maritess and edwin's wedding


commentator: monica

we had such a blast at this lovely couple's wedding! when we photographed maritess & edwin's e-session, we knew we would expect to see a lot of their creativity shine through on their wedding day. boy, were we in for a surprise! maritess is the queen of diy projects and did a fabulous job on all the fantastic details of the ceremony and reception, along with her equally fabulous coordinator, lisa of bellissima vita.

our day started at the larkspur landing hotel in milpitas, where the suite was a bustle of activity. just down the hall, edwin was also getting ready. we love it when couples get ready in the same location since we get a chance to see both the bride and groom prepare for their big day. tess even surprised ed with several special wedding day gifts: a whimsical turntable photo frame, a pair of socks that read "just in case you get cold feet," and "world of warcraft" cufflinks. she really knows her man! =)

their ceremony was held at saint victor's in san jose, which is the church that maritess attended growing up in the south bay. after the ceremony, we headed to the redwood city courthouse square, which was recently restored and featured beautiful architecture and fountains. of course, they had to also include part of edwin's hometown area and selected south san francisco as their reception location. from the time you entered their reception area in the ultra modern lounge at the holiday inn, guests were greeted with wonderful details, from the decorative guest sign-in table, the beautiful escort card display, and even personalized coasters for cocktail hour. the fun didn't stop there during the reception with beautiful singing, dancing, and a special game that got their guests to make-out. =)

congratulations, maritess & edwin! you both really know how to throw an enjoyable event!

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com

hand-crafted invitations, the dress, and other details

more details

the beautiful bride and her maids. flowers by huckleberry karen designs.

the handsome groom, opening up his wedding day gifts.

the wedding ceremony

walking hand-in-hand as a newly married couple!

the bridal party in front of the historic courthouse

parasols!

the happy couple

the entire gang

what a gorgeous spring day to be wed!

the reception ballroom

candy buffet favors

toasting flutes and goblets (a.k.a. "pimp cups")

the yummy and lovely cake by jen's cakes

first dance. videography provided by c3 videography.

instead of ed & tess kissing immediately after guests clinked their glasses, the dj from synchronized sounds pulled names of couples out of an envelope for them to "demonstrate" how they'd like the newlyweds to kiss. this was ingeniously hilarious!

toasting the couple

a very touching "mother-son" dance

the bridesmaids danced a special hula routine for the bride and groom

time to party!


========== behind the scenes ==========

we're coming down to the wire! we're currently at 2nd place in sacramento's "photographer of the year" contest. with your vote, we're hoping to move to 1st! please vote for us for "photographer of the year" by clicking on the link below. the contest ends on 4.18.08. thank you so much, everyone!!!!

2008 KCRA 3 A-List Contest Nominated: Best Photographer in the Sacramento area

vote for us, please!



(Please scroll down to view updates) We've been nominated 2008 Best Photographer. Please vote!


please scroll down to view new entries, as this entry will remain on top for the duration of the contest. thanks!

commentator: monica

waking up this morning to routinely check email, i found a message that sorta looked like spam (, not to be confused with the arguably yummy canned meat that eddie brought back from hawaii last week). it stated that we've been nominated for photographer of the year on this year's sacramento station kcra 3 a-list contest. so i made sure to check the homepage of the url listed (, which is a good tip to avoid getting "phished") and whadayaknow, we've actually been nominated! =)

thanks so much to the person who nominated us for this contest! it's truly an honor!

please vote for us by clicking on the link below. the contest ends on 4.18.08. thank you!!!

