Riz Crescini » Children

Swimming Session with Fuuta: Wakamatsu, Japan

Riz Crescini — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:47:40 +0000

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!!!

Play and Practice: Hibikino Campus

Riz Crescini — Fri, 27 May 2011 04:02:59 +0000

What 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!

Spring Inspiration Shoot: Wakamatsu, Japan (Green Park) Part I

Riz Crescini — Wed, 18 May 2011 07:51:57 +0000

Last Saturday, we had an inspiration shoot and went out to Green Park for some fun in the sun! Jessica Kondo is a good friend and we collaborated together on this shoot. She designed the beautiful flowers (bouquets and head pieces) you will see below. Like I said before, I’m not a “flower” person but I can appreciate their beauty and Jessica did a phenomenal job. I am looking forward to doing many more collaborative shoots with Jessica. When you combine the flowers with beautiful models, then you have a winning recipe.

For our models, my wife and daughter (Anne and Mia) teamed up with another mother/daughter team (Marla and Hana). We’ve known Marla ever since we arrived in Kitakyushu eight years ago. She and her husband, Rocky, are wonderful friends. I need to do a lifestyle shoot of them just so I can show you their awesomeness! But I digress. Mia and Hana are best buds and well…they are just plain cute!! Okay, enough banter. Enjoy!

Getting ready

Putting on makeup is fun!

I don't like this part, Mommy!

Hold still, baby!

Pretty Hana

Friends

Love their expressions here!

Tea time!

I love the shadows being caused by the flower headdress!

Can we play now, Mommy?

What beautiful girls!

By the way, you don’t want to miss Part II of this inspiration shoot. Anne and Marla get their modeling on! Here’s a sneak peek:

Playground Slide Fail

Riz Crescini — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:07:05 +0000

This is a playground slide activity gone wrong!

Are you ready? Here we go....

"Are you okay?!?" No response and no movement. She stayed like that for about 30 seconds.

"I'm okay! Let's do that again!"

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Riz Crescini — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:55:52 +0000

During our Midwest tour, we went to St. Louis to take in a baseball game and to explore the city parks and attractions. I have many more images of our time in St. Louis which I will post on a later date. For now, enjoy the following pictures:

I'm a die-hard Cubs fan but I love the Gateway Arch! Anne's college buddy, Karey, and her daughter, joined us in touring the Arch and lunch afterwards.

Karey's daughter is a sweet, little angel!

South Carolina Family Session: The Johnsons

Riz Crescini — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:28:43 +0000

During our wacky family road trip this past summer, one of our first stops was South Carolina. This is where our good friends, Toby and Joey, live. Anne and Toby are childhood buddies. Joey, a former seal clubber (inside joke!), is the pastor of a historical South Carolina church. It was great to catch up with them and meet their children. We managed to sneak in a family photo session during our short stay with them. Toby and Joey, we love you guys and we hope to see you again real soon!

Laughmiller Family Session

Riz Crescini — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 11:02:53 +0000

We stayed with the Laughmiller family during our visit to Hampton Roads, Virginia this past summer. It was a complete pleasure staying with them and their 3 kids. Our girls had such a great time. Our littlest, Emmy, felt like she picked up a big brother in Luke. Luke was always looking after her.

It was a big blessing watching their family interaction. Anne and I picked up lots of helpful parenting tips during our stay with them.

We went to the beach where the grandparents joined us for some fun family photos.

What a great looking family!

It was fun meeting Lance's parents.

Lance's dad is a big Hokies fan. But I had to point out that they were upset the week before by James Madison University

Andrea and her mother taking in the ocean scene.

Image of 3 "shady" characters!

Aren't they just adorable!

My girls with the Laughmiller kids.

They had such a great time playing together!

Don't mess with the Laughmiller men!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Thank you, Laughmiller family! Can't wait to see you again!

Fun Saturday Outing

Riz Crescini — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:57:23 +0000

It was a rainy day but I managed to get the family to explore an area in southern Kokura City called Sugao. The area is beautiful. We are definitely coming back to explore more of this place especially when the weather is sunny.

Exploring with the Lensbaby Composer lens. My vision for this shot was an eagle’s eye view. What do you think?

Mr. Worm got in on some of the action!

And now for the family shots!

Yes, they are silly like their Daddy and Mommy!!

Our family will be in the U.S. for the months of August and September. We will be in Virginia most of the time but also doing a 3-week tour of the Midwest. Let us know if you would like to meet during our stay. We would love to hang out and catch up with dear friends and families. Photog buddies, let me know if you want to hang out as well! Shoot us a message (facebook, twitter or email) or comment on this post. Hope to see you soon!

A Father’s Joy

Riz Crescini — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:08:03 +0000

Mikan (Mandarin Orange) Picking

Riz Crescini — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:57:13 +0000

Last Tuesday, Anne and I took the kids to a “mikan” grove. “Mikan” is the Japanese word for mandarin orange. It is also commonly called a “satsuma”. Trivia: Did you know that the towns of Satsuma, Texas, Satsuma, Alabama, Satsuma, Florida and Satsuma, Louisiana were named after this fruit? Mrs. Itoh came along with us and everybody just had a great time as you will soon see. The girls must have eaten at least 20 oranges. You can eat all the oranges you want for a measly 3 bucks! It was a beautiful day for such an outing. Okay, time for the pictures…