The Starr-Lopez Wedding at Clos Winery, Morgan Hill

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Last week on a warm Friday afternoon at Clos Winery, in Morgan Hill, was the Starr-Lopez wedding.
And while all weddings are special, this one was also very unique for me personally. 

You see, Stephanie is the youngest of three sisters. And I had the privilege of doing photography for Nicole, and Michelle, before her. So to be asked back a third time by the Starr family was something very flattering and special for me. So it was a little bit reunion for me seeing some old faces – I also know the Starrs from school – and a lotta bit celebration of course celebrating Enrique and Stephanie.

Their wedding was beautiful. I had never been to Clos, however I’ve shot several weddings in the Morgan Hill and South San Jose areas and lighting there can be really beautiful – albeit a bit tricky at times also. So I was looking forward to an outdoor setting. Now for anyone keeping count, it’s been several years since I photographed a wedding. But Stephanie had no problem with risking me being a tad rusty for a ceremony. I still shoot, of course, but I never really advertised wedding photography so it’s far less common a booking for me.

I’ll just roll right into photos from Enrique and Stephanie’s wedding rehearsal and wedding day – save for jumping to the end of the night to share this shot:

I had posted this on Facebook recently and said I’m so glad we got a group shot at the end of the night. From left to right: Chris, Enrique, Nicole, Michelle, Stephanie, and Will. And me in the back.
And in order of weddings, was Nicole/Will, then Michelle/Chris, and now Stephanie/Enrique.
It’s been very, very cool to be a part of all their weddings and I’m really happy to have a last-minute, end of the night photo with everyone after the last wedding for everyone. Honestly as we were all leaving I had said it looked like it was too late to get this. But Nicole and Stephanie knew it was important to me and tracked down Will and Enrique who were helping family get loaded into cars so we could take a group shot!

And with that, click to read on!
I’ll add details and info to captions where I can:

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Half Ironman Memphis – Last one with the family

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I recently finished the Memphis Half Ironman in Tennessee with my family. My last “Family Iron”, which is a little bittersweet… but what a hell of a race to wrap up with.

For those who don’t know, my Mom and Step Dad are the two people who got me into doing Triathlon. They moved into this sport after being extremely active in road cycling, and prior to that mountain biking, and (for my mom) marathoning.
I have past Race Reports that touches on this. I think I mention it every time actually. But this was going to be my mom’s retirement-from-long-distance-tris race. I won’t be surprised if she squeezes in an Olympic here or a Sprint there. But this Half Iron distance was going to be her last “long” race. And while my mother has raced in three other full-distance Irons and I think six or seven? half-distance Irons she would be racing this race nine-months post-hip-replacement! Crazy, right?
And being able to do events like this with my family over the years has been very cool. So this last one would be that much more special to complete for my mom after surgery early in 2021. I was also set to later compete in the Full Iron Sacramento with Jay as his final full-distance before he retired from long events, but that got cancelled due to weather. So now he and I have to suffer through another Summer of Iron training to race in 2022.

The Memphis Half ended up being no easy race, either. Weather reports as the weekend approached focused on just how bad the weather was going to get. From “chance of rain” to “it’s definitely gonna be raining” to “you’re racing in a storm, guys..”.
Memphis made us work for it.

Here’s a great example of what I mean with the weather. Pouring rain and look at my posture…. sitting upright, stiff, and aware. one hand on the brakes and even my expression is basically saying “yeah, this is sketchy..”. I had my sunglasses on because the rain was so hard it hurt your eyes when it hit your face. ha!

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The #PrincessMen – Year 6 | 2020

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Twenty Twenty.
If there was ever a lead up to an all-around strange weekend it was the 2020 Princess Half Marathon.

Writing about it after the event, and completing this blog much after the events of 2020 and Covid closures, it’s almost eerie to think about the feelings and all around attitude of that weekend. Coupled with the crazy weather we had with temperature shifts between the 5k (which we didn’t run), the 10k, and the Half. And also considering this weekend was a fairly short weekend for all of us.. I can’t help but consider this race memorable for so many reasons.

I was a year into a new job and a new company, and extremely busy back home at work. I was actually getting calls and emails during my vacation – which was frustrating to me since these trips go by so quickly already.

But we had pretty much the whole crew back again for one more race.

