There are friends that come and are in our lives for a certain time, when we need friends the most. The same friends that help you through the hardest of times and cheer you on through the best. They are the ones that share a tear and give their shoulder for you to lean on. The kind that take time out of their day to say a quick hello. The kind that you can tell anything to and they will never think any different.

And then one day, we wake up and realize that that friend, the same one who has been there the past five years, is the kind of friend you keep for life.

Lizet is that friend. She and I have been through a lot in the last five years. From being classmates to becoming roommates to having sushi luncheons to catch up on our lives. She is my friend for life.

She is also the friend that I could never get in front of my camera. Last Thursday, after we had our usual delicious sushi at our favorite spot, Ami Sushi, in Santa Ana, I was finally able to get her in front of the camera.

Lizet, thank you for being such a great friend and confidant. You are my friend for life and I love you girl! Can't wait until our next Ami Sushi lunch!

Now...On with the photos!!!










My favorite of the whole session




And here we are at the restaurant:

I just wanted to put up a short reminder that Beach Sessions are available now!!!

These are perfect for big families, small families, maternity, engagement, and anyone else who wants killer photos at a beautiful beach.

Here are some of my previous beach sessions :)

Here is Jackie. A 12 year old with the biggest heart you'll ever come to love. Her smile is so shy and sweet. Innocence in it's purist form. She is mom's helper, friend, and loving daughter.

But don't be fooled, she's got a sassy side to her that is all her own, and she can work the camera!

She was so insightful and easy to direct. She also came up with a few good ideas while we were shooting that just kept me saying, "oooo, I like that, stay just like that!"

Mama better watch out for this future knock out!

Here are a lot of my favorites from our mini session out at Coronado and right outside their home.






America's Next Top Model or what?!?!




And I leave you with that last image, even though there are many, many, many more beautiful shots of her.

**Quick note: Thanks Dina for allowing me to follow you all day long and share just a great day with you and the kiddos. I love you guys!

Last Tuesday as I ate left over pasta salad at my dad's house, I heard a knock on the back door. I was killing time eating a late lunch as I waited for my cousin Delfina to come and pick me up.

Our destination: Sunny San Diego.

Delfina lives in "SD", as we call it, with her two children, Jackie, 12, and Salvador, 1.

July 2 was lil' Sal's big FIRST birthday and I was to document the whole day for my cousin and this little handsome guy. If he looks a little bit familiar, it's probably because I photographed this beautiful family back in December for the holidays.

This is the part of my job that I enjoy-watching families grow and being able to document their ever changing stages of life. This is what brings so much joy to my heart, even more so because they are my family.

So here are my faves from the session, be forewarned, there are quite a lot of photos.

This first one is from the night before while lil' Sal was taking a bath and I just had to put up.


The next day we took our time getting ready and soaking in the lazy morning. After lunch we headed down to Coronado, probably the most beautiful beaches I've been to so far.

It's always fun to see the expression on a baby's face when they experience for the first time the texture of sand. This little guy didn't like it at all, ha ha ha.






And here is the trio at Coronado.

Stay tuned because I did a little mini session with Delfina's daughter, Jackie, who is just a natural in front of the camera :O).

A couple weekends ago I was able to go to my friend Judy's son's baptism. Whew, try saying that five times fast, lol.

Judy and I met a little after my friend Theresa and I met back in 2005. After I moved back to Riverside from Santa Ana (I had moved for school), Theresa moved to Texas and then Judy moved to Vegas. We all got separated and yet we have all remained close through letters, cards, phone calls and yes, even the occasional "just saying hello" text message. I love these girls through the thick and thin. They've been there for me and I am there for them, even if it's only to chat on the latest gossip or happenings in our lives.

So, I got to spend the day with one of my best friends and her beautiful son. So here's the little handsome 3 month old who I just couldn't get enough of!



Here's Judy with baby Bas


If someone can answer me on how a baby can have blue eyes when both parents have brown eyes gets a million brownie points!!




The father was hilarious! He was making jokes in English and Spanish along with striking a pose for the camera!



and here I am with baby Bas. I don't know what it was, but every time I held the little guy, he feel asleep!

in·de·pend·ence (ĭn'dĭ-pěn'dəns)

n.

1. The state or quality of being independent.
2. Archaic Sufficient income for comfortable self-support; a competence

I hope everyone enjoys their state and quality of being independent!!!

This past weekend I went to my best friend's son's baptism. I had a blast but here is a quick sneak peek from the day.

There is definitely more to come of this handsome cutie!!!

I love light.

The kind of light that enters from my bedroom window that gently wakes me in the mornings. The same light I photograph people in.

Sunlight.

What I don't love is studio lighting, particularly because I really don't know who to use it. I never really used studio lights or any kind of artificial light, other than my flash. But a few weeks ago my dad surprised me with two reflector lights on stands with two 250watt photo soft white bulbs. He couldn't have gotten me a better gift!

Lately, I've been thinking I should study studio lighting and how it's used, just for fun.

So, the other day I had my beautiful 13 year old cousin, Elahyna, model for me in front of these intensely hot lights. I also made myself a soft box with a white cotton sheet in front to diffuse the light a bit.

Here's what we got:

In these three shots my camera's white balance was set on Auto, hence the yellow hue in the photos.


here you can see in the catch lights the white sheet from the box I made.



This last shot had my camera set to Tungsten white balance. Note the difference in skin tone.

I am now even more excited to see what more I can do with these lights! A night shoot perhaps??? I think so!!!

It's 105 degrees for like the past week and a half!!! If gas prices weren't so outta whack I'd be down at the beach until 10pm at night!

Speaking of which, I went to the beach with my beautiful mother and now I'm sunburned. I didn't think that I could get sun burned, and now, I'm peeling. It's so gross.

And how about those damn gas prices...talk about putting people in a tough situation. Those that need their cars to get to work can't because of the prices. It's a vicious cycle that apparently won't be resolved anytime soon. I wish public transportation was more efficient out here.

4th of July is around the corner! Yay!!! I can't wait. My family is planning this cool cocktail -slash-barbecue thing for that day. It's gonna be so fun!

That's about all for this week. I do have some photos to share and a couple more events lined up so stay tuned!!! But for now, here are some pictures from father's day :O).

My sister, dad, and me :)

I've always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I also that some happenings are hard to forget and get over.

But no matter how difficult it is to move on from a situation, life always tends to surprise you and allows you to find peace of mind...when the time is just right.
I'm sparing you the details mainly because it's not about what happened, but more about what I gained from what happened: Peace of mind.

Yesterday, I woke up exactly the same way I had for the past seven months and during my shift at work, I received my peace of mind. Amidst all the commotion at work, amidst all the busy people walking past, and amidst all the mixed emotions; I was given my peace of mind. And it came at just the right time.

I was ready and today, I started to see the world a little bit differently. So just when you think that it can't get worse, whether it's money trouble, a recent break up, or simply a flat tire, just remember: everything happens for a reason. There is light at the end of the tunnel and all we gotta do is let life take it's natural course and when the time is just right, everything will make sense. When life sees it's time, you will be given your peace of mind.

I wish every one a great and peaceful weekend!