melissa and edler's aftershoot session

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commentator: ed

i've been anxiously waiting to post melissa and edler's aftershoot session on the blog (i hope these images are worth waiting for melissa!). if you guys can remember, we shot melissa's engagement photos at stow lake with a nature-ish tropical feel, complete with a waterfall. then their extravagantly modern wedding at caffe verbena in the heart of downtown oakland.

and now it's time for their aftershoot session from the nitty-gritty urban feel of mare island.

again, i encourage every couple to do an aftershoot. why? because you get to don that beautiful gown again that you spent so much money on, without worrying about keeping it clean and take photos with your new spouse, in a relaxed and scenic location, without the hectic schedule of a wedding day.

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
























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from left to right:
monica, lola (our dog), edler, melissa and your's truly

eye eighty photoshoot teasers

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commentator: ed

Eye Eighty is local (Bay Area, California) talent that Monica and I had the pleasure to shoot at Mare Island. This talented performers focuses on smooth R&B harmonies backed with live music. Yes, ya'll... LIVE music. Please take some time to check them out.

They also have a myspace page which has some snippets of their music... one of my favorite jam of theirs while "chill'n" before performing at Ms. Teen Filipina Pageant can be found here in YouTube. ENJOY!!!


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

mare island is a great place to shoot... there's just too many backdrops to choose from



yet another angle from an alley way. the colors we found are just awesome.

"thanks-giving-back" family sessions - golden gate park, san francisco

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commentator: ed

we had 8 photo sessions in one day. WHEW!!! if you guys remember, monica and i decided it would be great to give back to the community and deposit some extra good karma because we've been oh-so-fortunate and blessed this year... in the spirit of giving, we went ahead and organized 7 mini family sessions at the music concourse in golden gate park, with 100% of the proceeds to be donated to the american diabetes association and the salvation army! it was a hit and sold out in less than a week!!!

and it's all because of you all, who have continued to "blog stalk" us and spread the word about our services. from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, thank you, thank you!

*******for those who missed out and for anyone interested in booking us for a family session in time to create holiday cards, we have one session left for this year since we are no longer taking bookings until 2008. check out the one-hour photo session we donated to the solano community college foundation's holiday auction (you may have to scroll down the page to see the item in the link), which will end on 11.30.07 at midnight. this, along with the other fabulous items up for auction, would also make a fantastic christmas gift for loved ones!***********

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

if you'd like to see the complete teaser of all families that attended, click here or on the picture below!

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commentator: ed

monica and i are very fortunate to be surrounded by so many positive people. my very good friend joey and his fiance, crissy drove out from dixon to help us out with the shoot. my favorite brother also came to shoot some candids and behind the scenes stuff. everyone helped carry equipment, including monica who has recently become addicted to "guitar hero 3" on wii (check her out practicing on the "lightstick")... lola even guarded the equipment from strangers barking loudly at them in her cute christmas outfit. every one i believe had a chance to hold my lightstick during the shoots. thanks guys!!! heh heh heh...

this giving back thing can really make a person feel really good. for all those who participated in the program, thank you. because of you, we're able to donate a handsome amount.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to the
american diabetes association and the salvation army! woo hoo!!!

connie and berto's mini-engagement session

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commentator: monica

connie & berto are a hilarious couple. seriously, the laughs are never-ending when you hang out with this adorable duo! self-proclaimed "unromantics," we still were able to capture their affectionate side towards one another. of course, we also made sure to capture the essence of them (and no, connie, it's not "mang tomas"... inside joke ;P ), as well, since this is what makes them the goofballs that they are.

congrats on your engagement, connie & berto! can't wait 'til your official e-session next year.

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


glasses so thick, they can see into the future!



the joys of autumn!



the sweet side



... as well as the goofy side!

tina, jr, lenneah, & jared's family session - mare island, vallejo

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commentator: monica

we met up with tina, jr, and their adorable kids, lenneah & jared at mare island for their family photo session. we had been looking forward to scheduling a shoot with them for months but with this family's hectic schedule, along with our own, it wasn't until now that we had the opportunity to do so. fortunately, this is just in time for sending out some awesome holiday greeting cards.

this awesome family was a joy to shoot. we love it when siblings run around after each other since it really allows them to be in their element, giving us plenty of natural shots of them. lenneah and jared even humored us a bit when we asked them to be a bit more affectionate. and you wouldn't even know that jr had just hurt his back a couple of days before. thanks for being such a good sport!