2008 KCRA 3 A-List Contest Nominated: Best Photographer in the Sacramento area

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com

please scroll down to view new entries, as this entry will remain on top for the duration of the contest. thanks!


helena and andrew's wedding


commentator: monica

helena & andrew are such an awesome couple! she hails from the big "lone star state" of texas while he's from pennsylvania (go lions!). having planned a grander affair, they nixed their plans after andy received news of a great promotion and made plans to relocate to pennsylvania. in the midst of moving from the south to the north of the country, they fast-forwarded their plans to unite with an destination wedding in the lovely napa valley.

when they first contacted us, helena let us know that her's would be a very unique wedding. with such an intimate event planned, she and andy wanted to take full advantage of the beautiful sites around the bay area. we were stoked when she told us she wanted to have an all day aftershoot session, immediately after her wedding. (most of our aftershoots are scheduled weeks after the wedding date and this certainly is our first true "aftershoot!") we were even more thrilled when we found out that the incomparable maria chang of professional makeup artistry would be "beautifying" the already gorgeous bride and would be with us the entire day during our shoot!!!

on a quiet thursday morning, alongside their eight family members, helena and andy celebrated their marriage at the harvest inn in saint helena. (yup, that's st. helena, like the bride's first name, which we believe is more fate than a coincidence. =) afterwards, a delectable meal was prepared at press, one of the most sought after restaurants in the napa valley, with the finest of wine to match. the couple was able to reserve the "dinner only" venue for their lunch reception. the food was to die for!

with bellies full, we headed off to marin headlands first, before crossing the golden gate to baker beach with our final destination at the embarcadero. the beautiful couple braved the wind, cold, and heights that sf is known for and were such a blast to photograph!

congratulations, helena & andy! thanks so much for letting us take part in your special day! and thanks so much for the recommendation, andy! we're now proud owners of the "iphone killer." =)

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com


saint helena, the town - helena, the bride

the dress

a heartfelt ceremony

the newlyweds at the ceremony site

press restaurant

the handsome groom and gorgeous bride

marin headlands. check out helena's "somethin' blue" shoes!

baker beach at dusk

their first day of husband and wife, almost over

a night shot the embarcadero

the bay bridge

"time stands still," the last shot of the night

we're coming down to the wire! we're currently at 2nd place in sacramento's "photographer of the year" contest. with your vote, we're hoping to move to 1st! please vote for us for "photographer of the year" by clicking on the link below. the contest ends on 4.18.08. thank you so much, everyone!!!!

2008 KCRA 3 A-List Contest Nominated: Best Photographer in the Sacramento area


chelsea and bj's wedding - turtle bay - oahu, hawaii


commentator: monica

do you believe in the power of "the secret?" we definitely do! and it certainly helped us out during chelsea & bj's wedding this past weekend. it had been raining off and on all saturday morning and with an outdoor wedding planned at turtle bay resort on the north shore of oahu, this wasn't a good thing. we stayed positive and envisioned clear, dry weather and after the hour before the ceremony was to start, the imagined became reality. even better was the amazing sky left behind by the trails of clouds.

despite the threat of downpour, chelsea and bj remained as calm as ever. we don't blame them since from their respective rooms where they and their bridal attendants got ready, all they had to do was look out the window for the most serene and calming views of the pacific. seriously, they couldn't have picked a more paradise-like venue than turtle bay! it seems like everyone who knows chelsea, who is originally from hawaii, knew that despite her relocating to the "mainland," she would always be wed in her homestate. she says that turtle bay has always been one of her most fave places on the island ever since she was a little girl so this was a fitting place to be wed.

ed and i enjoyed our first hawaiian wedding ceremony, which was as beautiful as the bride & groom themselves, complete with fragrant flowers and leis, hawaiian songs and dances, swaying palm trees, and the rush of the ocean. the reception was just as enjoyable, with fantastic food, drinks, and more hula and tahitian dancing in the sunset room of the resort, which was surrounded by huge bay windows looking out into the coast.

congratulations, chelsea & bj! may you both enjoy a life-long marriage filled with more days in paradise! aloooooooha!

