...{Capturing Life's Emotions} KrashingMotions: April 2010

Megan Gray of Honey & Poppies | Floral Designer | Long Beach Wedding Collective

This is Megan Gray, owner and floral stylist guru of Honey and Poppies and co-founder of Long Beach Wedding Collective and self proclaimed flowerholic.

Megan has been working in the industry practically her entire life. Her parents owned their own floral shop called Rainbows for over 29 years. I guess you can say it's in her blood and she was destined to do this for a living. Like many of us, we try to leave the shadows of our parents and go out on our own seaching for our future's path to destiny. Well, Megan did the same and it led her back to where she started. She realized her fate was her passion and her future. So here we have Honey and Poppies, one of Southern California's top elite floral companies.

Megan is a true artist and her visions are bountiful.

Lucky for me she found me on the web last November and invited me to be apart of this amazing group of uber talented vendors of the Long Beach Wedding Collective. I love our group; Megan's vision along with co-founder Candice Bradley of bringing fabulous vendors has come to fruition. I'm thrilled to have met so many fun, vibrant, talented people and to consider them friends.

Megan and I have become fast friends since meeting at our 1st gathering in December. She comes across as soft spoken, possibly shy and of course very sweet, but under her soft exterior lies a witty, classy, sassy, spitfire of a gal who chooses her words wisely; she seriously cracks me up! She's a gal full of surprises; you never know what's up her sleeve. Little did I know how photogenic she was either; she blew me away when we met for a 15 minute shoot. Check out the talented Miss Sassy Classy~ Megan Gray!

Donovan Headshots | Long Beach Photographer

My sis-in-law Noelle hired me to shoot headshots of my adorable nephew Donovan. Donovan is only 9 mos older than Kruiz but has the stature of 7 year old. He is a strong 5 year old who is doing amazing in Tae Kwon Do and football already! Besides being a natural athlete, he is full of personality. A possible acting career in his future. Hence why we are doing headshots. He has the look, personality and spirit to be on TV. So keep your eyes out and wish him luck when he has his 1st audition!!!! I would just love to see him on TV, luckily he has an amzing mommy to keep him on the right track if he ever gets famous.

He's so stylin'!

I love his hair- it's so retro!

The backlighting through his hair just takes me back to the 70's- luv it!

Can he have anymore expressions? Wow- what a doll!!!!

Sweet rewards in due time! He was so good for our shoot, we rewarded him with some delicious chocolate ice cream!

Contact KrisD Mauga | View KrashingMotions Gallery | Book Me

Charla Blue | Headshot Exchange | Long Beach Wedding Photographer

I have been in need of some pro headshots. I seem to be the one always taking the photos of course, but I'm rarely in the shots even we are just having fun. Luckily for me my best friend is a professional photographer as well. She and I have each others back when it comes to our daughter's B-Days, family sessions, and headshots whew!

I'm so glad we found the time to do a headshot exchange! She was awesome! She is so photogenic! I love shooting her! We took turns intermittently. I think it helped us both warm up to the camera. Remember, we are usually behind the lens not in front of it. It was awkward having ourselves shot. Even though she said she felt uncomfortable, she was an absolute natural. Your photos were so beautiful that it even inspired me to create a few sets of lightroom presets inspired by her style and color of Charla Blue.

Thanks Charla for being my friend, for your advice on business, for your inspiration of the amazing images you take, for your take on life. You are an amazing person!

Love you!

5 Years Young | Happy Birthday Kruiz | Event Photography

Wow, I can't believe it has been 5 years since the day my water broke and the excitement of knowing you would be entering this world at any moment!

I've only written twice to you before; your 5 year birthday is quite special, so here is my birthday letter to you!

Kruiz my lil girl,

You came into my life with much surprise. Before you were even born, you had made it through tribulations and challenges. July of 2004, I had surgery (a wrist replacement); I was in the hospital for 3 days on heavy doses of morphine. Little did I know you had gone along for the ride with me.

