In the Land of Make Believe
there are no deaths,
there may be pain, but always a happy ending
 
There is full of love
in fact it is all about love
Mostly a love about being together
About making it happen
of unions, of climax, of exhiliration
together forevers, walking hand-in-hand to the light
 
But there is one love that does not exist
In the Land of Make Believe
It is the love of letting go
of acceptance…
It is stepping away from ourselves
and respecting the love that stands in front of us
and the life that breathes in front of us
and the voice of the soul that says…
 
It’s time to wind things down…time to move on.
 
Oh how I will miss the presence that be
the silent strength that feeds courage and comfort…
and kindness
 
In the Land of Reality
there exists a love…
 
a space
 
 
        a distance
 
…and goodbyes
 
… a feeling of security despite letting go
 
In fact, it is in letting go that you discover a
deeper love, not of sexual love, nor of matrimonial kind of love
 
but of respectful love…
 
Its’ also an understanding love…
 
In the Land of Make Believe
boundaries somehow vanish
 
In the Land of Reality
boundaries  abound, and stay.
 
The  boundaries in Reality are removed
by this kind of love.
…and in time..in time
 
will strengthen one
will encourage one
will comfort one
 
It is in letting go
that we feel the love even more.

Happy Valentines.

I am once again behind in my blogging but I’d like to think of it as a good thing….I’ve been busy with photo shoots, work, kids and getting orders in before the Christmas break…. I’m so grateful that despite a very busy schedule, my health is still in tact….

I want to share with you my photo shoot with Carsten.  He is preparing for the upcoming iPop Model Competion early next year.  While he already has all the Zed/ comp cards he needs, there is one particular photo that her mom wants me to take for Carsten.  As for me, I am happy to wake up one early morning to work with him and his mom because this guy  is so fun to do a shoot with.  He follows directions well, has patience and does not hesitate to give me the expression I asked for….so cool! He already sounds like a winner to me

I wish you well and good luck on that competition!

Carsten, child model | Mountain View Photographer

Carsten, child model | Mountain View Photographer

Carsten, child model | Mountain View Photographer

Carsten, child model | Mountain View Photographer

Carsten, child model | Mountain View Photographer

Carsten, child model | Mountain View Photographer

Carsten, child model | Mountain View Photographer

This photo session was held a few months back for Saint Rose’s Hospital’s new program: Surgeons-on-Call.  I was  allowed to take photos inside the Operating Room (OR) and it was a unique experience for me.  Well for one, my assistant and I  had to wear gowns and caps while doing the shoot.  I looked like a little messed up kid who woke up from a bad dream.  But looks aside, lighting an OR was a challenging yet fun experience - think bouncing lights all over the tiles surrounding us…

Anyway, here are a few images from that shoot and the esteemed surgeons who were kind enough to spend their evening with us.

Surgeons on Call, St Rose Hospital Photo Shoot

Surgeons on Call, St Rose Hospital Photo Shoot

Surgeons on Call, St Rose Hospital Photo Shoot

Remember the newborn who was lying down on a round plate? ….well..she kinda outgrew that plate and at 7 months,  she is now sitting on the plate with a big sweet smile…in baby years, they change so much and it is nice to see them blossoming and with their own personality.  In Elena’s case, she has the biggest smiles and expressive eyes…

baby photography in San Jose, CA

baby photography in San Jose, CA

baby photography in San Jose, CA

baby photography in San Jose, CA

baby photography in San Jose, CA

Here are some photos of Baby Kate Marie.  You’ve seen her images in my website as well as in some of the cards I recently posted.  Now, I’m finally getting to post just her images in my blog….a blog that I seem to constantly neglect but never forget But these images captured at Kate’s 3 weeks old, we will always remember and cherish for a very long time….that’s what photographs are for…..wonderful memories and a perfect act of love.

Newborn Photo in San Jose

Newborn Photo in San Jose

Newborn Photo in San Jose

Newborn Photo in San Jose

Newborn Photo in San Jose

Every year, I take my kids to the Ardenwood Farm in Newark, CA to pick our pumpkins and to mark the beginning of the holiday season. This year, we went during the Harvest Festival and we handpicked Indian corn and popcorn with Troy’s class in addition to our usual pumpkin patch visit.  Parents and kids picked as many ears off stalks as they possibly can.  We put most of our corn in the corncrib for the farm to use and we took a few  popcorns with us to cook.

We all had a great time.  As I was taking snapshots of the kids, the families, it made me really happy.  This is what life is about for me:  family, children and being together.  Everything else is secondary.  I’m grateful.