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The #PrincessMen – Year Five | 2019

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It’s already been five years running as the #PrincessMen .. Five?! Crazy!

Really though, it’s wild to think that we’ve been doing this so many years in a row already. And even more wild to consider how many people still get a kick out of seeing us out there running. And now we see a lot more men dressing as princesses on the course – I like to think that we have had a hand in that to some degree. So many people comment and post and social telling us they’re going to dress as a princess the following year, or ladies comment and say they’re going to make their S.O. dress up and run with them! It’s awesome. 

But let’s recap a few numbers, yeah?
5 – years running and still positively received 
4 – additional friends have joined the original group
4 – times in Buzzfeed in the past years
3 – times posted to runDisney’s social channels this year alone <-this one is the coolest

Really though.. making their social feed the day of the race is probably the coolest acknowledgement we’ve received

We’ve made several different posts, blogs, and feeds over the years. Last year runDisney featured us about a week after the event. It was Me/Jasmine, Beau/Pocahontas, and Joe/Belle in a Boomerang on IG and FB. 
We’ve been in Buzzfeed several times for best dressed, funny costumes, etc. 
But this year making the official runDisney social feeds the day of the race, as well as being acknowledged as we crossed the finish line was by far the coolest one so far. 



Haven’t heard/seen anything from our past years? You can check those out below if you’re curious and have a lot of time to kill.
Year One – how it started
Year Two – the return
Year Three – we all grew beards
Year Four – scattered on the course
which then bring us to…

Year Five

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Ironman Chattanooga – with the fam

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So at the time I’m currently writing this it’s been about a week since Ironman Chattanooga and I’ve mostly spent the time sitting around being lazy, with the occasional very-short workout mixed in. haha!
Note: Now, at the time I’m publishing this it’s been six weeks… I’m still being lazy with my post-race training, but I’m still getting out for a short work each day ;)

That being said, let’s get to my recap!

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2018 Princess Half as the #PrincessMen

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Year Four of the #PrincessMen was one of the more hectic, and short, trips of any year. 
And now, writing this whole report longgg after the actual race I realize just how crazy the whole weekend and trip actually was. 

At the time I was working at a marketing agency in Southern California. I kept my trip and travel minimal because I believed I was integral to the growth and success of this new company I was part of and helping build. In hindsight that was a huge mistake to miss out on time with my friends because the agency didn’t actually care about any of us, and laid off several of us just a few months later. It was a ridiculous and semi-hilarious period of my life to look back on. But oh well. 

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Chromatic Cafe, Downtown San Jose. Now Open, featuring my work

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The new Chromatic Cafe Downtown San Jose location is open! And my work is featured on the walls!

I’m really thrilled to be able to share my work Downtown with everyone! I used to work downtown in college, and for a short while afterward, too. I still do photography around DTSJ as well – I have photographed the official headshots for San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo as well as other city representatives. So while that work is hanging in City Hall three blocks away, THIS work is what allows me to be creative in a genre that pretty much everyone can enjoy.

I first started shooting landscape photography purely out of boredom after thinking “THAT’S not hard. I can do that…” (most of you know me for my commercial photography, sports imagery, or wedding photos… right?)

And while I sell prints online, and have the last several years, I rarely see them in person. Because, let’s face it, I don’t print all my work because I don’t own a 20,000 sq/ft house to hang it all in, sadly.

But head Downtown! Grab a coffee, and check out the images I selected to hang on the walls!

17 N 2nd St, San Jose, CA 95113 (google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ytRM2BiLsuT2)
Mon-Fri, 7a-2p (times will adjust as business hours/needs require, but to start off they’re sticking to similar hours of city businesses!)
www.chromatic.cafe

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Check out images of the new cafe below! Along with a few details on the photos I currently have hanging up!

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The Irizarry Wedding – Montréal, Quebec

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I just returned from Montréal, Quebec where I had a pleasure of shooting Bianca and Robert’s gorgeous wedding… and taking my first official trip to Canada! Ok, so I’ve been there once, but it was only for about 2 hours to buy a car with my former roommate.

