Ben Sassani

The Blog Is Moving!

2010-11-28T03:00:00.012-06:00

Well, I think this blog has served me well for the last 3 years... but I think its time for something new and not so shiny. I prefer Clean!

So if you're a fan of my work and would like to follow my posts, please join me on the new blog. Its still a work in progress right now, but its mostly done! Go check it out and let me know what you think of it.

The new blog address is as follows:

www.sassaniphotographyblog.com

Thanks everyone for your continuing support, and see you boys and girls on the new blog.

Ben

Shraddha & Edward | Engagement Session, Part 1

2010-11-27T00:38:00.006-06:00

Like the other clients of 2011, Shraddha and Edward decided to do their engagement session this year vs. next year. Sounds like a good plan, right? Well... kinda.

This lovely couple is the dirty souf, aka Atlanta. We've been emailing back and forth, planning this engagement session for a little while and it started off on the wrong foot this morning, in the shape of a cold front coming through Houston. Yes, the weekend they're here to do their engagement pictures. This morning, it rained. Then it started to clear and I was happy. But of course that was short lived, because it got windy... and with the temperatures being in the 50s and 60s, the wind doesn't make it too pleasant. None the less, we decided to go for it and brave the cold and wind.

That lasted a whopping hour and half.

So after much deliberation and a badass steak for Edward from Texas Roadhouse (he'd never been!), we've come to the conclusion that this weather is not going to push us around. So when they come back for their wedding next year, we're going to finish this session and make it all complete. Hence the reason there's a "Part 1" in the title of this post.

So for now, enjoy what pictures we did capture from tonight and let them know that they rock by leaving them a comment or two.

My Moo Card Experience (and Review)

2010-11-20T12:56:00.006-06:00

For the past few months, I'd been searching for a good place that can print high quality business cards. I'm not talking about the 10,000 cards for $2 places that just pump them out and don't care about quality... I'm talking quality, feel, etc.

Then one day during the summer, my good friend Clint Davis - and the twin of my favorite TV character, Dexter - posted about Moo Cards on his blog.

I'd heard about Moo Cards and I'd even seen some samples, but being so A.D.D sometimes, I just didn't think of it at first to look them up. Perfect, Moo was the way to go for me... or was it?

The biggest advantage with Moo is that you can put up to 50 different pictures on the back of your cards, high quality and all. So not only are cards going to give your info to your potential clients, you can also have it act as a partial portfolio for yourself. Brilliant! I sifted through my work for the last 2 years and picked some of the best pictures I had taken at weddings and engagement sessions. All in all, I ended up with 39 total pictures. Here are some of the examples of what I picked...

Now it was time to do the front side of the card.

On Moo's site, it recommends you to use the following dimensions with 300dpi resolutions.

Not so hard to create it, right? I go into Photoshop, create a very simple 300dpi JPEG with my logo and basic info for the front of the cards at the recommended dimensions. I then uploaded the pictures and waited anxiously for my cards.

In about a week, I received my first batch of cards. I was so excited, I ripped the package to pieces like a 3 year old on christmas morning and took the cards out for a glance at the quality.

Imagine my disappointment when I saw their awesome packaging, awesome picture quality, with an absolutely ruined front side of the card. The quality was so bad, it looked like my name and logo had been smeared all over the card... on EVERY card.

So I emailed Moo that weekend and received an apology email back from them with an attempt to correct the problem. Mad or not, I have to say as a customer, I appreciate that. They also told me that "usually" a 300dpi JPEG shouldn't have any issues, but just in case, send them a Vectored PDF to ensure correction of the bleeding issue around the letters.

Not having access to a program that does anything in a Vector format, I emailed Clint (a.k.a Dexter). He was gracious enough to not only redo the front side of the card for me, but also fix a small part of my logo that was bugging me. The "S" in Sassani looked a little choppy in my logo, so he cleaned it up (His doing is on the right).

So now, I sent the Vectored PDF to Moo and expected the new batch to be a-ok, and here's what I got...

The SAME thing... reprinted. Although they weren't as bad as the first batch, they still weren't right and I was quite pissed. So I emailed Moo AGAIN and told them the same JPEG file was printed instead of vectored PDF they had requested. So now, I have 400 cards that are nearly useless.

Moo apologized again and asked for the PDF file to reprint the cards yet again. Being a little hesitant, I went ahead and sent the PDF file and waited.

After another week or so (its been nearly a month since my initial order), I received my 3rd set of cards. This time, as they said, the PDF worked like a charm. The batch is perfect and Clint is my savior. Thanks Clint!

So now I'm left with a dilemma. Now that I know what issue was and its been fixed, do I use them again, or do I start searching for another place? Honestly, that question is easy for me to answer. Yes, I'll use them again... and here's why:

Throughout the whole process, they attempted to fix their mistake. They were gracious enough to print me new cards and even though they had a hiccup with the second batch, they printed the cards until the issue was corrected. The quality and thickness of the cards is awesome, and the pictures look oh so sexy on the backside. Now that the front side is also fixed, these are what I would say are the perfect cards for anyone with a visual portfolio and I would recommend them to anyone.

So if you're looking for business cards and you like great quality, give Moo Cards a chance and know that they stand behind their product 100%. I'm quite happy with my cards and I'll be reordering once I run out of them... and this time, with the correct Vector PDF file the awesome Clint Davis designed for me.

Tracy & Chris | Couples Session, Houston TX

2010-11-12T16:11:00.003-06:00

Some of might remember Tracy's photoshoot from earlier this year. She's a local film photographer who's extremely talented and also a great person. check out her work HERE!

When we did our shoot earlier this year, it was supposed to be a two part thing. But the weather was so weird and ever so changing, we never got a chance to do the second session. Now that I'm done with weddings for the year, I contacted her and told her to 'lets do this'. So just like I do with all my clients, I told her to pick a couple of locations and lets get to work. She chose an urban, downtown-y, edgy place Chris and her both liked... the Flying Saucer. So yesterday, we went downtown Houston and took some casual and fun pictures of the two of them.

They're also both Cigar aficionados, and Chris manages a cigar shop in the Houston area... so we thought it'd be great to have their love for cigars put into the pictures.

Check out the session and show them some love by leaving a comment for them!

Enjoy.

Anna & Frank | Houston, TX Enagagement

2010-11-01T16:14:00.002-05:00

One of the things I do is ask my clients to pick a few locations that have personal meaning to them to take pictures at for their engagements. Personal, Sentimental, anything... and most of them respond with very cool locations. Anna & Frank were obviously no different.

They met at the Univ. of Houston, so one of the locations they picked was the campus. To be specific, they actually met while working as lifeguards at the school swimming pool, so being me... I had to make 'that' picture a cool one. So this past weekend, we started out at the Univ. of Houston campus recreation center, then moved on to their other passion. Their dogs!

I'm a big softy when it comes to Great Danes, because I've always wanted one, but room at our place (and my wife) never allowed it. Now with a kid and other responsibilities, its hard to own one. So, I live vicariously through other owners of Great Danes. And let me tell you, I loved Brutus... and Dakota (their Lab) was pretty awesome too!

Pumpkins & Hook 'ems.

2010-10-29T20:37:00.003-05:00

Kami's growing up way too fast, and I'm not as picture happy with him now as I was even a year or so ago. But every year, I *have* to take Halloween pictures of him. Its 3 years running so far, and I can't wait to keep adding more.

And for those who do not know, Kami knows how to throw his 'Hook em Horns' hand gesture pretty well already. So well in fact fact, that one of the kids at his Montessori school ran up to me a few weeks ago as I was picking him up, gave me a big thumbs up and told me "GIG 'EM, and you can tell KAMI'S MOMMY THAT!". That made me proud!

Looks like we're raising our boy right!

Happy Halloween everyone.

Katie & Chase | Brenham, TX Engagement Session

2010-10-24T09:50:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago while heading to shoot my Longhorn wedding, I get a phone call from Chase. He tells me Katie & him have decided I need more Aggie pictures in my portfolio. And you know what... I think I do too. After second shooting an Aggie wedding with a good friend a few months back, I must say, Aggies know how to party and have a good time! So needless to say, I'm excited.

Then I get a very *very* detailed email from Katie telling me (among other things) that we have access to a massive ranch a friend of their owns, complete w/ awesome fields, tractors, and even a zip line into a swimming pond. This just gets better and better. So yesterday, we headed out to the Brenham area - yes, where Blue Bell Ice cream is made - to scope out this ranch and do their engagement pictures.

There was so many great locations and so little time, we didn't get to the zip line like we wanted, but we did get these very awesome pictures. So take a minute and enjoy these pictures, then let Katie & Chase know how awesome they are!

Thank you Katie & Chase for allowing me to be a part of what will be a very special wedding next year. I'm seriously excited and can't wait!

