Vacation

I will be on vacation in Asia from April 1-15. I don't know how much email access I will have but if you urgently need assistance you can contact my assistant Shirley Liu at shirley@mypersonalpaparazzi.com.

I was going to blog about a photo shoot I did for my friend Manny's new born baby Quinn but my image hosting website is down. You can view some of the pictures on my FaceBook Fanpage.

In the meantime you can view the slide show HERE

I'll be back in two weeks hopefully with some nice pictures from my trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Muay Thai Classic

Last weekend I got a chance to shoot the Saekson Muay Thai Classic at the Studios at Las Colinas. Other than weddings, fight photography is one of my favorite events to shoot. I think because there is usually a lot of emotion and drama. Here are some of my favorites from the night.

The slide show can be viewed HERE



The girls here are doing what is known as Wai Khru ram muay. Its a dance performed to show respect to their trainers and teachers. In the past the performance was to apologize to the king for the brutality in the fighting.

Mary Beth + Chad Wedding

What do you get when a hardcore OU fan marries a die hard Longhorns fan? Who cares...they're in love. But I can say their wedding was one of the happiest weddings I've covered.

The first time Chad saw Mary Beth was about 10 years ago at a party in Euless. When she walked in the room he said to his friends "whoa, who is that?" He was bummed when she left early. Then about 5 years later his friend Kim said she had a friend for him to meet. He wasn't interested at first but when she told him it was Mary Beth, he changed his mind quickly. Mary Beth and Chad both loves sports so Chad being a football coach was a big plus for her. On their first date when Mary Beth asked him to explain to her what a nickel defense in football is, that was it, game over. Chad knew Mary Beth was the girl for him.

Their slide show can be viewed HERE.




Yeah! No makeup on the dress!





Her dress has pockets. How cool is that?





The best man Kyle is an attorney but if that ever doesn't work out he could be a stand up comic. He gave one of the funniest speeches I've ever heard. It was difficult taking pictures because I was laughing so hard.

Rachel, the matron of honor is telling a story about Mary Beth early in their relationship. They had only known each other for about a week when they were sitting on a plane together. Mary Beth pulls out a pair of tweezers and a mirror and asked Rachel to pluck a whisker on her chin. At that moment Rachel knew she had a friend for life.

Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA)

I received an email this morning that I was accepted into the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA). I am ecstatic and it made my Monday.


The following two paragraphs are from the WPJA website.

The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA), an International, membership-based organization, represents professional photographers skilled in the documentation of weddings and events in a candid, unobtrusive style. The WPJA was founded to uphold excellence in the area of wedding photojournalism.

Leading the way in Wedding Photojournalism, WPJA represents the most discriminating talent around the world technically, creatively and visually. Qualified members hold industry-leading standards, skills and business integrity.

To be accepted into WPJA, you must submit your website for evaluation. One of the criteria for membership is that at least 80% of your images must be of "real moments." These are images that are not posed or set up by the photographer but are documented as they happen, in a skillful, original and creative way. Other standards include image quality, correct use of lighting, limited use of digital manipulated (overuse of photoshop effects), factual and knowledgeable statements, and of course good business ethics. I can't wait to start entering in the contests.

Theresa + Brad Wedding

I know it's been a while since I posted anything but with wedding season starting I will be posting more regularly. I will be on vacation in Taiwan and Hong Kong from April 1st - 15th so I don't know how much email access I will have. Hopefully I'll get some nice photos to share.

This past weekend I got to assist my friend, Amber Richardson with Lifestyle Portraits, at a wedding held at the CITYPLACE Conference and Event Center near downtown Dallas. Here are some of my favorites from the night.




They were playing the song, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce.


The wedding was held on the 42 floor of the building and had an excellent view of the Dallas Skyline. I'm always looking for cool places to do portraits so I thought I'd try to get on the roof of the building. I climbed the fire stairs and found a door that said "roof access", along with lots of warning signs and cameras everywhere. Of course I tried the door but no luck, it was locked. What a tease...

Kathy + Allen engagement and elopement

Kathy and Allen's engagement session was taken at the State Fair grounds in downtown Dallas. The first time I met Allen he was a fourteen year old boy, sitting in my friend's living room playing video games. He was quiet and played lots of video games so I didn't know him very well back then. Our conversations with each other would go something like this, "sup yo," "sup sup."

Fast forward fifteen years, he's almost thirty, has a nice job and married to a great girl, Kathy. You can tell they really love each other. If you need confirmation of their love just go to their Facebook pages. It's filled with posts like "love u babe :)" or "hello WIFEY!!! I miss you~." If that's not love, then I don't know what love is. Can't wait for your white wedding later this year.

Their slide show can be viewed here.

A little alcohol to calm the nerves.