A Sacramento Wedding

guest commentator: monica

wow... what a gorgeous venue and gorgeous day to have a wedding. the drive to sacramento was gloomy, with rain clouds looming above us. it wasn't until we got onto the property of the radisson and stood outside of stow lake that we began to see some sun. seriously, just beyond the property, the weather was completely different.

witnessing and photographing the pre-ceremony preparation, the buzz of excitement & warmth of family love filled the rooms where the bride and her bridal party were getting ready. the short, yet very sweet, ceremony ended in time for the couple to "jump the broom" as the sky filled with a glorious sunset.

enjoy the breathtaking images below of the thomas wedding ceremony & reception.

may joy & jb continue to share many more moments which take their breath away. salud!




//ed pingol
707.334.1468
edpingol@gmail.com
edpingol.blogspot.com

the venue


getting ready


ceremony during sunset


reception

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Kristine & Walter

guest commentator: monica

today was yet another example of how dicey weather sometimes lends to some beautiful scenery. with heavy fog & scattered showers throughout the day, it was easy to assume that the team wouldn't be able to have any sunshine during today's e-session but boy were they ever blessed with an amazing palette of colors swirled amongst the clouds, which eventually parted to reveal the gorgeous sunset. (unfortunately, i was not able to experience the session since i was stuck in my last jan term class.)

we've known kristine since my days in uc davis' pcn. and eddie has known walter since his days in middle school. having heard their story, it appears that kristine & walter have known one another as friends just as long... their friendship eventually blossoming into a partnership seemed to have been "written in the stars." and how fitting to see how the depth of this couple's love is paralleled by that of the sky surrounding them during these intimate moments...

//ed pingol

707.334.1468
edpingol@gmail.com
edpingol.blogspot.com

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abbie and brian's wedding - fun fun fun! PART 1

guest commentator: monica

wow... words cannot begin to describe the beauty, magnificence, and damn fun this wedding was! i must say this is the most elegant & enjoyable wedding i have ever had the pleasure of attending. the weather could not have been any better in san diego, what with the clear blue skies and warm mid-70 degree temperatures. if you have never seen the usd campus, you must do so on your next trip down south. beautiful white buildings surround lush landscaping and fountians, with a view of the hills on one side and the bright blue of the pacific on the other. the church itself is straight up gorgeous, with it's impressive height & architectural detail. no other name is as fitting as the "immaculata..."

the breathtaking beauty did not end with the church. what a way to show off the color scheme of the wedding through the attire of the bridal party. each bridesmaid wore a different variation of brown (and in at least one case, variations of browns) in a different dress cut & style and the vests and ties of the males were a rich, bronze color. the bride was a stunning vision in the most beautiful couture gown i have ever seen on a real bride. it's hard to describe how beautiful the entourage looked without seeing it for yourself...

the most astonishing aspect of this wedding is how much of it represented both abbie & brian. naturally creative & artistic, you can see their presence in every piece of the wedding. not only did they pay careful attention to the aesthetic details but they also attended to the details of ensuring that each participant & guest felt comfortable & honored to be part of the event. not only were we able to celebrate abbie & brian but we were also able to celebrate "ourselves" as important people on their important day.

more pictures will follow but with high anticipation for a view of the pics (namely from me, i admit!), eddie was excited to post just a few of the highlights. i think we're all still recovering from such a smashing success of a wedding. congrats to you both, abbie & brian!

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
edpingol@gmail.com
edpingol.blogspot.com


getting ready ---


--- on the way to church ---

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abbie and brian's wedding - fun fun fun! PART 2

--- The Emaculata ---


--- a little celebration ---


--- break to lunch at roberto's ---

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abbie and brian's wedding - fun fun fun! PART 3

