Contest Closed!

Thanks for all the votes! All the photos were terrific! Alvin Ahquin is our winner! Thanks for all the participation. I really loved all the photos and how different they were from each other. We had a great time together and please look forward to another group shoot/workshop coming soon!

Thanks to all the photographers who came to our workshop. A huge thank you to all our beautiful models who were gracious and allowed us all to get some great photos! The couple in Alvin's photo as well as a few of the others, is Collin and Liz Kartchner of Pixel Pop Photography.
Collin is a talented photographer, and Liz is a local celebrity and scrapbook queen! You can find her where ever you see Creating Keepsakes, or even on the covers of their magazines! Thanks you two for being so fun!

We also had a visit from Michele of Michele Reyes Photography, and the one and only Omi Masina, who pretty much needs no introduction! By the way, Omi is doing a huge contest give away so visit her blog! Good luck, but I'm hoping to win!

We had a few photographers that were not able to make the shoot last minute. We missed you and look forward to having you at the next one!

Thanks again and congrats Alvin!!

Workshop Photo Contest!

We had some very talented photographers come out to our workshop, and we thought it would be fun to have a friendly contest with some of their favorite photos! It is just a friendly contest, but there is a prize for the winner. You can vote for your favorite photo on the poll that is on the top right corner of the blog. Please use the poll to submit your vote or it will not count. The deadline for all votes will be Thursday, August 27, 2009. The poll will be closed at midnight. You are welcome to leave comments about the photos, as long as they are constructive and positive!

I think you will have a hard time choosing your favorite. I think our photographers did a fantastic job, and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of their photos!! Good Luck!

August 2009 Group Shoot/Workshop! The first of many to come!

Malia
Leslee
Kalani
Aubrey and Malia
Alvin
Verlynn
Kalani in action


Sepa
Aubrey
And here are some photos of a few of the models for the day! I didn't get a shot of everyone, but we'll see their photos soon!

What a great day! It started out a little scary. It was raining all morning! Actually it was raining til 1pm. At 11:30am my wife suggested we say a little prayer for a nice weather for the group shoot! I'm always up for some help from the heavens, and it usually seems to work. It definitely did. The gray skies went away, and never came back. We had very nice weather the whole time we were out shooting!

I had some very talented photographers come and we had a lot of fun getting to know each other, but also, really getting to know our cameras and "really" using them! We had a little discussion time for the first hour, and then I arranged for some of the most beautiful people I could find to show up and model for us! I split everyone up into little teams so they could all learn from each other. We had 3 one hour blocks for shooting each set of models! It was so fun to see everyone get to work, and let the creativity flow. I didn't get to shoot that much, because I was busy trying to go around and answer questions and make myself available for any assistance needed! I did get to snap a few shots, but I'm sorry I didn't get everyone!

We topped our day of shooting of with a home made spaghetti dinner and had more discussion and question and answer time. Omi showed up to the dinner and offered so much insight and information. We did a little photoshop, and before we knew it, the night was done. It went by so fast. We made new friends, strengthened existing relationships, and overall, had a terrific experience!

Please look forward to some great photos coming from those who came. We'll have a little photo contest, and you'll get to vote. I'll post that before the end of the week. Thanks so much to those who came. I really had a great time. Thanks to my very pregnant wife (also Deedee and Robin)who made sure it was well planned out, and for having dinner ready for us! My wife also made sure all the little things (that a guy would never do on his own), were taken care of!

I really look forward to having another group shoot and seeing great things from all who came! Photographers are some really great people! We had a few photographers that were not able to come due to last minute things, but we're looking forward to seeing you guys next time!

Megan & Sete!

What do you get when you mix a former standout BYU Football player, and an athletic trainer? The perfect couple! Megan and Sete are meant for each other. Spending some time with them during their photo session, I could see how well they compliment each other's personalities!

I had to laugh when they apologized to me for playing around too much! LOL! It makes photographing them so much easier. I had a great time with these two, and I'm really looking forward to their wedding in Seattle this November!

Congratulations you two! GO COUGARS!!!

The Midas Touch- Setema Gali

Midas or King Midas is popularly remembered for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold: the Midas touch! Have you ever known such a person? I do!

I've known Setema for a long time now. Can't believe we met over 10 years ago, when he shook my hand and gave me a smile. "You never know how much a smile and a handshake can do". Truer words were never spoken!

We met at BYU and have participated in so many different things together. Performed in various musical groups and it's always a good time with Setema! It seems that this man can do anything and everything. Not just do them, but do them really really well. As if he had the ability to turn anything in to gold. The only things not turned in to gold were the quarterbacks he would sack on the field in front of thousands of screaming BYU fans. After his college career, he was also part of the Superbowl winning Patriot Team in the NFL!

Now, he is a successful entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and business person who inspires so many to reach their potential. For fun, this guy can pick up just about any instrument and play you a song. He's part of an award winning band, Mana Poly All-Stars! Does it ever end with this guy? Apparently not!

What I respect most about this guy is his love for his family. Just watch this guy interact with his son and you will know he loves his family! He's married to his best friend, and together, they truly are a power couple. Endless possibilities and talent in this family.

Setema has a book coming out soon and it's sure to be a hit. Until then, check out his website. I am fortunate to call him a friend. Thanks Setema!

Sneak peak for Keala & Tony

Just a quick peak at a few of the photos from this wedding! What a beautiful and talented couple. I had so much fun at this wedding. A rich culture, great food, and great looking people! All the makings of a terrific wedding. I have to include that I witnessed one of the best father/daughter dances ever! Congratulations to Keala and Tony! More photos to come.

Brooke & Kahili

I love California weddings! It's always great weather in Los Angeles. Brooke and Kahili are a very handsome couple. I've been looking forward to this wedding for a while. A little while back, Kahili contacted me about helping him find an engagement ring because I know the owner of a pretty nice local jewelery store. I had to keep it a secret for a little while, but I was happy to. I've had to do it on a few occassions for other expectant grooms!

Brooke's parents and family are very close friends of my wife's family. Jeane and I couldn't stop commenting on how well organized this wedding was. They gave us perfect amount of time for photos so we weren't rushing at all. They had food for everyone and drinks while we were getting photos done. It seems that every last detail was thought of and executed perfectly!

Kahili's family made a whole family trip from Hawaii to Disneyland... I mean the wedding. LOL! Might as well make the most of the whole trip, right? A real fun and nice family. They were hosting a reception in Hawaii as well. Wish I could have made it!

This was such a fun wedding! We love going to LA a few times each year in the summer for weddings! Congratulations to Brooke and Kahili! They're both attending BYU this fall. Go Cougars! Everything was great and thanks for having us be a part of your big day!