgeous :)


S, for spunky!


beautiful smiles




I love her hat! I want one just like it!


S is a girly tomboy ~ her favorite dress paired with Converse sneakers


G was helpful with poses, she had so many great ideas. I told her she could be my assistant; one of her hobbies is photography!


this is a shot S requested ~ she loves jumping shots!

"Shake it like a polaroid picture..."

While I wait for my chocolate cupcakes to cool from the oven, I want to post one from today's shoot:



Inspired by other photographers, this is a shot I've been dying to try. So glad these fabulous sisters were willing to indulge me.

And now, time to indulge in a cupcake with frosting...

I'm going to copy Aviva and link Edith's awesome post about Friday's event. Love that she noticed the beer (I did, too. Not hers, but someone else's in the pic where we're having a group hug). Crop tool, anyone? :)

All for D.

I know an absolutely remarkable group of people. They live right here in Hawaii, and in Okinawa, Japan.

We all gathered together tonight, in body and spirit, in honor of a special young man, Diego.

He's the cute-as-a-button son of Edith and Trinity. Edith was my first ever client and she and D will always have a special place in my heart because of that.

When our mutual friend Aviva told me about her plan for collecting donations for charities in Diego's name, I was all for it. Diego was diagnosed with leukemia last year in Okinawa. When they arrived in Hawaii so that D could be treated at the military hospital, they were put up at the Fisher House ~ basically a temporary living arrangement, their home away from home. They finally received orders & were able to move into housing but obviously, the months spent at the Fisher House left an indelible mark on them.

Aviva's daughter, Mia, turned 7 recently, and in lieu of birthday presents, they asked guests to place donations in a money jar ~ all this for D. Their wonderful idea spread, across the ocean to Hawaii, and similarly Edith's neighbors pledged their contributions to the Fisher House and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society ~ all for D. Jen organized the collections and set the date for our presentation of checks & cards to occur at an Aloha Friday BBQ. The Lizaldes had no idea what was to take place, as this is a get-together that occurs monthly.

Imagine their surprise...

Her expression says it all. Photos by Pinky.






a kiss to Aviva & friends in Oki!


the Lizaldes


the Hawaii clan


A big mahalo to Pinky for coming out and recording the events; you got some seriously great captures.

Thanks to everyone for your caring and support for D and his parents. We're all pulling for him and whatever bit we have given to the organizations that mean the most to the Lizaldes, is just an extension of our love for them. Great job in this super stealthy endeavor ~ we pulled it off and it was so worth it to see the Lizaldes smile big!

eta: I forgot to say that this was also a late birthday gift to Edith. Happy Belated Birthday! We love ya!

Angelika

I told Angie's mom I'd post pics of her, and I'm finally getting around to editing a few more from this brief (almost rained-out) session.

I've known Angie since she and my son were in kindergarten together 4 years ago. She is almost a black belt in tae kwon do, an excellent swimmer, hula dancer, and an exceptionally bright student. She's an all-around great kid!

Love you, A, thanks for being so patient on our really long car ride!

So my original plan was to look for an abandoned store along the side of the highway for our shoot. Never found it. Instead, we came upon this site. Just as good! I love finding new locations, especially ones like this.


There's an antique store right there so I found myself doing a little window shopping afterwards.




A's taken modeling and acting classes in the past, so she's an old pro in front of the camera

Pinky

Meet the beautiful Mrs. Pinky of Pinky Photography. It's been a little under a month since we met and already in the time between then and now, we've gone on several shoots together (toddlers in tow, might I add!), borrowed each other's gear, scouted locations, and shared small talk over Starbucks drinks. Our common love is photography, and I'm glad to have found someone locally who understands my weird obsession with anything that can be used as a prop or background.

Pink recently launched her new and pretty blog and asked me to take some shots of her to put in her intro. I was happy to oblige ~ anything to help a fellow photog out. I also know that when I finally decide to have my mug displayed on my sites, I can ask her and be confident that she'll do a great job of taking my picture.

These are a few faves. Check out more on her blog!



We had a location in mind for this shoot: the famous pink hotel in Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian. When we got there it was closed for renovations. But we found a couple of open spots amid the construction activity










homage to Apple!

**the Apple logo is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.**

{thanks, Aviva!}

'09 Senior ~ Grace

A huge mahalo to Pink for inviting me to tandem shoot her cousin's cousin, Grace. We had a blast trying out different ideas, and Grace was up for anything we crazy photographers had in mind (including stopping on the side of a busy highway and dragging an ugly chair out in the middle of a field). Thanks for indulging us, Grace, and hope you have a great senior year!

sweet afternoon light




gorgeous girl! Pinky did a great job on hair and make-up.