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


big sis & lil' bro love



the beautiful family



some kisses for mom and dad

rachel and vince's engagement session

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commentator: monica

unless you were a military child living in/around vallejo, odds are you would have never crossed the causeway or bridge to mare island, which is practically our backyard. mare island naval shipyard (or "minsy") is somewhat of a photographer's paradise. awesome, industrial architecture, huge as well as small abandoned buildings made of all types of construction, old-fashioned plantation style mansions with surrounding gardens and trees, underground bomb shelters, scrap materials and equipment, and a a view of the water are just some of the features of this island. though there are beginnings of civilization yet again on this closed military facility, with lennar's new housing developments, touro university, and a few businesses, it's still a pretty quiet place to be able to hold shoots with little disturbance. and that's why we looove it!

we're always weary that our clients won't be able to find the place. fortunately, rachel & vince were able to find the location with no trouble for their photo session. claiming they are camera shy (how many times have we heard that?), they were very "easy on the camera lens." this beautiful couple loosened up in no time and got used to the camera very quickly.

congratulations on your engagement, rachel & vince! can't wait 'til your next shoot with us!

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

adoration



"light up my life" (anyone else remember that song? one of my faves. =)

jaylyn and marks's engagement session - san francisco

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commentator: monica

"the bride that connects" jaylyn and mark is the bay bridge. he hails from the east bay and she's from sf/daly city. and now they're joined at the foot of the bridge in emeryville. they aspire to have a san francisco bay area theme to their wedding so we had to include the bridge in their engagement photos.

fearing the rain that poured down the previous day, the couple was prepared for any type of weather. (you should have seen the well-packed duffel bag they brought. =) fortunately, we had the clearest of blue skies and crisp air. since they love sf so much, we decided to meet up at "cupid's span," also know as the "bow-and-arrow" on the embarcadero, where eddie had the opportunity to fulfill a long-awaited goal of a particular shot.

we walked down pier 14 for more great shots of the bridge, which we were lucky enough to have almost exclusively to ourselves, though unfortunately, this was due to the recent oil spill which currently bans fishing off this popular pier.

afterwards, we headed over to at&t park, which of course meant that this gorgeous couple had to sport their sf teams' gear. it was a great way to end the morning and with hungry appetites, we gorged on southern food at hard knox cafe, courtesy of jaylyn & mark, which was only a couple of minutes away from the park.

congratulations, jaylyn & mark! we owe you sushi house!!!


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


eddie's always wanted to shoot the bow-and-arrow by oldenburg and van bruggen like this...
he just couldn't find a guy that would let himuntil now. "thanks mark!!! you tha man!!!"



the bridge that "connects" them



"my only torres"



city love



the bride-to-be



cool lines at pier 14



playing footsies



the teams!



the giants' home field




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commentator: ed

ok, so when monica and i find a little bit of time between ourselves, we tend to do stupid stuff in front of a camera. thank goodness jaylyn and mark came before it was my turn.
it totally would of been bad. = )

donna and andrew's wedding

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commentator: monica

donna & andrew had an awesome and very touching wedding. unphased by the rain, which is said to be very good luck on your wedding day, they were showered with lots of love and laughter, along with their family and closest friends.

the beautiful couple and their bridal party got ready at the courtyard marriott in vallejo. eddie and i were met with a bustling group of ladies, gents, and kiddies who were already dressed! we knew from the start of our day that this was going to be one great group of folks since half the time, people aren't where they're supposed to be and usually no one is dressed that early. while donna beautified, drew's groomsmen brought over a surprise video clip for the bride, which brought her to tears, almost ruining all the make-up already done. luckily, her team of stylists are very talented. and of course, donna herself, would know what to do, as she herself is a make-up artist and hairstylist from superimage salon in benicia.

as the guys headed to st. basil's, we were able to photograph donna and all her gorgeous bridesmaids at the hotel lobby. afterwards, we caught up with the guys for their photos, just before the catholic ceremony.

by the end of the ceremony, the rain had started to pour down but this couldn't stop all the festivities to happen at the delta breeze club on travis airforce base. donna & drew threw one big party, complete with an ice sculpture, photoworks interactive photo booth, live band, dj provided by non stop boogie productions, hula dancers, and rap artists. video coverage was provided by event-focused. as much as the entertainment was lively and enjoyable, the words exchanged and the family traditions didn't fall short of emotional and tear-filled.

congratulations, donna & drew! your hard work paid off and we hope you were able to enjoy your day as much as we and the rest of your guests did. =)

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

donna made one lovely bride



the details



the dress



drew's surprise video



the bouquet



more details & great make-up, by the talented artists of parallel universe.



the groom



the adorable bunch of kids! those are butterflies that the boys are carrying which were to be released at the end of the ceremony. however, the thoughtful couple decided to wait until warmer weather so that their butterflies wouldn't be harmed in the rain.



legs, legs, and more legs...



grown men (and boys, too)



the wedding ceremony



more of the ceremony and afterwards



the reception venue



the stunning cake, designed and created by the talented leilani,
featured in the bottom left photo



the toasts. check out the guys' personalized goblets!



not sure who cried more, donna with her dad or drew with his mom. =)



bills



the awesome, awesome, awesome band that we can't stop talking about, blackmale



the tahitian dancers!



drew's very own performance, along with fellow artists of go bigg music group



tons of dancing through the night!

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commentator: ed

this wedding was fun and very emotional. lots of surprises and plenty of entertainment for the guest. monica and i had a great time shooting donna and andrew's wedding.