No photos for this post. Just wanted to share some things.
As I've said, I work full time as a graphic designer for a national magazine. That magazine is CURE: Cancer Updates, Research and Education. We are the largest magazine in the country where cancer patients can find information about their cancer, in terms they can understand. Our motto at CURE is "Making cancer understandable." Cancer is a world full of uncertainties and the last thing patients need is more confusion when their cancer is being explained to them by their oncologists.
Don't get me wrong, oncologists does wonders, but sometimes they are so scientific that they forget that they are talking to regular people who sometimes have no medical background. That's where CURE comes in. You can find CURE online at www.curetoday.com.
I've been at CURE for the last 3 years, the most rewarding 3 years I've had thus far. I love my job. One of my responsibilities at CURE is that I am also the photography coordinator. I line up and set up photo shoots for our stories and articles. Through this, I get to meet and enjoy conversations with patients, nurses, oncologists and, of course, photographers.
I meet and talk to photographers all over the country. Some are great, some are ok. Over the last 3 years, I've built relationships with photographers who I call on a regular basis. I call on them time and time again because of the quality of their work, their work ethic, and above all else, their personalities. These people love what they do, and they have a big heart. I can always count on these people to have a positive attitude when they meet the patients and caregivers for their photo shoot.
In no particular order, they are:
Ann Arbor, Michigan - Abby Rose - http://www.abbyrosephoto.com/
Baltimore, Maryland - Colby Ware - http://colbyware.com/
Durham/Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Robin Lin - http://www.robinlin.com/
San Francisco/San Jose, California - Rob Snavely - http://www.robsnavelyphotography.com/
Orange County, California - Michael Kitada - http://www.michaelkitada.com/
San Diego, California - Marlo Yoshimoto - http://www.msyoshphoto.com/
Orlando, Florida - Cristy Nielsen - http://www.cristynielsen.com/
Chicago, Illinois - Shauna Bittle - http://www.shaunabittle.com/
Dallas, Texas - Wes Wolfe - http://www.modelmayhem.com/weswolfe
Denver, Colorado - Kris Higgins - http://www.kristinehigginsphotography.com/
There are a few others who I have worked with and enjoyed, but these guys are the ones I work with a lot. I just wanted to share, and also give thanks to the wonderful work that they do. Each one of them is such an inspiration like the people they photograph. Great photographers with great big hearts. When I grow up, I want to be able to take photos as well as these guys.
If any of you are reading this, you guys make my job easier!! Thanks =)
GZ
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Over a plate of sushi, or maybe a cup of coffee
For me, there is nothing better in this world than a good plate of sushi. A close second is a cup of coffee. I mention THE Starbucks a lot on here, I've noticed (and I promise that I'll elaborate on that in the future), so I'll talk about sushi.
There's a ton of good sushi here in Dallas, but one of my absolute favorites is close to my home town. My family have been going to this local sushi restaurant called Toshio's in Duncanville, TX since we moved here from the Philippines in the early 90's. It was tiny, hole-in-the-wall joint that served really good sushi and dynamite dinner platters ... HUGE, dinner platters. Its a great place to have a nice meal and a good conversation.
They got really popular not too long, and they soon relocated to a newer, more upscale place in town to accommodate more people. That's what happens when you serve good food with a good attitude, but the main reason I'm telling a story about this place is because of a couple who I met there long ago. Who are now two of my dearest friends.
There was a young waiter, Michael, who is the son of the former owner of Toshio's. He often served my family when we went there for either lunch or dinner. He's a very likable and knowledgeable of his sushi. It helped that he was part Japanese, it made the experience feel authentic. =)
We were usually led to our table by their hostess Heather. Cute, bubbly... and bubbly. (Sorry Heather! That was the extent of my experience with you at Toshio's. Michael took care of us the rest of the time. =P) She knew exactly where to sit us every time! (Did that help my case?? =) )
Michael and Heather took a liking to each other and soon started dating. It turned out that Michael and Heather were Starbucks regulars as well (surprise!), and soon found out that we hung out with the same people on a regular basis. So we all got to be friends, needless to say.
Michael's family eventually sold Toshio's to a partner, and Michael and Heather went on to pursue their studies. A year or so after Michael graduated, he popped the question. They asked me if I could do their engagement photos and their wedding, which I delightfully agreed to.
We all met up in downtown Waxahachie on a cold, ok, VERY COLD, Saturday morning. I brought my nephew, Lui, along as my assistant. I felt sorry for him since it was bitterly cold. Most of these were shot using natural light, and sometimes using a reflector when needed. Here's how a few of them turned out.
