Well This Is Embarrassing.....

Well, it is QUITE embarrassing seeing as how THIS is my first post of 2012........

Things have been going CRAZY for me this year. From finishing high-school, to exams, to just about everything else, I just, let's just say photography has not been an option for me as of late.... However!!!! I am proud to announce that over the next couple days, you shall see AT LEAST 3 new posts, this being the first.

While the other two posts are currently being completed, this is just a quick update on what has been going on in my life lately and what there is to expect.

I have recently finished high-school and am now enjoying my last summer and a "teenager" if you will. For me, an IB Student, we were no longer acquired to attend school on a daily basis as of April 26; however, from April 26-May 18, IB Seniors were required to show up at school ONLY on the days they had testing.... For me, this is what my schedule looked like for the exam period....

So, it was not TOO horrific, but it was pretty intense. The days with two exams pretty much consisted of back to back exams. Overall, I would have to say I wrote a total of 23 legal sized pages worth of essay answers within 20+ hrs of testing.....

However, now that exams are done and over with, it's time for me to relax!!!! 

Come this fall of 2012, I'm proud to announce that I will be joining the gator nation up at the University of Florida, majoring in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, with hopes of being a physical therapist in the future (FOR NOW!!!). So until then, I'll be here in Florida, relaxing and living it up!!! After all, in the words of Drake, "YOLO!" (haha)....

However, before I leave for college, there's one more piece of business that I must tend to that I am proud to announce. From July 23-August 3, I am proud to say that I will be returning to the wonderful and glorious country of Ecuador.

For those of you who have been following me for quite some time, you may remember my previous mission trips to Ecuador back in 2010 and 2011. Well, I'm quite proud to say that I will be returning once more this year. 

And so, I leave you with this. Below is my support letter for you wonderful viewers to see. Keep in mind that it was created with the purpose of being a tri-fold letter that would have ultimately arrived in your mailbox; however, seeing as how it is 2012, why not utilize technology to our advantage right? And so, without further ado, enjoy!!! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me here.

P.S
STAY TUNED!!! MORE POSTS ARE TO COME WITHIN THE COMING WEEK!!!!!

Count Your Blessings...

Man, what a crazy couple of weeks it has been. From school to work to church to sending off our winter missions team to Ecuador, the holidays, friends visiting, and finishing up some senior requirements, it has been a tough couple of weeks for me to get in my updates... So here we go!

Story of my life, it's been tough getting the chance to pick up my camera. Back in late November, I approached by a good friend of mine, Michelle Leonardo, to photograph her 18th birthday party. I figured this would be a good way for me to practice and start charging for my services. Charging services, for me, is more about building up the confidence necessary to successfully photograph a day such as her 18th birthday party, more so than getting a pay day or anything along those lines.

So while I do not have much time to write an extensive update, here are the pictures.... Enjoy!

The decorations were, phenomenal...

I'm not going to lie, Michi's court looked GORGEOUS!

I am constantly amazed at how ridiculously popular and loved Michi is.... 

Happy Birthday Michi....

1, 2, 3.... SMILE!

I've been saying this time and time again but I cannot stress enough how difficult it is for me to practice my photography. With that in mind, what better way to do so by practicing my photography during a community service project?!

Part of being in the IB program is needing to carry out a community service project. My community service project piggy-backed off of another project known as Help-Portrait. 

HELP-PORTRAIT IS A GLOBAL MOVEMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS USING THEIR TIME, GEAR AND EXPERTISE TO GIVE BACK TO THOSE IN NEED

In order to kind of mimic their mission statement, I partnered with Mending Hearts to carry out a small scale version of Help-Portrait's mission. I, along with four other close friends of mine went into an under-priviledged neighborhood where we spent all day giving those who came makeover, and a small scaled photo shoot. However, I MUST give some shout-outs.

• Pooja Patel: Thank you soooooo much. I was so surprised at how ridiculously talented you are with make-up and hair. I could not have asked for anything else to have been done differently. You are freaking amazing. Thank you so much.
• Carla Mae Ramos: Thank you so much for everything with hair. You seriously are uber talented with hair. Likewise with Pooja, I could not have asked for anything different to have been done. Thank you so much!
• Anna Nicole McGehee: What can I say? You may think you didn't do much, but you did. You were that one person who did a little of everything to help everything else go smoother. Thank you so much!
• Berlimar Andreina Anez: Much like Anna, you did a little of everything that helped everything run. From taking preliminary shots, to helping with make-up, to hair, to clean up, to dealing with me all day, literally ALL DAY!!!!! Thank you so much. You're amazing...

My lovely, lovely helpers...

Did I say thank you yet???? No?

THANK YOU!!!!!

P.S

Be sure to stay tuned! Pictures from my good friend's, Michelle Leonardo, birthday party will be up shortly

Happy Birthday Austin!

Man, it's been tough getting around to the whole photography thing but every time I get the chance, I never regret it. As 2012 is coming to an end, I'm looking back a my blog and realized that compared to 2011, I have about half the number of posts in 2012 than I did in 2011. Is this a lack of photography opportunities or a lack of dedication on my part? I must confess that it's a little of both. As I'm going through my senior year, I'm finding it tough to find opportunities to really stretch my photography career. Between school work, SATs, ACTs, college applications, and work itself, it's been pretty tough to just pick up camera and do what I love.

This past Saturday, November 5, 2011, I was able to do exactly that. This past Saturday, about 30-40 of my friends and I put together a surprise birthday party for our good friend Austin. To be completely honest, I was never SUPER close with Austin, but he has always been one of those close acquaintances who, when we hung out, we always interacted as close friends. With that in mind, me photographing his birthday party was of no burden what so ever. I'm constantly amazed to see how much an individual can be loved by his friends and family. I was so encouraged to see the love and care put into this party from both his parents and his friends. I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to serve and photograph the birthday celebration of a good friend of mine.

As I have in the past, I must give a shout out to...

• Mr. Spickard: I don't think I've ever seen a father more proud and loving towards his son. To see the desire in your heart to put together a surprise party for your son makes me kind of jealous honestly... haha. 
• Amanda: I am so proud of you. I have never been more proud and blessed to call you my friend. To see the love, effort, and stress that you went through to put together such an amazing birthday party for Austin reminds me of why I can call you one of my best friends. The party, decorations, presents, and everything else was P.E.R.F.E.C.T! I'm so proud of you and proud to call you my friend.

In case you guys are getting bored by now, here are the pictures. Enjoy!

Happy birthday Austin!

The decorations were phenomenal! 

While there were not many photographs to take, but it looked amazing.

And we wait for Austin to come....

And we wait some more....

And finally, at around 7.20PM, SURPRISE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!

After a night of food, fun, and lots of dancing, I set up a nice photobooth where people could grab a bunch of friends, some props, and take some pictures for Austin.

Overall, the night was an awesome time of fellowship and bonding. 

Happy birthday Austin!

Senior Homecoming

Boy has it been a crazy couple of months. From school, to work to college applications, IB requirements, and other duties, it's been tough for me to pick up my camera and just take some photographs. This past Friday, October 14, 2011, was Cypress Creek's Homecoming Dance. Originally, I had refused to be on photographer duty, but due to the lack of photographers at school, ha-ha, I was forcefully put on photographer duty anyways.

All I can say is the night was awesome. It was great to be spending time with my friends of four years along with the best possible person I could ask for. It was definitely a night to remember and for once in my lifetime, I actually danced in public! Homecoming night made all the stress and nonsense of the past two months totally worth it. Class of 2012!!!!

While I do not have much to say, a more elaborate post is in fact to come but for now, enjoy the pictures!