New Concept. Yay or Nay?

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So I saw this idea in a book and I heard a speaker talk about a similar idea and I decided to try it. The idea is to merge images together to create a final painted image. I went ahead and try out the idea on myself. Here is an image of me pregnant with Violet and Violet incorporated back into my tummy. I can't tell as a mother if this reminds you of pregnancy or if this is a creepy image. My husband hates it, but then he tells me, "well I'm not a woman, you should ask your female friends". So help me out here, do you like it or hate it?

Violet 2 months

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I can't believe two months have passed already since we took little Violet home. She's not even tiny anymore. She's so chubby and I'm not sure how and when, but her head seems to have double in size. Her hair also won't lay flat. I'll take her out of the shower and as soon as it dries, up it goes again. Her hair just sticks up into a little Mohawk. On the other hand, Daniella's hair won't grow in at all. I can still see her scalp. Hair or no hair, I love my two girls.

My timeless image of my little girl

Little rosebud

Little Mohawk Chick

My favorite of the series. The image is so simple, but I love the feminine quality that
the flower adds to the image.

UGMX Mixer

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I met Kimberly Rucker at the July mixer. She's a beautiful tall model who arrived with her hairdresser, Andrew Harris. Together they were a great team. Andrew was wonderful to work with. He made sure that everything was perfect and not a single stray hair. It made me laugh watching the two of them work together. They seem so comfortable and if I could get an assistant as great as Andrew at every session as well as a model as easy to work with as Kimberly I would be set. I hope to work with them again.

Fun with Swords

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So this is the same session where Daniella had a boo boo. I didn't take many images as you can imagine, but I wanted to share them with you anyway. The model was Mishelle Welsh. Very pretty young lady with long black hair. I did her makeup for the session. Under Oksana Bout, acting Creative Director, we were going for Fierce Chinese Warrior. Hope you enjoy the images.

Daniella's Boo Boo

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So I had decided to do a test shoot with some people I met through Model Mayhem and while we were setting up the lights Daniella was climbing in the under construction studio. Well unfortunately for my little one, she decided to climb in again and the porch lights weren't on. Daniella fell down and hit her brow bones. She was bleeding everywhere and screaming. I took her in and try to exam her but she wouldn't let us near her. She finally calmed down and since it was 10pm and Urgent Care was closed we let her sleep. The next day I took her to Urgent Care, who weren't happy that I didn't take her in the night before, and had them examine her. Daniella got 4 loose stitches in her head. I had to hold her down while they put her stitches in. She was crying "mommy! mommy! mommy!" the whole time. Afterward in a teary voice she said, "bye bye doctor". My poor little baby.

The Cost of Wedding Photography

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This past weekend I went to my old childhood friend's, Minh Ho, wedding. Congratulation to the beautiful couple. Well this wedding reminded me why I am no longer a wedding photographer. When I first got into photography I photographed many weddings. As beautiful and fun as the day might be, when you are working 12 hours on some water and very little food it can be draining. Also, I would miss my two little babies so much if I had to give up my weekends again to work weddings. The photographer my friends hired was Scott Robert Lim. His work was wonderful and his price starts at $10k. Now, that may seem like a lot and I remember when I did weddings many people thought that I must make tons of money. Well I'm going to break down to you why spending $10k doesn't mean that the photographer keeps $10k in his or her pocket.

Starting cost	$10,000
- Cost of Goods (previews,production materials, prints, albums, frames, etc...)	- $2,000	$8,000
- Fixed Expenses(lease, licensing, business insurance, health insurance, workers comp, education, marketing, office supplies, samples, etc... )	- $3,000(assuming each event is 4% of yearly income	$5,000
- Taxes (Federal, State, Sales)	- $1,500	$2,500
Wages		$60/hour

Now remember the photographer has spent an average of 12 hours photographing both the engagement session and wedding event. They have also spent an average of 30 hours in consultation, editing, post-production, viewing appointments, and other production time. After all these hours they produce for you an album that will last a lifetime. After the music has died, the food eaten, the flowers wilted, and the guest leaves all you have left from the wedding are your rings and photos. Although it may seem like a lot, the cost for a good wedding photographer is well worth it.

Angel Jacob

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Beautiful baby Jacob was born at 23 weeks gestation. I am honor to have been able to meet him and be with him during his brief time on Earth. The family truly touched my heart and I will pray for them. I am thankful to be part of 'Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS)' and that we are able to provide our services to the families.

I joined and volunteer to be the area coordinator for the San Jose region of NILMDTS after having my first daughter Daniella. My daughter has been such a gift in my life and I am so blessed to have her. Family is the most important thing in my life and as a parent I realized how much these little people tug at your heart. As a photographer I have been given a gift that allows me to capture moments in life that may be lost as a faded memory otherwise. I am honor that the families that I have work with have allowed me to capture the memories of their children so that they may look back at the images and remember how beautiful their child was. Even though their time on Earth may have been brief, they largely impact many people including myself. I pray for all the families and thank you again for letting me part of your families' memories.

Maternity Never Looked So Good

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I know, if you are like me, you just hate her don't you? How can someone make pregnancy look so good?!? Karen D'Aurora from the moment she walked into the studio just had a wonderful pregnancy glow to her. Oh, and this isn't her first pregnancy. While we were taking this beautiful image of her, her two year old was screaming and playing in the background, yet she is able to maintain a calm, peaceful smile on her face. She's so photogenic and an amazing mom! She is also a super sweet person with a smile constantly on her face. I have no idea how she does that. I mean, doesn't it hurt to smile that much.

Perfect preggo belly

Here Karen is with her husband, Steve. Sexy mama and her man!

I know, you double hate them now huh?
Beauty, brains, sweet, and a gorgeous daughter. Just isn't fair.