Pedro Vidallon

After Greg and I started Malaya Project, I forced myself to be more selective when in comes to choosing what images to use to tell our participants' stories as clearly as possible. I can't be the only one who's attached to the images they've taken, I feel bad when we exclude a good amount of them from a series. Not that they're bad images (or so I think) but because it's more important to keep photos that will help develop a strong message.

The two below fall in that category. I was really excited about them after we left Pedro's place the night of the shoot but after putting everything in order, we decided to put them aside. They're great and we had a blast setting up and taking the shots but we felt it would distract the readers. At least Pedro has some new images for himself!

You can view the set of images we put together for his series on the Malaya Project site.

Zhiara's 1st Birthday

Zhiara, also known by her Uncle's friends as Baby Z celebrated her first birthday last weekend. Amado and I couldn't make it to her Hawaiian themed birthday party but we were able to spend time with her and the rest of her family for their family portraits.

Mom (Karen) coaching Baby Z to show off her pouty face.

Now with her very proud grandma, Tita June.

One of my faves of the whole family at their front porch. I told Tita June I had to get one of them in front of their house. Amado and I have been watching a lot home renovation shows and I've grown to like/obsess about craftsman homes. 

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Z!

Eggs In A Basket - The Trails Cafe Recipe

After going for a 24 mile bike ride yesterday morning, I thought I'd take it easy and prepare something quick and simple for breakfast. A few seconds of glancing inside our fridge and I saw I had the ingredients I needed to make a dish I saw on The Selby (one of my favorite sites). Then it changed from simple to a very extensive task.

So what was meant to be a quick fix meal turned into a whole messy set up for a photo. I posted a snapshot on my Instagram. I will stage food photos even if it's only for Instagram. Hey, it's either you give it your all or don't do it at all! Behind the white reflector is a whole lotta mess I made just to prepare the shot. The kitchen sink is a whole different story.

Amado and I have been to The Trails Cafe in Griffith Park years ago and I don't remember their menu being as pleasant as it is now. Then again we weren't really the nature/outdoors type at that time and we complained about our allergies the entire hike. We'll have to plan a weekend hike with the girls (Juku and Kami) one of these days and check out the cafe.

This egg in a basket is really savory, with pesto sauce and parmesan cheese on top. Like The Trails Cafe recipe, I made the pesto without pine nuts. It's the one item I didn't have in our kitchen and they are expensive as hell!