Habana Restaurant Mmmm.....

Today I took a short break from my to-do list (which, by the way, is getting longer and longer everyday) to have brunch with my friend Patty. I've been to Habana before, and their food is really good. If you've never been there and are ever in the Costa Mesa area, you must give it a try! I had some coffee along with their omelette. The omelette had some pork and cheese in it, and there was a delicious tomato-y type of sauce over the whole thing.

Mmm...doesn't it look tasty? I'm going to try to make this rice at home. I think it will be fairly easy to replicate. It reminds me a lot of Wahoo's seasoned rice (which I've made at home before). I definitely need to get back into cooking. I'll have to add that to my to-do list (and new year's resolution list)! ;o)

LA Group Year in Review

I've had the honor of knowing some of the coolest photography fanatics on earth for a little over a year now. Naturally, I took it upon myself to create this slideshow of the awesome people whose talent, passion, and friendship will continue to amaze me. :o)

LA Flickr Group 2009 Year in Review from Soupy B. on Vimeo.

My New Favorite Holiday Song :o)

If you're a huge fan of Pachelbel's "Canon in D," you will (or should) love this Christmassy version of it. I'm in love with this song!:oD

Senior Session - Jacqlynn

I remember my senior year in high school quite fondly. I was super excited about applying to colleges, and to be honest, I couldn't wait to get out of the house and be "on my own". Of course, being "on my own" has a whole different definition now than it did then. (What? What do you mean I have to pay for electricity and water? My four years in college will always be what I call four of the most defining years of my life. From roommates, I learned to be patient and compromising. From school, I learned to discipline myself when there was no one there to do it. From my friends, I learned that true friendship withstands the test of time and distance.

Jackie is in her senior year of high school, and is about to embark on one of life's greatest journeys (and seriously, in my opinion, a right of passage). I totally loved capturing this time in her life. She is full of energy and promise, and I wish the best for her in the coming years. Here are some of my faves from this session:

We were worried about the weather (which hasn't been so kind to us in SoCal), but WOW...it really turned around in the afternoon!

DUDE, check out that SKY! :o)

Thanks for an amazing session!

Shootsac Open House

Okay, I have to admit, I love my Shootsac. I'll confess that I use it on a daily basis as a purse even. There in the dark corners of my closet, sit hundreds and hundreds of dollars of purses that may or may not ever see the light of day again thanks to my Shootsac! One of the best things about it are the interchangeable covers. Aside from also making my own covers, I'm also addicted to buying the Shootsac covers as well. When I heard there was going to be an open house, I immediately put the date into my phone, and eagerly anticipated when I would get some new covers that I've been eyeing for a bit. Mike, Jon, and Bee also got conned by me to show up as well :oD I told them there would be snacks hehe... I was kinda bummed that there wasn't a Santa Claus though :o( Nonetheless, it was elegantly done with great attention to detail! Check it out!

Shootsac brownies... How stinkin' cute is THAT?!

I'll admit, we felt like total doofuses (or is it doofi? Hehe) shooting all the food, but how could u not when it looks this cute!?

Thanks to Mike, for getting us a shot with Jessica Claire, founder of Shootsac!

...and here are my new babies! I picked up Lively (which I've been wanting for a while now) and Blizzard (a beautiful grey that should go with a few things in my closet). :oD

I love this cover! It'll look so cute with jeans! :o)

Taste of Old Town Temecula

Sometimes you walk into shopping areas that have been designed to look vintage, or western, but for the most part, I've found that most of them fall short of achieving this goal. However, when I photowalked in Old Town Temecula, I was pleasantly surprised by the narrow streets lined with western/vintage facades of stores. Commercialism was nowhere to be seen, and mom and pop type stores prevailed.

Here are a few shots from our little adventure:

We started the day by having breakfast at the Swing Inn Cafe. It's absolutely delicious!

I found this little gem at Bev-Ray Camera. You must check this place out if you are ever in the area! I also got two other vintage cameras, and I love them! :o)

Old Town Temecula Shoot

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting up with other fellow photographers to photowalk, shoot a few portraits, and of course, eat! We had a great time sharing lighting techniques and photographing this fabulous trio. Thanks to Kevin's three kids for being such awesome models. :o)

Here are a few that I liked:

Love this one!

More from our photowalk to come later!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a holiday that used to stress me out like an exam I knew I hadn't studied for. This year I kept it simple. I handpicked the things I would buy premade, and the things I would cook. This took a lot of the work away, so I was able to enjoy a nice glass of wine while the food was cooking :o) Oh, and did I mention I stayed in my sweats most of the day? :oD

Hope your Thanksgiving was warm and cheerful! :o)

Cranberry walnut oatmeal cookies

Mmm...

Movie Review - Precious

My friend Marisol and I love to watch Oprah. Okay, you can stop rolling your eyes now :oP Of course when the previews for "Precious" came out and Oprah was plugging it, we had to see it. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I certainly didn't expect to see an eclectic mix of emotional, disturbing, and at times comical performances from just about the entire cast. The movie depicted a very real aspect of human nature, and just put it out there in this film. I think we all left the theatre with a greater appreciation for what we have in our lives. Definitely worth seeing if you get the chance.

