ricky, juliet, & zoey's sibling session


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


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


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


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


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


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"

beautiful ceremony overlooking the pacific at laguna beach

the rings

getting ready. fabulous hair and make-up by our favorite, the lovely diane

"lipgloss is poppin'"

curls

cufflinks

who knew an elevator could look this good?

the bride & groom

more aftershoot


commentator: monica

...

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commentator dude: ed

more aftershoots! monica might get mad at me, but it's SO hard NOT to post images up like these. i've been trying to keep these a secret but it's just killing me inside. for now, we'll show you these aftershoots of one of our couple neil and antoinette and the couple that we wanted to shoot but weren't able to because of schedule conflicts, april and phil.

ENJOY!!!

//ed

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


jasmin & jerome's aftershoot

commentator: monica

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.

jasmin & jerome who wed last month opted for this and boy, do their images scream for attention! this session was not your typical bride & groom session, as they were up for pretty much anything. they chose one of the batteries in the marin headlands as a location. (coincidentally, this is also where jasmin and i, as classmates in 5th grade, went on a 3-day class "camping" trip. but don't mention it to jerome, since he's still bitter that his class didn't get to go. yeah, we all go waaaaay back!) this is so different from the whimsical nature of their e-session location and the old plantation feel of their wedding location. this abandoned rundown place has an edgy, eery look that is quite beautiful, in it's own right. and we had an awesome sky that day to compliment the view. i recommend that couples look for something that is different than their wedding location as their aftershoot location, which adds lots of variety. and the more unconventional, the better.

congrats again to the newlyweds, jasmin & jerome!!!

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commentator dude: ed

this past weekend, we photographed jasmin and jerome's aftershoot and got some kick-butt images. for this post, i'll be posting the technicalities of the pictures for the many photographers that stalk us and ask many questions behind the scenes.

; )

you know who you are.

//ed

iso: 200
lens 10-22mm - 180th @ f/13
light source - 2 sb-28 mounted on a monopod triggered with a pocket wizard set @ 1/1 held behind bride at 24mm wide
iso: 100
lens 10-22mm - 180th @ f/13
light source - 2 sb-28 mounted on a monopod triggered with a pocket wizard set @ 1/1 placed camera left @ 24mm wide

iso: 200
lens 17-55mm @ 17mm IS - 8000th @ f/2.8

LEFT PIC: iso: 100
lens 17-55mm @ 17mm IS - 250th @ f/2.8
natural light
RIGHT PIC: iso: 100
lens 10-22mm - 180th @ f/19
light source - 2 sb-28 mounted on a monopod triggered with a pocket wizard set @ 1/1 held way up pointed down at 24mm wide

iso: 100
lens 10-22mm - 180th @ f/13
light source - 2 sb-28 mounted on a monopod triggered with a pocket wizard set @ 1/1 placed camera left @ 24mm wide

iso: 100
lens 10-22mm - 180th @ f/22
light source - 2 sb-28 mounted on a monopod triggered with a pocket wizard set @ 1/1 held way up pointed down at 24mm wide