Here's Michael trying to act like he's hitting on Heather. "Trying" is the operative word. lol
Michael, again, I'm sorry for ruining your shirt. I'm sure there's a way to remove rust stains.
Here's a few "black and whites." They are actually duotones where i replace the white with a warmer color. I like this treatment better since it gives the photo a bit more warmth than normal black and white photos.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend their wedding and/or photograph it due to scheduling conflicts. I'll be going back home to the Philippines to visit family during that time.
The main question my family back home in the Philippines always asks me is, "Are you married yet?" or "When are you getting married?" or "Why aren't you in a relationship, you're almost 30?!?" To which I always painfully answer, "Just haven't found the right girl, I guess..." Its not that I don't try. I do sometimes, but right now, I just don't have time for a relationship. I'm too busy being behind a camera capturing other people's relationships. Maybe one of these days, I'll be on the other side of the lens having my photo taken with the love of my life. In the mean time, I'll just wait til I meet that girl. Maybe get to know her over a plate of sushi, or even maybe a cup of coffee. Like Michael and Heather did.
Congrats you two!
GZ
There's a ton of good sushi here in Dallas, but one of my absolute favorites is close to my home town. My family have been going to this local sushi restaurant called Toshio's in Duncanville, TX since we moved here from the Philippines in the early 90's. It was tiny, hole-in-the-wall joint that served really good sushi and dynamite dinner platters ... HUGE, dinner platters. Its a great place to have a nice meal and a good conversation.
They got really popular not too long, and they soon relocated to a newer, more upscale place in town to accommodate more people. That's what happens when you serve good food with a good attitude, but the main reason I'm telling a story about this place is because of a couple who I met there long ago. Who are now two of my dearest friends.
There was a young waiter, Michael, who is the son of the former owner of Toshio's. He often served my family when we went there for either lunch or dinner. He's a very likable and knowledgeable of his sushi. It helped that he was part Japanese, it made the experience feel authentic. =)
We were usually led to our table by their hostess Heather. Cute, bubbly... and bubbly. (Sorry Heather! That was the extent of my experience with you at Toshio's. Michael took care of us the rest of the time. =P) She knew exactly where to sit us every time! (Did that help my case?? =) )
Michael and Heather took a liking to each other and soon started dating. It turned out that Michael and Heather were Starbucks regulars as well (surprise!), and soon found out that we hung out with the same people on a regular basis. So we all got to be friends, needless to say.
Michael's family eventually sold Toshio's to a partner, and Michael and Heather went on to pursue their studies. A year or so after Michael graduated, he popped the question. They asked me if I could do their engagement photos and their wedding, which I delightfully agreed to.
We all met up in downtown Waxahachie on a cold, ok, VERY COLD, Saturday morning. I brought my nephew, Lui, along as my assistant. I felt sorry for him since it was bitterly cold. Most of these were shot using natural light, and sometimes using a reflector when needed. Here's how a few of them turned out.
Here's Michael trying to act like he's hitting on Heather. "Trying" is the operative word. lol
Michael, again, I'm sorry for ruining your shirt. I'm sure there's a way to remove rust stains.
Here's a few "black and whites." They are actually duotones where i replace the white with a warmer color. I like this treatment better since it gives the photo a bit more warmth than normal black and white photos.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend their wedding and/or photograph it due to scheduling conflicts. I'll be going back home to the Philippines to visit family during that time.
The main question my family back home in the Philippines always asks me is, "Are you married yet?" or "When are you getting married?" or "Why aren't you in a relationship, you're almost 30?!?" To which I always painfully answer, "Just haven't found the right girl, I guess..." Its not that I don't try. I do sometimes, but right now, I just don't have time for a relationship. I'm too busy being behind a camera capturing other people's relationships. Maybe one of these days, I'll be on the other side of the lens having my photo taken with the love of my life. In the mean time, I'll just wait til I meet that girl. Maybe get to know her over a plate of sushi, or even maybe a cup of coffee. Like Michael and Heather did.
Congrats you two!
GZ
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Dreamin big and stepping forward
I wanted to post this before I go out and enjoy this beautiful weather we are having....
