Tough Derby Angel Project

I had the pleasure of shooting my first Derby Bout back in early November. I have to say these girls are TOUGH! After presenting my photos of the Bout to their PR contact, I had this idea of a Tough Derby Angel Project. So I asked for volunteers that were willing to shoot with me. After careful negotiation, I got my first victim, Ms. MaX XiBad...she was so cool to meet, along with her friend Sam and their Kitty...it was a bit of a challenge in arranging a time with our busy schedules and her lack of a vehicle, but we made it happen. Here are a couple of the Bad Ass, Ms. MaX XiBad....Tough Derby Angel....dont let the look fool ya, she will put you on your ass! =P

Randy "The Natural" Couture

Had the pleasure of meeting five time heavyweight champion, Randy "The Natural" Couture on Sunday. Thanks to a co-worker who knows how much of a MMA fan I am, the Fam Bam and I had the opportunity to meet the UFC Living Legend. First I want to say that he is a pretty big dude, very humble, soft spoken, and mellow, but seeing him face to face makes me realize that Brock must be HUGE!!! We all shook his hand, and it wasnt a bushel of bananas like Tony Robins, knowing that the King of Dirty Boxing was holding my little girl, it was a amazing experience.

Check out this BOI!

Edited a couple of images of AJ....check this guy out...tell me he isnt like his father? I cant deny it, he is mine!

Boudoir Class Tomorrow...

Ok...so I am still learning a lot about photography. Given that I do not have the talent as many other photographers I know, I need to practice and learn from skilled professionals in the industry................so, I am taking a Boudoir class tomorrow out in Oceanside. I am excited to learn some new techniques, poses and hopefully increase my knowledge and network base. Let keep our fingers crossed and hope it is worth the money!

So I finally got around to editing the photos...it was awesome, learned some new ideas, got some tips, best of all...I got images to add to the port....check it out:

 

 

Bell Session

I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot the Bell family this morning out at Lake Cuyamaca. I have to say it was a long track out there, but it was well worth the drive. On the way from the shoot we got to stop at a pumpkin patch, bought some Dudley bread, and almost got hit by a speeding car. Here are a few shoots I took I hope they enjoy them as mush as I enjoyed taking them. Thank you Matt, Christine, and Austin for letting me take these photos of your beautiful family.

A girl and her giraffe...

So I had to work today and it totally sucked. Kaily and Lisa ran some errands with the Vang familia and guess with what they came back with...A GIRAFFE. Apparently, she picked it out herself and Noah got a tiger. I have to say they are pretty freaking cool, check out this girl with her new giraffe.

Ms. Samantha A

I had the pleasure of shooting with Ms. Samantha a couple of Sundays ago. She is a local San Diegan, enjoys llife's gifts, and is a Tecate girl...awesome right?

We had a blast during our shoot...almost saw a homeless fight, saw the homies chillin at the pier smoking a J, and I found out she was nicknamed "The Chola" at her High School. I hope she enjoys her photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. Thank you so much for letting me shoot you Samantha =).

Glamour & Glow

Had the pleasure of shooting West Coast Club Life - Glamour and Glow on Saturday. All I can say is that it was awesome. Beautiful ladies, performances, designers, best of all glowing body paint. I met a ton of new people and made some great contacts, lets hope something comes out of it. Here are a few images to check out, I will edit and post more later.

Lighting - Jon Campbell 102

Did a photography workshop with a bunch of local photographers on Wednesday. It was actually pretty entertaining and made some new contacts. Learned about some studio lighting techniques and some basics. Looking forward to the 103 class, I can wait. Here are a few photos with different lighting setups with model Michelle:

I know, I know...its been while

Ok, so its been a while since my last post on here, what can I say? I am just that damn lazy. So whats up with the Fam Bam? Well, all is good, we have been growing stronger as a family...AJ has been promoted from grade school, Kaily talks and babbles, Lisa is becoming a wonderful mother, and I have been getting my ass kicked in the gym.

We just went to Comic Con over the weekend with friends and we are having a great summer so far.

So I promise to start posting more, that is when I have time...

First good night of sleep...

Last night was our first good night of sleep...we only had to get up about 3 times to feed and we had to wake Kaily up. I hope this stays as the routine and she is wide awake this morning. I guess I have to keep her up and entertained during the day so she wiped out at night. Her poops are lightening up and are looking more yellow, so the jaundice diagnosis might get lifted.

Lisa is doing good, all of her tubes, wires, and attachments have been removed. Her pain level is pretty minimal and she has been walking around. Still havent seen the pediatrician this AM, but I think we are going home today. Hopefully, the next blog entry will be from home, I think I can hold my breath on this one.

Great News...but it might just be rumors.

It looks like we might be going home tomorrow, but who really knows. Everything is looking good and Kaily has lost about 7.5% of her original body weight, which is still ok...anything over 10% and we would be staying.