Kelsey & Kendan | Wharton, TX Wedding

2010-10-20T21:10:00.003-05:00

Well, I can honestly say this is my first true country wedding... in the country. Well, almost. Wharton is about an hour south of Sugarland and I was honored to shoot Kelsey & Kendan's wedding. The wedding was very simple, and I think the vows took a little less than 2 minutes. Literally. Reason being, they wanted to get down and enjoy the rest of the night partying, which by the way, they did.

Check out the awesome Cow themed house (Kelsey's mom), the necklace her great grandmother wore on her wedding day, and the very fun and lively wedding that followed.

Enjoy.

The dress on the right is Kelsey's mom's wedding dress thats upstairs in their house. How cool is that?

and to keep the kids busy, they had a scavenger hunt with disposal cameras and a list of things for them to get. What a great idea!

This exact necklace was worn by Kelsey's great grandmother on her wedding day... how amazing is that?

If you've never seen a grand march at a wedding, then its a sight to behold.

Kelsey | Austin, TX Bridal Session

2010-10-17T23:04:00.002-05:00

So a few weeks back, I promised Kelsey's bridal pictures... and now that she's married, everyone can have a look at the killer pics we took on a cool morning in September!

Enjoy.

Kim & Marco | Lakeway, TX Wedding

2010-10-11T00:13:00.003-05:00

Ah yes, Kim & Marco. The two biggest sports fan of a couple I've had to date. Their wedding didn't fall on the Red River Rivalry weekend for no reason! Knowing that before hand, I had to make the engagement shoot special... so we pulled a few strings and got them inside the UT stadium for the most awesome shoot I've ever done. you can check out that awesome engagement shoot here!

Then to top it all off, my friend Clint Davis who was moving across the country from California to South Carolina called me and asked if he could shoot the wedding with me as he reached his midway of travel. How could I possibly say no? I mean, have you seen his website??? To have him shoot with me was an absolute honor!

The day was great, the weather was awesome, the bride was beautiful, and the wedding went off (almost) without a hitch! It was such an awesome wedding, I really don't know what else to say other than... enjoy the pictures.

Run, Kenny, Run

2010-09-26T00:05:00.004-05:00

Last year at the end of October, I received a phone call from my cousin Amir in the Dallas area. He told me he was about to tell me something and I couldn't under any circumstances share it with anyone until the news was ready to be passed around. Sounded bad, and I was right.

You see, the previous year I had shared with him some bad news that I told him he couldn't share with anyone until the news was ready to be spread. I had told him and his soon to be wife (at the time) about my mom's battle and ongoing surgery schedule with Acoustic Neuroma. My mom wasn't ready to tell anyone about it, but Amir is a person I had trusted with conversations and information for a long long time.

So after a few somber moments of talking, Amir proceeded to tell me that his dad (my uncle) has Pancreatic Cancer. Mind you, this is around the same time the news was concentrating on this deadly form of cancer, because Patrick Swayze was dying of it... so I knew the outcome. I quickly jumped on the internet, looked up the treatment for it, chance of survival, etc. Needless to say, I was almost in tears once I learned almost 95% of the people diagnosed do not survive past 5 years.

A few days after the phone call, my uncle Kenny went into surgery. I remember texting Amir all day back and forth asking how everything was going. I was as worried as anyone else was, and I had nobody but Thao to share this with since I had promised Amir I wouldn't say anything until his dad was ready to reveal it himself. After surgery, recovery, came the reveal. The cancer was benign and it was positioned in such a place on his pancreas that it had not entered his blood stream. Needless to say, he was about to become one of the 5% who survive this rather than becoming a statistic. My uncle has always been a fighter and he's an example to many, including myself. I call him randomly for guidance and sometimes just to say hi, give him good news, or tell him how we're doing. It would be hard for me to not have him around. very hard.

A few monts back, he emailed my family and I about a run that was coming up that benefited Pancreatic Cancer in Austin he was going to participate in. Being the forgetful person, I didn't see or read the email until it was too late... but fear not, my brother Fred made sure I remembered. I was supposed to have a client meeting in Austin today (which canceled) but I went up there anyway for the Purple Stride Austin Run/Walk.

My uncle didn't know I was coming, and he didn't know I was planning on taking pictures for him. After all, its the smallest thing I could do to show how much I care. So on Saturday morning, Fred and I woke up at the butt crack of dawn and headed to the Hill Country Galleria in Austin for the run. Here are the pictures I took of the run and the day.

Please look at the pictures and leave my uncle some comments to remind him how big of a battle he's battling, and looks like he's winning. I'm proud to have him as a family member and to call him my uncle.

Kenny, this post is for you! hope you enjoy it.

These purple roses were given to the handful of survivors among the 1,100+ crowd. Unfortunately, my uncle missed this part. why, you ask? Well, natured called and he was in the bathroom.

The Miller Family | Tomball, TX Family Session

2010-09-23T23:48:00.003-05:00

A few months back, Courteney emailed me asking if I would do their family pictures before her new baby arrived. To say the least, I was beyond flattered. Not because she emailed me or asked me, but because Courteney is an awesome photographer herself and she has access to God knows how many other photographers here in the Houston area... and she chose me.

So a couple of weeks back, during the heat and humidity of beautiful Houston, Texas we braved the elements with her beautiful daughter Ella and husband Chris, went out to a local park near their house for this awesome session. Here's a few samples from that session. Hope you guys enjoy.

Kelsey & Kendan | Austin, TX Engagement

2010-09-22T22:47:00.003-05:00

I had the whole thing planned. Talked to Kelsey about it... was ready to go. My plan was to drive to Austin Friday afternoon, do her Bridals (coming soon!) while Kendan was gone for the evening, then do their engagement shoot on Saturday morning before coming back home to Houston.

As I'm driving into Austin, everything seems great. I was making good time, weather was ok - a little cloudy, but not too bad - and Kelsey was getting ready. The closer I get, the clouds grow darker. Being the photographer I am, I'm thinking 'well, I like clouds... this could be awesome'. Ya, right! As soon as I pull into Austin... RAIN! and not just normal rain, either. Rain with drops the size of coins and very little gap between those coin sized drops.

So as I get to K&K's place, Kelsey is ready to go, sitting there in her awesome wedding dress and veil. I had to talk her out of doing the shoot, because as you can tell, I like fields... and fields get muddy when it rains. Not to mention, I'll be damned if I get a bride's dress dirty in a field for the sake of a picture. So, she reluctantly waited until the morning.

So the next morning, early, we did Kelsey's bridal shoot (which rocked... and you'll see it soon enough), then we headed out with Kendan to take some pics of them. The weather was awesome, Kelsey & Kendan brought along some props and we rocked out the shoot in Kyle, Tx.

Here's the results of the shoot, and I'm sure they would really appreciate your love - in the form of comments - after you check out their pics.

Ready? SET... GO!

On a personal note...

2010-09-21T00:47:00.003-05:00

I just have to share this.

My good friend Eric Doggett put the following video on his blog today, and I must say, I've watched it (probably) 30 times already... and no, its not because I like Coldplay either. The video below is about the journey of a guy who got fed up with being unhappy, something snapped, he made a change and lost 120 lbs in less than 2 years!

Last December, something snapped in me. I was overweight and pretending I wasn't gaining any more weight. I got fed up, and although I wasn't as dedicated and motivated as this guy is, I have managed to drop a good 30+ lbs so far in the last 9 months. At first, it was because of my brother's wedding. Then it became the "don't want to be fat again" thoughts. So today I sit here, lighter, leaner, meaner, and well lets just face it, sexier before you watching the following video.

It really is amazing what motivation does to you. I almost want to go out and run like hell just to prove to myself that I can lost another 30 lbs. But if I do that, my ginormous head would once again not be proportional to my body like it was when I was younger. Unfortunately, I can't lose the weight on my head!

I hope you watch this video and are as inspired as I am. Enjoy!

The lovely Nicole Webber

2010-09-09T22:08:00.002-05:00

A while back, I had a Thursday wedding in Austin. I hadn't seen my good friend (& past bride) Nicole in quite a while, so I took a road trip for the weekend with another friend to Dallas to see and hang out with her.

She's such a photogenic person, but she's so nervous in front of the camera. After about an hour of walking around the neighborhood, we finally broke her shyness and got some killer pics.

She had told me she was looking into getting in the makeup artistry, which I think would be a great field for her! She's an amazing makeup artist and did an amazing job for her own wedding in Cancun. If anyone in the Dallas area is getting married and want a amazingly talented makeup artist, please let me know and I'll get you in contact with her. Not only is she a talented artist, but she's also a very down to earth and amazing person too. She's become a great friend and I love getting her random texts telling me she's thinking of Thao, Kami, and I.

