Cal State University Long Beach Graduate Session

may 29, 2012

California State University Long Beach is a sprawling, spacious campus, perfect for a photoshoot! And all the more convenient, when you graduate from that fine institution and have a perfect excuse to shoot your graduation photos there! It was a ton of fun getting together with Angel to do her graduation pics! Faith and family have been a huge part of her educational journey and I love how she brought those important elements into this session. Wishing you, Angel, and all the graduates of 2012 the very BEST as you venture out into the world!!! May you follow your dreams and live with passion and purpose~

Sunken City Engagement Session

march 31, 2012

Sunken City is most likely one of the most epic backdrops in Southern California! Nick and Angela are certifiably two of my favorite people in the world. I am ecstatic they hired me to create their engagement photos and photograph their forthcoming wedding in July! Angela recently told me, when planning for this shoot, that she searched a long time for Nick. I am so happy they found each other. I feel these images capture a sense of their adventurous creative spirits. They, (Nick), wanted something different than the average run of the mill engagement photos. He wanted something with an edge!  Lets just say there was a big edge involved, that at times I felt I would fall off of!!! I’m SO thankful my assistant Dawnae was able to maintain her ground on that blustery evening! 🙂 The finished product is soooo worth the death defying bounds we crossed. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to my lil’ Bloggy-Poo

april 25, 2012

It’s hard to believe a year has gone by since putting together this blogsite and publishing my first post! The past 12 months have been full of life & learning! My techniques have changed and grown. I was able to attend WPPI in Vegas this past February- such a creative shot to the arm! Included are some images shot during my photo walk on the Vegas Strip~ MUCH LOVE to those who assist me on shoots! A BIG THANK-YOU to my WONDERFUL clients!!! Here’s to the next 12 months! I am excited to continue the journey! 🙂

Meet Alisia K:) She and I connected at the trade show and were pretty much inseparable for the rest of our stay. It felt like we’d know each other forever. I look forward to reuniting with her next year. If you ever find yourself in Missouri and need some stunning images taken while you’re there, look her up. She is fabulous! Click here to see her work.

Newport Beach Wedding

february 29, 2012 Posted in Weddings

Hello all! Happy LEAP DAY!!! I can’t tell you how excited I feel about February 29th; the only day that is a collection of all the seconds of all the days of the previous 4 years. It is a little piece of everyday… Love should be expressed, honored, remembered and shared daily. I am so thankful to be surrounded by love and to photograph it. I look forward to loving and cherishing someone with February 29th spirit~

The following are images I shot last year. Catina and Jeff were married in the Newport Beach LDS Temple in November of 2010 and had a ring ceremony and reception the following summer. Here are some favorites that have finally found a home on Planet Blog. Enjoy! :)

San Pedro Engagement Session

It was an absolute blast meeting and working with Sarah and Nick! We carpooled to the Korean Bell of Friendship at Angels Gate Park in San Pedro. What a gorgeous day it was! Sarah and Nick’s quick wit and sarcastic humor were well received and we laughed the entire session. Congrats on your upcoming wedding and a BIG THANK YOU to Nick for serving our country. Thank you for helping to protect our freedoms and liberty!

Laguna Beach Family Session

This session showcases the gorgeous California coastline and the beautiful Suarez family! It was a privilege to meet up with them for a sunset family/anniversary shoot! Alex and Norma just celebrated 15 years of marriage (2011). Congrats you two! Here’s to another 15 years together and beyond!

Dia de losMuertos at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Ahhh… November. One of my favorite months of the year. It contains so many wonderful things; my mother’s birthday, Thanksgiving, and Dia De Los Muertos~

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday with indigenous roots reaching back thousands of years. The celebration takes place on November 1st & 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day (November 1st) and All Souls Day (November 2nd). Holiday traditions include building altars to honor the deceased, preparing the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting their graves with these gifts, praying for their welfare and offering remembrance.

Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed. Altar decor includes pictures of deceased relatives and friends, scores of candles and ofrenda (food). Mexican Marigolds, or Flor de Muerto (“Flower of the Dead”) are also in abundance and are thought to attract the souls of the dead to the offerings. Other essential items include candied pumpkin, or pan de muerto, (“bread of the dead”), sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. Traditionally, families spend time around the altar, praying and telling stories of the deceased. In some locations, people wear shells on their clothing so that when they dance, the noise will wake up the dead. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so they can hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. I find this most interesting as I am a huge supporter of remembering our generations that have gone before. (Who doesn’t want to be remembered after they’ve departed?)

