Aaron Dieppa

Julie and Luke decided to have a traditional Chinese ceremony and banquet here with there friends and family because they’re going to Alaska soon to get married on a glacier! How cool is that!? Very! I would go if I could but the helicopter ride to the glacier can only hold 3 people so the pilot will also take the role of photographer.

The banquet was intimate and beautiful and the food was fantastic! As promised they had all sorts of traditional chinese dishes including shark fin soup, abalone and lobster! MMMmmm!

Julie.

Luke.

A little bit of spontaneous dancing is always fun!

They played this really fun game where they blind-folded Luke and then had girls and guys including Julie line up in front of him. Then he had to touch all of their hands and see if he could find his bride’s hands! He played it like a pro and picked out Julie’s hands right away! I was impressed!

Julie’s sister Mimi gave a speech.

Julie and Luke complimented each other perfectly and they were so fun to work with. I hope they have a wonderful time in Alaska!

A few weeks ago my friends Nicole and Natale called me because they needed some portraits done. But not just any type of portraits. Nicole and Natale are Flamenco dancers and sisters. It was such a unique and enjoyable experience to work with them and I am so excited with the way the photos turned out. They performed last weekend in Santa Monica and I was invited to attend. It was an absolutely beautiful performance, and I was so honored, because their dance instructor Yolanda Arroyo, put the portraits on display in the lobby of the venue for all to see.

Flamenco is such a passionate and dramatic dance with sharp vigourous movements, clapping of hands and stomping of feet, traditionally performed in the company of acoustic guitar music and a spanish vocalist. Its something that is not so much viewed and heard as it is felt. You have to experience it to understand it. It’s beautiful! It was a lot of fun to photograph.

I never once posed them, because I wanted to be sure to capture the movement of their dresses as they danced. Nicole and Natale were so cooperative, which was great because it gave me free reign to use some pretty creative lighting techniques. I really tried hard to express the dramatic mood that I think is at the heart of Flamenco dancing.

Tonight I went over to Becker’s house and played poker with Jessica Claire, Ma5en, Mike Colon and a bunch of other really cool photographers. It was a lot of fun in spite of the fact that I lost. I pretty much expect to lose when I play with them though. I’m probably the least experienced poker player of all of them. Becker and Jessica Claire both compete in tournaments pretty regularly. But you know what, its not about winning…right? Its about the fun of spending time with friends…right? Then why am I still frustrated?

Some random shots taken while playing:

Ok ok I know this is a REALLY delayed blog post. But remember, this whole blogging thing is pretty new for me. It’s tough to find the time to keep it updated. But I’m trying…hehe!

WPPI!!!!!! Wow! What a cool experience. In case any of you are wondering, WPPI is a massive annual convention that unites Wedding and Portrait photographers from all over the country to network and learn more about the industry. This year it was held at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, so I carpooled with my friends Lan and Bonny. I got to help Vu Bui with the Shootsac booth which ended up being pretty cool. I also got to help Lan with the filming of Becker’s portrait session which was a huge hit! There were so many people there it was crazy!!

Having the opportunity to meet and get to know so many really cool people, all with the same passion for photography was a totally affirming process for me. It further solidified my commitment to my work and inspired me to try harder. I am so unbelievably amped up now about growing my business and pursuing my passion for photography.

Some randomly selected photos from WPPI for your viewing pleasure:

Our hotel:

Ally Stepp and I doing a little street photography:

Cruising the WPPI tradeshow with Lan and Jessica Claire while they get some blog footage:

Jessica was selling these really cool miniature Leica replicas at the Shootsac booth:

Random photo of Lan Bui with too much WPPI in his eye:

Some photos from Becker’s crazy annual party at “THE HOTEL“:

Candace and Paul of iCandi Photography:

Jim Kennedy and I:

What a cool guy! So down to earth in spite of his extreme success. I have so much respect for his work and his business model. Both are sources of great inspiration and I hope to one day achieve the same degree of success.

Eleisa of Photogen Inc and David of Ohana Photography:

Cool people!!! Eleisa gave me some great advice about my commercial photography biz!

Some photos from the FotoCabina Photo Booth at Becker’s party:

Eleisa and I again:

Michael Norwood, Fred Egan, Lan Bui and I acting stupid:

- Photo was removed for the sake of professionalism.

The 3 amigos: Dane Sanders, Mike Colon and Joe Photo showing a little skin for the FotoCabina Photo Booth.

Lan and I exhausted after Becker’s party:

Random Joe Rumore sighting at the Double Down Saloon:

Thanks for the camera! Joe sold me his 5D for a great price. That made my already amazing WPPI experience even that much better.

I ran into Victor Sizemore at the Double Down saloon. Isn’t this a cool pic!? Vic has a cool story and has definitely inspired me in my pursuit of photography. I really look up to him.

After the Double Down Saloon, Vu and I convinced Orbie and Rebecca to check out the rides at the top of the Stratosphere:

Rebecca was scared. Who am I kidding we were all terrified!!!

I got bored in the elevator:

And finally, me at the top of the Stratosphere. Photo courtesy of Vu Bui:

WPPI was a blast! I can’t wait until next year!!!!!!!

My good friends Thomas and Keyli have a new baby girl and she is sooooo beautiful. I got to hold her in my arms at the hospital and was given the honor of taking her first photographs. Holding her was seriously a spiritual experience for me. Having just gone to my girlfriend’s grandfather’s funeral the day before, it made me think a little more about the circle of life and how beautiful it is.