salton sea "trash the dress" trash bash photo session (a.k.a. group "aftershoot session")

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commentator: monica

it is so much fun networking with other photographers. this past weekend, eddie and i headed down to socal for a group "trash the dress" session or "trash bash," organized by the awesome chris austin. not really knowing what to expect, we ended up using this trip as an excuse to visit some old friends from college and left friday afternoon. on saturday, we headed bright and early to the salton sea, which was a 2.5 hour drive from los angeles.

some history behind the salton sea, from the ucsd website:

"The Salton Sea, located about 130 miles east of San Diego (in Imperial County), is a saline lake that was formed in a large basin (called the Salton Trough ) created by a releasing bend of the San Andreas fault. In modern times, the Salton Trough, a desert basin whose center is 278 feet below sea level, became a lake in 1891, but dried up within a year. It began to form again in 1893. In 1905, the Colorado River flooded and was accidentally diverted into the Salton Trough, thus creating the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea was originally a fresh water lake. Because it is a closed system, with no outlet, water is lost only through evaporation. The salts from the surrounding environment have been concentrated in the sea for many years, and now it is more saline than the ocean. The sun evaporates 18% of the sea's volume every year, but the salt is left behind. Evaporation also concentrates pesticides and other pollutants."

we ended up meeting at ofelia's azteca mexican restaurant, which wasn't open yet at 9 a.m. it was right next to a small gift shop, which was open for business. thankfully, the owner obliged to our request of parking our cars in their parking lot, as the meeting spot. we drew plenty of stares from the residents of the small and quiet town of mecca, what with 35 photographers, 8 models, and several make-up artists/hair stylists who had set up shop to beautify our models.

once the models were prepared, we headed over to the north shore beach and yacht club. it's said to have been the largest marina in southern california, at one time. now all that stands are remnants of an old motel and bait stand. what's left is a beautiful beach made of shells (really, the beach is made of tiny shells and bones) and a gorgeous backdrop of mountians, meeting sky and sea. it's a pretty stunning site and we were all very excited to begin shooting. we were all very careful, though to stay out of the water, since we had heard about how toxic the contents of the lake is, especially after seeing numerous dead fish laying out on the beach.

some photographers brought props, which they were very kind to lend out to the rest of us prop-less photographers. we had so much fun bouncing from model/couple to model/couple, utilizing the sea and the building ruins as our backdrops. as much as we wanted to stay for the rest of the late afternoon shoot at bombay beach, we ended up leaving since we were so pooped from all the driving we had done the night before and early that morning. (well, for eddie, at least. i always end up being the sleeping passenger. =)

this "trash bash" is something we would definitely do again. we actually will be seeing some of the same faces at osp west 2 in napa next month. yay!

and there are plenty more images to come, folks! so please stay tuned! =)


//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com


the awesome jessie! this beautiful ivory dress was a thrift store find at $10!



andrea & her hubby. she can still fit into her dress after 1.5 years. you go, girl!



shellane ("like elaine" with a "sh") & ron. don't forget her name, eddie!



natalie & adam. she was the only bride that ended up really trashing her dress, cutting off the bottom to show off her kick-@ss boots!

lola... our lazy weiner dog, oh and evan

commentator: ed

lola and evan are cousins... they really do look alike. uhhh, sort of.
kindly please enjoy the photos. =)

//ed pingol
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com

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baby evan and cupcakes = pure messy cuteness

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commentator: ed

baby evan is turning 1 in less than a week! we're pre-celebrating. if you'd like to see individual images... follow this link.

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com


so... we started out with 1 cupcake.



baby evan just played with it, not even bothering to "eat" the thing



then everything got kinda carried away when we tried 10 cupcakes.

salton sea "trash the dress" trash bash photo session (a.k.a. group "aftershoot session") - updated

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yup. more images. hope you guys enjoy!

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com

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- BEHIND THE SCENES -
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commentator: ed
below are images of some behind the scenes shots... like monica said, the beach we were standing on aren't rocks and sand but of bones and shells. cool and creepy at the same time.

this is chris austin... the man who put this whole thing together.


this is where we all gathered and loitered for about an hour or so before going out to the salton sea... it's a good thing that the signs were all in spanish... otherwise we all would of gotten in trouble. oh, and the stores sell really cheap lenses too! j/k! =)


we found this while shooting and decided to use it as props.


check out all those photographers just itching to shoot.

roxanne is expecting!