Every person once in their life time has dreamed about being famous either as an actor or a rock star. So they take an acting class or two or pick up a guitar and hum a few bars. I know, I'm one of them. I started playing guitar right after high school, and pretty soon you can pretty much guarantee that I would be a THE Starbucks every Thursday night playing and singing with my friends. Kinda hoping that some music executive would pass through, hear me sing, fly me off to New York to meet up with John Mayer or Jack Johnson and open for them on their next show... Not likely, but hey, can't blame a guy for having a dream. That, I really do enjoy playing for people and with my friends.
I have been fortunate to have some friends who are taking steps forward to realize that dream, and its quite inspiring. One of them is Josh Engel. A couple of years ago, Josh won a contest called The Road to Nashville. Below is a link to one of his performances. He's quite probably the best singer I know ... Sorry mom! =) We used to be in a band together, and sometimes when we were practicing, I stop playing my bass just to watch him sing. I'm pretty sure that ticked him off. Ah well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwTnOUIX52c
The other is Nate Danner. I met Nate in college. I used to take night classes that would end around 9 or 10 at night. My good friends Daniel, Kimson and I would bring our guitars once in a while and stay in the classroom after class and play. The room had great acoustics. Daniel is friends with Nate, and one night Nate came along to play. We've been friends ever since.
A few months ago, Nate got to talking to me about wanting to release an album of the songs he's written that he has been performing. So Nate met up with me and my nephew Lui, aka my younger assistant, at the Ft Worth Stockyards to do a photo shoot one morning. Here's how they turned out.
We met up at 6am, so the sun was still below the horizon. So all the lighting gear came in handy. For this shot, Lui is sitting on the wooden fence to Nate's right, holding a flash aiming it at his head and face while I had another flash on a stand lighting up the fence behind him.
Walking upwards towards his dream. This turned out really cool. The sun was just coming up casting this AMAZING color in the sky.
This next two were going to be the cover image for the album, but sometimes we just find something that will work better.
This one ended up in the back cover.
This photo didn't make the album, but I threw it on here because I like it and its my blog. lol
Ah, the cover image. The sun was just coming up, but I still had to light this one up. I love shooting at the Stockyards, its so versatile. We found so many spots.
I've always wanted to get a shot where the top half of the body is lit up and the lower half gets lost in the shadows... I think I got it here. Waking up early for a shoot does have its advantages.
For this next two, we were walking down this street and then I saw this stop sign. For some reason, I felt compelled to stop and take a few shots. I'm so glad I did. No flash here. Lui is holding a reflector lighting up Nate, otherwise, well, he'd just be a silhouette.
This next few, I thought it would be cool to reverse the idea. Light up the lower half and lose the top half in the shadow. I had Lui light up his face with the reflector so we can see some detail. It turned out pretty cool, I think. Again just a reflector, all natural light.
I ended up designing the the album as well, and it turned out pretty good. Helping a friend get one step closer to his dream and seeing their reaction when its all said and done is worth more than anyone can imagine. Thank you Nate for letting me be a part of it.
You can check out Nate Danner's music at http://www.myspace.com/natedanner.
GZ
Every person once in their life time has dreamed about being famous either as an actor or a rock star. So they take an acting class or two or pick up a guitar and hum a few bars. I know, I'm one of them. I started playing guitar right after high school, and pretty soon you can pretty much guarantee that I would be a THE Starbucks every Thursday night playing and singing with my friends. Kinda hoping that some music executive would pass through, hear me sing, fly me off to New York to meet up with John Mayer or Jack Johnson and open for them on their next show... Not likely, but hey, can't blame a guy for having a dream. That, I really do enjoy playing for people and with my friends.
I have been fortunate to have some friends who are taking steps forward to realize that dream, and its quite inspiring. One of them is Josh Engel. A couple of years ago, Josh won a contest called The Road to Nashville. Below is a link to one of his performances. He's quite probably the best singer I know ... Sorry mom! =) We used to be in a band together, and sometimes when we were practicing, I stop playing my bass just to watch him sing. I'm pretty sure that ticked him off. Ah well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwTnOUIX52c
The other is Nate Danner. I met Nate in college. I used to take night classes that would end around 9 or 10 at night. My good friends Daniel, Kimson and I would bring our guitars once in a while and stay in the classroom after class and play. The room had great acoustics. Daniel is friends with Nate, and one night Nate came along to play. We've been friends ever since.
A few months ago, Nate got to talking to me about wanting to release an album of the songs he's written that he has been performing. So Nate met up with me and my nephew Lui, aka my younger assistant, at the Ft Worth Stockyards to do a photo shoot one morning. Here's how they turned out.
