It's such a beautiful day today. Which means, that I completed one of my goals for the year: To get out and smell the roses! I went to the UCR Botanical Gardens today and because of the rain we've had lately, everything was so green and beautiful.

I had fun hiking up the steep hills and finding little nooks and crannies for photo ops. I have two shoots at the gardens tomorrow so I wanted to and check it out and find some sweet spots. It's nice to get out and do something that is so freshly satisfying :o).



On a side note, another goal of mine that isn't really a personal goal but more a professional goal, is to shoot more horizontals. I have gotten very comfortable shooting vertically that I forgot how nice it was to change up the angles a bit. Just felt like sharing that with you. :o).

Do you remember this stud?


Well, not only was I able to capture him on Christmas, but his family as well. His beautiful mom, Delfina [or Dina for short] is actually my first cousin. She is such a wonderful person who's laugh is dangerously contagious. His sister, who shares my name, is shy and reserved but very loving and kind.



Together they make such a great team! And even though they live way out in San Diego, or as Dina and I like to say, SD, I hope that we get to see each other soon!

I just love the photos. They make me smile :o). Ah, there is nothing better than family!

I have been, for the last year or so, trying to find my "style". Style is the way I take photos, the way I handle sessions, and your overall experience. It's my photography and me merged into one cohesive brand. The lot of photographer blogs that I follow almost on a daily basis, yes, I'm a blog stalker, say that branding is just as important as style. Branding is also good for marketing oneself to potential clients, which could be virtually anyone.

So, I am proud to announce that I have a logo! Yay! I'm very excited! This is a great step towards getting the word out there about my photography. I believe that the logo defines who I am, a little funky, a lot of fun, and very simple. I think that also describes my photography. And it happens to be in two of my favorite colors! It couldn't be more me. :o) This was also one of my goals I had set for the new year.

Let me know what you think of my new logo!!! I'm posting another photo of it just because I'm so excited about it!!!

Happy Tuesday!

First of all I just want to say that I'm so pleased to have been shooting some great models lately. They have all been so fun and interesting. Another is that I am so glad that comments are finally getting on here. I love seeing your comments and reading your opinions of my work...it's satisfying and also helpful. So keep 'em coming!

Oh and isn't this crazy weather we're having out here in southern cali? Well, at least it's finally raining.

And, we're still taking models if you wish to participate. Just send me your info. :o)

Ok, now to get some shut eye...I have a meeting and work after. I work at Destination Coffee House inside the Kaiser hospital in Riverside now. Stop by and say hello if you are in the area :P

And lately I've been thinking to make a collage of all the places I've traveled to so far... so here are a few photos of those places. Enjoy!

Catalina, Ca.
Havasu, Az.

Here is Vegas.

Cabo San Lucas.

My dad took me on this amazing trip through Mexico. The sights were absolutely breath taking. There are way more photos of this trip but here are two.

This one is from the loooooong train ride. We departed at 6 am and arrived at our destination at 10pm.

This is La Paz , Baja California Sur, Mexico.
And here is another one from Mexico. But here I had gone with a couple of cousins. We hiked for a couple miles and came to this famous water fall. This is in Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico in case any of you are interested.
I'll show more photos of where I've been in the next post I write. :o)

That field served it's purpose today. Amber was my model today. Not just any model, she was a very good friend of mine during my high school years. One time I think it was during lunch (correct me if I'm wrong Amber) when our group of friends came up with this idea that we each had our own bubble. Our bubble was our personal space and we only let certain people into our bubbles. Of course, we only let each other into our bubbles :o). Telling you, life is all about connections and those often great re-connections.

Amber leaves to Guatemala tomorrow night with out a set return date. I always say that traveling is the greatest way to experience life.

Here are some of the shots we got. Unfortunately it was cold and rainy and I have shaky hands so they came out a bit blurry. But! I think we got some good ones.




Thanks Amber for coming out today and posing in the rain. Have a safe trip and see ya when you get back. Also thanks to Alicia, it was great seeing you too! Long live the bubbles! He he he.

Aren't you excited!?! There are going to be some new stuff coming soon. My sister and I have some more models booked this month and it's going to get real busy. Having day jobs and trying to push our business forward isn't easy, but we're up for the challenge :o)

We have some amazing work that I can't post just yet because I promised the client; but it's coming soon! And I gotta tell you, that session was so much fun and I can't wait to show you!!

Also, because it's been raining lately, the empty field across the street from my house has grown some really super green grass and just looks absolutely amazing. I want to photograph some one there. It's just so rich in color and I most definitely love color. Which is the main reason I hardly ever shoot anything black or white.

Here's a picture of it:


See, I'm telling you, it's beautiful! Okay so keep your eye out for all the new stuff that's coming, I promise it's worth the wait :o)

It is amazing to think that life is all about connecting with people. Often times they lead to friendships. Friends are life lines. Friends are cheerleaders! And they are also bearers of truth even when you don't want to hear it. They are, in my opinion, a necessity in life.

My friend Mikey is the very first person that I did an "official" photo shoot for. He is a model and wanted some new photos for his portfolio. This was last summer, when I was shooting in shutter priority because I didn't quite understand manual and I am sure glad I finally got the hang of it!

Anyway, my point is that if it wasn't for my good friend being patient with me while I constantly changed settings and took like a million hours to take one picture, I wouldn't have come home with these photos. Thank goodness he's a good model. :o)





So thanks to life's great connections that lead to wonderful friendships.

As I have previously posted, we are looking for models and this past Saturday we were able to work with an up-and-coming fashionista star! You'll see what I mean when you take a look at the photos. She is definitely the three F's: Funky, fresh, and fun!

We had two looks for her and there are going to be quite a few photos. Make up and hair was done by my fabulous sister, Elanie, of In Your Face Beauty. Yomayra is a student at the Arts Institute studying Fashion. She's definitely gonna go far.

Thanks Yomayra for modeling for us, you rock!

Here is our first, elegant look:




And here is our second, funky look:






Remember, if you're interested in modeling, let us know and we'll have a great shoot like this with you!

I hope everyone's year is going great thus far. As I mentioned in the previous post that my sister and I are teaming from now to bring you the best photography we can. However, we need to build up our portfolios a bit so we need YOU!

We're looking for models any shape, any size, male, female, to do some shoots with. The modeling shoots are free and you will receive a 5x7 print of your best shot.

Here's what we need from you:

1. Name (first and last)

2. Phone number and an alternative form of communication (email, second phone number, etc.)

3. Height & Weight (ladies, don't worry, we'll keep this confidential)

4. Hair Color and Eye Color

5. Ethnicity

6. And recent photo of you.

We'll be keeping all your info confidential and only for our records. When we find that special look for you, we'll give you a call to come and show us your modeling skills!

You can email me the info at jl_photog@yahoo.com. Hope to hear from you soon!!!

Today is day 1 of 2008 and I couldn't be more excited for all the things yet to come. Usually at this time I reflect on all the events from the previous year, however, I think looking forward is just a little bit more exciting.

I am excited because this year my sister, Elanie, and I are teaming up. She's going to be my second shooter and I am going to assist her with her make up artistry. We are going to be one super sister team!

We have an awesome relationship as it is now and working together will just bring us closer in a whole new way and I am excited to see what blossoms.

So...Happy New Year! This year is the year we make it happen. I hope everyone has a wonderful year!