Photography Blog

Holiday Greetings

2009-12-15T21:25:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays Everyone!! Please keep safe during this season and drive safely!

My son made this ornament in school for our Christmas tree.

2009-12-09T22:48:00.002-05:00

Please come support and spread the news about this new Christine's Bake Shop facebook fan page. Thank you.

:-)

The Sweet Sixteen Slideshow

2009-11-29T13:35:00.001-05:00

Kelly and Malorie Sweet 16

2009-11-22T22:30:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday night was Kelly and Malorie's joint sweet sixteen party at the Clarion Hotel, Edison NJ. Both young ladies were absolutely beautiful and stunning. Here is a teaser picture from that night. A slideshow will follow soon. Enjoy.

Preston's 1st Birthday Slideshow

2009-11-20T19:10:00.001-05:00

Preston's 1st Birthday Teaser

2009-11-16T19:23:00.005-05:00

November 15th was Preston's 1st birthday party The Brownstone of Paterson NJ. Here is a teaser picture of the family. Look at how adorable that kid is!!

Jaiden Mia's Christening Slideshow

2009-10-30T22:46:00.002-04:00

Jaiden Mia's Christening

2009-10-26T23:22:00.004-04:00

It was such a pleasure to be part of Jaiden's Christening this past Sunday. It turned out to be a gorgeous day for the beautiful baby girl's baptism. Congratulations Jaiden! May God light your way through life.

Chocolate Cake

2009-10-23T23:13:00.002-04:00

Today, I went to the Christine's Bake Shop production facility to take pictures of pastries. These pictures will be used for a new website that is currently being developed at the moment. Tonight, as I was looking through my product shots, I immediately notice this picture of the round chocolate cake. It looks so yummy and makes me want one right away. This has to be my best shot of the day.

Affordable 50mm 2.5 Macro Lens

2009-10-17T20:48:00.002-04:00

Just got this Canon 50mm macro lens and I am very happy with it's performance. For the price I paid, it is definitely a bargain. Now I can finally take detail shots without having to borrow my friend's 100mm macro lens.

Heart of Mary Villa needs your help!!

2009-10-02T08:49:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, a devastating typhoon ripped through the Philippines. Rain poured down faster than anyone could have ever anticipated. Flooding destroyed many many things, along with it lives. Fortunately, none of my family was severely affected by the floods. However, the orphanage that my son was from took in 8 feet of flood water. The children are safe, thank God, and were evacuated to the second floor of the maternity ward. Everything else was destroyed! I want to ask everyone who may come across this to please help out with what ever you can provide financially. Any small amount would be greatly appreciated by the staff of Heart of Mary Villa. Below is a copy of a flier that they have distributed around the world. Please help them get back on their feet. Thank you in advance from the bottom of my heart!!!

Heart of Mary Villa
394 M.H. DEL PILAR ST., MAYSILO
MALABON CITY, PHILIPPINES 1477
Tel: (63 2) 277-03-51 or 446-73-41
Email: heartofmaryvilla@yahoo.com

Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
An NGO in special consultative status with ECOSOC, United Nations

September 26, 2009 – Typhoon Onyong/Ketsana (international name)
FLASH FLOOD!!!
8 FEET HIGH

SAVED: LIFE of: 23 babies (4 newborn: one with a hole in the heart and he
needs immediate surgery)
17 mothers
14 staff (9 caregivers; 1 social worker; 1 driver;
3 maintenance men)
2 volunteers

Maternity Home Directress
Executive Directress
Tabernacle with Consecrated Hosts

Damaged: Chapel; Nursery: both almost fully submerged
Caregivers’ dormitory
All rooms on the first floor of the Administration Building and Maternity
Home: fully submerged (offices of the President, Executive Directress,
Maternity Home Directress, Adoption Office, Intake Room, Receiving
Rooms (parlors), Therapy Rooms, Clinic, Counseling Rooms, Activity
Rooms, Kitchen, and Dining Room)

