My good friends at church, Rocky and Marla, are releasing a new CD real soon! Woo hoo!! We went around town to shoot some picures to go into their CD. Enjoy the images!
Archive for the ‘portraits’ Category
Rocky and Marla: Kitakyushu, Japan
March 10, 2012Photo Shoot with Hazuki: Kitakyushu, Japan
November 1, 2011My friend, Hazuki, used to live in Kitakyushu but due to her husband’s job transfer, she and her family moved up north. Hazuki and her daughter were back in town last weekend for a quick visit. Shortly before their departure, I had a chance to do a photo shoot at her request. She is a yoga instructor and has started a small business. She naturally wanted profile pictures for her blog/website and that’s where I come in. Hazuki was great to work with and I believe the images we captured that day reflect her fun and engaging personality. I am sure that future clients that visit her site will notice this right away. Happy viewing, everyone!!
We found this empty park with beautiful fall leaves and decided to do a couple "yoga" images.
Before their train departure, we found one more location and came away with beautiful portraits of Hazuki.
Here are some behind-the-scene shots of Hazuki with her cute daughter.
Photo Shoot with Shuming: Kitakyushu, Japan
October 24, 2011My assistant, Shouten, and I put in some shooting practice time earlier this summer. Our model for this photo shoot is Shuming from China. Thanks, Shuming! You did a fantastic job!
Play and Practice: Hibikino Campus
May 26, 2011What do you do when the wife is teaching an evening class? Take your kids to their favorite park. They play and I “play” and practice my off camera flash technique. Win-win!!
What gear did I have with me? I brought with me my Canon 40D. Haven’t used the 40D in a while so I decided to give it some love that night. The only lens I brought with me was the wide-angle 16-35mm. Now, because the 40D has a crop sensor, the effective focal length range is 26-56mm. It was wide enough for what I wanted to shoot and also, no distortion even at the widest focal length. I only used one flash, the Canon 580 EXII, which I set on a Manfrotto light stand. Why didn’t I use a second flash? I normally do but hey, I’m taking care of 3 girls!! This was their time, not mine. Lastly, for off camera lighting, I happily use the Scott Robert Lim triggers. I could have used a diffuser, such as an umbrella, to create “softer” light, but again, I was there to play with my girls. The few shots I took of them was strictly bonus. When you start hearing, “Daddy, let’s play hide-n-seek! Daddy, push me on the swing! Daddy, help me climb the slide!”, then it’s time to put away the gear. Enjoy the images!
Well, as promised, here is Part II of the inspiration shoot that took place last weekend. If you missed Part I, go here.
My models were Anne Crescini and Marla Ayatsuka. One of them’s my wife 
To be honest with you, my shots didn’t do any justice to the beauty that these two women have. God made them both beautiful on the outside. But the beauty they have on the inside is just as attractive. The strength and character of these women are something to behold. So, forgive me that these images fall short of truly capturing who they are.
I wanted to create a little bit of drama using the sun flare and a texture.
Thank you, Jessica, for designing the bouquets and head pieces! You're the best!
Location: Wakamatsu, Japan
Hair and Makeup: Marla Ayatsuka
Floral Design: Jessica Kondo
Florist: Chimoto
Assistant: Zhengtian Pan
Models: Marla Ayatsuka and Anne Crescini
All photos copyright 2010 by Riz Crescini
WPPI Part 2: Family Session with My Sister
March 9, 2011One of the treats of going to Las Vegas every year is not related to photography at all. I get to see my sister! Her family lives in the San Francisco Bay area but they make the trip to see lil ol me. It’s not ideal as I have WPPI all day long but what a great time I have with them in the evening! I don’t often get to play with my niece, Elle, as I live in Japan. So imagine the fun I have playing with this sweet angel!
On their way back home and before my platform afternoon class, we had a short time (and I mean short) to go out to the desert to capture some family shots. Next year, I want to set aside a whole afternoon to shoot them at Red Rock Canyon. Until then, enjoy the pictures below.
This is my beautiful niece, Elle!
With her Daddy
I love this one. You can see Elle’s smiling face behind their kiss.
Elle: Ummm…why was I put inside this tire? Is that a scorpion I see?
Okay, break out the flash and see if we can do something dramatic.
Sad to say but at this point Elle wasn’t cooperating anymore so Mommy and daughter went off to explore while Edgar played the eager model.
This cool DJ/sound engineer has no problem posing for me. Ha ha ha!
Edgar had his own idea for the next couple images
Edgar: Don’t mess with me!
It was time to go but not before I got a shot of my beautiful sis. Love you, Fern!
Coming up…my thoughts on my experience as a volunteer for WPPI’s Print Judging Competition.
Snow Day
January 11, 2011
We Will Miss You!
January 9, 2011After three years living and working in Tokyo, Anne’s older brother, Mike, and his family are moving back to the States. For my family, it has often been a challenge to share and have people understand what it is like to live in a different culture, especially a culture as different as Japan’s. So when Mike and Elle moved to Japan, we were excited to have family near us. They shared with us and understood the joys and frustrations of living in this beautiful country.
I’m sure if they had their way, they would stay here longer but new adventures await them in the States. And they are ready to embrace them! We are sad to see them go but we will see them again. Their love for Japan and its people will assure future visits from them.
Mike, Elle, Claire, Alex and James: thank you for the awesome memories! We love you so much and we will be praying for your transition. Enjoy your last few days in Japan!
Bond between Father and Son
January 6, 2011
Mike and Tiffany
January 4, 2011Anne has a second cousin, Tiffany, who lives just outside of Tokyo. Tiffany, her husband (Mike), and their two children came out for a visit. On our way home from lunch, we stopped by a neighborhood park and let the kids play. Here are a few snapshots I took of Mike and Tiffany at that park. I am committed this year to shoot as much as I can and take advantage of every opportunity. This afternoon was one of them.
