2012 Santa Monica High School Grad Portraits at PAL (Police ActivitiesLeague)

I just received my invite to attend my 10 year High School reunion. So you know what that means.... It's time to get on a diet!
When I was in High School I used to always attend PAL after school and enjoy the tons of activities they had to offer. I remember racking up all the balls at the pool table and learning how to perfect my "8 Ball, Corner Pocket" finally to try to impress the cool kids... The Several mile long marathons we used to train for running down the streets of Santa Monica, and let's not forget to mention free movie premiers, Ice Skating, and field trips to theme parks we always did on a weekly basis.
This place holds a really special place in my heart! It kept me out of a whole lot of trouble in my rebellious teenage years.... I always wanted to pay them back some way, some how. Well, what better way than to revisit and capture the smiles of the current "Rebellious Teenagers" that are there now (J/K on the Rebellious part... or not :)
Thanks to Don Condon who's been super awesome through out all these years, we set up a Time & Date to capture today's youth the day before their big graduation day. It was the first time they had unpacked their caps and gowns and were feeling the enthusiasm of THE BIG DAY just around the corner.
Here are a few pictures I captured... Enjoy!

Culver City High Graduate! (My wife Martha Gratuated from Culver High so had to give them a shout out too)

10 years Later and still feeling young... Shout out to the CLASS OF 2002 and everyone who graduated High School.

Remeber kids.... Be Cool & Stay in School!

(Is that still a cool thing to say to kids these days? Eeek... Stay Swag)

Inspiration! Where do you get it from?

As A kid I always believed in maybe one day becoming a super hero just like Superman or Spiderman. At 7 years old I remember taking aluminum foil and sticking it inside the toaster to do an experiment on what would happen. Well I got electrocuted! Didn't give me electrical super powers like I expected it to. Did give me a little spanking from mommy for ruining her brand new "General Electric" bread warmer.

Now that I have a little family of my own I could only try my best to show my son the good from the bad. 

I made a huge mistake and taught him the word "FIGHT" a couple weeks ago.

We love to wrestle and drive mommy insane but I never expected to be awakened by my son screaming "FIGHT" at 6:30am this sunday morning and swinging away at my head. 

I had tons of images to edit saturday night and went to bed pretty late... So waking up by tiny knuckles wasn't in the agenda but So what... It was Time To FIGHT! lol 

It's amazing how one simple glance at my sons dimples can brighten up my day no matter how dull or cloudy it may be. 

To all the readers out there... If we have not had the honor of meeting each other,  I could honestly say that I'm just a simple man, who is living a simple life, Just having the time of my life, Loving the "JOY" of my life (who you probably already guessed is my son), & Loving the "LOVE" of my life witch is my very supportive wife. 

TWO OF MY BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS OF ALL TIME!

Wrapped up in one. 

When I grow up I want to be a famous Photographer... 

I got my 2 inspirations to provide me the fuel to get to my destination...

So now it's time to take it to the next level.

Thanks for joining me on this little ride down memory lane and if you want to share where you get your inspiration from please feel free to write on the comments section of this blog.  

The Wait is over.... Welcome Baby Makayla!

You might remember Cassi and Sergio from a few blog posts ago. I had captured Cassi's baby bump in the beautiful botanical gardens in Palos Verdes. A month after our little photo session I received a text message, attached to the message was a picture of one of the most precious little angels I've ever laid my eyes on... Cassi had given birth to gorgeous little Makayla on May 5th, 2012 and now it was time for the New Born session! I love capturing new borns because it really takes me back to when my son was a couple days old... You want to remember EVERYTHING about them, from the tiny wrinkles on their fingers and toes to the tiny little lips, Eyes etc... (I could name hundreds of details you'll always wanna remember) You might be asking yourself.... Why would anyone want pictures of their kids finger wrinkles??? And the answer is simple! Cause they grow up in a blink of an eye and there will come a day when you would want to pull out thee old photo album and reminisce.
Makayla is a natural in front of the camera and it was an honor to be chosen for such an important job... To capture a child who's only been outside the belly for a couple of days and creating art that will be treasured for many many years to come is a blessing. God Bless this beautiful family and may they live long and thrive! (always wanted to say that)

View their slide show that captures the beauty of Cassi's Maternity to actually holding their baby Makayla  

Meet Kammi... Accomplishing her goal in becoming a Registered Nurse!