A week later, while on the phone with Auntie Jana I had told her I wasn't feeling too hot; her sixth sense kicked in and she knew and demanded I get a test. I then called your Auntie Charla to accompany me to the nearest pharmacy store and pick up the answer to my future.

After we both took a test (hey might as well), I looked at this wand of my future and tears came to my eyes. I looked at Charla on the verge of a full blown cry and said "it's positive". She asked if I was OK, I was more than OK.... a bit scared and very much in shock though!

Your daddy and I had tried so hard to have a baby; for over a year we tried and once I knew I was going to have surgery we thought it would be time to just take a break from the trying. So you were a huge surprise- the best surprise!

It was meant to be, you were meant to be!

You came into this world with a bang.

Literally, a bang. The night before you entered the world I had just had Easter brunch with your Mimi, Papa n Aunties n Uncles. 5 days over due my family had begged me not to go into labor until Tuesday. That night your Uncle Wesley and his band were performing but you are an Aries and you had it your way!

Mommy's back was bit achy and your Daddy unfortunately wasn't feeling well either, so he brushed my pains off a tad and told me to sit on my birthing ball. I did and then fell off it landing my belly on the couch- bang mommy's water broke. Now I'm for sure going to be seeing you soon!!!!

You may not have come at a convenient time for everyone else, but I thought it was perfectly you. My little Kruizer, how you so fit your name! You are an Aries; you are always dancing to the beat of your own drum; you are independent; you are creative; you are intelligent; you are an old soul; you are a loving person; you are inquisitive; you are an artist; you are musical; you are my inspiration in life; you are my baby always... no matter how old you get!

I love you!

I hope you loved your birthday!

Pink Princess Rock Party....

Moms' Shots | Krash Course 2 | Photographers

So in February I hosted my 2nd workshop for photographer mom's who want to learn more and some who are aspiring to shoot as a profession.

All of the mom's I have worked with thus far have great ability and drive. It's a real treat to see what others capture from the same moment. Our 1st workshop was more of tutorial of gear and lessons of technical knowledge of their cameras. This workshop let them put what they already have learned to use and shoot a real family.

I had my friend's Jeffrey and Chris along with their little girl Jayleen be our muses for the day. It was really special to have them be apart of this. You can read more about their story from a previous blog I posted about the here.

The day was beautiful; it was the first day of daylight savings actually. I was concerned we wouldn't get everyone on time. Despite missing 2 moms due to other reason's (not daylight savings), we were on schedule and shooting away, capturing some great moments. I keep the group small, so I can give hands on attention at each of their levels. I think they all did an amazing job!

The day consisted of shooting along with guidance of settings, lighting, composition. We finished our workshop at George's on Pine where we were able to enjoy some wine while reviewing work, going over q & a's, and tips on post-processing with photoshop, lightroom, picnik.

Thanks again ladies for being apart of this workshop; it was pleasure meeting the new moms and working with the mom's before again. You all have great talent; keep it up!

I look forward to our next one. Date to be announced soon....

Here is an example of their work that day...

The Real Me... apparently people want to know? | Creative Lifestyle Wedding Photographer

So today I met up with my one of soon-to-be interns Steph; she's an absolute doll!

At Cypress College their was a photo expo that hosted some of the best photography speakers (ie. Jasmine Star, Lawerence Chan, Dane Sanders, Becker to name-drop a few). We attended Jasmine's and Lawerence's seminars. The common thread of advice to other photographers was to be completely transparently YOU! Not only to be you, but let people know you- your likes, your dislikes, etc to create a common thread between us.

So here I am at a time where I have been thinking really hard about who I am at this day and age. I'm currently in the rebranding process so that my brand represents more of my personality and style. My current brand is really pretty but maybe for me it's a bit too pretty; I'm not a frilly girly girl. I have more of an edgy style. My friend Megan (a fab florist designer & owner of Honeys & Poppies) described me recently as edgy, daring, bold, fun and vibrant-BTW thanks sweetie.