Ok, now what...?

2010-09-03T22:21:00.007-05:00

Social media these days seems to be everywhere. Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Linkedin, etc. I'm the type of person that would give anything social media-y a chance knowing the power of its connection. Hell, I even tried Google Buzz. What a joke!

So Apple recently introduced 'ping', their social media thingie. I'm guessing the idea of it is (so far) better than its execution. Social media + Music = Success? I'm a junkie for both, but its not taking off like the iPhone or even the iPad.

Seems that Apple tried to get it to connect to facebook, but something happened and Facebook blcoked it. Strike 1.

Then even though there's been over a million users signed up in just 2 days, nobody knows what the hell they're supposed to do on it. Strike 2.

I admit, I'm a sucker, I signed up... but I'm with the masses and have no clue what the point of this thing is. Maybe in due time, Apple will unveil their evil plan and explain it all to us, but it seems (just like Google Buzz) it has 2 strikes against it in just 2 days, and we all know that if people can't figure it out easily or see a point in it, they won't flock toward it. Yes, I understand the cult following of Apple and their products. I'm a big fan of them... I have 2 computers and an iPhone from them. I get them, their evil plan, and they've lured me in. I just hope this doesn't follow buzz as the butt of jokes in the social media circles.

Oh well, here's my page for ping. If anyone is on there, feel free to add me. I'd love to figure this thing out with you and actually put it to good use... whatever that use may be. I just don't think this will be anything like Facebook or Twittter.

Its true what they say!

2010-08-29T12:16:00.002-05:00

It really is. I always heard parents telling Thao and I that kids get better with every stage. At 6 months old, we thought it couldn't get any better. Then the same when he was 1, when he started walking, talking, potty trained, etc.

Kami has been pretty vocal lately, and he know what Daddy's camera is all about. So today, Kami came up to me and asked "Daddy take a picture...?", and without hesitation, I grabbed my camera and wanted to take a picture. But I thought about it and figured since he's so vocal and understands everything we say now, I'd have a simple setup. I grabbed my flashes, stands, umbrella, and setup a simple lighting scenario in his room.

He was so awesome! he stood there, took direction, and was the greatest 2 1/2 year old model anyone could ask for.

Big News!

2010-08-15T00:43:00.003-05:00

Thao and I just recently found out that we're expecting our second baby. We couldn't be more excited!

Above all, we want the baby to be (obviously) healthy, but I can't help but wish for a little girl. Everyone I know that is having a baby these days is having a boy. EVERYONE! My parents have always wanted a little girl. So much in fact, that they used to used to put our hairs (my brothers and I) in pig tails when we were kids and take pictures of us (No, I won't post any!).

We have a girl name picked out already, but we have no idea what we'll do for a name if its a boy. It took us 8 months and 3 weeks until we came up with Kami's name, so it would be a long and hard journey for a name!

So here's hoping for a very healthy baby girl.

And so he grows.

2010-08-15T00:35:00.003-05:00

Today, we moved Kami from his crib to a big boy bed. He now resides in a nice (and big) Queen size bed in his room, complete w/ his whole zoo of stuffed animals. He was so excited about it, he kept asking us to go home so he could go night night on his new bed... at 7 PM! (he usually goes to bed around 9ish).

Even while I was putting things together for him, moving things in and out of the room, and cleaning things up in his room, he came and climbed on the bed and watched Thao and I work. So being the dad that I am, I grabbed my camera... which he of course loves.

My little boy is growing up, and as much as I love it, I also miss him being a little baby!

Kim & Marco | UT Football Stadium Engagement

2010-07-19T20:52:00.005-05:00

This session is the one I've been waiting and waiting for. Not to post it - well, NOW... - but to get it set up. Marco was great friends with Kevin Webber (who tragically passed away late last year) and we shared many great memories of Kevin during our first conversation... and every conversation since then.

Marco is a diehard UT Football fan. So diehard in fact, his wedding this coming October isn't starting until the UT vs OU game is over. Because he's getting married on October 2nd... the DAY of the big game!

Since the UT Stadium is where they got engaged, I thought it would be a great idea to try and do their engagement session inside the stadium, and even cooler to get them on the field. Something to remember! So I contacted my good friend Eric Doggett of Doggett Studios because he had done a shoot there before for Mack Brown's wife Sally & Marcus Tubbs last November to see if he could help a brotha out!

Eric made a few phone calls, set the whole thing up, and all he wanted was breakfast at Magnolia Cafe... which I gladly provided. So last week, we made our way to the stadium, met with the right people, then had (almost) unlimited access to the stadium. Being a pretty diehard fan of UT myself (my wife and father graduated from there), I was pretty excited to be there also! We started our shoot on the field and almost passed out of the heat... but we enjoyed every second of it.

So without further delay, here are the pictures from the awesome session. Let Marco and Kim know what you think about them by leaving them some love in the comments section!

Thanks again to Eric for setting this awesome day up, and to Kim and Marco for allowing me to capture the great time we had. See you guys in October!

Jasmine & Khoa | Wedding

2010-07-19T15:00:00.003-05:00

Ever so often, I get reminded how small this world is. I didn't know who Jasmine & Khoa were before I met with them... but I should have. Thao's cousin is married to Khoa's High School friend, and Khoa has been friends with another one of Thao's cousins for years... yet we haven't so much as met each other at a party, BBQ, nothing!

Well, I felt honored to be their photographer and to capture not only their Engagement Session, but their wedding last month.

Enjoy the pictures and don't forget to leave Jasmine & Khoa some love at the bottom.

Thank you guys for allowing me to capture your very special day. I had a blast doing it.

Kim & Aaron | Engagement

2010-07-14T01:16:00.003-05:00

I'm a little late on this, and shame on me! I've been buried in work and I didn't even notice that I forgot to post these awesome pictures.

We had a blast romping around the Austin area taking these pictures. From the random fields, to the hand picked places, to the shoes. Yes, shoes! We drove all around, took a bunch of pictures, then ended up talking about our new iPhone 4's over dinner at Baby A's on Barton Springs. It was a great and humid day, and I truly respect Kim & Aaron for being such troopers in their formal outfits!

Kim & Aaron are getting married this Saturday, and without further ado... I present to you their engagement pictures.

Enjoy.

They're big in the wiffle ball, so the afternoon started out on a baseball field. :)

Then I made them crawl through some tall grass for some killer pics... But I apologized every chance I got. I blamed it on my "vision", which I think came out pretty well on these pics.

the flowers were Kim's idea...

Thank you guys for the afternoon, and we'll rock it at your wedding. See you guys soon!

Casey & Tim | Wedding

2010-06-27T19:07:00.003-05:00

Such a fun Couple, such a fun Wedding.

Casey & Tim used my wife and I for our services. Before we did anything for them, they sent us a pre-thank you card thanking us for services we hadn't even started performing for them. How awesome is that? Talk about the biggest ego boost ever!

Their engagement session was a fun event, capped off w/ dinner at Niko Niko's. Between the jokes that were cracked, the laughs that were had, I don't think I've ever had that much fun on an engagement session.

Then there's the venue of the reception. Casey & Tim love LOVE Berryhill Baja Grill in the Heights, so they decided to have their wedding reception there. I had to see this place for myself, so last November, I decided I was going by there to check it out. Once I went there, I couldn't wait to do the wedding because the place is so colorful. So on Saturday, June 5th, they shut down the whole place and threw their wedding reception there. Here's the result.

That morning, Tim had gone on a 5k run w/ some friends. He's the guy w/ the white visor, cowboy vest, and dark shorts on. Great sense of humor!

There's one thing I'm a sucker for, and thats shoes. Casey couldn't wait to show me her shoes... and I found out why when I saw them! WOW... I friggin' love the color!
Matter of fact, I love the color on these so much, my new upcoming logo is going to be the colors featured in this picture, w/ my logo being a shade of this green.
Thanks Casey for the inspiration. ;)

Casey also made her own bouquet. How awesome does this thing look?

Look at all the bright colors. LOOK A THEM!!!

Let the party start!

and in a newly established tradition, for the exit, everyone threw tortilla chips they had instead of rice. What a party!

Thank you Casey & Tim for making me a part of your wonderful day. I had a blast and can't wait to hear about and see the pics from your honeymoon!

Lauren & Kevin | Wedding

2010-06-27T11:05:00.002-05:00

Location: Austin, TX
Makeup: Laura Heyns
Venue: Vintage Villas
Cake: Simon Lee Bakery
Flowers: Flowers By Nancy
Donuts: Round Rock Donuts

Lauren blames me for getting Kevin intrigued about cameras and photography. Yes, its an expensive hobby, but its so rewarding... once you get past the sticker shock of certain things. I guess it doesn't help my caust that after I met with Lauren & Kevin last year, Kevin has helped with quite a few engagement shoots, and even been to a couple of weddings with me to help with equipment and even take pictures. Thanks Kevin!

