Here’s the last set of engagement photos for Todd and Sarah.  Can you tell that I really enjoyed this shoot?  Like I said in my previous post, I take my cue from  my couple’s personalities and base the dynamics of the shoot on how comfortable they feel interacting with each other in front of my camera.

I have some thoughts to share with you on engagements….so stay tuned for my next post….

Engagement Photo Session in San Francisco

Engagement Photo Session in San Francisco

Engagement Photo Session in San Francisco

I hope that everyone had a good Labor Day Weekend. I’m sure Todd and Sarah did.  Congratulations guys!!!!  They got married last Sunday and are now on their  way to South Africa.  We won’t hear from them for another 2 weeks….

On an engagement photo shoot, as much as I coach or direct people on what to do, I really go by the personalities of my couple and how they interact with each other.  A lot of times, I’d let them just start talking, walking and looking at each other and then I take my cue on how they interact when they forget I’m taking their pictures, then I start clicking away…. Also, I try to incorporate different moods as you can see from my previous shots - I think they were a bit on the sexy side….

This next set is more on the friendly, heart warming side and I love how the smiles just came out naturally…What do you think?

Ok, so my last and final installment will be on the urban setting…so stay tuned….

Would love to hear from you.

Okay, one more for the day…tee hee.

Now, didn’t I tell you they are in love?

I love the fact that they are so game and they were really easy to work with… love it!

When people are in love, the positive energy they radiate overflows….and I’m lucky to be a recipient of that “love” energy this evening…. Todd and Sarah are getting married this weekend — far, far away on  VERY intimate setting…I’m not going with them … I am flying kites with my dear “birthday friend”…

Here is a sneak peak from the shoot….it is not  the original post processing I had in mind….but if you see my Twit, you will know that I discovered so many wonderful textures out there and I just had to play with them.  (hint, hint…follow me?  http://twitter.com/owenphotographs )

You will notice on my title heading that I put in Relationship Photography….I like that…because the experience today was so much more than just an engagement photo shoot — and as such, should not  be limited to couples who are “ENGAGED”.  It is a celebration of their relationship, and all the stuff that comes with it.  You will hear more about that later….that and plus many more upcoming changes and offerings with Owen Photographie.

Relationships takes work and when you see two people in love and so right for each other, sometimes you wonder, how can two people be this lucky….Well, I want to know because I love people who are in love….So I think I will do a series of blog post on Todd and Sarah…that and more pics to share…and they are NOT all vintage looking… stay tuned….and hey, feel free to leave me a message here.  And questions welcome too…

What is one more hug and one more kiss?  I’ve done it 98 times already that morning anyway…

The first day of school was bittersweet.  It really did not hit me until we were close to the school… No more Matthew and no more Daniel from last year.  Instead, a new set of friends awaited him.   He seemed o.k. and not too much affected.  But I felt a little sad.  His dad and I decided to keep Troy in pre-school for another year - his age is such that he can either be the youngest in kindergarten or one of the older ones in pre-school… we chose the latter.

A little tug at my heartstrings as I waved goodbye for the nth time. He is growing up - fast.   He is in a great amazing school with amazing and caring teachers and faculty.  And yet, I wanted to hold on for another more minute…. maybe 5…Is that ok? He is still my baby…

He is going to be ok…I kept reassuring myself….

I’ll be o.k. too.

These pictures were taken last Saturday, two days prior to FIRST DAY.

I am truly loving these gallery wrapped canvases… Take a Look!  I love the texture, the dimensional look and most of all, it is ready to hang on your wall.  Hope you like it as much as I do

What is the appropriate image resolution or size do I need for the web or for print? This question comes up every so often and I found this article from iStockphoto quite helpful and thought I’d post it here: I Resolve to be more Resolute: Understanding Resolution.

