Taken from a pre-wedding in Moji, Japan.  Enjoy!

Spring is here.  The cherry blossoms are late this year but they are just around the corner.  And when that happens, this beautiful lady will be my model during a spring shoot project.  The images below are from a short shoot we did at the end of last year.  Enjoy!

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!

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” ~John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic (1928)

We are made to experience life and all it has to offer and not stay safely at home.  Mark Twain said it best:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.“

Use your God-given gifts and talents to serve your family, friends and community.  Don’t be afraid to take risks and dream big in 2012!!

明けましておめでとうございます！今年も宜しくお願いします！

I received one Accolade of Excellence from the image below.  Thank you to my family and friends for all the support and encouragement you give me in my photography journey!

"Groom Alone" category

My 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.

My 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!

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.  It’s what sunflowers do.”  – Helen Keller

Little Fuuta has been swimming since he was one.  And, at a young age of five years, he is an impressive swimmer.  This is not a kid who is forced to do this.  He loves what he does!  Between laps, he won’t hesitate to smile and give a good laugh.  It’s been a complete privilege (I sound like an Idol judge) for me to take his pictures and to see him develop each year.  Who knows?  Fuuta might represent Japan one day.  Here he is…Fuuta!!!