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commentator: monica

roxanne and david are expecting baby #2 in march! based on her sonogram, the doctor has said that their second child will be another girl. however, roxanne and many of her family members are skeptical and believe she'll actually be having a boy. we'll just have to wait and see... we took this opportunity to not only shoot a maternity session but a family photo session with david and their daughter, cheyenne, as well.

a little shy during her first pregnancy, roxanne was a bit apprehensive about baring her belly. this time around, she was proud to show off her temporary outie! to all the women who are interested in a maternity photo session, we are very much aware that some "moms-to-be" have different levels of comfort with how much skin to bare. we are always sure to respect this. we also recognize that although you may be comfortable in front of the camera, you might also prefer to keep those images private. just ask roxanne, who decided it would be best to save the images which included her in a bra top for her family's personal collection.

thanks, rox, for sharing your pregnancy glow with us! can't wait for you, david, and cheyenne to see the other photos of your baby belly.

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com

the beauty of pregnancy! sharing a few tender moments with cheyenne and david.

eye eighty at maxwell's

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commentator: ed

let me ask you guys a quick question, you know those times when you find something good, something inside tells you that you should hold on to it? i get that feeling with eye eighty's music. if ya'll remember, we recently shot them on mare island.

we then got an invite saying that they would be performing live at maxwell's lounge located in oakland. i'm sure glad we attended because listening to their music live just makes your blood flow, to get up and dance!

if you have a myspace, make sure you add them. support your local artists!

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

"lovely details" wedding showcase in 10 days!!!!

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We're counting down the 10 days left until the "Lovely Details" wedding showcase! For more information about this awesome event and to view a list of the participating vendors, please visit lovelydetailsshowcase.com.

Don't know how to get to the Fort Mason Firehouse? Here's a map:

Hope to see you all there!!!



//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com

sunday, 02.03.08- "lovely details: a wedding event with a touch of modern flair!"

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please click on the image below to view more details of this fabulous free event hosted by huckleberry karen designs and bellissima vita.

hope to see you there!

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

marianne and steve's wedding

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commentator: monica

our last wedding of the year! december is an awesome time for a wedding, what with all of the christmas decor that can be found in churches and venues and pretty much everywhere you look!

we had the honor of photographing the beautiful couple, marianne & steve as our last wedding to close out a fantastic year of weddings in 2007. having known each other in high school, they didn't actually get together until after they had already relocated to socal at different colleges. it appears they tried several times to meet and "catch up" with each other, though things always seemed to come up. finally, they did end up seeing each other again and the rest is history!

marianne and her gals prepared for the big day at her parents' home in vallejo. there's definitely something special about the bride getting into her dress in the room she grew up in. we were able to see mementos and photos that had been collected throughout marianne's childhood and it felt good to know that we were helping to create more memorabilia to record this momentous occasion for her and steve.

their wedding ceremony was held at saint catherine of siena in vallejo, followed by their reception at the four points sheraton in pleasanton. both sites were beautifully decorated for the christmas season. as chilly as the weather was, the party was filled with the warmth of their friends and family who were all thrilled to be there. their dj, ams entertainment, did a great job with a fantastic treasure hunt game that had everyone scrambling around and in stitches.

congratulations, marianne & steve! have an awesome new year in 2008 and every year, as a newlywed couple! =)

note: if you'd like to see individual images of the teasers, please visit this page.

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

the dress and the wedding rings



garters that were gifted to marianne; lots of details!



make-up and hair services provided by parallel universe



the bridesmaids watching over the bride with anticipation!



the adorable flowergirls, ring bearers, and bridesmaids



steve and his groomsmen and ring/coin bearers



the guys' details & a huddle before the "touchdown"



the church



that's one looooong veil! first kiss as husband and wife!



marianne & steve



stealing a kiss under the mistletoe

the rings



the speeches. the best man demanded that the other "ladies" that had
keys to steve's place return them. =)



the treasure hunt!



first dance



the bouquet toss



the garter toss



time to party!



dancing the night away!









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- BEHIND THE SCENES -
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commentator: ed
this was a fun and easy wedding... easy because there were lot of beautiful things
to take photos of. marianne and steve did a totally awesome job considering they
planned everything from southern california.
you guys are rockstars for being able to do that, congrats again!