Marco’s 1957 Beetle

Classic ’57 oval window VW Beetle: Long overdue photos finally uploaded, from shoot in Ecuador in the summer of 2010.
The Beetle included floral arrangement on the hood in preparation for Ivonne & Christopher’s wedding that evening. Marco Villacis spent a lot of time and money to get this ’57 Beetle customized just the way he wanted, complete with the ragtop roof imported from California with the help of sister Ivonne.

Lunar eclipse 12.20.10

LUNAR ECLIPSE: Here’s the composite of shots taken on the night of Dec. 20, 2010 between 10:40-11:45pm. Didn’t have the halo as expected but it was a beautiful sight to have witnessed.

My new old commuter

MY AUTOBOT BLUESTREAK: I recently switched my daily commuter from a Volvo SUV to this 1973 240z. Definitely a fun commuter car. I wouldn’t say it’s fuel efficient but riding low and shifting manually is a thrill to behold on a daily basis.

Yahoo Cycling Team

Members of the Yahoo Cycling team are prepped and ready for race in Sacramento.

TOUR OF CALIFORNIA: Recently got an opportunity to work with Christopher Daniels, a friend/photographer of mine, to photograph the Yahoo Cycling Team before their race in the AMGEN Tour of California in Sacramento. The team photo consisted of all the members that took place in the race, which ultimately had the team place 2nd and 3rd on the podium. (complete set available on flickr as well).

First night in Paris

My visual take of the much heard of metro stations and cobblestone streets.

PARIS AFTER DARK: After taking a much needed nap on day of arriving in Paris, I woke up to find the Paris skies darkened and the streets lit up. Despite being super hunger I went ahead and ignored my stomach growling and spent a little like taking photos of my first nights views of Paris.

The Day arrived

Mai-Quyen’s mom baked and decorated cupcakes especially for her fairy themed birthday event.

BIRTHDAY GATHERING: All year, Mai-Quyen has been saying that she’s five and will soon be six. She knew her birthday was on October 10th, but couldn’t really grasp how long a month or even a week is in terms of time. It all made sense when there was two weeks left and the countdown of days began. As you can attest from her face, the day came and she was overjoyed and welcomed the attention from family and friends that came.

Cat’s Hill Classic ’09

Competitors lined up at the starting point and ready to follow the motorcycle lead.

PERFORMANCE CYCLING: In anticipation of my new Specialized Roubaix bike arriving in the coming week, I attended the Cat’s Hill Classic 36th annual bicycle race in Los Gatos, CA. After years of on doing wedding photography and portrait sessions, my first foray into cycling photography is a welcomed change and challenge. The afternoon was complete with gray clouds looming overhead with the possibility of showers—that amounted to ideal lighting conditions. Below are highlight photos from the race (complete set available on flickr as well).

Seek out the treats

The three girls lead the pack with their bags in hand ready to seek out the eggs.

EASTER WEEKEND: With the prospect of two nieces from down South visiting during Spring Break, Giaolinh and I decided (last minute and with good intentions) to have the first Easter Egg hunt for the kids. All the girls were adorned in elegant dresses, with their hair in curls looking rather mature for their age—not that we want them to grow up too fast. As usual our son, the only boy amongst the kids, was also spiffed-up in long sleeve dress shirt and slacks looking quite suave.

Beer is the new Black

The clear amber color of Fuller’s London Pride Pale Ale (4.7% alcohol) was ideal to wash down some of the hearty barbecued fillet Mignon.

WHAT TO PICK: So when it comes to wine, there are many choices and decisions to be made. Should I go with red or white? That means I have to first decide to have it with a meat or seafood entrée, what’s the choice if I don’t eat meat and just devour living plants? Should I go for what the cute lady at Trader Joes is suggesting or go with the Pinot Noir from that wino movie, Sideways? Oh No!…I am drinking red wine in a tall fluted glass instead of a deep well glass with the super thin stem—the wine police will come after me. With beer it seems to be much simpler—no temperature controlled wine cabinet or not enough legs issues.

Pop the cap on the bottle and gulp it down. That’s it.

Actually a little more thought and action should be done than just that. In general, beer goes good with just about any meal. Whether it be gourmet or grub, it’s quenches your thirst and helps to savor your meal down to the last morsel. Here are some recent beers I’ve had the strenuous job of picking out at a local BevMo.

My new Canon 1Ds

CAMERA FETISH: So I splurged recently and got myself a new Canon 1Ds with 50mm 1.2L lens. Such a sweet professional body with integrated grip and weather sealing throughout the magnesium alloy casing. No more excuses that I am technically held back and don’t have the right equipment—this is it, the flagship model. Heck, it does not  have 1080p video capture that my 5Dmkii has, but that feature is overrated at the moment. Why take moving pictures when you can just stand back and admire the still photos shown herein.