On a brighter note, after the movie ended, one of my friends saw a gentleman that "really looked like a famous person." She couldn't quite remember who he was, and was really on the defense about approaching him for fear that we would be bugging him on his Friday night. Of course, she got over that, and approached him after the movie. It turned out that he was one of the security guards in the movie "Night at the Museum" with Ben Stiller. How cool is that?! Thank goodness one of the girls had the guts to ask for a photo op. Hey, I'm only here to provide a camera! ;o)

New Logo

After much thought, I decided to refine my logo to something I could work with more in terms of marketing. Here's what I came up with. :o)

Happy Birthday Jon @ Tam O' Shanter Inn

I met Jon a little over a year ago, and every now and then you meet people who make you feel like you've known them for a lot longer than you actually have. Jon is one of these people. He's a Nikon shooter, and we get along fabulously. He loves to travel and gets sad when he's at an airport and isn't going anywhere. He eats really slow (really, this is something you have to witness in person)! His car has been stolen twice and they keep bringing it back! Hahahaha... Ok, now for the pictures :oD

The decor was crazy! I felt like Harry Potter and his gang were gonna show up any minute :o)

Megz and Sharm brought him this yummy taro cake...it was DELISH!

So special that he has TWO birthday cakes! Happy 13th Birthday!:oD Hahaha.

Okay, so the picture above was actually a retake. We wanted the perfect expression on his face, so I relighted the candles, and we all shot him again :o)

The California Coast

A few weeks ago, I drove up the coast of California along Big Sur, all the way to Hearst Castle and Big Sur. It was AMAZING. Here are a few shots for now. Full story and post to come later :o)

Hearst Castle

Gorgeous coastline

Inside the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Twilight Opening Night

Sitting there amidst the throngs of hyper, excited,and overly charged teen fans of the twilight series, I had to wonder, "Uh, what am I doing here, and why am I not in bed sleeping?"

The last time I waited in a line after midnight for a movie opening night was back in college (circa 1998) for "Star Wars" and even then I fell asleep hehehe. Yes, I was a bit concerned about it, but once the previews started, the energy in the room really kept me awake. It was almost comical to hear the oooooh's and aaaah's over Edward and Jacob's hot bods. The movie itself struck me as a cleverly written formula designed to entice young and hormonal teenage girls...and it worked! OH NO! Am I a teenage girl? Hehehehe...I still recall the first scene in which Jacob takes his shirt off, revealing what looked like a good couple months of torture at the gym (which paid off of course hehe). For the remainder of the movie, I mocked that scene and the scenes to follow by exclaiming, "Take your shirt off!" at each chance I got. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I have become one of *those* people ;o) My overall rating? Movie: C, Acting: B-, Hot Bods: A++ :oD

Knowing I was going to be waiting what seemed like a short lifetime before we actually would get into the movie, I brought along my camera to document this intrigueing event :o)

Pork buns and Thai iced tea before the movie? Yes, please. ;o)

iphones and magazines...oh how they entertain us :o)

Fortunately, everyone else got in the line earlier and was able to save us some seats. We ended up just chillin' outside while people were frantically trying to get in line. I asked one of the movie theatre attendance to take our chillaxed picture :o)

It's 3 am when we get out of the movie...and I *had* to take a picture with the chipmunks! :oD Hehehe...

If you're expecting a cinematic masterpiece, do NOT go see this movie...but if you want to indulge in some good old fashioned CHEESE, then RUN *NOW* to this movie :o)

Sharm & Megz - Salton Sea

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to photograph a great couple who everyone lovingly refers to as Sharmegz. Y'know, kinda like "Brangelina"? ;o) I thought it was quite clever! For those of you who don't know and/or have never been, Salton Sea is this vast sea (well, lake actually) that has been decaying for a long time. Despite the pungent stench and bleak surroundings, it still remains one of my favorite places to shoot. Sharmegz is a lovely couple, so it contrasted quite nicely with Salton Sea surroundings. Here's a few of my fave shots of them!

This was taken at Salvation Mountain. If you ever get the opportunity to go out there, make sure you stop by this place. A photographer's dream, I promise! :o)

That's all for now...more to come later! :o)

Kogi FTW! :o)

If you've never heard of the Kogi BBQ truck...you MUST try it NOW! A couple of months ago, my friend Jon introduced me to Kogi. They are a lunch truck that travels to different locations, and sells korean infused tacos, burritos, and other specials that are created by the chefs, otherwise known as the chef's specials. This past Tuesday, I decided it was time for a much needed Kogi run, and some R & R at one of my favorite locations, Barnes & Noble! Nothing says "good time" like the sound of elevator music, the smell of fresh brewed coffee, and endless magazines to peruse for free! Muahahaha...ok, sometimes I do feel a little guilty...I mean, it's a bookstore, NOT a library people!!! :oP Anyway, I opted for my R & R first...

and then it was time for Kogi. After only a 2-3 hour wait (YES, I said 2-3 hours!) I was in tastebud heaven devouring my choices for the day. I had a $20 bill, and let's just say...I didn't have enough money! Kogi is kinda pricey for truck eats but it is so tasty, you will feel it's worth it :o) Also thanks to Dave for spotting me the extra $2!!

The infamous Kogi truck:

My Kogi loot! mmmmm... tacos, quesadilla, burrito, and dessert (No, I did not eat it all in one sitting! :oP)

and our lovely models, Dave and Jon :o)

If you want to try Kogi, run, don't walk, NOW!!!! To check out their latest location, go to www.kogibbq.com. You will thank me later! ;o)

My new MOO cards!

The other day, I was pleasantly surprised by a delivery of my new MOO cards! I have been an avid fan of for a long time now, and I just LOVE my new MOO cards!

Here they are in all their glory! Isn't the packing too cute?!

...and here is what they actually look like! :o)