maui, day 4 - pigging out

ed June 18, 2008

commentator: monica

as much as i love paradise for it's seclusion from the rest of the harried life of the mainland, there's a small price to pay in that most of the local places are closed on sundays. waking up early to drive to hana, we traveled well over an hour in the hopes we'd be able to pack a picnic lunch of maui delicacies. we were sorely disappointed and had to wait 'til day four, which was our last half day on the island before our flight. we packed quite a few places in a matter of a few hours. tons of fun and plenty of yummy grindz!!!

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

t. komoda's freshly baked cream puffs and malasadas in makawao

the freshest poke EVER at eskimo candy in kihei. they deliver much of the fresh fish to the nearby fine dining establishments.

tasaka guri guri in kahalui. guri guri is a frozen dessert - a hybrid between shave ice and sherbet.

a beach we passed by in kehei

until next time, maui...

maui, day 3 - road to hana

ed June 17, 2008

commentator: monica

"the road to hana is a must see!" that's what we were told by numerous people when they found out we'd be headed to maui. we had visited the island a couple of years before but weren't able to make the trek during our a day and a half stay so we wanted to be sure to make the drive this time. it's called the "highway to heaven" and we now understand why. although the town of hana is a little anti-climactic, the journey is spectacular - full of hairpin turns, one way bridges, taro patches, beautiful waterfalls, fragrant flora, and coastal views of the pacific. and the homemade coconut candy, or what our friends chrissy & joey call "happy candy," was certainly "food of the gods!" as many beaches as we had passed during this trip, we really didn't find any suitable for sunning/bathing so we ended up getting back to our kihei hotel in time for a quick swim before sunset.

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

nothin' like experiencing hana highway in a convertible!

we stopped for a "picnic" lunch

honomanu bay

not really by myself

plumerias are my fave

a beautiful hawaiian sunset

stolen images

ed June 17, 2008

commentator: ed

over the weekend, several respected photographers emailed us about MP (*name edited and link removed).

our images were stolen along with other photographers we know and network with.

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

UPDATE: 6.17.08: we've since received an email, which is included as a comment by the owner of the company. here is the owner's comment and our response to his/her message:

---

Hi,

I am boss of the MP(*company name edited).
those photo is provided by one of our photographers,
I have been find the source photo in the web.
This photographer has be fire out. I so angry & humiliated about this disguised.

I have been changed it.

I would like to thanks Ms. SS to let me know this issue.

Thanks all.

---

Hello,

Thanks for your attention to this matter. We are pleased that you have decided to remove our images from your website, along with DC's images and very disappointed for you that your employee had submitted stolen images for your site. We also want to bring your attention to the fact that the maternity photos, contact page photos, as well as testimonials appear to also have been stolen from other photographers' websites and we strongly encourage you to remove these, as well, and be sure that ALL your images are actually created by your photographers.

We will go ahead remove your identity from the blog post "stolen identity." Good luck to you in your business!

---

we tried to replace an edited version of the image below, to remove the company's identity, from the screen shot but wad-aya-know, our image server is down!!! that's what we call the bank of karma in full-force. we'll get to it as soon as the server is up again. =)

thanks to all of you folks who were so kind enough to notify us about this ordeal. you guys and gals rock!

------------------------------------------------

maui, hawaii - day 1 - makena - iao valley - honolua-mokuleia - paia

ed June 15, 2008

commentator: monica

ahhhhhhhhh... paradise... that's where we've been these last couple few days to photograph a wedding on maui. (photos of ging & glen's awesome wedding to come soon!) we arrived on thursday night and went immediately to bed, after catching a late supper in kihei. when we woke up, we were greeted by a beautiful sunrise right outside our balcony at the mana kai resort. we spent the first part of day one scouting out the locations of our wedding for the next day, before we headed out to sight-see and snorkel. first off, we drove to iao valley to visit the famous landmark "needle," which is such a lush area of the island. afterwards, we found our way to a fairly secluded beach at honolua bay, which has some great "fishwatching." with a tip from michelle & paul, who just went to maui for their honeymoon a few weeks ago, we made reservations at mama's fish house for a window seat at sunset. oh man, they weren't kidding when they said this was the best place to have the freshest fish ever!!! thanks for the fantabulous recommendation, guys! of course, we couldn't go wrong listening to advice from an executive chef!

the view from our room

off to maui prince hotel to scout! check out their ginormous koi aplenty!

the palm trees outside the prince hotel

134 steps to the overlook of the needle

a breathtaking view of the valley

trees

makes you wanna swing from a vine and scream "ahahahahahahahaha!!!"

enjoying some yummy mai tai's and gourmet grindz at mama's fish house

silly photographers!!! glad we don't look like them at a restaurant! =)

sunset view of the north shore

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

connie and berto's wedding - st. vincent ferrer, vallejo - crowne plaza hotel, concord, california

ed June 11, 2008

commentator: monica

yowza! what a fun wedding!!! this lovely couple introduced us to a few firsts: the bride and groom serving wine during the eucharist, shooting a pet bird, a "bridesman" catching the bouquet, a photo session at the pleasant hill city hall, and justin timberlake's snl skit...