This was my first Austin wedding of the year, and my first time shooting at Vintage Villas. I specially appreciate my good friend Dave McLaughlin of DCM Photography for helping me shoot this wedding. He's a true professional and a great mentor to me over the last few years as I've moved forward in this Photography game.

Enjoy the pics!

The coolest guest sign in, EVER!

Just in case you were wondering, yes, a Round Rock Donut hole does make a great place to take a ring picture.

Heena & Zul | Wedding (Day 1 & 2)

2010-06-27T09:38:00.002-05:00

The longest wedding I've done. Literally. But oh, so fun!

Heena & Zul's wedding was the first Indian/Pakistani wedding I'd ever done. Being Iranian myself, I'm all about culture. My wedding was a dash of this, a dash of that, so I was very excited to shoot this weeding and looked forward to it since the day I met the couple.

The wedding didn't disappoint. Vibrant colors, great couple, LOTS of people, and so much to capture. Enjoy the set and let me know what you guys think!

Day 2 began early, went late, and I think it was just as great as the first day!

Possibly the coolest commercial I've seen...

2010-05-28T23:51:00.001-05:00

in a long long time. I'm not a minivan person, but this cracks me up to no end and actually makes a minivan seem cool. lol

Jasmine & Khoa | Engagement

2010-05-17T21:39:00.003-05:00

I felt so embarrassed when I went to meet Jasmine & Khoa. I had rushed out the door, and as I'm pulling up to pick them up to go take pictures... I notice my memory card was full and I hadn't brought any backups. So a quick trip to the camera store and some new cards later, we go rockin'.

Unlike my blunder, these two rocked every second of the shoot and we had a blast around the midtown, downtown, and southwest-ish part of town. If you run into any of us, you might ask us how we avoided getting a parking ticket at our last location. My first time... but apparently not Khoa's. Fun times!

Enjoy the pictures.

a personal request of theirs was to find this graffiti wall, which we did. How friggin' cool and different is this thing?

Heena & Zul | Engagement

2010-05-07T00:11:00.004-05:00

What a great looking couple... don't you guys & gals agree?

The wedding weekend is finally upon us! after slight hiccups earlier this year with the venue, I'm ecstatic to be finally doing my most anticipated wedding of the year (so far!).

Casey & Tim | Engagement

2010-04-24T00:14:00.003-05:00

What a fun couple. I don't think I've laughed so much during a session as much as we all did (my lovely assistants and I) on this shoot w/ Casey & Tim. Of course, the guy in the Speedo cleaning the condo pool across the street from us provided some laughs, and so did the shop owner that told us to "PROCEED!"... trust me, you just had to be there!

Casey and Tim did an amazing job and I'm so glad to have the opportunity to be a part of their special day coming up very soon. I hope you guys and gals enjoy looking at these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Tim made these signs when he proposed to Casey... so we found a cool way to put them to use. Again!

Thanks again for a great day and looking forward to the wedding!

Lauren & Kevin | Engagement

2010-04-12T19:09:00.002-05:00

So Kevin is my usual (Houston) 'Lovely Assistant' on shoots. He's an aspiring photographer himself and he made sure I knew how awkward it was for him to be on the other side of the lens when we were taking pictures. Looks like he didn't miss a beat though... they rocked it, and after a few jokes we were rolling. Literally.

Lauren's had these Chuck Taylors since 10th grade. you want to talk about a shoe thats well worn w/ some character, look no further!!!

My brother gets married.

2010-04-07T19:40:00.004-05:00

When my brother Fred asked me to shoot his wedding, I knew I couldn't do it. Not because I wasn't capable or wanted to, because I did, but because his wedding was probably the most important to me (other than mine, of course) and I wanted to enjoy every minute of it. I know, selfishness on my part! So my job became the recruiter of his wedding photographer.

I knew exactly who I wanted to do his wedding photography, but there was one problem... he didn't live in Austin. Matter of fact, he lived no where *near* Austin. He lives in San Francisco. But I knew his work would speak for itself, and it did.

I flew Jason (www.jwlphotography.com) down to Austin for Fred's wedding for a few days. Since distance was an issue, Jason agreed to do their engagement shoot on the Thursday before the wedding. Not only did he shoot the engagement shoot, he stayed up until 3 AM the following morning editing and posting the pictures on his blog! Now thats dedication!

As amazing and creative as the engagement session was, I had no idea how amazing the wedding pictures would come out. He absolutely knocked it out of the park. He captured Fred & Regina the best anyone has done in my opinion. The pictures are totally them and its a great reflection of how fun the wedding really was. I hope you guys/gals enjoy the pictures as much as I do, because I've looked at them about 20 times, just today!

The only thing I ask is that if you enjoy the pictures as much as I did, leave him a comment and let him know how talented, appreciated, and what a great of a photographer he is.

Here is Jason's blog post, check it out! FRED & REGINA'S WEDDING!

Kami's 2...

2010-03-14T23:33:00.003-05:00

and he knows what the camera is.

Today while taking pictures of him, as I usually do, he was quiet responsive and kept asking to see "Kami" after each click of the camera. I'm loving every moment of being a parent and I look forward to the weeks, months, and years to come.

I just wish they would be a little slower. I feels like yesterday I was looking at him for the first time in the hospital. Now, he's starting to boss me around... which I'm totally ok with by the way!!!

Hey, check out my iPad nano!

2010-03-05T21:20:00.006-06:00

I'm a tech nut, that's all there is to it. I have to have the newest and the coolest, may it be shoes (yes, shoes!), watches, phones, computers, whatever. When the keynote from Apple was coming up early last month, I was excited. I was wanting to know how the company was going to 'revolutionize' the Tablet market. I hit refresh on my phone following the keynote so many times, I think my phone almost died. But at the end, it just turned out that the iPad is a big iPhone with a faster processor, without the capability of multi-tasking, USB connection, or flash capability. Oh ya, it doesn't take pictures, either. WONDERFUL!!!

I sometimes joke to friends that I already own the "iPad Nano". It makes phone calls and takes pictures too!

But just because a device isn't to my liking, it doesn't mean its a bad device. Over the last 3 years, I've become a huge Apple fan and own my "iPad nano", and two apple computers (desktop and laptop). This Just means I won't be investing in it... just like Apple TV, or MobileMe, which amazingly are both struggling ventures from Apple (from what I know and read, no source to report off the top of my head).

So today, as I do most days, I'm looking at different blogs and such... and I run across the following video. Engadget featured an article on the device on their site, and as much as I hate to admit it, if Windows does produce this device and it is actually as the video portrays it to be... I would gladly invest in one. I think it would be a great device to have, and possibly replace a day planner I carry for my day job.

Here is the video of the Microsoft "Courier", let me know what you guys think about it!

The talented Tracy Tesmer

2010-02-01T23:31:00.005-06:00

Over the weekend, I had the wonderful privilege of taking pictures of the extremely talented Tracy Tesmer. She's a local film photographer who I met originally at the OneLight workshop with Zack Arias back in November of last year.

She recently contacted me about taking pictures for her to put on her new (soon to be) revamped and updated website. So on Sunday, we braved the cold and the (slight) wind to take some pictures for her.

Here's the outcome...

More of Kami

2010-01-24T14:35:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a great day out. Temps were right, not too much sun, and the weather has been very spring like the last few days which is a stark contrast to the week before when it was terrible. Anyway, we decided yesterday was a Kami day! So we went outside in the driveway for a little bit with his favorite new toy, his red flyer tricycle, and later that day we went to the park.

He *loves* being outside... which I guess has a lot to do with his Montesorri school and the big playground they have in their backyard. Anyway, here are some snapshots of the little dude playing around.

He also left his Frog laying around... which rarely happens!

Words can't describe the feeling.

2009-12-31T02:20:00.004-06:00

Tonight, I got a phone call I would've rather not received from a good friend.

Found out my good friend (and a wedding client) Kevin Webber passed away suddenly last night. Words can't describe how I feel right now. For the first hour after finding out I couldn't breathe, not to mention the tears, then the memories... all good. I wish there was something I could say to make his beautiful wife Nicole feel better.

He was a great friend, great person, and a great overall human being. He'll truly be missed.

Already miss you, Kev!

I love watching him grow...

2009-12-27T14:37:00.003-06:00

I love it. Kami is growing and doing/saying things that sometimes i wonder if a (almost) 2 year old should be doing.