We met up at 6am, so the sun was still below the horizon. So all the lighting gear came in handy. For this shot, Lui is sitting on the wooden fence to Nate's right, holding a flash aiming it at his head and face while I had another flash on a stand lighting up the fence behind him.
Walking upwards towards his dream. This turned out really cool. The sun was just coming up casting this AMAZING color in the sky.
This next two were going to be the cover image for the album, but sometimes we just find something that will work better.
This one ended up in the back cover.
This photo didn't make the album, but I threw it on here because I like it and its my blog. lol
Ah, the cover image. The sun was just coming up, but I still had to light this one up. I love shooting at the Stockyards, its so versatile. We found so many spots.
I've always wanted to get a shot where the top half of the body is lit up and the lower half gets lost in the shadows... I think I got it here. Waking up early for a shoot does have its advantages.
For this next two, we were walking down this street and then I saw this stop sign. For some reason, I felt compelled to stop and take a few shots. I'm so glad I did. No flash here. Lui is holding a reflector lighting up Nate, otherwise, well, he'd just be a silhouette.
This next few, I thought it would be cool to reverse the idea. Light up the lower half and lose the top half in the shadow. I had Lui light up his face with the reflector so we can see some detail. It turned out pretty cool, I think. Again just a reflector, all natural light.
I ended up designing the the album as well, and it turned out pretty good. Helping a friend get one step closer to his dream and seeing their reaction when its all said and done is worth more than anyone can imagine. Thank you Nate for letting me be a part of it.
You can check out Nate Danner's music at http://www.myspace.com/natedanner.
GZ
Friday, March 26, 2010
Mark and Kerin
This photo shoot was shot at the Ft Worth Botanical Gardens .. the FREE part. Its nice not having someone follow you around watching your every move like they do a few hundred yards away at the Japanese Gardens. Sheesh!
This is Mark and Kerin. They are good friends with an old co-worker of mine. One afternoon during a happy hour, I met up with them for a few beers and to wind down from the day. Mark mentioned that they were getting married in a few months, and that were still trying to tie down some lose ends. One of which was finding a photographer. "Dear Dairy, JACKPOT!" =)
They ended up hiring Scott and I to photograph their engagement and ultimately their wedding. We met up on a Saturday morning at the gardens. I wasn't sure if the shoot was going to happen since it was overcast that day and threatening to rain. Mark and Kerin are so laid back, and they said, "Lets just see what happens." We got there, and for some reason, someone up above wanted this shoot to happen. The rain subsided and the sun peeked out a few times. Scott and I spent a couple of hours trading photographic duties, as we did on previous shoots. Here are the ones that I took.
I'm a sucker for interesting angles, and I've always like photographs that portrays the subjects in their natural state. Trying to capture a moment that some people doesn't really get to see. I just told them to stand there and do their thing, or as I like to tell them, "Act like you love each other." And they do! =)
This one is a posed photo, if I had to do it over, I'd pick a slower shutter speed to make the fountain look like it was a blur from the flowing water.
It ended up working out that day thanks to Mark and Kerin, and they were married a few months later. Those photos are to come later on.
Mark and Kerin were awesome. So laid back and just went with the flow. These two seemed like they had no worries and were just genuinely happy to be with each other. That's all that mattered. I guess I can see their point. A lot of people tend to worry about every little detail in their life that they forget to look up sometime to take a look at what's in front of them and miss the wonderful little things that life has to offer. I wish that more people were more like Mark and Kerin. I feel lucky to have met them.
GZ
This is Mark and Kerin. They are good friends with an old co-worker of mine. One afternoon during a happy hour, I met up with them for a few beers and to wind down from the day. Mark mentioned that they were getting married in a few months, and that were still trying to tie down some lose ends. One of which was finding a photographer. "Dear Dairy, JACKPOT!" =)
They ended up hiring Scott and I to photograph their engagement and ultimately their wedding. We met up on a Saturday morning at the gardens. I wasn't sure if the shoot was going to happen since it was overcast that day and threatening to rain. Mark and Kerin are so laid back, and they said, "Lets just see what happens." We got there, and for some reason, someone up above wanted this shoot to happen. The rain subsided and the sun peeked out a few times. Scott and I spent a couple of hours trading photographic duties, as we did on previous shoots. Here are the ones that I took.
I'm a sucker for interesting angles, and I've always like photographs that portrays the subjects in their natural state. Trying to capture a moment that some people doesn't really get to see. I just told them to stand there and do their thing, or as I like to tell them, "Act like you love each other." And they do! =)
This one is a posed photo, if I had to do it over, I'd pick a slower shutter speed to make the fountain look like it was a blur from the flowing water.
