Riz Crescini » family

Happy New Year: 2012

Riz Crescini — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:54:42 +0000

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！

Bond between Father and Son

Riz Crescini — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:17:08 +0000

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!"

Mike and Tiffany

Riz Crescini — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:06:37 +0000

Anne 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.

Evans Family Session: Ozark, Missouri

Riz Crescini — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 18:10:27 +0000

After our St. Louis trip, we went further into Missouri territory and visited my college friend, Candi, and her family. It was a full house with our kids and six of her own! And her kids are beautiful as you will soon see below. Anne and I were certainly enthralled as Candi and her husband, Lynn, shared their story of raising six children. They also shared the process of how God brought them to Missouri (they’re originally from Illinois). And did I mention they make scrumptious home-made pizza?!? It was out of this world!

I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed taking them! Without further ado, the awesome Evans family!!!

Oh, and don’t forget to watch the family slideshow at the end. The slideshow looks best when you click the “unstretch” button.

I just want to take her home. She's so darn cute!

This boy is all about playing hard. But he was able to let me take shots like this and...

THIS! Silly boy!

It's hard to choose one but I think this might be my favorite!

Ha ha ha! "C'mon, Mom and Dad! No PDA!!"

A beautiful couple! They really have six kids?!? Really?!?

Love this one as well!

Thank you, Evans family, for having us! Now, how can we get you to visit us in Japan?

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!

Hampton Roads Family/Lifestyle Session: The Benfantes

Riz Crescini — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 23:50:05 +0000

When Anne and I visited Hampton Roads, I had a fun opportunity to shoot Guy and Barb’s family. We had become friends with the Benfantes at the church that we used to attend when we lived in Virginia. They are a wonderful family and we are blessed to have them in our lives. And let me tell you that this is one musically-talented family! I wish I had an ounce of their talent. Hmmm…next time I ought to shoot them outdoors with their instruments.

Our time was limited so we went to one beautiful location and got some awesome images. We started with the family shots.

The kids had to leave early so I had a mini lifestyle session with Guy and Barb.

I wish I had more time with them because they rocked it!

They said they haven’t had their picture taken in years.

But they look at home in front of the camera, don’t you think?

Thank you, Guy and Barb! We always look forward to seeing your family when we are in town.

Success: What it Means to Me

Riz Crescini — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 03:32:04 +0000

While I was in the States, I received an email from Weddings & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) informing me that I had received two accolades of excellence and a third place in the 2010 WPPI 1st Half International Photography Competition. I was quite elated and so encouraged by this news. I have so much more to learn in my photographic journey but, as I stated earlier, I will celebrate the small successes along the way.

I want to thank my mentor and friend, Scott Robert Lim, who has done so much for me this past year. Talking about Scott and his teaching requires a whole separate post but I want to acknowledge him and his community of photographers for blessing me in my journey. There are more good times still ahead, my friends!

I couldn’t show a high resolution file of the winning images because I didn’t have access to them while I was in the States. But I am now able to show you those images here in this post. I have also included the press release that came with the announcement. And I haven’t received it yet but I saw that I will also receive some award ribbons in the mail

The last thing I would like to share is this whole idea of success. It’s easy to think about it when it involves your career, your vocation. In my case, I want to be a success in my photography and a success in my teaching. But I have been convicted recently that all this doesn’t mean anything if, in the process, I am a failure with my family. I strive and toil for those things that are secondary to my family so it would be a colossal failure if my family gets the leftovers. I am thankful and indebted to them for supporting me with my dream of photography. I really like what John Maxwell has to say about this and I hope you will take the time to reflect on his words:

“Success meant having those closest to me love and respect me the most. Success would be impossible if I achieved outwardly but failed to take my family with me on the journey. The applause of others would never replace the appreciation of my family. Respect from others meant little if I did not have the respect of my loved ones. I would make caring for and communicating with my family one of my life’s priorities.”

Placed third in the WPPI 8 x 10 Competition (Individual Category)

Received Accolade of Excellence for the 2010 WPPI 8 x 10 competition

And thank you to the models and my friends, Akira Fukuda and Kanae Tanaka. You guys rocked it! Thanks for being a part of it.

Stay tuned: images from the New York City workshop and further reflection…

Benfante Family Sneak Peak: September 19, 2010

Riz Crescini — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:46:13 +0000