For example, knowing how to operate a laptop... mine to be exact. His kid one isn't good enough for him and has to play w/ the real thing.

and another, he counts to 10 in three different languages... with assistance, of course. And being the camera shy (crazy, isn't it?) person he is, I've only caught him counting to "PIIIIIIIVE" once. I'll catch him doing the other 2 languages soon, you can bet on that! But for now, he's the video of him counting to "PIIIIIIVE".

Santa is coming...

2009-12-06T00:11:00.001-06:00

and Tatum knows it!

Candice & the girls

2009-11-22T22:41:00.002-06:00

Lately, Candice of En Vogue Events has been sending some brides my way and I wanted to do something to thank her. So I suggested a photo session w/ her and her 2 little ones, which I know she loves! She agreed.

So yesterday, I met her in Galveston to take some pics. It was cold, it was windy, and it was rainy. We were out there for a total of 20 minutes and had to call it quits. Maybe soon we'll get together again and take a little bit longer and get some better pictures.

Meanwhile, here are a few from yesterday. Let me (and her) know what you guys think!

Rae & Jeff's wedding

2009-11-17T23:53:00.002-06:00

Rae and Jeff did a great job putting a wedding together in only 11 weeks! It seems like yesterday I was meeting with Rae about photography. Between that time and now, the venue changed once and we ended up at the beautiful Ouise's Table.

I have to say, for such a shortly planned wedding, it was very thought out and well planned out. Loved the church, Second Baptist Church - where Thao and I had our engagement pictures done oh so long ago - and the reception was awesome!

Thanks again to Rae and Jeff for giving me the opportunity to be a part of their special day.

Layla & Laith's (sort of...) engagement shoot

2009-10-31T21:30:00.002-05:00

This world is truly small... and I mean smaaaaaaall. Allow me to elaborate.

Layla found my fan page on Facebook a month or so ago. While looking through my list of fans, I saw her name and pictures. She had a very familiar look and last name... so I sent her a long shot email. Turns out her sister was my Orthodontist when Thao and I lived in Phoenix, Arizona! PHOENIX... I live in HOUSTON!

So today, after a lengthy email thread we finally met. She has a striking resemblance to her sister! It was great to meet her, and Laith. It was also fun to take their pictures at the beautiful Discovery Green Park in downtown Houston.

Enjoy...

Baby Parsa

2009-10-31T15:46:00.002-05:00

Our good friends Ali and Sara just had their little boy, Parsa. I had the chance to meet the little guy today and snap some pics of him. He's sooooo tiny and cute... reminds me of when Kami was born. Almost makes me want another baby... ALMOST!

I love little babies!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-27T23:37:00.002-05:00

So we took Kami, along with Tatum and Kollin to the Pumpkin patch by the Grisel residence last week. The kids had a great time and I managed to squeeze in a few snaps before it got too dark and we had to go back home!

Kami kept throwing pumpkins around and saying "bawl", and Kollin was just having a great time. Check out the big man's beenie... skull and bones. I guess thats how he rolls. lol

OneLight workshop with Zack Arias

2009-10-15T17:20:00.007-05:00

In my ever so expanding path of knowledge, I consider myself a sponge. I have this urge to learn and grow as an artist. This week was a huge step for me to continue down that path.

I had to opportunity to sign up for Zack Arias' OneLight Workshop back in May and I jumped at the chance. The workshop was an all day event and went from 10AM on the 13th, to almost 2AM on October 14th! But let me tell you, as long of a day that was, in no way shape or form did it feel that long. I guess that's what learning does to you when you enjoy it.

We had a long session of learning, long session of 'controlled' shooting with Zack himself, and a session where we practiced what we had learned. I enjoyed every minute of it and I intend on putting my newly learned skills to use in the very near future... like, this Sunday for my Bridal/engagement shoot I have coming up.

The pics below are the product of the shooting portions of the day, leave me some love and tell me what you think...

Also, Thanks to Marc Brubaker (@clickwindrepeat on twitter) and Tracy Tesmer (@tracytesmer on twitter) for being our lovely models and for Christine Tremoulet (@christinebpc on Twitter) for hosting it. BTW fellas, Christine is still looking to do her first "Dudeouir" session... so if you want to give your ladies a 'special present', give her a shout.

WOW!

2009-10-14T16:20:00.004-05:00

Simple, stunning, effective, and beautiful. That's what I think of my new sample album from KISS wedding books. It wasn't supposed to be here until next week, but last night I get a text from my wife while I was in the OneLight Workshop (more on this soon!) with Zack Arias saying my album was at the house and it was awesome!

This thing wasn't even supposed to be here until next week sometime. I'm impressed... This first time customer just turned into a repeat customer.

Check it out...

My new love... Canvas Gallery Wraps

2009-09-30T20:10:00.004-05:00

A few weeks back, Nicole called me and asked for a 'big' picture to put over their fire place from the shots we did in Mexico... one in particular. So I turned to the one person I'd gotten canvas prints done before, my friend Jared (not the guy in the Subway commercials). Although I can get the same canvas print from your print labs, I knew Jared would take care of it like his own.

Boy oh boy, did he!!!

This thing turned out so great. And as I was ordering it, I ordered one for myself to show clients. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this print. Such great quality, when I got it tonight, I hung it on the wall and I sat there staring at it for a good 10 minutes straight!!!

What do you guys think?

Look at the detail on this thing. Simply breath taking!!!

P.S.
This beauty is in a 24X36 frame. again... I LOVE IT!

I'm Kami's new attachment.

2009-09-24T19:56:00.004-05:00

For most of his short life, Kami has been attached to Thao because she stays at home with him most days. As of late, he's been very attached to me. He runs to me as soon as I walk into the house, giggling and saying "da-dee"... which I love!!! I can't say I don't like it because I eat it up.

All that will change next week, when he starts Montessori school... and guess who gets to drop him off on his first day? Yours truly! I'm nervous, happy, and anxious all at the same time. Stay tuned to find out what hapens!!!

How can I not want to take pictures of these kids... HOW?

2009-09-16T23:27:00.002-05:00

Its been 4 months, and I haven't done enough pics of Kami, let alone Tatum and Kollin! So last weekend, Angie threatened to go to Picture People if I didn't take kid pics. I buckled... gave in... grabbed the camera and drove as fast as I could to their house! I'm a softy, I admit, but how can you *not* be a softy around these kids? SERIOUSLY!!!

Took a much needed family trip to somewhere other than Austin.

2009-09-16T23:03:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, The Sassani and the Doans decided to take a small trip down the highway to the wonderful world of SeaWorld in San Antonio. This was Phong's first vacation since Christian was born... if you really call that a vacation.

It was a great weekend, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Of course, being me, I brought my camera to document the trip...

Enjoy.

True inspiration

2009-08-14T17:43:00.003-05:00

Most of my friends already know this, but I admire Zack Arias. Not because he's a great photographer (which he is), but because he's a true motivator in the field of photography and the fact that his message isn't anything new. Its the same old thing that people know, he just decides to put it out there for personal and helpful reasons.

A while back, he did the Transform guest blog for Scott Kelby, which I have watched countless times. Yesterday, he posted an email from a fan of his which was truly moving. Today, he went and followed that up with the amazing blog video entry below.

I follow Zack on Twitter and Facebook. I also follow his lovely wife, Meghan. Yesterday, I saw her tweet the following:

"A man showed up on our doorstep selling cleaning stuff & Zack started talking to him. Now Z is out in the front yard filming him."

Didn't pay too much attention to it. Today, I found out what that tweet meant...

watch

Galveston isn't as bad as people think.

2009-08-08T17:12:00.003-05:00

So Friday, we decided a trip to Galveston and a mini vacation was in order. Went down to the Moody Gardens for the evening, and had an amazing dinner at Willie G's Seafood & Steakhouse. Saturday morning after breakfast, it was time to spend some family time at the aquarium on site!

Never been, pretty damn cool place!

Kami fell asleep before we even hit the front doors, so I was 'forced' to take pictures for myself. Great little place to take some great picture.

Technology is such a beatiful thing!

2009-08-05T00:21:00.003-05:00

I'm not one to usually post technical things on my blog. People that know me, know I'm a pretty big gadget guy and want (and sometimes get) the newest and the greatest. I've been like that with my camera equipment, my assortment of watches, shoes, cars, etc. all my life.

This is starting to be slowing trend as I get older, but with the advancement of technology, cool things don't have to cost that much anymore. For example, the following video...

Its a video of Nikon's newest and coolest little P&S, the S1000pj. This one isn't about the megapixels, name of the lens, size of the screen in the back, or any of the other things that other makers try to make bigger and better. Game of leapfrog, if you will. No no no, this one has a built in projector. So now, rather than trying to have people gather around your camera to look at pictures or fumble around trying to look for a cord to connect to the TV, you simply just turn on the in camera projector and display it on a wall or any other surface. How cool is that?

ok, enough of me being excited, just watch the video...

doing it Big Boy style!