So who am I ? I'm KrisD Mauga a mother who feels likes she could lose her mind some days, a wife who thinks her husband is super sexy though sometimes wishes she could bop him over his head (just to knock some sense into him, not to hurt him...well maybe just a tad sometimes), an artist who lost her inspiration to paint so took up photography instead, a woman who just realized this year I am not 27 anymore (damn!), and a girl who cracks herself up while my laugh is not just a laugh it's a cackle; my husband calls me a cackling hen.

Here's a breakdown of my loves and urks...

Green is my favorite color; it calms me. I love Sushi; if I could afford to eat it every day I would have salmon lox on a bagel for breakfast, Ahi poki for lunch and 2 orders of Salmon Sashimi for dinner and 2 quail eggs for dessert. I love music (my ultimate dream is to be a ROCKSTAR, but I can't sing)- MANY kinds of music: Latin Jazz, adult alternative,Blues, classic rock, hard rock. Some of my faves are Rodrigo & Gabriella, Sting, U2, Black-Eyed Peas, Lady Ga-Ga, Madonna, Kid Rock, Ricky Martin, Train, Coldplay, Donavon Frankenreighter, No-Doubt, the Cult(my first concert ever) Pink Floyd, and here you go yes..... Metallica- oh and I can't forget Jeramiah Red- they represent a fusion of all my fave genres! I love to dance; my husband and I did the salsa for our 1st dance as husband and wife (I elbowed him in the nose at the end because I threw in a triple spin when it was to be a double...ooops). I loved my wedding and still get excited when people say it was one of their faves (our 8 years of wedded craziness of life is coming up in June). I love tattoos; they are true works of art and represent fab personal expression. I love the styles of the Roaring 20's, the cigarettes skirts of the 40's & the Rat Pack ruling of the 60's; I always felt like maybe I lived during those times. I believe in Karma. I'm a TV pop-culture encyclopedia; if there's a trivial pursuit or Scene It game going on watch out...ask my friend's Charla and Maggie- they hate playing against me ("It's Lizard man!") I love to travel and wish I could travel the world with my husband, daughter and two dogs. San Sebastian, Barcelona, Canne, Beaunne and the Cinque Terre were my faves; today I dream of renting a Villa in Tuscany on a vineyard. I love wine! I love to go wine tasting, I love to learn about it, smell it and of course I love drinking it! I grew up boating and I love that my husband I get to share the experience with our daughter. I love where I live! I've lived all up and down California and other than Santa Barbara which holds many amazing memories for me, I love living in Long Beach; it's an amazing city!

Of course, you already know I love photography... so we don't need to get into that right now.

dislikes...

I really dislike doing dishes; I do not have a dishwasher and it seems like a never ending task. Laundry is also another task I just can't embrace; I have no problem washing and drying it, it's the folding and hanging I can't seem to follow through with. I can not stand whining! I rarely cry and wish people would stop with all the 'woe is me'; there are people in Haiti right now with no food, no shelter, no clothes, no families... for G sake get off your woes! I can't stand it when skinny people say they are fat; no you are not and no I am not going to feed into your self loathing and shell out a compliment to make you feel better. Hey I know I'm thin; I'm' not perfect but that's my fault, I drink wine, eat cheese and rarely do sit-ups, but you don't hear my whining about it. I have road-rage as well, and I really can't handle it when people make a complete stop to make a right hand turn or put on the brakes to change lanes.

I wish there were no haters in this world and we all could just accept each other for being different and having different beliefs and opinions; I don't understand extremist!

Is that transparent enough? I know TMI; that's me, once you get me started I don't stop! Since I basically barfed up everything about me in one blog, I'll spare you all for a while; I have about 10 more blogs to post and they are all about other people!

Do my likes and dislikes really define me? Probably not but maybe they are the things that guide me to the person I am. I'm a sarcastic, bluntly honest, bit crazy gal who realized she is getting older (yuk) and who lives to tell my truth, share my ideas and as a mom ...give advice whether you like it or not...sorry. Now you either love or hate me, maybe a bit of both; you definitely got to know me a bit more. I'm that crazy mom who drinks wine, tells stories about my life and yours and shoots weddings for a living.