It ended up working out that day thanks to Mark and Kerin, and they were married a few months later. Those photos are to come later on.
Mark and Kerin were awesome. So laid back and just went with the flow. These two seemed like they had no worries and were just genuinely happy to be with each other. That's all that mattered. I guess I can see their point. A lot of people tend to worry about every little detail in their life that they forget to look up sometime to take a look at what's in front of them and miss the wonderful little things that life has to offer. I wish that more people were more like Mark and Kerin. I feel lucky to have met them.
GZ
Hidden gems
I have my camera(s) with me practically all the time. Specially during the weekends when I'm running around visiting places and/or people. Needles to say, I take lots of photos, but I don't necessarily process all of them. I always take photos with the intent to look through them and find a few that works, or I like, and try to do something with them later on.
Starting this blog is now making me go through the THOUSANDS of photos I've taken, and haven't done anything with, and actually processing them. I did that just now and ran across a few so far that I've enjoyed.
Yeah, its mostly Emma, but hey, she's so cute. Can't blame me for posting these...
This one was take when she was still running away from me.
She LOVES making bubbles... I mean, who doesn't like making bubbles?
This was a few months later.... still making bubbles ... told you so. =P
A few close ups of those puffy cheeks!
... and the pouty face...
This is her cat, Phoebe. I honestly tried to get a picture of how pretty Phoebe's eyes are, but there's no telling a cat to sit still and pose for a photo. She kept moving forward to say hello so she got out of focus, but there's just something about this photo I love.
I'll be posting more soon as I find more gems... and it might just be more of Emma =)
I'm just the crazy Asian uncle with a camera. lol
GZ
Starting this blog is now making me go through the THOUSANDS of photos I've taken, and haven't done anything with, and actually processing them. I did that just now and ran across a few so far that I've enjoyed.
Yeah, its mostly Emma, but hey, she's so cute. Can't blame me for posting these...
This one was take when she was still running away from me.
She LOVES making bubbles... I mean, who doesn't like making bubbles?
This was a few months later.... still making bubbles ... told you so. =P
A few close ups of those puffy cheeks!
... and the pouty face...
This is her cat, Phoebe. I honestly tried to get a picture of how pretty Phoebe's eyes are, but there's no telling a cat to sit still and pose for a photo. She kept moving forward to say hello so she got out of focus, but there's just something about this photo I love.
I'll be posting more soon as I find more gems... and it might just be more of Emma =)
I'm just the crazy Asian uncle with a camera. lol
GZ
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Hardest things and precious gifts
I moved here to the United States with my family 18 yrs ago. The hardest thing I have ever done in my life ... next to asking out women. We left our family behind, aunts, uncles, cousins, and, more importantly, our grandmothers. We also left our friends. That was hard for me. I liked my friends and at the time I wasn't the most out going person in the world. I was shy. Really shy.
We moved here in March of 1992. School had just finished for us and so when we came here, our parents decided we would start school the next school year. Which meant a six month vacation... WOO HOO!!! ... With my siblings ... Booo. Lol just kidding! We had a great time. Anyway, we started school that September. 6th grade for me and my sis (no, I didn't get held back, we are twins), and 10th grade for my brother.
Growing up in the Philippines, they taught us English in schools, and we had an American channel we were stealing off the American base. So Saturday morning cartoons and "Saved by the Bell" was very familiar to us. It also made us the coolest kids in the neighborhood.
I learned to understand English, but speaking it was a different story. I mean, imagine a 12 yr old kid who barely speaks English and got made fun of or mocked in 6th grade... That was me. Mainly because I didn't really pay much attention in class. I never really thought that we'd end up here. So I never really learned to speak English, but I could still understand the stupidity and immaturity of the other kids. Anyway, needless to say, it was really tough making friends in a new country.
There were two kids that stood out from the rest who actually offered to help me out with my English, and just be a friend to me. Andy and Danny. They were my first "real" friends here in the States. We had good times together. It was sad that I only really got to spend a couple of years being friends with them growing up because after the 7th grade, they moved away.
After high school I got back in touch with Danny, under sad circumstances, but since then we've kept in touch and continued a friendship we though we had once lost.
Last August, he became a proud dad. Danny and his wife, Alyssa, invited me to come to the hospital to welcome their baby girl, Leah Nicole...