2009-08-02T23:56:00.003-05:00

Kami is becoming a big boy. Thats not good, because I haven't taken as many pics of him in the past 2 months as I did the first 14 months of his life. He's changed so much! He's walking, dancing, and climbing stairs, among other things. He has a 20+ word vocabulary and he'll be starting Montessori school in October! EEK!!!

We went last week to check out the school (Thao's in love w/ it), and its so crazy to think Kami is going to be going to school. SCHOOL!!! Before you know it, we'll be looking for colleges for him. :(

'Yo Gabba Gabba' has become such a staple in our household, Thao and I know the words to each episode and we catch ourselves singing along w/ the show when we're not even paying attention!

Today, we decide that 6 months of not cutting Kami's hair was enough torture for the boy and we needed to do something about it. On our way back from Austin, Thao contacted her aunt to see if she had time to cut Kami's hair. She did. We stopped by the house, and from the second we started to undress Kami to get him ready he hated it. He screamed through the whole thing as I took pictures. With every snip and cut, he looked more and more like a big boy. By the time they were done, his head, his body, and the table were covered with what looked like a half pound of hair!

After we cleaned him up, gave him a bath, and dried him up, he was a completely different Kami. Big Boy Kami now, no more Baby Kami!

I introduce to you, Big Boy Kami!!!

Sarah & and the heat

2009-07-26T17:04:00.004-05:00

2 bottles of cold water, Heat, Humidity, and stickers, Lots and lots of stickers... the ones that sting, not the happy face ones you give your kids in 1st grade. And of course, Sarah.

Sarah and I have been talking about taking pictures, but for this or that reason, we hadn't found the time. So yesterday, in the heat, we managed to sweat it out and take some pictures. To the thumbs up of random strangers (I don't think they even noticed me), we spent a good hour or so in the wonderful heat of Houston taking pictures. Maybe next time, we'll do it in cooler weather or later on in the day.

She did mention Galveston at dusk, hmmmmm...

Jennifer & Neil

2009-06-21T09:49:00.002-05:00

After a few weeks of hustle and bustle, Jennifer and Neil's day finally came! The church was beautiful, the hall was beautiful, and of course the Bride was stunning. Also, this was my first time doing a Filipino wedding, so I think the Barongs were pretty cool too.

Enjoy.

Ellis and the little one... Tyson!

2009-06-15T17:02:00.002-05:00

Ever since my posting of Kevin & Nicole's wedding a couple of months back, Ellis has been inquiring about pics of him with his son. This past weekend, I went to Austin for the weekend and finally found an hour to get away to take some pic for Ellis.

Tyson was mean muggin' me at first because he had just woken up, but a few minutes in, he was going like a fire cracker. I couldn't take enough pics of him and ran out of memory in my 4 GIG card... and he kept going. I got a ton of pics, these are the favorites.

Enjoy.

Neil & Jennifer

2009-06-09T00:29:00.003-05:00

With less than 2 weeks out from the wedding, we had to do this session very quickly! After a few conversations and reschedules, we settled on a day and time and went for it. It was a great time, I got lost, and some shoes were forgotten... but hey, it all came out great at the end.

Can't wait till the wedding guys, had a blast!

Tatum & Kollin

2009-05-09T22:25:00.002-05:00

So today, we went to visit Kollin for the first time since we saw him in the hospital 2 weeks ago after being born. He looks so much like his dad. After a day of hanging out, going to the pool w/ Kami (his first time!), and just enjoying the day, I took some pictures of both Kollin and Tatum.

My, what changes happen in a span of 6 months. Tatum is a big girl now, Kami is walking around drooling instead of crawling around and drooling. There's a Kollin now, and before you know it... Kami might have a new brother or sister (no, thats not a hint either!!!). Just sayin'

Anyway, here are some pics from today.

So. Damn. Cute!

Heather & Andrew

2009-05-03T10:49:00.002-05:00

Man oh man how times change.

I knew Heather way back in High School back in the mid 90s. I didn't hear from her after HS until about 2006... nearly 12 years after I had graduated. Now, she's got the cutest little boy and lives in Austin again, after a stint in Phoenix.

Last week, I set up a time with her to take some pictures of her and her son while I was in Austin. So we met up in a park near her house and these are the pics that resulted.

Enjoy.

Here's to a whole new beginning...

2009-04-27T22:58:00.002-05:00

For those who know (and those who don't), today was my last day at a job I've held for almost 10 years.

About 6 months ago I was recruited for a new job that 1) not in retail, 2) flexible, and 3) actually sounds interesting. Its one of those jobs that when people ask you 'what do you do'... you actually have to explain to them. Always wanted a job like that.

Took me a little while to be fully on board though, since it was a big decision in every aspect of life. I finally made the decision to go against the grain and against my comfort zone. Not because I wanted to be different, but because I wanted the chance to actually do something different and also have more time behind my camera. Since my cameras have consumed me over the last 2 years, I feel the need to grow myself as an artist rather than just a picture taker. Work on techniques, skills, weak areas, and things that I'm afraid to venture into.

So wish me luck and I look forward to post up more pics of other people than Kami here on my blog. Not that Kami isn't the coolest kid ever, but to show and try to grow as an artist.

Here's to a whole new beginning...

Kami and the bluebonnets

2009-04-09T22:44:00.002-05:00

On our way to Austin last weekend, Thao saw an endless field of bluebonnets, then another... then another. Her eyes lit up and she looked at me with a big grin and told me "We *have* to stop by there on the way back to get some pictures". My response is always "ok". Want to know why? Because if the wife is happy, wife gives permission. Wife gives permission, she won't be mad when expensive camera equipment arrive. so basically... Good pics = Good gear

So on the way back from Austin, in the cold and the wind that blew out of nowhere, we stopped and got some pics. Of the 100+ pics I took (and Thao helped), I got a handful that came out great. These are those handful....

Kevin & Nicole in beautiful Riviera Maya, Mexico!

2009-03-24T19:59:00.002-05:00

I had the distinct pleasure of tagging along with Kevin & Nicole to the beautiful Iberostar Paraíso Maya resort this past weekend to document their beautiful wedding on the beach.

I've known Kevin for a few years now, and I just recently met Nicole... even though I feel like I know her. Thats just her personality, she rocks! Nicole did a great job planning and carrying out the whole thing. The resort was beautiful, the ocean was beautiful, the weather was great, and of course... the bride and groom were having a blast!!!

and without a second more wasted, here are the pictures from the wedding.

Thank you guys for inviting me along. I had a blast!!!

**WARNING** the music on the slideshow includes adult language, for you w/ kids. But it also jams since its the song Nicole chose to walk down the aisle to. :)

Amir & Marjorie's Wedding

2009-03-18T20:26:00.005-05:00

Its tough to capture the life of a person you've known for such a long time in one night, but I tried. I tried real hard. I've known Amir for years and I met Marjorie at my wedding in 2006. I had the pleasure of doing their engagement pictures back in November of 2008 and had been anxiously waiting for this wedding all year long. Thanks to my great friend Sean Wray for shooting this wedding with me. He's a great photographer and a great friend/mentor.

Here are some pics from last Saturday!

Kami's picking a career path at the age of 1.

2009-03-13T00:38:00.004-05:00

Some might know this and some might not. I didn't know anything about it until I was told of this 'tradition' in the Asian culture. Of course, like any other culture or any other tradition, its probably not set in stone... but its a nice game (if you will...) and hope in the parents mind for the future. Ok, now for the tradition and its meaning...

In the Asian culture when a child turns one, on their birthday you put 5 random objects in front of them representing the things they would possibly like or like to be in the future. Example: 2 of Thao's younger cousins were put in front of 5 random objects when they turned 1. one went for a pencil, one went for a credit card. The one that went for the pencil is a budding artist now, and the one that went for the credit card... well, she's a shop-a-holic. Tonight, we tried this little trick with Kami since it was his first birthday.

We put a credit card, a pencil, a medicine bottle, a camera (not one of mine!), and a calculator (I think) in the middle of the room. We put Kami in our lap, about 3 or 4 feet away and just sat there watching him. After a few minutes of blowing bubbles, saying random baby words, and pointing at something (thats his new thing), he started crawling toward the objects. In the back of my mind, I was hoping he would go for the camera... obviously. Since Thao and I both have artistic talent, it would only be fitting for him to have some sort of a talent in art, whatever the field it may be. Even if he went toward the pen, it would've been down the same artistic path similar to the camera. To both of our surprise - or expectation and hope - he crawled straight to the medicine bottle. Thao and I looked at each other in a look of disbelief and both said "Dr. Sassani". LOL!!! Has a good ring to it, don't you think?