Destroyed: Office equipment; audio-visual equipment; communication equipment in
all offices; Documents; Books
Nursery facilities, appliances, and equipment: Playroom and lanai
(sliding glass door, cushioned floors and padded walls; tape recorders,
tapes, toys, books); sleeping area (flooring); mattresses of the cribs, air
cooler, air conditioning units, electric fans; sink, bowls; bathing
equipment for babies; babies’ clothing; supplies; medicines; refrigerator,
freezer, cabinets, sofa, beds, washing machines, television, DVD player,
computers, camera, medical books.
We need your help. You can deposit any amount you are willing and able, to help us.
Account Name: Heart of Mary Villa
Account Number: Peso SA 4853-0313-51
Dollar SA 4854-0022-66
Bank: BPI Panghulo Malabon Branch
SWIFT CODE: BOPIPHMM
Please email us of the amount and date of remittance for proper acknowledgment.

THANK YOU! GOD BLESS!

Joshua turns 5!

2009-09-22T15:52:00.008-04:00

My college friend's son, Joshua, just turned 5 today. Last Sunday was his little party that I attended with my son. It was fun until Joshua started feeling a little sluggish. Joshua was not feeling all that well during the party because of a slight fever. During half the party, he was taking a nap. Joshua did not look happy in most of the pictures because of this. Here are some of my pictures from the party.

Thy and Joseph Slideshow

2009-09-17T23:03:00.000-04:00

New Jersey Botanical Gardens

2009-09-09T21:05:00.006-04:00

Last Monday, we went to the NJ Botanical Gardens in Ringwood NJ. The place is also known as the Skylands. The manor that is in the center of the property once belonged to Clarence MacKenzie Lewis, a NYC stockbroker back in the 1920s. The estate was built to mimic the Tutor style English mansion. It has 44 rooms. A nine-hole golf course once surrounded the property. Today, it showcases some of the most beautiful gardens in the state. Since, the weather was not beach friendly that day, we decided to finally visit the Skylands. It was absolutely beautiful!

Happy 4th Birthday Son!

2009-09-04T14:37:00.004-04:00

Today is John's 4th Birthday! He has been a blessing to us everyday of every year! We love you and we will continue to love you forever!

Thy and Joseph

2009-09-01T22:04:00.005-04:00

Thy and Joe finally made it to the altar last Sunday!! Yey, CONGRATULATIONS to you both! The day couldn't have been more perfect. Three days prior to Sunday, it was all rain! When I looked out that morning, I knew it was going to be a great day for a wedding! They received such an exceptional blessing!! The wedding was just beautiful! If there were anything that went wrong that day, I certainly did not see it. Thank you Thy and Joe for being so easy to work with. That is such an understatement because both families were as equally pleasant and extremely accommodating. They were married at The Church of The Redeemer in Maywood NJ. The reception was located at Sunny Palace in East Brunswick NJ.

Thank You Carlo, from AG2 Photography, for coming out and shooting the wedding with me!

Lotto

2009-08-26T19:05:00.003-04:00

If you have Mega Millions in your state, then the jackpot for Friday is $325 million dollars. Amazing! Imagine what you will do if you ever win. The beauty of playing the lotto, for me, really is to dream a little about what can happen if I won. Spending two to five dollars just to hold a ticket allows me to dream for five minutes about better things!! Dreaming is great escape from reality without spending too much money. So buy your tickets soon!

Thy and Joseph continued

2009-07-08T15:22:00.006-04:00

I can't say enough about how great it is to take pictures of these two. From the second I started shooting my camera, it was as if they have done a photo shoot before. They were so natural with each other and didn't care that I was there. Here are some of my favorites from last week. I hope you guys enjoy them.

By the way, the last two pictures were taken by the two of them. Thy had mentioned to me that Joe was somewhat into cameras as well. I decided to lend them my camera and both of them took pictures of each other.

Thy and Joseph Engagment

2009-06-28T19:02:00.002-04:00

It turned out to be a wonderful day at Mindowaskin Park in Westfield NJ. I finally met Thy and Joseph for the first time and it was such a pleasure to meet them. They are both full of life and smiles. They are just so cute together. I can't wait to cover their wedding in August. I'm sure it is going to be spectacular.

