I met Dina sometime during my third year in college through my good friend Tean (who’s wedding I was also in and partly shot). Since then we’ve come a long ways as we’ve both served as Co-Captains for the Spirit of Cambodia Dragon Boat Race Team with whom we’ve won both Gold and Bronze medals with, served as Counselor Coordinators for the Cambodian Heritage Camp and volunteered to help with countless of Cambodian New Year celebrations in the Denver community. So needless to say, we’ve both become pretty good friends since we first met way back when in college and when I found out that she was engaged I couldn’t have been happier for her. I should also add that because of our long running friendship, I was proud to have been asked by Dina and John to cover their wedding and shoot their engagement portraits.

So as anyone in Denver knows, the weather in Denver can turn real funny in a hurry. The day of Dina and John’s engagement session was no exception as the weather really did a funky number on us as far as the temperature goes. The day started off pretty warm which led us all to believe that we were probably going to roast for the rest of the day only to be surprised when the temperatures turned mild as a nice high overcast cloud layer rolled in. That didn’t last long though as the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped from a warm 75 to a chilly 50 degrees when we arrived at our next location in the foothills of the Rockies. Fortunately for me though, the weather couldn’t stop Dina and John from toughing it out and finishing the last few shots we were trying to create.

But that’s enough from me, I’ll stop talking so that everyone else can enjoy the photos. Congratulations guys and I can’t wait to cover your wedding next year. Enjoy!

It’s amazing when you look back into the past and flashback to something that didn’t seem so long ago yet it’s been long enough for you to be considered old by those who are now in that very position that you were once in. Amazingly to me, it has been 7 “short” years since I graduated with a bachelor of science degree that I consider to be pretty useless outside of what I do for a living but I can still remember it like it was yesterday: hours upon hours of boredom before I was finally able stride up to the spotlight of the podium, receive my diploma cover from the Dean with a handshake and finally walking off into the darkness of boredom once again.

Fast forward 7 years and now it’s Paul, Daniel and Fornia’s turn to do the same as graduates of Cal State Long Beach’s Class of 2010. Since all three are hard working members of Cal State Long Beach’s Cambodian Student Society and are good friends of mine we made arrangements for a quick fun shoot just prior to their own graduation ceremonies later this week. I know that all three of them have worked hard to reach this final step in their collegiate careers so I just wanted to pass along this piece of advice as they graduate into today’s uncertain times: no matter how bleak things may look, never give up on your dreams because few of us rarely achieve them overnight. We all need a little bit, or for some a lot of luck at times but as long as you keep your heads up and as long as you keep on trying you’ll put yourself in the right position to take advantage of the luck that’s needed to reach your dreams when it does come knocking on your door.

So with that in mind guys, congratulations on your huge achievement, good luck, reach for the stars and I wish you only the best with your next journey in life.

So for the last few months I’ve had this idea that has been brewing in my head for awhile about a new fine art set that I’ve wanted to add to my Cambodian Fine Art Gallery and it looks like next month may be the month that I finally get to shoot it. I don’t want to give out too many details but the photos below should give you a vague idea of what I have in mind as they were taken while I was experimenting a bit with my idea and documenting one of KAA’s practices. So until then, enjoy the teaser!

Sou sdey, chnam tmey! Which for those of you who don’t speak Khmer, translates into Happy New Year! Yes I know, it’s April not January or even February like Chinese New Year but there’s a reason for that. Cambodians celebrate their New Year from April 13-15th (or whatever weekend falls close for those not in Cambodia) as those dates typically land at the end of the harvesting season.

Traditionally the New Year is celebrated with blessings that involve wiping powder on peoples faces and water fights while the hard working farmers take a moment to enjoy the fruits of their harvest and relax before the rainy season begins. Now as you can imagine, the celebrations are quite a bit different here in the States and abroad than they are in Cambodia but the partying is still there nonetheless. Here in Long Beach, the celebrations started with the 6th Annual Cambodian New Year Parade which took place on April 4th followed by the annual New Year Celebration at El Dorado Park on the 10th. Now normally I would have been out there documenting the celebrations with my camera, but this year I told myself to just simply enjoy the party instead of taking photos of everyone else enjoying it. But with that said, I couldn’t stop myself from snapping a few photos so here are some shots from the New Years Parade and a few more from KAA’s performance at El Dorado Park. Enjoy!

And as always, you can find the rest of the photos from KAA’s performance at SOJOURN FOTO’s Online Gallery.