This tradition has spread to Brazil, Spain and various regions of Africa and Asia… and yes, even Hollywood. This year, those of us living close to Tinseltown, including myself, Kendell Carter, and his daughter were able to partake in the 12th annual Dia De Los Muertos Festival at the illustrious Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was a ton of fun. A couple personal highlights were bacon-wrapped hot dogs (made famous on the streets of L.A.) and an impromptu wrestling on the grass. :)

Orange County Family Session

I worked with children at a Child Development Center for 6 years. Being surrounded by little ones has taught me so much about myself, relating to others, and life in general. I am endlessly amazed at children’s ability to love and forgive freely. Their creativity and spontaneity is absolutely refreshing! It was great getting together with Becky and her boys to photographically welcome Baby Sami (2011) into the beautiful bright world! It was especially fun getting silly with big brother Zain. Much love to your family!

Costa Mesa Portrait Session

Talk about the magic of natural light! This location had endless reflective surfaces around every corner and so many great backdrops. It was like a film crew had been feverishly working, moments before we arrived to create brilliant lighting for us! Schane will be leaving next month to serve a mission in Nor Cal for 2 years. I’m so glad we got to do this session before he goes. Here are a few of our favorites. Enjoy:)

Lakewood, CA Family Session

There is a gem of a park in Lakewood, CA called Monte Verde Park. It is available to rent for special occasions and portrait sessions and has a wonderful green space beside it. It was here that I gathered with the Araiza family for the first of several family photo sessions. Theirs is the only family that I currently accept extended family session booking for. Here is a little piece of history.

Los Angeles LDS Temple Wedding Portraits

I was asked to take portraits of Ryan and Ariel on their wedding day at the Los Angeles Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Photography is permitted on the grounds, but not inside of the temple as the building is seen as sacred. Couples who are sealed there have a grand exit and usually take family photos and couples photos on the grounds. Congratulations to the love birds! So thankful I was able to be a part of their special day!

Crystal Cove Portrait

For several I had a wonderful photography assistant named Ana. We drove down to Crystal Cove one day to scout out a location for an engagement session and I snapped a few photos of her along the way. Here was my favorite:

Costa Mesa Couples Session at The Camp

This session was shot at The Camp in Costa Mesa. Such a cool spot in SoCal! Still one of my favorite shoots to date! I love photographing love!!

Mayfair Park Portrait Session

The date is currently Saturday March 12th 2022. I am looking at my old Wordpress blog that is about to expire… I had little knowledge about updating themes, etc. when I purchased the template back in 2011 and soon I won’t be able to update or change my blog. I am switching over to Squarespace soon and am going to salvage what I can from my old blog. My first post was made on April 5, 2011. It read:

I am so excited to finally have a photo blog. It is something I've been talking about for over a year, and now it is a reality! My introductory post is a homage to my first paid shoot; a haircut, a park, and a sweet girl named Sudie. Enjoy! :)

The Value Your Photographer Gives You

Have you ever wondered how your photographer set the pricing for your portrait session?

Why your photography costs what it does?

Your session fee helps to cover the following:

The annual business taxes paid to run a business.

The hundreds of dollars paid annually to have a functional website.

The thousands of dollars of equipment used at your session.

The time and forethought put into prepping for your shoot, starting with the email or phone communications.

Location scouting and driving to your session; both of those things cost time and money for gas.

The compensation for the assistant.

The hours spent culling your images, applying general edits, uploading your images to a gallery so you have a convenient way to view them and make your selections; using a service that charges a monthly fee.

The editing tools: Lightroom and Photoshop also charge a monthly fee.

This alone, without any images included, is worth the session fee— but wait! Images are included! And they are meticulously edited, (which can take hours). Even if general adjustments were the only changes made, which they are not, wouldn’t a digital piece of art, that you can print and share unlimited times with friends and family and with the world online, that can last for generations— be worth $25 an image? That’s how much I charge per edited image à la carte beyond the images included in your session.

In my base portrait package you receive 12 edits which is a $300 value! My base package is $450. That means you’re only paying my assistant and I $150 for the multiple hours we spent prepping and making your session happen. WOW!! What a steal of a deal!!! And we give you all this because we love to create and add value to your lives! With that, lets make magic together!!

Urban Jungle Studios!

Bora Chan of Boran Chan Photogrpahy in action!

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.