For those who might not know, Doctors of all kinds are an abundance in both of our families. My family includes a surgeon, a PhD (we call him Dr), an oral surgeon, and other distant relatives who are Doctors overseas and in the mother land. Thao's family includes a slue of Pharmacist including her sister, eye surgeons, OBG, and other kinds of Doctors. Honestly, if Kami does go into medicine, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. I would love for him to do things I never got the chance or had the patience to do... not to mention had the stomach for. Whatever he does, I hope he's happy and successful at it. I won't try to hold him back. I won't try to steer him away from his love... unless its destructive to him and others. I won't try to discourage him to push himself further to become a better person. I hope he's prosperous, happy, content, and lives long enough to see his own kids grow up and be successful.

So for now, we'll enjoy him being a 1 year old and all the fun that comes with that. For the future... well, we'll just have to wait and see what Dr. Kami does.

Happy Birthday baby Kami.

Can't believe he's almost 1.

2009-03-06T23:30:00.002-06:00

Feels like yesterday I was snapping pictures at the hospital. Such a fun year. Tomorrow is his birthday party and we're celebrating it w/ some family, crawfish, and beer... for the grown ups, of course. Kids get the cake and all the attention!!! More pics on that tomorrow.

But tonight, since I hadn't touched my camera in a few days, I didn't want to lose my touch so I took some snapshots of the DM a.k.a Drool Monster!

I love the new things Kami is doing

2009-02-08T17:56:00.002-06:00

He's become so fun. The faces he makes, the massive drool he creates, and the things he's doing now. He's almost walking and he's almost talking. As much as I want him to get to the next stage, I think I'm enjoying every single day of this so far and I know I will be missing this when he's older.

Here's some pictures from a lazy Sunday.

My newest toy

2009-01-19T23:10:00.003-06:00

Today, I decided enough was enough. I sold the third party wide angle lens last week to a friend in Virginia and washed my hands of it. Today, I drove to a local camera shop and picked up their last copy of the highly coveted Nikon wide angle lens, the 14-24. Mind you, anything with the name "NIKON" on it is expensive... but I guess you have to pay to play.

Can't wait to go out and take some pictures with it soon. Stay tuned...

My boy is getting big.

2009-01-19T22:06:00.004-06:00

Its crazy. Its almost a year since Kami was born. During that time, I've taken well over 2000 pictures and adding more and more equipment as I go... not because of him, but he does make a great model to test them out right away.

So tonight to celebrate my purchasing of another lens, I put Kami down, dressed him up, and started snapping away. Of course, I didn't use my new lens as it wasn't meant to be for things like this. BUT, I did get some great shots of Kami.

Looking at his pics from even 3 months ago, he's changed so much. For those who've seen the pics, or Kami in person, know exactly what I'm talking about. Anyway... here are his 10 month pictures.

And now, I'm more fly...

2009-01-11T12:15:00.004-06:00

I figured the older business cards I had weren't doing the job, not to mention they had my Austin phone number on them. I 'liked' them, but they didn't represent me or my website. So I made a quick template of one and uploaded it on 123 Print. Less than two weeks and $35 more, I have new cards.

Now they match my site, have the new phone number, and I can pass them out like candy!!!

here's glimpse.

I think Kami needs a haircut!

2008-12-28T21:36:00.004-06:00

What do you guys think? Oh, and by the way... this would be his *second* haircut in his (almost) 10 months of life. He doesn't get that from his mom, thats for sure.

Happy Birthday Dad

2008-12-25T09:39:00.002-06:00

The man is a true inspiration to me. The trials and tribulations he's gone through in his life are enough to inspire anyone. The things he's done and continues to do for his family are nothing short of spectacular and he's the kindest most wonderful person in the world. I get a lot of my personality from him and I'm truly greatful I am the way I am, because of him.

I couldn't be with my family for christmas because I'm 200 miles away, but my parents made it down here last week to see Kami and we took the chance to give them their gift. It was nothing special, but knowing how much they adore their first grandson Thao and I decided to get them a gift so my mom stops printing Kami's pics I send them in email on regular paper and plastering them all over the fridge.

My dad's affection toward Kami is like nothing I've ever seen. He loves Kami so much, its amazing just to watch them together. Kami is instantly drawn to him every time they see each other. My dad can sit with Kami in a chair for hours and Kami sits still and just plays!!! LOVE IT!!!

So today, Happy Birthday Dad and hopefully I'll see you guys soon.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T22:12:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone. Just wanted to wish everyone a great day and happy holidays.

A day at the park with Laylee, David, and of course... Kian!

2008-12-18T20:09:00.002-06:00

When we did Kian's 1 year pictures a few weeks back at the house, Laylee had mentioned doing some family pictures. A few nights ago, she stumbled upon a great park downtown Houston called Discovery Green Park... great backdrop to to some great pictures, and its environmentally friendly. EVERYTHING is either recycled or is 'green'. How cool is that for those 'green' nuts!!?!?

Anyway... enough about Al Gore, onto some pictures.

Christmas is almost here

2008-12-11T16:03:00.004-06:00

So I figured we'd dress up Kami and see what we could do w/ some Christmas themes.

Here's what we got before he started going all OVER the place!

Snow in Houston.

2008-12-10T23:31:00.005-06:00

Last night, a nice little cold front came through. Today - needless to say - was cold... but mid afternoon, it started to sleet. Before you know, we had snow coming down. HARD!!! So when I got home, I snagged my camera and went picture hunting. Here's a few I managed to get I like.

Christian's (first) Christmas Pictures

2008-12-04T12:27:00.002-06:00

So, Thao's cousin wanted to do some Christmas pictures of her baby boy, Christian. I threw the background together real quick and grabbed my new toy and went to work... only got a handful of good ones, but here's a couple before (and after) he peed all over the background paper!!!

D700 worth every penny so far!

2008-11-27T19:01:00.001-06:00

Loving this thing more with every picture I take!!! Prime example...

The new toy has arrived.

2008-11-26T17:39:00.005-06:00

I've been lusting after the Full Frame Nikon D3 since late last year when it was released. Earlier this year, to the surprise of everyone, Nikon introduced a semi-pro camera which basically was the D300 body and the D3 sensor and called it the D700.

New camera, new lust.

For the last month I've been contemplating whether I 'need' this camera... and the short answer, of course, is NO!. But then I asked, Do I *want* this camera? DUH!!!

So now that my itch had begun, I need the approval of 'the wife' to get it. Took me a few weeks to convince her, but I finally got the approval on Sunday! and ordered the camera. To my excitement today, it showed up and I've had such a terrible headache, I haven't had the chance to play with it. But I did set it up against the D300 to show the differences in the two cameras to myself and others. Small things, yes... but that sensor. Oh that sensor!!! So sexy and smooth. Here are the comparo shots...

Both bodies are the same, but the eye piece for the D700 is a tad taller, and it has the sexy little 'fx' emblem on the bottom right.

Look at the difference on the two mirrors. Is it worth the extra money? first impressions says "HELL YA!"

And of course the back. Nothing too much, just the viewfinder difference an extra button or two.

All in all, I'm like a kid at a candy store with this thing. I can't wait to take picture after picture with it. I guess its true what they say... the older you get, the more expensive your toys get. But the part they didn't mention is the fact that you feel like that kid inside that just got his red bike on christmas morning, and for me, thats all that matters!!!

Kian's 1 year pictures.

2008-11-17T19:06:00.006-06:00

A few weeks back, Laylee asked me to do Kian's 1 year pictures... which is always my pleasure to take pictures for any friends or family, which she's pretty much considered both!!! Sucks that she lives so far away though, because after a few conversations back and forth and a whole bunch of planning, we FINALLY found time today for her and Kian to come over to do some pictures.

Kian, as cute as ever, took a little bit to warm up but when his motor got going... that smile came out!

Amir & Marjorie

2008-11-17T08:31:00.003-06:00

Amir and I literally grew up together. I used to go to Dallas all the time for the weekend so we could just hang out when we were younger. Years later... same Amir, but now he's getting married!!! So of course, its was my honor when asked to be their wedding photographer. And this weekend, him and Marjorie came down to H-Town for a little photo session. Here's the result of our romp around Houston yesterday...

Kami's first official studio shoot

2008-11-13T21:23:00.002-06:00

This is what happens when addiction takes over...

Studio lighting is finally HERE!!!

2008-11-12T22:18:00.003-06:00

So I got my stuff last week and I realized something, since my excitement level was so high ordering the light and the box, I FOR-GOT to order a stand (or better yet) order the stuff as a package so the light has something to sit on. DOH!!! So, to feed the addiction I ran to a local used camera store and bought a cheap stand for the light. As soon as I got home and ripped everything apart like a 5 year old on Christmas day I realized something else... my beautiful and expensive Pocket Wizards don't have a connection for the light. Double DOH!!! Luckily though, I could do it it the old fashoined and ghetto fashion of connecting the light directly into my camera.