Here is a teaser from today's quick photo shoot.

Making a small difference

2009-06-19T12:18:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. I just wanted you to know that I just gave a loan through Kiva.org. Please check it out and make a difference to someone. The funny story is that I was looking online to invest some money. Instead, I stumbled upon this organization that works with several different lending partners around the world to lend money out. Basically, with the help of the many lenders, like me, people in need will receive a loan amount they require to start or expand their business. Sometimes the loans are used to help other with their personal needs. Please check them out and see if you can give out a loan. Thank you.

Currently Ronnie is the person I am lending to.

Memorial Day

2009-05-28T23:33:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone!!! It seems as though it has been ages since my last post. There are a few reasons that I have been MIA from this blog. The main reason is that I have been in and out of being sick for the past month. The answer is "NO" if you are wondering if I have the H1N1 virus! God forbid that is brought on upon me or anyone that I know. The last two weeks were the worst because of an infection that developed from a wound. To make things a lot worse, a doctor, from the medical group that I go to, gave me an anti-biotic that gave me an allergic reaction. From head to toe, i was covered in rashes. I would love to show everyone but, it was really unpleasant to look at. It took a week for the new anti-biotic and a couple of itch medication to help clear my skin. It was no fun being sedated most of the day.

Secondly, I have been contemplating to which direction I will be taking with my photography. With a lot of thought and with the current economic conditions as they are, I have decided not to heavily advertise the business. Professional photography is something that people consider to be a luxury right now. I will continue to advertise by word of mouth and with my little discreet ad at the bakery. Mostly, I will be happy just taking portraits from now on. However, if someone does approach me about doing a wedding or to cover a party, i will not turn it down. I guess most of the future posting that people will see here are going to be personal photos.

What else is in the future? There is something in the works for a future business venture. You may be seeing some pictures here about it when I try to market it on my blog. So, with God's helping hand, this new venture will succeed and I will be able to unveil it to everyone here. I will be praying for it!

Below are some pictures from last Monday of the kids who are closest to me. I did not include my niece Isabella because she is turning into a young lady and is quickly outgrowing the kid category. I will showcase her again at a later date.

Ice Cream on a rainy day!

2009-04-20T20:48:00.008-04:00

One of my wife's classmates at the French Culinary Institute invited her to come for a visit at The Bent Spoon, an ice cream shop in Princeton NJ. It is located at the town square. Her classmate had put aside some ice cream for her and I was delighted to accompany her to pick it up. I, too, love ice cream despite being a little lactose intolerant. The good news is that they also had some sorbet. To my big surprise, the ice cream was so delicious! I haven't had ice cream like that, ever! I don't have the exact words to properly describe the taste, but it was very original. I tasted two flavors of the ice cream; the chocolate and the mango. I also tasted two of the sorbet flavors; the chocolate and the cranberry blood orange. All I can say is that it was ice cream and sorbet done right! Bravo to the creator who continues to create 400 different flavors. Please stop by and give yourself a treat when you are in Princeton. I guarantee that you will love any flavor you taste.

Thank you Claudia for introducing us to the best ice cream and sorbet shop in NJ.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T10:29:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone!!

Epi and Ceasar

2009-04-04T17:09:00.004-04:00

Here is the continuation of Epi and Ceasar. We had such a great time at this little park in Hoboken NJ last Monday. I remember that it was a little windy that day, but the pictures came out pretty good despite the wind. Ceasar is actually from Jacksonville FL and was up in NJ to visit his girlfriend for a long weekend. This was a perfect location to shoot these two because they wanted to go to NYC right after. The train station was only three blocks away from this park. How cool is that? I have always thought that Hoboken was an extension of the city. Here are some of my fav pics. I hope you like it Ceasar!

Epirose and Ceasar Teaser

2009-03-30T23:18:00.003-04:00

Here is a quick preview of the photo shoot I did with Epi and Ceasar at Hoboken NJ.