--- the details of the reception ---


--- party time!!! ---

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introducing... mr. & mrs. alan & heidi bradford! PART 1

by guest commentator: monica

in honor of heidi & alan's wedding in san jose, eddie has asked me to write his blog entry. and even though i played a small role in their wedding photo shoot, i still think i can take a lot of credit for any of the really outstanding photos. ;)

we headed over to the bradford residence to shoot the guys getting ready. i kept nagging eddie about getting to the house "on time" and he was in no rush, claiming "the guys only need a few minutes to get ready." of course, he was right. i forget so easily sometimes that besides having a decent haircut and shave, all guys have to do to get ready is put on their clothes & slap on some cologne & deoderant. done! the lawn area outside the house has some beautiful redwoods, which eddie took advantage of in the guys' shots. the bradfords and groomsmen all looked fabulous!

a lovely ceremony was held at st. lucy parish, officiated by a suprisingly young & hip priest who joked about the 3 rings of marriage: "engagement ring, wedding ring, and lastly, suffe-ring..." hehehe, i got a kick out of that one! the highlight of the ceremony was their adorable baby boy as the ring bearer, being pushed along in a decorated wagon down the aisle by alan's sis, kat. super cute!

the icing on the cake was the post-ceremony/pre-reception location shoot at santana row, particularly inside the hotel valencia. can you say GORGEOUS!!!! the stylin' couple already looked fantastic but put them in beautiful architecture & design and they look STUNNING!

lastly, the reception was all about fun, fun, fun. both sides of their families have such warm & fun-loving spirits. put them all in one hall with a complimentary bar and you've got one bangin' party!

congrats again to the happy couple. enjoy your honeymoon in rome. congratulazioni! salud!!!

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
edpingol@gmail.com
edpingol.blogspot.com

--- the grooms ---

--- the ceremony ---

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introducing... mr. & mrs. alan & heidi bradford! PART 2

--- post ceremony shoot ---


--- the details of the reception ---


--- party!!! ---

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kris and nicole's wedding - PART 1

this past weekend was one of those super memorable weekends where everything right happened. while i was looking at some of the photos captured at the wedding, i started to really appreciate how moments are able to be captured in time so that the viewer (,such as yourself or the bride,) can appreciate what a meaningful day it really was after everything has calmed down. this is when, to me, photography plays an important role. a part of your life has been captured which in turn can be transformed into art and can be appreciated anytime after.

kris and nicole are a young couple, very much in love. they had their wedding in vallejo and the reception in travis. so much detail was put into this wedding that it would have been a crime to walk past and not appreciate how beautiful everything was... on with the pictures!

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
edpingol@gmail.com
edpingol.blogspot.com

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kris and nicole's wedding - PART 2

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
edpingol@gmail.com
edpingol.blogspot.com

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what teachers make

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.

He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best
option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers:

"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie.

Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want
to know what I make? (She paused for a second, and then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't
make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental...

You want to know what I make." (She paused again and looked at each and
every person at the table.) I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them criticize.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to
know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,
because we live in the United States of America.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were
given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) "Then, when people try
to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no
attention because they are ignorant...

You want to know what I make.

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make?"

THERE IS MUCH TRUTH IN THIS STATEMENT:

"Teachers make every other profession"

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
edpingol@gmail.com
edpingol.blogspot.com

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before and after

recently, we've been getting more and more questions about "post processing". we then reply saying that every single image taken receives a custom "makeover". individual images go through a rigorous change in temperature color, exposure, shadow, brightness, contrast, saturation and curve. from there, we're able to transform "nice photos" into "wow photos". please see below for examples.

= )

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
edpingol@gmail.com
edpingol.blogspot.com

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maria's e session and family photos - updated

guest commentator: monica

eddie and i headed over to sf to meet up with maria and her family in the city. afraid that it would be raining all day, we were so lucky that the sun had actually peeked out of the clouds this morning. a photo session with a family of 7 is automatically expected to be fun and this family is definitely no exception! and by the way, this couple is definitely in loooooooooove.... so much so, their children even excused their "cupcakin,'" as the kids are callin' PDA ("public displays of affection"). FELIZ CUMPLEANOS, MARIA!!! (Sorry for forgetting to wish you a very Happy Birthday today!)

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
edpingol@gmail.com
edpingol.blogspot.com

--- the family ---

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