SOLD OUT | in the spirit of giving... | SOLD OUT

ed October 15, 2007

(blogmaster update: thank you for all your support!!! we've SOLD OUT within just a couple of days!!!)

we have been so blessed this past year with the photography business. never in our wildest dreams would we have expected that a hobby would become a successful business in such a short amount of time. seriously, it blows us away that we have already met our initial maximum number of wedding books for 2008 and have already opened up more bookings, which are quickly being filled.

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 allowing us to witness some of the most special moments in your lives. we are filled with awe to be given the privilege to be part of those life-changing events, as well as those everyday occurrences that you want documented to share with others and look back on fondly. and thank you to our readers, who have been willing to check back every so often, or daily for some of you =), just to find out what we've been up to. your support means so much to us and keeps us going!

in the spirit of the upcoming holidays, we have soooo much to be thankful for and want to be able to give back to our community. for what good is success and good fortune if it cannot be shared with others?

some of you have been inquiring about family portrait sessions, particularly to prepare for sending out holiday greeting cards. since our schedule has become so limited, especially since we are planning to be on "hiatus" for most of december, we are planning to designate saturday, 11.17.07 as our "thanks-giving-back" day. (that's a "before and after," for you "wheel of fortune" fans.) we are planning to offer 30-minute photo sessions at a pre-determined location in san francisco at a reduced rate of $100, which is a huge savings from our regular hourly rate of $330 for 2007. all photo sessions will include all high-resolution, post-processed images on DVD, printable up to 20x30," along with personal printing rights.

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

if you are interested in booking a "thanks-giving-back" session with us, please contact us via email at edpingol@gmail.com. salamat! muchas gracias! asanti! tashakkur! merci! wa'-do! danke! toda! arigato! mahalo! thank you!

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

we're featured on "trash the dress!"

ed October 15, 2007

commentator: monica

wow! we can't tell you how much of an honor it is to be a featured photographer on the incredibly "wildfire-spreading" phenomenon that is "trash the dress!" talented photographer and creator of trashthedress.com, mark eric, has recently received over 1 million hits in under a year. he describes this specialized photo shoot that many brides (and grooms! and most recently, high school students in their prom attire at drownthegown.com) opt for as being "about creation, not destruction." it's definitely a way for brides to wear their wedding gowns again and have one last hurrah in them, while reliving the magic of their wedding day and the love they share with their spouse in a cool, often unconventional, location, and NOT having to worry about timelines, entertaining guests, last minute details, and perfect bustles that keep their dresses from getting, "heaven forbid!" a little dirty or in some cases, wet and really dirty. above all, it's about creating fine art photography, not about destroying a dress (at least in most cases, since brides have told us they're able to dryclean the dresses afterwards and still preserve them in pristine condition.) thanks to the popularity of the site, trashing of dresses has become a nationwide & even worldwide occurrence!

thanks to all you awesome brides and grooms who were so willing to let us be creative and in the process, be so friggin' cold and/or climb to vertigo-enducing heights! you are all such an inspiration to us and have really challenged us this year, pushing us to reach for better & "finer" works of art. the fact that you trust us so much speaks volumes to us and leaves us speechless. =)

contact us today, if you're interested in scheduling a "trash the dress" session or what we're calling an "aftershoot" photo session. and don't worry, not all sessions include getting wet or dirty, though we have to say it's a lot of fun!. =)

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

article from trashthedress.com:

Ed Pingol- Northern California October 13, 2007

Filed under: California (north), Uncategorized — markeric @ 3:58 am

Contributed by Ed Pingol

hello all trashers-

i love it when clients say “what ever you want, ed.”
ooooh, i get goose bumps just thinking about it.
there’s a ton more trash from monica and i. get ready…

in the meantime, please enjoy these images below.

Comments (1)

ricky, juliet, & zoey's sibling session

ed October 15, 2007

commentator: monica

after several months of trying to coordinate our schedules, we finally had the chance to photograph this trio of adorable siblings. mom and dad were originally supposed to be joining them, along with their adult siblings, but dad and several of the other siblings had an important conference to attend so they decided that "just the kids" this time would be photographed.

fearful of the "torrential" weather (... not quite. it's just been so long since we've had real rain!) the day before, we were greeted with the bluest of skies and the warmth of the autumn sun. we met up with the family at the benicia community park or what we locals call the "big slide park," where ricky, juliet, and zoey were able to be kids at their best, playing and having fun! they will definitely be sending out some beautiful holiday cards this winter!

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

big bro, baby sis, and little sis

zoey loves to play peek-a-boo!

juliet is one sassy, independent girl!

ricky is a big goofball!

"don't swing too hard, big brother!"

hamming it up for the camera, with zoey's talented "self-bunny ears."
ever see a 1-year old do that? =P

donna and andrew's e-session

ed October 5, 2007

commentator: monica

it was very refreshing to be back in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city, after many sessions in golden gate park and the local beaches. you may remember andrew from a couple of previous sessions, as he is otherwise known as dl da arsun, up-and-coming rap artist. this time, we had the opportunity to photograph him, alongside his #1 fan, donna, who is also as artistically inclined as a talented make-up artist/hair stylist at super image salon.

civilly married earlier this year, this beautiful couple is planning a church wedding for later this fall and we are thrilled to be documenting their big day. they wanted an e-session that commemorates the start of their relationship, as well as captures their personalities. we decided on union square, as we thought this location would include some of the places they visited during their high school senior trip. unfortunately, planet hollywood is no longer in/near union square but the disney store is prominently at the corner of the plaza, where we made a stop for a quick photo opp., even featuring the light-up rose drew gave her during that trip. this session was all about playing off their fun-loving personalities, which made for a very enjoyable session.

congratulations, donnandrew on your union. can't wait 'til your wedding in november!