We have to meet with the pediatrician and the lactation specialist tomorrow and we can get the official word. Apparently, her jaundice is not much of a concern, she is feeding and her bowl movements are regular. All signs are positive at this point so lets keep our fingers crossed so we can get home.

Hello Again

Kaily is now over 36 hours old... She is doing well by keeping us up at night and sleeping during the day. We are trying to break the habit, but she is stubborn like her daddy.

She has been diagnosed with jaundice:

Newborn jaundice is a condition marked by high levels of bilirubin in the blood. The increased bilirubin cause the infant's skin and whites of the eyes (sclera) to look yellow.

Treatment is usually not necessary. Keep the baby well-hydrated with breast milk or formula. Frequent feedings encourage frequent bowel movements, which helps remove bilirubin through the stools. Sometimes special blue lights are used on infants whose levels are very high. This is called phototherapy. These lights work by helping to break down bilirubin in the skin.

At this point we sit and wait for the pediatrician to let us know what to do next. We have up'd the feedings but Kaily falls asleep on us and isnt pooping enough...RGH!

Some Photos to Share...

So I have managed to get home to take a shower, get AJ, and picked up some items we forgot. Now we are back at the hospital...Uncle Ku and Big Bro AJ are bored sitting with me in the room...they have messed with their phones, gone on the computer, and now watching some TV.

The good thing is that we managed to get a private room...so having guests is not a issue and we can be loud.

While I was at home, I managed to take a couple of photos from yesterday off my camera...so here they are, nothing amazing, just some quick images to share:

Still Tired...

We had our first nights sleep, Kaily kept us up all night, but I managed to slip in some ZzZz's.

Besides a little rash on her body, she is doing great. Apparently its normal to get a little rash since she isnt used to blankets and clothes rubbing against her skin.

I will be going home to take a shower...I will try and post some photos online for everyone to see.

SHE IS FINALLY HERE!

Good Morning...so Kaily is finally here. Delivered by C-section, she was born on Sunday, March 28th at 7:30pm, weighting in at a whole 7lbs 4oz and just under 18" in length. She is doing well and looks very Hmongish, not sure where the Filipino went.

I know that she is tough, has strong lungs, and I know she is mine since she has already flipped me off about 3 times (I have photographic proof). She is doing really good, in fact she aced her Apgar Test and has already had her first breast feeding session, bath, and shots...so all in all we couldn't ask for anything better.

Now for mom...mom is doing really good, of course exhausted, drugged, and overwhelmed, but what can you do...after 20 hours of labor you would be out of it too.

Dad, I still haven't showered, I am making friends with everyone, including the security guards and have gas like no other...not sure what I ate, but I was dealing with my own set of contractions, if you know what I mean... unfortunately, I cant take a epidural with my issue.


Hospital staff have been really cool and we are learning a lot. I have taken a ton of photos and video that I will share later, but I need to get my rest. Mom and Baby are asleep now so I need take advantage while I can...I will snore like not other, or at least until 3:00am when the nurse will check on us...then I need to play it off like I have been awake the whole time to look cool.

Lisa, Kaily, AJ, and I wanted to thank you all for all your love, prayers, and support...Thank "GOD" that Kaily is finally here and we have made it through safe and sound with no complications. We are really looking forward to taking her home and introducing you all to her, just so she can see how lucky and loved she is in this "New World"....isn't that a Disney, oh wait thats a "Whole New World", duh!

Oh and one more thing...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LISA...you did a wonderful job and thank you for our wonderful daughter!

tap tap tap...

Hour 17 -


Lisa is still 7cm dilated...we are moving, slowly but surely.

Lisa is hungry and I got food from the hospital cafeteria...patty melt to be exact. I didn't realize how expensive the food was here, but I guess its the convenient factor.

Lisa is a trooper, but its Kaily's decision now and we are just rolling with the punches. Pressure is high...especially for Lisa.

Baby Update

Hour 14...still no baby.

Lisa and I have maybe slept a couple of hours on and off, mostly off of course. She has dilated 7cm...almost there, but not close enough. They have stopped the Pitocin drip and the contractions are about 2 mins apart. Lisa is loving the epidural, bless her heart for trying to go natural, but I could see it in her face that she was gonna hang.

So we sit and play the waiting game...I will try and update here as much as possible...its easier than taking calls.

We are in the Hospital

So...it was Saturday night and we had a surprise party to go to at Jimmy Loves in downtown SD. Got to the club at seven had a couple of drinks, Lisa goes to the restroom and BAM!!!

"Babe we need to go!!!"

So we gave our hugs and said our goodbyes...just so happened we carpooled with Jeff and Jen so they had to take us to the trolley station to get our car. Once we get to our car we make a B line home to get our bags and get to the hospital.

So now...its 6:24am Sunday morning and we have been here since 11:00pm Saturday night....guess what, still waiting for Kaily.

Keep you all posted...stay tuned.

Start Blogging

Ok...so I have had this blog for a while and never really did anything with it. So I guess its time to start keeping up with the world.

Lisa is due any day now and I still haven't done any maternity shoots with her...I guess I need to get on it.