Sunday, November 29, 2009

Los Angeles Zoo


Bighorn Sheep

Living in Southern California, I should know better that it's sunny 360 days of the year. After being disappointed for a short period while some dark clouds passed over my house, it cleared up with mostly clear skies so I went to the Los Angeles Zoo yesterday. I haven't been to a zoo - any zoo - since I started going to photography workshops in July. Using what I learned from workshops at the L.A. zoo, I was pleased with the photos/results!

You can see the rest of the photos here: http://tinyurl.com/lazoo

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Samurai Photo Session

The Los Angeles Photography Meetup Group had a Samurai photo session this weekend. The photo session was on the beach in Pacific Palisades (near Santa Monica), CA. Because of MY Martial Arts background, I was naturally inclined to be at the photo session. There were three models who were also actors and they all had a Martial Arts background. I didn't know any of them and they didn't come from my Karate group. They were all awesome models and I had a blast taking some action photos of them doing what they did best! I should also mentioned that all the models had their make-up done by Shannon Renee who was also a sweet person to work with.

I also took a few portraits of one of the models, Phillip, when he wasn't doing his Martial Arts poses.


Phillip's Martial Arts poses: http://anastasia.zenfolio.com/p337042688



You should seriously check out the photo sets for Andrew and Chiu because they did some aerial stuff! I was thrilled with how the action photos came out.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Holiday Portraits

Christmas is around the corner. How would you like amazing family or pet photos for your holiday greeting cards or holiday postcards? I'm not just a photographer...I'm also a dog lover, pet owner and a kid at heart!

Contact me for more details and book a photo session with me now!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Karate Tournament

I attended a Karate tournament last Sunday and it was held at the Bassett Park in La Puente, CA. I had always competed in these types of events before, but I decided that I wanted to try my hand at sports/action photography. This was the first tournament that I had gone to, but didn't compete in. While I still have a lot to learn about sports/action photography, it was a fun and interesting experience photographing a sporting event. There were many different styles that competed in this tournament. It was not just Kajukenbo...there were also Red Dragen Karate, Kenpo, and many more at this event.


Kata Division


Sparring Division

Most of the competitors in the photos are from my class. I wasn't able to photograph some of my classmates because they were competing in their division while I was photographing a few other classmates in another division. For a full photo set, visit: http://anastasia.zenfolio.com/p772297298
Also, for those that don't know martial arts terms. Kata is basically a group of self-defense techniques. Sparring is "practice fighting". The Kata term may vary between styles and schools.

Here is a background for those that don't already know. I have a first degree black belt and 15 years (as of April 2010) of experience in a mixed martial arts style called Kajukenbo - Korean Karate, Judo/Jiu-jitsu, Kenpo, and Chinese Boxing (Kung Fu). I was promoted to black belt in December 2006 and I still attend training/classes. I have been practicing the same style with the same instructor.