I recently had a pleasure to work with Anjannet and her family for a maternity session. They are seven months along and are expecting a girl!

To see more photos from this session, click here to visit.

“The most important things that a photographer should carry are her/his feelings and emotions, because you can make a great picture with your soul, not your eyes. You can’t make images that affect others if you aren’t in some way affected while making them.” ~Brenda Tharp

That is one of my favorite quotes. It was also very fitting to the OC Smug Meeting in Costa Mesa that I went to last night where the speaker was John Mireles and the topic was on “Getting The Clients You Want And The Money You Dreamed Of“. He basically discussed how to stay true to yourself…how to make your work unique and stand out from the rest. You can follow the latest trends and have all the latest camera equipment, but your personal vision has to come from your heart.

A SMUG is a place where you can learn, teach and meet up with other photographers who share your passion. It’s also how we can tell you what’s  happening in our world and discover what’s happening in yours. SMUGs are a great way to connect with other photographers and add a few weapons to your creative arsenal.

I would like to thank everyone who participated in a charity portrait session and donated to Red Cross to benefit the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief. Because of your generosity and contributions, $350 was raised.

I have met many great people in the process and it was a fun journey.

I attended the Riverside & Inland Empire SmugMug meeting this afternoon in Rivserside, CA where the topic was on Studio Lighting. It was more of a photographic educational workshop than just a meeting.

One thing I learned from this workshop was that “cowboy studios” (a type of wireless flash/light trigger) were incompatible with my hotshoe converter (thanks to Sony for being different from Canon and Nikon). Pocket wizards (another type of wireless flash/light trigger) work just fine with my hotshoe adaptor. Some things just aren’t meant to be! But nevertheless, learning about studio lighting is fun and I can learn how to direct models better when using studio lights. This makes me want to go get some pocket wizards and studio lighting so I can experiment some more. Who wants to play with me?

Dalton in left photo and Lisa in right photo.

Kellie and I had been friends and talked about doing a photo session together for awhile now. We finally got a chance and recently went to a train station in Fullerton for a photo session. We had fun and talked non-stopped.

Click here to view more photos from the session.

As we all know, Japan was recently hit by an 8.9 quake followed by several tsunamis and aftershocks. After the 8.9 quake, Northern Japan was hit by a 7.2 quake! This makes me want to cry for them. It’s very devastating and heartbreaking!

I’m offering 30 minute portrait sessions to those who donate $25 to Red Cross to benefit the Japan Earthquake Relief. Sessions include photo CD with 10 to 15 digital images and one 8×10 print. Must book by March 31, 2011 and sessions completed within 30 days. Date/time and location can be discussed between those interested and I based on availablility and you must be within 45 miles from 91789 zip code. Online donations will recieve first priority on dates/time for sessions.

After the mini-photog shootout at Irvine Park on Thursday evening, we moved onto the OC Smug meeting at the Outdoor Education Center that was within the park. The speaker was Matt Saville and the topic was “Key Elements That Make Up A Beautiful Portrait”. This was a fun and very interesting topic to listen to. I’m still learning composition, but it also helps that I’m more aware of the surroundings and background to make a better portrait. I left feeling very inspired and I can’t wait to use some of these elements in my next photo shoot.

On Thursday evening, I attended a mini photog shoot out at the Irvine Park in Orange, CA. There were several photographers and models who broke into several small groups. I was only able to photograph Everlyn because I was having a nice time working with her. In this group with Everlyn, we were working on natural light while the other group worked on wireless trigger and flashes. I didn’t bring all of my flash related equipment, so I wasn’t able to work with that group. Everlyn is modeling for fun, so she doesn’t have a portfolio or website of her own. To see more photos that I took of her, click here.

I would like to take this time to wish everyone a happy new year and I hope 2011 is a great year for everyone! Perhaps, you do not know that I am a runner, but I started the new year on the “right foot” (excuse the pun, haha!) by going for a morning run. I think it helps that I have signed up for a 10K race which I will be running on Feb 13 and I have new running gear to motivate me to get out for runs.

Last month, I had enjoy several holiday/Christmas parties and celebrating a few birthdays, including my own as well as receiving free birthday meals from several restaurants for joining the birthday club on their websites. Click here to see my personal photos for the parties and here for the free birthday meals.

I attended the OC Smug meeting last Thursday. The speaker was Michelle Cunningham and the topic was “Marketing On A Budget”. It was a great topic and I was really inspired! Sometimes doing the little things for the clients will help get your name out. Doing charitable events is noble as well. Thanks, Michelle. I have a few ideas in mind that I will definitely try out.

A SMUG is a place where photographers can learn, teach and meet up with other photographers who share the same passion. It’s also how we can tell you what’s happening in our world and discover what’s happening in yours. SMUGs are a great way to connect with other photographers and add a few weapons to your creative arsenal.

SMUGs are always free and open to photographers of all levels. All are welcome, all are loved.