we met up with connie at superimage salon in benicia in the morning, where the ladies were getting glammed up, before heading to connie's parents' place where they got dressed. at st. vincent, we met up with the guys for photos of them just before the ceremony. post-ceremony, connie & berto wanted to take a quick detour to take a few photos at berto's family's home, where his dad's rose garden was in full bloom. it's things like this that may seem "disruptive" to the wedding day schedule but are so important to the couple and their family. when asked what location might be a good one for photos in between the church and hotel, we decided on the pleasant hill city hall, which we've been wanting to shoot at for months now.

the reception at the crowne plaza hotel was such a rockin' good time! we can't recommend their live band, keith johnson all stars enough, enough as they had the dance floor full the entire night.

congratulations, connie & berto! we're so honored to have captured such a special day in your new life together.

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

announcing the new husband & wife!

getting ready

seems like everyone was texting that morning. and no, mom wasn't in pain, she was just a little scared of the curling iron. =)

the shoes and the dress. flowers by: arlene's floral accent.

the flasks and the ring

berto and his boys

the ceremony

the hilarious bridal party

if you're wondering what those "gifts" are, then you haven't seen the skit "d*ck-in-a-box" (cue opening up another browser and youtube-ing the terms right now!) and yes they actually sell these! i'm still chuckling...

the happy couple

reception details. cake by: margaret's french bakery

their first dance started off with a ballad and ended with the crowd on it's feet!

the amazing keith johnson all stars

the tosses

party time! this was like a reunion for their high school class.

dancing shoe shot, a la apertura.

more dancing...

can't leave without a photo with at least the bride. looks like my index finger was out-of-service that night. videography by: c3 videography

individual images
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if you want to see individual images of this session, simply click here!
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venisa and jason's engagement session - stow lake, golden gate park - san francisco

ed June 10, 2008

commentator: monica

venisa & jason love their doggie so much they decided to bring her along to their e-session. we love it when our couples bring along their "animal kids" to their sessions! zoey was an excellent photo subject, as were her lovely parents. venisa had even had a chance to have her make-up artist do a trial run so she was lookin' especially pretty that afternoon.

since the two love the outdoors, especially jason, we met up at stow lake in golden gate park in the late afternoon. this is an awesome time for photos since it allows you to have that great warm pre-sunset glow. we even had a chance to photograph them just after sunset at one of the wooden piers along the embarcadero, which allowed for the beautiful colors of dusk.

congratulations on your engagement, venisa & jason. wish zoey would be able to come along to your wedding in september! =)

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

the waterfall

they "shoes" each other

at the bridge next to the pavillion

arm-in-arm

all smiles

the adorable zoey

bliss

dusk

street-fighters/lovers!

individual images
===================================
if you want to see individual images of this session, simply click here!
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robbie jane & marco's wedding - st. vincent ferrer, vallejo - hiddenbrooke golf club, vallejo

ed June 6, 2008

commentator: monica

robbie & marco are a couple of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. on a quiet morning, robbie got ready at their drool-enducing, super modern home. upon entering, we thought "who needs a swanky hotel to get ready at if you have decor like this in your house!"

with this being the first wedding in a decade on the groom's side of the family who are from southern california, this was a huge celebration for all. their catholic ceremony was held at saint vincent ferrer, happily witnessed by their close family and friends. they celebrated their reception not too far from their home at hiddenbrooke golf club, with such great weather on their big day that all were able to enjoy through the panoramic windows. the gorgeous couple's fantastic taste came through in the very stylish decor of the banquet room.

congratulations, robbie & marco! we hope you got the tan you were hoping for in hawaii! =)

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

the colors of the wedding motif match their home decor. blue is certainly their fave!

the dress and details. flowers by: "flowers by anne"

the stunning bride. make-up/hair by: jira of "wowpretty"

the bridesmaids

the guys, just before the ceremony

the ladies

a shot from the balcony

walking down the aisle

cherishing the bride

newlyweds!

the entourage

the bride and groom, outside their venue

the reception

speech, speech!

sneaking away for a few moments during the reception

first dance. entertainment by: 1st class djs

individual images
===================================
if you want to see individual images of this session, simply click here!
===================================

marion and scott's engagement session - santa cruz beach baord walk, ca

ed June 4, 2008

commentator: monica

we've been shooting tons in san francisco lately so when marion and scott asked us to meet them in santa cruz, we were all about it! ed and i haven't visited the beach boardwalk in years so we'd forgotten how colorful and fun this area is. we started off just outside neptune's kingdom, where most of the shops were still closed. by the time we had finished up at that location, the candy shop had just opened up. lucky for us, we were able to spot some "shark fin" lollipops, which we wanted our adorable duo to use since they were just about to change into their sharks jerseys. marion and scott are devout fans and had to be sure to get some photos of them in their team's attire.

the boardwalk had opened up by then, which gave us an opportunity to check out the rides. marion and scott were willing to ride the ferris wheel, which ended up being a lot longer than we'd remembered the ride lasting. this ride definitely gave them their money's worth. =) we had a blast at this location!

congratulations on your engagement, marion & scott! thanks so much for the delicious mexican lunch!

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

contentment