Maybe I'll be shooting yours in the near future!

Cheers!

Since it's all about me today... here are some fabulous pics my amazing friend & photographer Charla took of me to showcase me and my style- though to be honest...she makes me look cooler than I really am!

Oh and did I mention that my house is full of fire signs? My hubby n I are both Saggitarians & our outpoken, inquistive lil spitfire daughter is an Aries....? FYI

Andrea & Chris | Tivoli Too | Laguna Beach Wedding Photographer

It's always great to shoot with different photographers, especially weddings; you never know what you are going to get from it.

It's especially a pleasure to shoot with someone who requests you; it means they respect your work enough to represent to a client. So I always appreciate the requests!

An old high school friend, Sean Tracey of Sean Tracey Photography (not to say we are old, but I guess we are), emailed asking if I could 2nd shoot for him. The date he requested, I had thought I would be out of town. March was booked w/ work & social events and funny enough almost every calendar plan ended up changing in the end.

I get a reminder email re: 2nd shooting from him and respond shortly after I make it back from WPPI Vegas... YES- Luv to!

Facebook has been a great avenue of reconnecting with past friends from all my ventures, high school, college, travels! It's especially great to see where everyone has ended up. I never knew I would become a photographer back then, I didn't know Sean would either.

It's great to know that past friends and I have so much in common that we never knew.

March 21st arrives and it's time to meet up with an old and get to work!

We were both excited to shoot! I love weddings, I love the excitement, I love the hype, I love the emotions!

It's fast paced, high-energy and you are expected to capture unexpected moments at all times.... and I LOVE IT!!!

No wedding is the same, no moment is the same, no couple is the same. Everything is evolving and you just have to be in the moment

and I LOVE IT!!

Our meeting spot, the Montage! I love the Montage- it's fabulous! I was so excited to shoot there! Little did I know that unless your wedding is actually at the Montage, you can't shoot on the grounds (so challenge number one, but that's OK we adjust).

The wedding is at Tivoli Too- Yippie! It's a beautiful venue, very eclectic, with fabulous service!

Brides...FYI I have shot at Tivoli Terrace and Tivoli Too and as fabulous as everything is, be aware time is quite restricted and with good reason. They know what they are doing and have everything planned perfectly for you. Patrick is one of the planners and he is amazing!

The one thing that becomes challenging is the time allowed for photography to get those amazing artistic moments you hired us for. So word of advice, get ready at your hotel for your getting ready shots. Plan for time to have your wedding party captured before as well. It's really helpful and special to have "1st sight shots"; it's intimate and the one time you really get to be alone (with a couple of photogs to capture the moment).

If you can't do all that , we do the best we can despite the stress. Like I said, I love the hype and the unexpected moments!

Without further ado, here are some of the moments I was fortunate to capture at Andrea & Chris~ Mr. & Mrs. Davidson!

Though I didn't get to meet you prior or hear your story of how you met, it was a pleasure to shoot your wedding! You are lovely couple and I wish you fabulous future!

Cheers!!!!

Th Montage has one of my favorite baths; I've stayed here a few times and one of my favorite things to do is take a bath by candle light.

I just love details!!! I could have posted more, but I refrained!

There were four niece's of the bride, all names started with "Br"- I fell in love with them and couldn't keep the camera away...THOSE EYES!

Mommy and Daddy lock your doors, the boys will be knocking in a couple of years! Boy do I feel for you!

Andrea was so sweet, calm and happy... a fabulous bride! And look at her eyes- WOW!

I just love this shot... the person STARING at them in the car just cracks me up!!!!

I just love real smiles, real moments!!!

Ok so, I couldn't refrain too long- I just love details and artistic moments!

The look couples get in their eyes when they are really in love; this is what makes me love what I do!

I know... usually you do the cake near the end, but not here at Tivoli. I actually like they get it out of the way. It allows the couple to start enjoying their night right away!