connie and berto's mini-engagement session




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




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




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




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




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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- BEHIND THE SCENES -
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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.

another worthy cause: solano community college foundation HOLIDAY AUCTION!!!




as another way to contribute to our community, we have decided to donate a one-hour photo session to the solano community college foundation 2nd annual holiday auction (you may have to scroll down to see the auction listing). proceeds help fund various student and faculty education programs at solano community college (where both eddie and i were students), including fire technology, art, athletics, sports, theatre, cosmetics, computer and business, horticulture, the academic senate, and associated students. it's a great way to purchase some awesome holiday gifts for family & friends, so we really encourage you to check out all the other great items for bid.

if you missed out on our thanks-giving-back family portrait & community fundraising 30-minute photo sessions, feel free to place a bid on this auction item that starts at just $133. this is a limited opportunity to get family, individual, or couple photos in time to get those holiday greeting cards out like many of you have inquired about, since all of our availability is booked up for november and december. we'll definitely do our best to squeeze the winners in, just because we believe so much in this worthy cause. =) here is the item description:

Item Information

Estimated Value $400.00

Item Number 2107

Item Description

A one-hour photo session for either an individual, couple, or family, includes the following:

  • all useable high-resolution images, post-processed, printable up to 20x30" on DVD plus printing rights
  • outdoor location to be mutually decided, in/around San Francisco
  • photo shoot to be held on a Sunday

The auction runs from November 1st, 2007 to Midnight, November 30th, 2007. (Also known as 12:00am December 1st.)
Do Well By Doing Good! Get great gifts for yourself and your loved ones while supporting Solano College Programs. Each time you win an item, the proceeds go to Solano Community College Foundation to support our student and faculty education programs, including Associated Students, Academic Senate, nursing, fire technology, art, theatre, athletics, computer and business, horticulture, cosmetology, and others.



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

nicole and sean's e-session




commentator: monica

we spent a beautiful sunday afternoon at the japanese tea garden with nicole & sean, along with their adorable 18-month old daughter, amaya, and nicole's mother, who so generously accompanied the family to give mommy and daddy some alone time to have their engagement photos taken. like the great parents they are, they of course requested some family photos be taken with their little one.

slightly nervous at first because this gorgeous couple thinks they're "not photogenic" (and far from it, they are!), they became much more at ease in front of the lens. they caught the attention of many passerbys, some of whom demanded they have their own photos taken, too. =)

congratulations, nicole & sean! we're so excited for your wedding next april!

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


so in love

gee, her hair smells terrific!

the "circle bridge," just before a little boy came up from behind to grab nicole's leg.

the e-ring

strike a pose!

sean's pretty strong but it seems like nicole's pretty tough, herself!
check out sean's awesome tatoos!

she gets her beautiful blue eyes from her mama! ain't she the cutest?!?

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commentator: ed

top picture below - monica layering my big head with the couple and background. good job, next time though, try to find some flowers or something instead of my head. = )

again, you never know what can happen in san francisco. while shooting nicole and sean, we somehow managed to gather a group of onlookers rooting for sean to "KISS! KISS! KISS!" it was hilarious. then a guy spoke out and said something like "this is what new and hot relationships looks like" pointing at nicole and sean then suddenly turned and pointed at his friends (pictured below) and said "this is what old and tired relationships looks like". everyone was cracking up with laughter. a great way to end the session.

then we saw this van covered with action figures while walking towards our car. SO cool!


liana and henry's e-session




commentator: monica

liana & henry not only love each other but they also heart sf. henry is a true san franciscan, born and raised in the city, while liana lives not too far away and currently works for the city. for their engagement session, they wanted "trendy, yet classic" san francisco, so they chose the embarcadero, where we were able to roam around the ferry building just before all the stores opened. we headed to one of the piers along the waterfront, where we ended up seeing another photographer with another couple, which caused both couples to stare in disbelief at one another. (see "behind the scenes" below.)

afterwards, we headed on to ride an old-fashioned "f-train" towards the the hub of all shopping, union square. this was all too fitting, since this lovely couple met at macy's in college, while they were both employees. of course, we made sure to get a good view of the macy's sign in their photos.

congratulations on your engagement, liana & henry! can't wait 'til your sf wedding next june!

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

"love and the city"

view of the underrated bay bridge

we had to get a photo of the no. 28 since this is their wedding date.

sneaking a little kiss, along the pier

outside the ferry building

she's his lucky charm!

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- BEHIND THE SCENES -
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commentator: ed

you never know what can happen in san francisco. while we were shooting at this rather popular pier, there was another couple who were also getting their engagement photos done. this is pretty usual for monica and me to see other couples and photographers as we tend to gravitate towards the same pretty places. however, the funny thing was, the couple that was getting their pictures taken had on the same exact outfit (almost to the "T") - it was hilarious. below is liana and henry's reaction. LOL!!! don't worry, you both looked way better in your fit than they did!
and while we were shooting outside of macy's, a man and his baby got in one of our photos. why? we don't know but it was pretty funny. must be a proud papa!