San Francisco : Color. Leaves.

The weather lately has been spectacular. We don't have much of a traditional fall or winter in this region of California so I'll take what I can get, seasonally-speaking.

San Francisco : The Perfect Spot!

This was near Waller and Masonic. First of all, I take for granted the amazing paint job on these houses. The detail! The old-world grandeur! All still there and it is quite amazing. Second of all, that spot is tiny and I'm so jealous of the Smart Car. Driving around and around the neighborhood looking for a spot? Not as fun as it sounds.

P.S.

I hope to add more photos of the city to the blog.

P.P.S.

That is all.

30 is the new 30!

It's 2011. That's 30 years since 1981, the year that I was born. My friend Eva got our group to make 30-before-30 lists. I made one, did a bunch of stuff, made a new one, and then haven't looked at it for a year or so before moving on to a bucket list. Well, I still have my 30-before-30 list taped to the wall in front of my laptop. What else is on there?

• See the Grand Canyon in Arizona : I'll fit this in mid-February
• Visit Central America
• Hike Half Dome at Yosemite : Doable!
• Travel to Canada : I think a flight to Seattle and then a drive to Canada and the surrounding cities would be fun! Originally, though, I definitely wanted to visit Montreal.
• Travel to Philadelphia : Fly to NYC for some work and then stop in Philly? *hoping*
• Travel to Denver : ...and on the flight home from NYC, a stop in to Denver??? *hoping*
• Travel to Eastern seaboard
• Visit Eastern Europe
• Travel to Australia / NZ
• Book destination weddings
• Sit down and review all financial documents, organize tax forms, and clean it all up (close any open accounts that are unused) : Need to schedule this on my teuxdeux list.
• Write my will : Teuxdeux, please.
• Sell and/or give away things I don't need : Ditto above.
• Make a comprehensive list of family and friends birthdays : And again....

All of the noted items are very doable and possible before 10/23/2011 while the other ones are very iffy, depending on my schedule. And funding.

I think lists are great to organize my thoughts and, sometimes, wishes and dreams. I don't, however, get all worked up over finishing every single item and I suppose I create the list with that mentality. "These things are great, but I won't die it they don't happen." And I wonder if it's that attitude that I don't get things done...something to think about.

Anyway, I really just still can't get over the fact that I'm wrapping up a decade this year....

"I wish my parents had photos like this!" | 2010.12.27

Yes, I kept thinking that as I was photographing this adorable family around Golden Gate Park. And after I took the photo above, I said it out loud. (I suppose that's the resolution for 2011 - grab such a shot of my parents. We should all have stinkin' adorable photos of our parents!)

Sweet. Overload.

Brother and sister. Jumping across San Francisco. Whee!

Parking lot in the background. In the distance, Palace of Fine Arts. I love how adorable this photo is. Truly.

Click here to view the entire gallery and order prints.

Christmas Day Family Portraits | 12.25.2010

On Christmas Day, I set down to Gilroy to photograph this amazing family. They were so kind and generous, and totally decked out with some of the most delicious homemade goodies. Yum! (I was more than happy to stay for dinner because, well, the very most direct way to my heart is definitely through my stomach, in case you didn't already know.)

In case you're wondering why I don't spend time with my family on Christmas Day, it's because we always celebrate on the evening of the 24th with mass, dinner, and a massive gift-opening. Gotta love the holidays!

This is Sunday. She's a shiba inu puppy. And, yes, she's so cute.

Click here to view the entire gallery and order prints.

Charity Model Search | 01.01 - 03.31.2011

I’m participating in the International Charity Model Search to select North America’s Cutest Kid and to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation.

Is your child North America’s Cutest Kid?

We’ll give you the opportunity to prove it!

Charity Model Search Special:
$100 entrance fee includes a 30-minute model session and one image submitted to the international gallery, plus a high-resolution digital file of your choice!

Call 408.532.5880 or email chung.nguyen(at)gmail.com now

to enter your “Cutest Kid” in this exciting contest.

More information:

• Contest open to residents of the US and Canada.
• Contest is for kids from newborn to 18.
• Available 01.01.2011 through 03.31.2011. Call or email to book your session with me.
• How voting works: Finalists will be determined by online votes. Each vote is $1 (no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. Every family member who registers their information on the Charity Model Search website will also receive 1 complimentary vote. The top 5 paid votes, and the top 5 complimentary votes in each region will move on to the final judging round for a total of 50 finalists. Grand prize international winner and runners up will be determined from the 50 regional finalists. The winner and runners up are selected by photography experts.
• For more info, please visit Charity Model Search. And also visit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. And watch this video from the Today show about the organization!