Blog Address Change

The address of my blog has changed to tiarephotoblog.com, while my main website (tiarephoto.com) is in the works. Update your bookmarks, and stay tuned!

Precious Moments: JEREMIAH | Fountain Valley, CA

I LOVE taking pictures of kids - it's amazing how quickly they grow and change in so little time, and freezing the moments when they're so innocent and developing their personalities is completely gratifying for me.

Jeremiah is 1-1/2, and the sweetest little guy! In a few months, he'll be a big brother, and will no doubt grow up even quicker. I watched him as he ran around, stop to hug his mommy [who clearly is his favorite, hands down ;)], and explore the park some more. His mommy would give him little snacks, and his face would instantly scrunch up into the most adorable smile - it was the cutest thing ever.

It was a hot morning, so the kids cooled down with some ice cream and popsicles from an ice cream vendor in the park, which they loved.

I had such a great time with the boys, and they were so much fun to photo shoot! Thank you Christine and Sa for such a nice day!

Precious Moments : JAMES | Fountain Valley, CA

Right before heading back to Seattle, I had two last shoots in California for the CUTEST little boys ever, cousins James and Jeremiah (see Jeremiah's shoot next!). James' aunty Christine scheduled the shoot for him, as an anniversary gift for his parents (how sweet is that!?). We met at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, and intermingled the boys' photo sessions, as they played together and ran around, having a good ol' time.

Both boys were my camera's best friends that day! James was an excellent little model, completely willing to strike a pose at any given moment. He has the most beautiful, big green eyes and is quite the little stud. I can only imagine what a heartbreaker he'll grow up to be, as he's the sweetest, most well-behaved little boy on top of being so handsome! :)

Angela Baraquio Grey | Anaheim, CA

My trip to California was a quick one, leaving Junior and the kids behind in Seattle. It was my first time traveling without them, and I missed them more than I can put into words! The reason for my trip to LA was to meet with good friends, Omi and Mapu for a photography workshop (of the sorts). We spent a good part of Thursday indulged in everything photography, and it was truly a highlight of this brand new venture! I can't say enough how fortunate I was to spend the day with them.

We were lucky to do some practice shooting with the beautiful and talented Angela Baraquio Grey at her home in Orange County. She is a highly accomplished motivational speaker, teacher and owner of Isle Entertainment in California - and completely down-to-earth. Amongst it all, she's also Mom to two adorable little boys. We had so much fun with her, and she was the perfect model for our practice session. It was great to meet you, Angie! Thanks again!

Shannon, Mike & Maluai | Oceanside, CA

There's something about visiting California that I just LOVE - apart from the huge change of scenery from Washington and all the great places to go and fun things to do, I get to see family I rarely ever see, and that's a huge bonus all in itself. Shannon is my cousin who I adore, and who I can count on for good laughs and a great time - all the time - and I was thrilled when she asked if I'd do pictures of her and her family. It worked out that I just planned a trip to CA, and drove out to Oceanside to see her on Friday evening.

Shannon is newly engaged to her perfect counterpart, Mike. It was my first time meeting him, and he was such a gentleman, and so cooperative and patient throughout their shoot. Shannon's youngest child and only daughter, Maluai, came along for pictures too and she was such a sweetheart! We got to the Oceanside Pier not long before the sun went down, but we were able to get a few shots before dark :).

Love you Shann! Here are just a few ;).

Little Mama

Our baby girl, all smiles after her first "real" haircut :).

Unconditional : THE FROST FAMILY

Kap & Jen are our good friends, and I was thrilled to be able to do some updated family photos for them. We found a beautiful, quiet park with a spectacular view of the sunset.

When I first moved to Seattle, Jen was one of my only friends I knew at the time, and when we were expecting our oldest daughter, she threw me a great baby shower that I'll remember always! She's an awesome friend, and she married a great guy. Together, they have the most adorable little boys who are heartbreakers in the making! Their 5-year old was ready as ever to have his pictures taken, and was a great model for me :), while their 1-year old LOVED running around the park. Jen's aunt and cousin also joined them for their shoot, and we got some nice shots of them as well.

Thanks guys for spending some time with me today!! Hope you like your photos :).

Déjà vu!

While editing more of Heidi's pictures for her CD of the entire shoot, I came across a few more that I just LOVED! I know I've posted several photos from this shoot already, but what the heck...here are just a couple more!

And the famous vele vao ("pulling weeds" in Samoan) pic Heidi loves so much..LOL! There was one grassy bush by where I'd had Heidi sitting and I wanted to get it in a shot, so I told her to turn to it and touch the grass or something. She gave me the craziest are-you-kidding-me!?! look, but played along anyway. She couldn't stop laughing from embarassment as several crowds of people had been down by the water barbequeing that evening, and were watching the entire shoot. See Haiki, you look great even when you vele vao! LOL!!

Off to College : ANDRU

The day before Andru had to report to the dorms at the University of Washington, we decided to get in a quick shoot of him and his brothers. The shoot was also to serve as sort-of-senior-portraits that we didn't get done sooner. Andru, we'll get some better ones when you're home from school :).

Andru has great things in store for him, and we're anxious for him to embark on this college adventure! The recipient of a full-ride athletic scholarship, Andru is officially a big, bad Husky. We couldn't be more proud!

Band of Brothers