Anyway.. How did I end up all the way in Canada AND the OTHER side of Canada for that matter?
Well that’s simple… about 14 years ago I worked in Florida and met a guy, who grew up with another guy, who at one point served in the army and met another guy, and guys 2 and 3 later took a cruise where there were some loud or creepy other guys that creeped out some girls but it was ok because guy number 3 is loud and American-sounding-guy so the girls hung out with guys 2 and 3 and girl number 1 fell in love with guy number 2 and because girls 1 and 2 lived in Canada and guy 2 was in love they decided guy 2 would move and they’d do that whole marriage/love/forever thing so guy number 1 was like “yo john, guy 2 and girl 1 are doing a thing and you gotta come over for that” and I was like “Sweet.”

Told you. It’s totally simple.

But really though. I used to work with a guy named John. John’s childhood friend is Robert, the groom. John’s wedding gift to his long-time, childhood friend? My wedding photography.

Ok, maybe that was easier. But the first way of explaining it way more fun sounding.

As I’ve said before in other write-ups on weddings, it’s hugely flattering to be asked to fly somewhere for work. And I’ve been very fortunate to fly cross country for weddings many times.
This was my first international wedding I was booked for.
And after making sure, a few times, that Bianca and Robert had reviewed my photography and approved of John’s gift to the two of them, I started making plans with John regarding travel and details.

“I want lots of photos..”

That was basically the main request Bianca had as we started exchange emails and work out details for the wedding. I tend to stay out of the bride’s way during planning until things get close to the actual wedding weekend. I checked in a few times, and I asked Bianca to start thinking of any images she liked or wanted for her and Robert. And, while there were a handful of specifics, the majority of it sounded largely that she just wanted to make sure she would have plenty of shots to remember things by.

And that can be easier as far as requests go.

So, as usual with my huge wedding recaps and write-ups, I’m going to leave a lot of the details for the captions. Save to say that I had an absolutely wonderful time with Bianca, Robert, and their families and friends. Everyone I met in Canada was incredibly welcoming and very friendly. I would definitely travel back to Montréal again whenever that chance comes up.

Click past the break below for a HUGE collection of images, seriously it’s like 600 photos, from Bianca and Robert’s massive wedding celebration this past weekend.

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Racing in the IM70.3 Puerto Rico – my report

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#RaceInParadise, that’s what they call it. And it’s beautiful.

It was nearly two years ago now when I dropped the idea to my friend Naidymar that she should do the Half Ironman in Puerto Rico. “You should sign up! Go race in your home country! I’ll do it with you!”
That was basically the initial conversation. And it led to a race.

 

There were two reasons for me pushing to do this event:

  1. I had seen a bunch of the videos and marketing for IronmanPR online. The course looked absolutely gorgeous, and tough. And I was already pretty much sold on it.
  2. Naidymar is Puerto Rican. She is a dear friend. And I truly believed she was tough enough to train up to complete a half even though she had JUST got into cycling.

Looking back in a group chat we have with several friends that was the first time I actually said something. The original thought was to do a relay, but that quickly changed to each doing our own race. Things slowly progressed from there.

So when I got a text message from her saying “I’m signed up!” my reaction was both “Hell yes!” and “Shit! Now I gotta figure out logistics for that race…”

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Disney’s Princess Half Marathon 2017 as the #PrincessMen

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“Guys.. we’re gonna do the Princess Half.. and we’re gonna dress up.. as princesses”
That was pretty much how things started. And three years later here we are.

To say that the idea of #PrincessMen grew into something we would have never foreseen is obvious. To find ourselves welcomed so warmly by so many two years after that first run in 2015 is still a shock, but way more fun now!

After the first race two years ago we watched posts online over social media quickly questioning “WHO were those guys!?”. During the second race in 2016 we were greeted by “I was hoping to see you guys!” followed by topping Buzzfeed’s Best-Dressed list from the race. Haha!

Read about our first year here
Or, read about the second year here

Now in our third year, and back to our original large group (plus a couple new faces) we were met with “I joined the Half Marathon just to meet you guys..”

Consider that for a moment. Several woman out there not only considered, but signed up for, paid, trained, AND COMPLETED a half marathon and credited us with getting them there.
Shelly was just one of several ladies who posted comments like these online, or told us in-person during the race.
And while I’m proud that our antics and humor is encouraging anyone to get out and run/walk and improve their health and lifestyle – THEY are the ones that put in the work and finished the event.

And they should be incredibly proud.

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