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

the dynamic duo

in the middle of union square on a gorgeous fall day

the mouse is how it all started!

serenading his sweetie, as she tries her best to ignore his silly antics. (check out who's on the cover of the newspaper she's reading!)

his stunna shades hide who he's really checkin' out

come hither!

dl, which is now both their initials

angelique and mike's wedding

ed October 2, 2007

commentator: monica

we had the lovely honor of photographing yet another set of high school sweethearts. angelique & mike were wed at the union baptist church in vallejo. as typically so for a wedding, the guys were prepped well before the ceremony start time and the ladies... well, of course it always takes longer than expected to get "beautified." believe me, the results were well worth it!

as we waited for the bride and her maids to arrive, we had the opportunity to shoot around the church with the guys. lucky for us, there were quite a few younger guys in this group, who were very willing to ham it up for the camera.

after the ceremony, ed rode with the adorable newlyweds in their limo, provided by k s limo service, to suisun city's historic waterfront (which is only about 15 minutes from our home and oddly, we never knew even existed!) for a quick bride & groom photo session before heading over to the the nelson community center for their reception. their families sure know how to party!

congratulations, angelique & mike! we hope you both are having an incredibly relaxing honeymoon on the islands!!!

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

mike & the men

the grand church

she'll always be "daddy's little girl" in his eyes

the little ladies of the wedding party & the guests waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle

"here comes the bride..."

the ceremony

first kiss as husband and wife!

a few moments to relish as brand spankin' newlyweds

details of the wedding. check out angie's reception shoes!!!!

their family sure loves smooches!!!

the best man frantically putting the last few touches to (... ahem, starting!) his speech

the toasts

the parents share their thoughts with the couple

cake & champagne

the money dance & tosses

lots of dancing!

... more dancing... (the flower girl below looks like my goddaughter, no joke!)

families reunited for this festive occasion

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new - BEHIND THE SCENES - new
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commentator: ed

monica, jeff (my brother, who's been capturing some awesome images lately!) and i arrived at the church early to check out the place and take some detail shots prior to actually "working". while there, we had a little bit of time to fool around with some nice light that we found creeping in from some windows.

julie & derrick's wedding reception

ed September 28, 2007

commentator: monica

currently living in san diego, julie & derrick just had a destination wedding in hawaii the week before they celebrated their nuptials with the rest of their family and friends at the hong kong east ocean restaurant in emeryville. their reception was filled with plenty of food, what with their 10-course banquet, and lots of kids! they even treated the munchkins with individual party favor bags and a very talented balloon artist, which kept the little ones entertained for hours.

from the photos we saw displayed at the site, we knew julie & derrick had an awesome and beautiful wedding on oahu. so it was surprising to find out when we pulled them aside to do some shots outside along the shoreline that they didn't get a single sunset shot on the island! below is a photo of this adorable couple, enjoying the view of the other side of the pacific.

congratulations, julie & derrick... we wish you a lifetime of enjoying sunsets together!

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

sunset shot

details details details...

lots of kiddos + lots of balloons = lots of fun

i thought this was funny. "don't mess up the cake, it's pretty!"

mmmm... c is for cookie

the longest married couple (54 years!) in the room; tears of joy and laughter!

the bride and groom and their nieces

the nieces sang "what a wonderful world" to the happy couple, as the guests enjoyed a slideshow

the guests

more guests and dancing

anne and frankie's wedding

ed September 27, 2007

guest commentator: monica

the weather could not deter anne & frankie from having a fantastic wedding. originally planned was an outdoor wedding at the old homestead in crockett but due to the pending rain, was changed a few days before to community bible church and dance unlimited in downtown vallejo.
you wouldn't have know since their ceremony and reception were both seamless and beautiful, more than likely due to their fabulous wedding coordinators, for all occasions.

the lovely couple requested an on-location photo session with their bridal party, which we were really looking forward to. just as their plans had to be reshifted at the last minute, so did our's, as we decided against taking the bride across to mare island, with the strong possibility that the attendants may get lost finding our location. instead, we opted for the waterfront. just as we arrived at the ferry building, the clouds seemed to have broken into an awesome pattern of light and sky.

anne & frankie are definitely a couple that can overcome obstacles and adapt to change, having had to do so for their wedding... the smiles on their faces could not be dampered by any gray clouds and were an indication of how truly happy they were to be starting their life together. congratulations, anne & frankie!

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

the weather brightened up just for anne & frankie

getting ready at the church

adorable young 'uns!

how awesome is it that anne's father not only "have her away" to frankie but also married the two of them!

the beautiful bride and her bridesmaids

strike a pose!

the rings

the entourage just before they were announced into the reception

first dance

the toasts

these ladies were awesome during the bouquet toss

the garter toss

tons of laughter throughout the entire evening!

dance, dance, dance...

...and more dancing!

joy and john's wedding

ed September 19, 2007

guest commentator: monica

it's amazing to me how many couples we've shot that have been together for over a decade... it's definitely an awesome honor. joy and john are high school sweethearts and their families had been waiting sooooo long for this day. self-proclaimed socalifornians at heart, they planned their union to be an intimate 30-person affair in the late afternoon glow on a cliff overlooking laguna beach, with a view almost as beautiful as this couple. it seemed there was not a dry eye witnessing this couple profess their love and commitment to one another.

a week later and after much-needed r&r on maui, joy and john returned to the bay to throw a fun-filled celebration for a much larger group of their family and friends. more pictures of the "afterparty" to come soon...

congratulations, joy & john! we couldn't be more happy for you both and wish you a marriage filled with lots of love, laughter, and "tarpolines." =)

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

first dance as husband and wife under the heavens
photo also known as: "check mate"