When I was processing these photos, I thought to myself, "When Leah gets older and she looks at these photos, they're going to look like they were taken yesterday." One of the best things in life for me is when I look at my baby photos, they're all aged, wrinkled and torn in some parts. You get to really feel the age of the photograph. So that's what I tried to do with these photos. Make them look older. Give her something that could give her a sense of time.
Leah and mom.
She had a long day... *yawn*
The proud dad himself.
With her dad and granny.
With her dad and gramps.
Leah y abuela...
... y abuelo...
Taking a peek at her abuela, and probably wondering, "Who the hell is the crazy Asian guy with TWO cameras taking pictures of me!? Oh... wait.. that's my Tito Glenn!" ... Yeah, she's gonna be multi-lingual. =)
I thought this was cool. Those are her footprints!
I hope to be a part of Leah's life for a long time, just so one day I can tell her how great a friend her dad is. And that friendships should never be taken for granted. Surround yourself with good people, and you'll be good as well.
I know what its like to loose friends, in losing touch, in spite, and in death. Danny and I lost a mutual childhood friend at the end of high school which is how we got back in touch with each other. I had to find him and tell him the sad, horrible news. That was the day we learned the true value of friendship. At the end, you take with you the memories and moments you had with them. Even the regrets of not being able to say "goodbye," or even "hi."
One of the most precious gifts we can pass on to our most precious gifts is teaching them the value of friendships. Its hard to make long lasting friendships, but when you make them, its the sweetest thing. Yeah, Leah's gonna have that. =)
GZ
We moved here in March of 1992. School had just finished for us and so when we came here, our parents decided we would start school the next school year. Which meant a six month vacation... WOO HOO!!! ... With my siblings ... Booo. Lol just kidding! We had a great time. Anyway, we started school that September. 6th grade for me and my sis (no, I didn't get held back, we are twins), and 10th grade for my brother.
Growing up in the Philippines, they taught us English in schools, and we had an American channel we were stealing off the American base. So Saturday morning cartoons and "Saved by the Bell" was very familiar to us. It also made us the coolest kids in the neighborhood.
I learned to understand English, but speaking it was a different story. I mean, imagine a 12 yr old kid who barely speaks English and got made fun of or mocked in 6th grade... That was me. Mainly because I didn't really pay much attention in class. I never really thought that we'd end up here. So I never really learned to speak English, but I could still understand the stupidity and immaturity of the other kids. Anyway, needless to say, it was really tough making friends in a new country.
There were two kids that stood out from the rest who actually offered to help me out with my English, and just be a friend to me. Andy and Danny. They were my first "real" friends here in the States. We had good times together. It was sad that I only really got to spend a couple of years being friends with them growing up because after the 7th grade, they moved away.
After high school I got back in touch with Danny, under sad circumstances, but since then we've kept in touch and continued a friendship we though we had once lost.
Last August, he became a proud dad. Danny and his wife, Alyssa, invited me to come to the hospital to welcome their baby girl, Leah Nicole...
When I was processing these photos, I thought to myself, "When Leah gets older and she looks at these photos, they're going to look like they were taken yesterday." One of the best things in life for me is when I look at my baby photos, they're all aged, wrinkled and torn in some parts. You get to really feel the age of the photograph. So that's what I tried to do with these photos. Make them look older. Give her something that could give her a sense of time.
Leah and mom.
She had a long day... *yawn*
The proud dad himself.
With her dad and granny.
With her dad and gramps.
Leah y abuela...
... y abuelo...
Taking a peek at her abuela, and probably wondering, "Who the hell is the crazy Asian guy with TWO cameras taking pictures of me!? Oh... wait.. that's my Tito Glenn!" ... Yeah, she's gonna be multi-lingual. =)
I thought this was cool. Those are her footprints!
I hope to be a part of Leah's life for a long time, just so one day I can tell her how great a friend her dad is. And that friendships should never be taken for granted. Surround yourself with good people, and you'll be good as well.
I know what its like to loose friends, in losing touch, in spite, and in death. Danny and I lost a mutual childhood friend at the end of high school which is how we got back in touch with each other. I had to find him and tell him the sad, horrible news. That was the day we learned the true value of friendship. At the end, you take with you the memories and moments you had with them. Even the regrets of not being able to say "goodbye," or even "hi."
One of the most precious gifts we can pass on to our most precious gifts is teaching them the value of friendships. Its hard to make long lasting friendships, but when you make them, its the sweetest thing. Yeah, Leah's gonna have that. =)
GZ
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