michele and dennis' engagement session


commentator: monica

we continue to be astounded with the level of personalization and creativity our clients have recently been bringing to their engagement sessions with us. it's always great to include locations that couples consider as meaningful. for michele & dennis, the embarcadero is a special place since this is where the lovely couple had their first date, along with their dinner at the stinking rose in san francisco. we weren't surprised either when the twosome asked us if they could incorporate their love for poker and baseball but we were pretty much floored when we heard about the jerseys they had custom-embroidered, not only with their last names, but with their wedding date; his is #6 and her's is #21. these will surely make some cool "save the dates!"

congratulations, michele & dennis! we can't wait to see what's up your sleeves for your tahoe wedding next year!

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

although they each root for rivals, they're definitely on the same team!
overlooking the awesome at&t park from mccovey cove.

"sweet and silly," perfect words to describe the two together.

their love is so apparent, it can't help but catch the attention of an onlooker.

a winning hand! playing a game of poker outside of steps of rome caffe
in north beach, which is claimed to have the best tiramisu in town!

garlic lovers delight!

the rocks amongst the other kind of rocks

melissa and edler's aftershoot session


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


--------------------------------------------------------
- BEHIND THE SCENES -
--------------------------------------------------------

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

eye eighty photoshoot teasers


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


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


--------------------------------------------------------
- BEHIND THE SCENES -
--------------------------------------------------------

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


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

--------------------------------------------------------
- BEHIND THE SCENES -
--------------------------------------------------------

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. = )