ive always thought this place to be a tourist trap but it turns out it they proved me wrong! sure its smaller than the academy of sciences or monterey bay aquarium but i think its worth it for at least their underwater tunnels which the other places dont offer. people are so used to the glitz and glamor of the “newest” most happenin’ place that they are more inclined to rate places like these down. truly sad. all you have to do is actively see things in a different light…not necessarily in the passive way the aquarium spoon feeds it.

we took the behind the scenes tour too which is well worth it to see how they run the aquarium and the back end of the tanks. really fascinating stuff to see whats in the back and how they keep their animals and such.

this all timely happened sunday after a sermon on the wrath of god. (mp3 @ http://sfbible.org/). pastor henry mentioned about how we all have no excuse not to acknowledge god because he has revealed himself in “general revelation” that is, in creation and the things around us. i came out of this aquarium thinking, “how can people not see that there is a higher being in all of this?!” its so beautiful, so perfect, so amazing, and why my first love in photography has always been nature!

check out michael zhangs blog for more pics (i think his sting ray shot is totally bombtastic, better than mine): http://blog.michaelzhang.com/archives/10/02/21.html
and my facebook album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2514551&id=3205527&l=9ccb3b1075

beauty is all around us. big pics for you guys.

tropical fish have so much color

almost like a sci-fi movie! jellyfish need circular tanks otherwise they be just sitting on the bottom of a square tank and die because they cant move around to feed themselves…they need the current. in this tank they go round and round hehe

dropping magic fairy dust!

jellyfish dancing. jellyfish are fun and easy to shoot.

yes, i am fascinated by space too

seriously beautiful. so serene.

i originally thought the LCD TVs playing in the background were distracting but i think it enhances the sci-fi-ness of this image.

magic sparklies all over!!

rays are like the birds of the sea! love the tunnels in this aquarium!

its like looking up into the sky but not!

i was going to photoshop in a tail for this guy but i didnt wanna patronize him. hes still beautiful though!

3s a company hehe

and they have bees in here too which i thought was random but oh well! its cool. theres also other animals like chinchillas too.

its that time of life when the amount of friends who get married skyrocket! tammy and amos are my friends from college and our college fellowship Epic.  i always get so nostalgic talking about epic. good times good times. much has changed since 3 yrs ago!

i think i first met amos at bible study. i was a new transfer student at ucdavis and one night decided to go to the epic guys bible study. i basically entered an apartment at night full of dudes i never met before. quite scary and a little awkward. all good though because the rest is history. amos has this quiet charisma about him that i know he will take care of tammy well! and tammys energy and enthusiasm will complement amos well too!

the day turned out well guys!! hope you guys have a great marriage! thanks also to jingyi and derek for helping me out with this wedding. check out their websites for additional shots!

lol. this happened so fast, i bet the crowd was like “what the heck just happened??” lol

i got this in an email awhile ago and i thought that it was a good description.

1. Creation is a gift from God (and by creation, I mean all that God has made, not just mountains, birds, and trees). It is meant to display and communicate his glory.
2. God hides himself in creation. Unbelievers seldom see him in it, but believers are given eyes to see, so they can glorify God through it.
3. In order to glimpse of the glory of God in creation, we actually have to engage with it.
4. All art has one source: God’s universe. We create nothing, but only imitate the creator.
5. Cultural and artistic expressions are gifts from God which we should not neglect.
6. Culture that glorifies God is a foretaste of what we will experience in the new heavens and new earth.
7. Christians should avoid quickly judging cultural expression as sacred or secular. God also reveals himself through his common grace.
8. Christian cultural expression should not solely focus on the beautiful and the romantic, but should include the flawed.
9. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of fusing heaven and earth, and serves as the ultimate source of inspiration for those engaged in artistic pursuits.

-Bill Walsh

pretty cool huh? nature is amazing. humans are amazing. i am almost convinced that there is not ONE person who dislikes photos in the world. who isnt in awe of a majestically captured landscape or something? its that awe, that feeling we get, that connection we have with photography innate in all of us that i think god instilled within us. this feeling draws us near him and allows us to make sense of life and the world around us. it allows me to know that our sovereign god is still in control even if there is suffering and hardships in life. it allows me to remember that even satan needed to ask god for permission to do his deed to job. it allows me to know that in the end, my life is not mine, but really only and solely for his glory alone.

school has been insanely hard lately.  i have all the time in the world to do my homework, i just dont know how to do it.  anyways, definitely learning to trust god through it all.

candice and tseng was such a welcomed start to my 2010 in photography. i never want to shoot san francisco the same way so i tried to mix up my shots and compositions here. definitely helps when you have a chill couple like candice and tseng who are willing to do whatever for the shot! i really love both their smiles!

gearing up for the new year. i have no idea what to expect this year but it should be pretty good. im booking less this year too because of school but that will give me some time to give extra care to my clients!

emily and wing are a great couple to work with! this was probably the first lifestyle session i had where the couple dressed back up in their wedding attire for the shoot. we went back out to where i shot george and lisas wedding photos at as emily wanted something with that countryside feel to it. i liked that idea too hehe. they both met at davis which is sweet because i dont get to do many photoshoots (if any really, ever since i began shooting people) at davis.

hope you guys have many blessed years to come in your marriage!