So after the glitches in the 'matrix' were figured out, I decided to test some subjects... and what better subject that, you know it, KAMI!!!

First, got his Halloween costume on since I didn't get any decent shots of it... and as soon as he got a bit hot and fussy we took it off and went to plain clothes!

Look who's crawling.

2008-11-05T23:32:00.000-06:00

HIDE. EVERYTHING... QUICK!!!

I just can't control myself sometimes.

2008-11-02T14:15:00.002-06:00

Its crazy. The more photography equipment I buy, the more I want. These days, its not so much the cameras and lenses as it is lighting and studio stuff. I just can't seem to get enough of this hobby. If its not one thing, its always another. So last night, I ordered an Alien Bees light with a medium Softbox so I can learn about studio photography... and then some. But of course, you can't have the lights and not have triggers to set them off, so I bought some Pocket Wizard radio slaves for the light and my camera too.

Just seems nothing is getting cheaper. Everything is so expensive, I think its a conspiracy. They make it expensive so you have to have it and then you just wait and wait, and save and save to get it. Then when you get it, it just fills that void for a few months until you want more... then the cycle starts all over again!!! Damn these expensive hobbies. Damn them all to hell... its going to make me go broke. But I love every second of it.

Pumpkin patch

2008-10-26T20:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we took Kami, Tatum, and Aiden to the pumpkin patch by Angie's house. Took some pictures, but Kami didn't like it. AT ALL!!! Kept crying everytime we put him down to take pictures. Tatum on the other hand, she loved it... until she saw the P-A-R-K and was told she couldn't play in it. :(

Well, here are some pictures from yesterday. Kami is going to get a second chance at this on Tuesday at a patch near our house. Hopefully he'll like it then.

One guess when this picture of Tatum was taken!!!

Trying something new

2008-10-22T00:48:00.001-05:00

DSC_3563, originally uploaded by Ben Sassani.

Well, not completely new... the beard is already gone. Can't stand that kind of stuff for more than a few days. But the haircut, the haircut is here to stay for a while. I think procrastination and getting tired of paying more and more for "stylists" led me down this path. But I must say, I LIKE IT!!!

My boy is 7 months old...

2008-10-19T20:22:00.003-05:00

ITS GOING BY TOO FAST!!!

CAN'T. TAKE. ENOUGH. PICTURES.

Its unbelievable. I go to work in the mornings, and I can't wait to come home... not because I want to go home and don't want to work (that's a different story), but because I can't wait to see my boy's smiling face every time I walk into the room for the first time. At night when I get home late, its almost saddening when I come home and he's already asleep! I want to take so many pictures of him, but that would mean the next baby has to get the same treatment, and thats a tall order when you have two kids.

So for now, 'some' pictures will do. And these pictures are him at 7 months. Unreal how fast they change... even in a 1 month period.

I think he sees the "holy light" in this pictures... and that light is my flash. haha

Kian is turning 1!!!

2008-10-18T23:36:00.004-05:00

Our great friends (Laylee & David) baby boy Kian turned 1 this week. We got invited out to their house today for a 'small' get together for his birthday. As always, I have my camera with me ready to shoot... so, we took Kian out in the front yard and took some quick snaps of him. Here are some of the pictures I liked...

He's so damn CUTE!!!

Look at that cute outfit!!!

Gotta get 'em started early.

2008-10-10T14:25:00.003-05:00

So right before I take off to Austin for the day, I played w/ Kami and took a couple of pictures of him. Its important to brainwash them early into what you want them to be... in this case, a Nikon lover and a great photographer/artist. Wouldn't want my boy disappointing his daddy and buying a Canon camera. God forbid he falls under the spell of uncle Dave. Artistically, maybe... Equipment, NEVER!!!

Here's hoping it works later in life!!!

Baby Rhys

2008-10-04T20:51:00.001-05:00

Today, I had the pleasure of seeing baby Rhys for the first time since he was born. Candice and Cody invited me to take some pictures of Rhys, and to my surprise, today was the first day he was in a crib!!! He's looking great and he's got *red hair*... gonna have to talk the baby's parents about that one!!!

Anyway, here's a compilation of the pics from today. Enjoy.

and a few of the pictures from the slideshow....

Little Tatum is growing up!

2008-09-25T22:09:00.000-05:00

Tonight, we had dinner with Angie and Jason. But not before Tatum put on a few outfits for me and posed like a little supermodel!!! Gonna be tough trying to keep up w/ her as she grows up. three words: SPOILED. LITTLE. TATUM!!!

So cute!

The wrath of Ike

2008-09-18T18:20:00.000-05:00

Man, what a week!!!

First, Ike was coming. Then it wasn't. Woke up last Thursday, its headed straight for us!!! Unbelievable. People on the news are panicking, roads are getting congested, basically... time to leave!!!

I was on daddy/diaper duty that morning. Thao had a doctors appointment. Right after she came back we packed and headed toward Austin. Took us a whopping 6 hours to drive 200 miles. Hunkered down in Austin until Monday and decided enough was enough, came back to Houston. Of course, the scenery wasn't as bad as the news made it out to be, but there was some serious damage. Our house is ok, just a ton of trees down everywhere. Didn't get a chance to take any serious pictures, but here's a few of the Shell station down the road that took a serious beating. Gives you an idea of the isolation of the damage.

Power is finally being restored (we got it back last night at the house), and work is slowly resuming. Galveston took a serious beating. Bulivar island is under marshall law and it looks terrible judging by the pictures I'm seeing on the news. Either way, Houston will recover. Ike beat us up, but he's now gone and the response/updates on recovery is amazing!!!

And here's an example of the tree damage all over Houston. Don't really need anything more than a single picture to describe that one.

Kami's studio photoshoot

2008-09-12T21:56:00.000-05:00

So today, we went to my good friend Dave McLaughlin's house to visit... since we're refugees/evacuees from Hurricane Ike and all!!! Took the chance to take some 'studio' shots of Kami with some background and lighting. here's the final result...

Kami's first haircut!!!

2008-09-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

So the longer Kami's hair got, the more "is that a boy or a girl" question popped up in public. He had curls coming out the side of his head, no hair in the back, and a ton on top looked like a bad toupee!!!

This past Saturday, we were invited to by Thao's uncle to have some BBQ with the family. We took the opportunity to have her aunt (who's a hair stylist and a makeup artist extraordinaire) give Kami his first haircut. Now he looks like a proper boy and is aaaaaaaaaaaaall sexy. Check it out!!!

LOOK AT HIS LITTLE TEETH!!!!

A very different Labor Day

2008-09-01T22:52:00.000-05:00

Texas World Speedway - Labor Day 2008

The link above was my day today, Labor Day 2008. My friend Dave -- not the photographer (ALTHOUGH, he does have a Nikon!!!) -- invited me out to Texas World Speedway for a motorcycle track day. It was an all day event, and I woke up veeeeery early to make it out to College Station by 7 am... with my UT Longhorn shirt on, I might add!!! HOOK 'EM!!!

Had a blast. I don't think I've had that much fun taking pictures in quite a while. Yes, its exciting taking pictures of Kami. Yes, its exciting taking pictures of others... but this is something new. I got to do something out of my learning mode and see how it turns out on the knowledge I taught myself.

I must say, I don't think I did too bad on my first outing taking pictures of moving objects. What do you guys think???

Christian Doan

2008-08-28T23:05:00.000-05:00

Thao's cousin Sylvia recently had her beautiful baby boy Christian. I finally got to meet him today, and being me, I took all my camera equipment along with me. I got some shots of the baby boy... even though he slept the ENTIRE time we were visiting. Anyway, here's what I got...

Enjoy.

Its official

2008-08-19T06:12:00.001-05:00

Sassani Photography is open for business!!!

Sassani Photography

My first slideshow...

2008-08-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

And who else would have the honor, but Kami

My boy is growing up...

2008-08-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

Thao and I were talking last night, and I realized I hadn't taken a single picture of Kamraun in almost a month *GASP*... beside the squash picture a select few of you received. So we put a white sheet down, put on some clean clothes on him and fixed his hair the best we could... and here's the result.

Just playing the waiting game now...

2008-08-16T22:26:00.001-05:00

On Thursday I decided that since millions and millions of people weren't exactly waiting for the launch of my site, I'll go live with it and do editing on the fly. That way, if I have to give it out to people to give out my link when and if they need to.

For those who encourage me everyday, thank you. For those who believe in me, thank you.

And for those who don't know what the site is...

www.sassaniphotography.com

Visit often, give out the link, and ask others to visit.

Thank you.