Pregnancy is one of the greatest miracles in the world.  It is beautiful, sacred and divine.  For the expectant parents, it is a time of great expectations and hope.  For the baby in the womb, it is a new beginning, a new life and a bright future for the world.

Maternity Photography strives to capture this particular time in a mom’s life….a time of great expectations and hope.

When the baby is born and years after this photograph has been taken, the child will say: “Is that really me in your tummy, mommy?”

Oh, what joy!!!

Maternity photography

Maternity photography

Maternity photography

Finally getting around to posting these…

Here are samples of couture birth announcement cards for Kate Marie…. I will later share some of the images from Kate’s baby photo session.   Kate is such an adorable sweet baby just like her parents, Cybil and Jeff and it was such a treat to take their photos! More later..

Couture Baby Birth Card Announcements

Couture Baby Birth Announcements

Couture Birth Card Announcements

While  it was quite a departure for me to take photos of a non-living thing (a.k.a. ‘a home’), I enjoyed it nonetheless.  I did not have to make faces, be silly or goofy…I did not feel bad when the walls did not smile back at me…and I could not really have an intelligent conversation with the breakfast chairs and artichokes sitting atop the kitchen counter top.

The cleaners were finishing up when I came to set up. The architect, builder and the agents were also there checking on last minute stuff.  The house is  4,770 square feet on a 9,999 Sq. Ft. lot….and is on one of the nicest neighborhoods in the Bay Area.  It is three stories high and has 6+ bedrooms, 4+ baths, with a full basement: gym, wine cellar, wet bar, etc.  It is listed by Sunny and Dan Dykwel from Keller Williams Realty for $3.9 million.

Here’s their listing I pulled up from Redfin: http://www.redfin.com/CA/Menlo-Park/620-Windsor-Dr-94025/home/1700958.

Some photos to share:

Menlo Park Real Estate - High End Homes

So I was watching one of the episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress” this weekend from The Learning Channel.  One of the brides came in specifically to try on Austin Scarlett’s wedding gowns.  But as much as she adores Austin’s wedding gowns, nothing seems to fit her and she had to face the fact she might need to try on other wedding gowns from other designers. And so she did and she was much happier.

This episode reminded me of what I wanted to share with you a few weeks back regarding the importance of engagement photos. Selecting a wedding photographer is a combined exercise of personal preference and visual appeal, and as such, decisions are based primarily on the sample of work provided in the wedding photographer’s website.  However, one may be remissed if decisions are made solely on the photographer’s portfolio and a follow-up consultation with the wedding photographer.  Why? Because no matter how much you love your wedding photographer, you will never know if they are the “perfect fit” for you - until you try them…Herein lies the beauty of the engagement sessions…
 
My sister, Roxy, Toronto photographer and owner of Vanilla Skies Photography , photographed a wedding of a lovely couple a few weeks back.  She was not the original photographer the couples selected.  The couple just finished their engagement session with their original photographer and they immediately knew it was not a good fit.  The session was mediocre, and the photos less than acceptable. The website however, which the couples based their decision on, was stunning.  But they would not have found out about the discrepancy had the engagement session not take place …Whew!  That was a close call…the couple may have paid a penalty for canceling the contract but was it worth it to be with a photographer they trusted, they liked, enjoyed being with on their wedding day and whom they were confident can produce a lifetime of memorable photographs?  You Bet! 
 
Some photographers include the engagement photo session in their wedding offerings….take advantage of it!  And if it is not included, it does not hurt to book for one.  At the same time, take the opportunity to ask: “What if there is not a fit?”  What are their cancellation policies and contract terms?
 
An amazing photographer for one person, may not be an amazing photographer for somebody else….but the “fit” has to be there in order for both to create magic on the day of the wedding.  ( If I can remember right, next to the groom, the bride spends all her time with the photographer - so she better like the photographer unless she considers smirks and sour-sad- monkey-faced expressions as the new trend in bridal photos.) 
 
As wedding and portrait photographers, we do not just produce images…You can pay just about anyone with a digital SLR to do that…. As professionals and artists, we are the conduits to providing “that  amazing, wonderful experience to accompany the hundreds of memorable images captured on your wedding day”. That is why hiring the right wedding photographer is at the top of every bride’s priority list.   If we cannot provide that experience, then we would not have done our jobs.  So just as it is important for the bride and groom to have an engagement photo shoot, so it is important for us photographers to know that we can meet your expectations, and provide that amazing, wonderful experience on your wedding day.

**Owen Photographie offers “THE FITTING ROOM” — If you or anyone you know is engaged and planning their wedding…send an e-mail to: owen@owenphotographie.com for details.  You must mention”THE FITTING ROOM” in your e-mail to qualify for this offer.