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com

the glowing bride, getting ready for the big day!

wedding day details

looking out onto the ceremony location at kuilima point

the lovely bridesmaids

the gorgeous bride

bj, awaiting his soon-to-be wife, at the altar

an outdoor tropical ceremony

the new husband and wife!

we always have to get at least one "boy band" shot of the guys!

here's one of the ladies

silhouette

such a great backdrop of the shore

a newlywed embrace

what's more iconic of paradise than palm trees!

reception details. wedding coordination provided by melissa gabriel of harmonizing moments.

a very cool centerpiece and the wedding cake

first dance

chelsea's suprise dance for bj

more dancing!!!

woohoo, we're at 2nd place in sacramento's "photographer of the year" contest right now! please continue to vote for us for by clicking on the link below. the contest ends on 4.18.08. thank you so much, everyone!!!!

2008 KCRA 3 A-List Contest Nominated: Best Photographer in the Sacramento area



WOW! Off Camera Flash @ 1/8000th 2.8 in Mid Day... AWESOME.


commentator: ed

i used the radio popper for the first time and man... it REALLY is the hype and more. kevin king, you're a freakin' genius! full review to come once we come back from oahu. ALOHA people!

oh, and thanks to sol tamargo for being our awesome model!

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 1/8000 sec
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 100 - Focal Length: 17 mm

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 1/8000 sec
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 100 - Focal Length: 17 mm



newborn hannah & heading to vegas!


commentator: monica

congratulations to david, roxanne, and big sis cheyenne! you may remember rox from the maternity session we did with her. baby hannah arrived on wednesday, 3.12.08, weighing in at 7 lbs. and then some, arriving just in time for roxanne & david's upcoming 1-year anniversary! their new addition completes their family of four. =)

we were able to meet hannah the next evening before we headed out to vegas. here are just a couple of shots of the adorable newborn.

below are a couple of images from our flight from oakland to las vegas! vegas, baby!

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com

it's a girl! (yeah, that was self-explanatory...)

the masters of the ugly face on flight 43

=============================================




please vote for us for "photographer of the year" by clicking on the link below. the contest ends on 4.18.08. thank you so much, everyone!!!!

2008 KCRA 3 A-List Contest Nominated: Best Photographer in the Sacramento area



vegas, baby!


commentator: monica

aaaaaahhhhhhh... what a nice treat it's been for us to escape from our daily routine and head out to "sin city" for the annual wedding and portrait photographers international (wppi) convention/tradeshow. after a looong week and many a nights up, we finally got to our destination. and what 'da know, we've still had a lack of sleep. =) but who sleeps in vegas, right?

we're staying at the hilton grand vacation club on the strip with eddie's favorite bro, hamilton, (did i mention he only has one?) and our good friend, erwin wijanto, ultra cool seattle-based photographer. so far, we're lovin' our accomodations, which is more like our little apartment, since we have a full-service kitchen and dining area. mmm.... eddie's egg sandwiches...

it's been a crazy ride so far, having just finished the business institute, which was one of the longest 2 nights and day of my life! (we'd only had about 5 hours of sleep in the last 2 nights before the program so that could be a big reason!) learned so much that my brain literally felt "fried" by the end of last night. can't wait to put to use all the stuff we've learned. funny thing is that the actual convention portion hasn't even started yet!

greg bumatay of bumatay studio
, had offered to photograph me and eddie, ,which i was sooo excited about. he brought along several of his workshop-mates who were also attending the anti-workshop. i can't wait to see images!

here's a couple videos of us at 3 a.m. being the big dorks we are: (thanks for the video, erwin!)

in order of appearance, from right to left: greg, monica, ed, hamilton, and josh solar of josh solar photo:

and folks, we're still in the running for america's next top model...errrr... i mean "best photographer of the year" by kcra-3. we've actually moved up to 2nd place so please vote for us by clicking on the link below. the contest ends on 4.18.08. thank you!!!

2008 KCRA 3 A-List Contest Nominated: Best Photographer in the Sacramento area

//ed pingol
707.334.1468
info@edpingolphotography.com
edpingolphotography.com