But before you do, here are also a few items to remember:

1) Terms

dpi – Dots Per Inch

ppi - Pixels Per Inch

ppc - Pixels Per Centimeter (European)

2)

Pixels – refer to the quality of the image

DPI – size measurement, affects physical output of file (print)

3) Dividing the number of pixels by the resolution will give you the maximum size you can print a quality image: So for example: 3000px/ 300 dpi = 10 inches. This means, you can print a good quality image of up to 10 inches max …(i.e. good photo quality from wallets, 4×6, 5×7 and 8×10).

At the same time, having a 72 dpi image does not mean that you cannot get a decent image print…

Now, of course, I hope that you will ONLY print your personal photos or photos that your photographers released to you for reproduction. Owen Photographie, family and children photographer And that is another topic for later….

Our L.A. trip was so much more fun and memorable because we stayed with family when we were down there.  Let me tell you, with a great host like my aunt or “tita” Mila, no hotel can top her hospitality and her cooking…yummy!  Here are some photos taken just before they took us to the airport on our way back to the Bay Area.

The two kids you see here are my super smart and very nice niece and nephew….Lila and Toby….too bad mom and dad were just arriving from the airport from a convention, otherwise I would have snapped a photo of them as well.  And the rest, are my cousins and ofcourse , my kids…

The white garage door is a great backdrop…. for quick snapshots…

Demure and sweet as she is in real life…

Cute and smart..and very caring to boot

‘te Marilyn, this one is for you…

the kids’ laughter always makes the heartbeat stronger and healthier - u gotta love em’

one of my faves - this picture and the one following– i love how I get to capture not just the smiles but how and what they are feeling at a particular moment — their essence…. ofcourse Troy is beside his brother — safe and secure….

and ofcourse, the greatest hosts in the world: tita Mila and tito tony :)  Love ya!

I think I was much more excited than my kids when we went to Disneyland/ California Adventure a few weeks ago.  It was not something I planned for a long time…it was one of those…”I’d like to take the kids to Disney…” but never really planned anything concrete – and then an opportunity to go comes and boom! – We were on the plane by week’s end.  It was Troy’s first time and Joshua’s 2^nd time (well, third if you count Disneyworld). 

We had a blast!  I promised not to get focused on taking photos and instead, really spend quality time with the boys – but I did sneak a few….so here’s some….

And oh by the way…I saw Anne Geddes’ flagship store at Downtown Disney…oh my!  I am so in love with her store….its heavenly!  It’s a must on your list of things to do when you are in the area.  As for me, I am going to do a baby photo shoot soon so I’m so inspired….

Love to all.

Owen

I can’t exactly remember the moment when I decided I wanted to become a photographer.  I just know that the  “role” slowly grew into me…until it became a part of who I am.  I do remember however, when it all began. I was once an avid scrapbooker…(that’s an understatement! - I filed papers by manufacturers!) and placed  family pictures into 12×12 papers and decorated them with embellishments and journaling.  As time went by, I became more focused on the photographs and what messages my images conveyed and completely left Scrapbook Kingdom behind :(  As I looked at the photographs, I realized I was capturing miniature ’stories’, a fraction of time in the lives of my kids.  No long paragraphs, no embellishments…just a smile, a glance, and those candid moments that captured the relationship my boys have… oh how I thrive in that.  That’s when I knew, I love capturing the relationship, the connection that people share with each other.  Then getting that in a photograph…then later, showing them how what they have, what they share is truly beautiful.

Carlo and Stephanie are still relatively newly-weds…just like everybody else, they have their share of ups and downs.  But at the end of the day, the internal bond they share with each other, the comfort of being together, doing things together is something to be desired.  For the following photos,  the first few, I tinted to give it more of a dreamy, cold yet warm inside type of feeling..  The next set are more vibrant and vivid…Pogi is the name of their dog and he joined in on the photos as well –for he is family after all.

One Sunday morning….a photo session….of “US”

‘With Us and Pogi, our special dog….(He is special — ask Stephanie!)

Big trees always bring out the kid in everybody….

then a kiss….

and a moment….

Family picture, here we go!

Pogi, look here!!!

Oops…outtake…

and then they got their shot!