Do you know how to juggle? I've tried tossing a banana, apple, and orange up in the air in hopes to keep them all afloat but end up with a mess after they drop to the floor. Let me tell you a little about Kammi who just graduated from the Los Angeles Harbor College Nursing Program in Wilmington, California. She's one of the greatest jugglers I know! She's a wife, mother, hard worker, and WAS a student who was determined to give it all she's got in order to become a Registered Nurse. We met after my friend Tanisha (who's son is also named Josiah) heard her asking if anyone knew of any good photographers and my name was brought up. She was looking for some pictures to commemorate her graduation and why not? She deserves to walk by a huge framed picture of herself in a Cap & Gown every morning after all the long hours of studying that she put in.

I've always wanted to do a photo session at the gorgeous Disney Concert Hall but I've never had the opportunity until working with Kammi.

She was fun, full of joy and a pleasure to capture as she showed off her scrubs and RN badge that stood out more than a batman sign across the nights sky (Atleast to us it did). I'm so very glad we met and I wish her the very best in her new journey as a Registered Nurse. Enjoy a few pictures from her session in Downtown LA. 

Meet Valentin, Ana and their 2 children

I get into my car, check my rear view mirror as I back up out of the drive way, and I'm off to meet Valentin and his amazing family at the Santa Monica Pier. This photo session was a long time coming as  we were supposed to meet several months ago for Ana's maternity session. Things happen for a reason and I believe that it was destiny for us to meet on this special day. Why was this day so special you may ask??? Well, On this special day Valentin makes Ana his wife! Even though I really had limited time on my hands... I just couldn't find it in my heart to tell them I couldn't capture their special day. So they traveled from Buena Park to Santa Monica to meet with me (and I'm so glad we did). The love these two shared was off the rector scale and their children were pure angels. Love can't be smelled or physically felt... but you could really see the LOVE this family shared for one another. It's memories like these that will be treasured for years to come and when the kids grow up and ask "Mommy, Daddy... Why are we wearing fancy clothing at the beach?" They could explain how that day was so special because it's the day they made a promise to one another to love each other unconditionally... FOREVER.

The Best Feeling! Maternity Session + Best Proposal Ever!

This maternity session took place in Palos Verdes CA. We met up in redondo beach and scouted the area for beautiful locations. Originally we were going to do beach photo's but something told us to just take a little drive and go where ever the wind takes us.. Thank goodness we listened to the little voice in our heads and decided to venture out. It was a gorgious day and we stopped by several different locations.... Stopping every time we saw a little eye candy here and there.

Chris and Claudia were a blast to work with and am soooo glad we crossed paths. I literally felt as if we had known each other from past lives. After our shoot we exchanged numbers and I informed them to contact me at anytime if they ever needed anything... Literally the second day I got a text from Chris... ( The father to be) He informs me of his plan to propose to Claudia and if I could help... I almost jumped off my seat with excitement! It was an honor to be of assistance in a special time like this one. He came up with the idea of incorporating a slide show with a poem he wrote specifically to ask Claudia to marry him. I did what he asked and waited 1 whole week to see him go down 1 knee. It was beautiful and I'm so grateful to be in the line of business making memories last an eternity. I know as their child gets older and will see this blog I would like for him to say "Hey, there's William... He looks exactly the same as when he took my school pictures"... lol

Enjoy the video made with tons of JOY And LOVE!  

Check out the Slide Show with Bonus proposal at the end.