Attendees included several members from the OC Yorkie and Small Breed Meetup group and their Yorkies, along with many more on-lookers and mall patrons. Many thanks goes out to the nice owners of Trendy Paws in Huntington Beach, CA for allowing us to host the birthday party in their store.

All of the little Yorkies were dressed up for Chloe’s party and I can’t wait to show you the rest of the pictures. Keep checking this blog or the Facebook Fan Page for super cute portraits.

Update: March 28, 2012

Whew! I’ve finally retouched all of the pictures from Chloe’s party. You won’t believe how much editing was needed to remove all of the small pieces of treats and snacks from the background and floor.

Here’s the link to Chloe’s Pawty Pictures: http://smu.gs/H2AwJI . Remember to use the coupon code “ChloeSan20” for 20% off your purchase of prints, mouse-pads, or digital downloads. (Coupon Valid 03/28/2012 to 04/08/2012)

If you’re not familiar with Smugmug, then check out this tutorial that they put together for ordering and other questions: http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/93267 .

As an added bonus, I am donating 10% of the profits to the OC Yorkie and Small Breed Meetup group to help with future events.

At the party, we welcomed a new puppy to the group so another 1st birthday will be coming soon. In the meantime, check out the super cute pictures!

Leo and Lilo were happy to oblige, although I had to wonder if he was happy with his mom’s wardrobe choice.

Leo, a new additon to the group.

Our localyorkie meetup group had a wonderful time during our first visit to a beautiful local park in Irvine, CA.

Not only did the member combined their doggy gates into one large circle for the littles ones to run around, they also brought bagels and donuts! Melissa reminded me that I ate 3 before the afternoon was over.

Leo goes to the beach

A friend’s pet is auditioning for a show on the Animal Planet’s network so she asked me for an updated set of pictures. Now that I’m living in Southern California, I really should not be surprised with these requests considering Lilo already has a fan page.

I thought that maybe a toy bus may be cool for the photo shoot so she bought a pink jeep and a boggie board. Naturally, crowds gathered when Lilo started to skateboard down the boardwalk but we managed to squeeze a few shots in.

We later met up with some friends who were visiting for the week and played in the sand. At 82F in February, the weather in Southern California is pretty hard to beat. Enjoy!

Laguna Beach with Watermark

I’ve recently started sharing my photography using Pinterest and it’s been a small success! Folks seem to find my work within minutes of “pinning” it to my board. Check out what I’ve got so far …. http://pinterest.com/haungo/ !

I’ve also recently commissioned a logo on fiverr.com so now may be a good time to try it out. Don’t be surprised if you see this watermark on my Pinterest board.

Seaweed at Laguna Beach, CA

Although we’ve lived in Irvine CA for a year now, heading out to enjoy the beach is not part of our routine.

Well, that is about to change as I’ve recently bought a new camera that is an absolute joy to use. I’m still finding my way around as a hobbyist photographer but landscapes, especially waterfront images, have always been a passion. I hear Southern California is known for their beautiful beaches and shorelines so what better way to find out than to explore with camera in hand. Enjoy!

Camera: Sony A77
Lens: Sony 16mm-50mm 2.8
Filter: B+W 1000x ND
Exposure: f/2.8 at 1.6s

Juicy and her new bow

A package of 100 bows arrived in the mail for Juicy, the most fashionable Yorkie that we know. Naturally, she wanted a picture taken so I happily obliged. Enjoy!

Juicy, the professional model.

Juicy had a wonderful time with her friends at the O.C. Valentine’s Day Playdate at a new location in Huntington Beach.

There were about 20 small-breed dogs (mostly Yorkies) running around as I tried my hand at some studio photography. The shop owner of Trendy Pawz was very generous in hosting our event and spent the previous night baking doggie snacks. She also rearranged her store for the littles ones to run around and for me to take some pictures, including the table and rug.

During the meetup, a regular member came up to me and said “That’s the best picture that I have of myself and my dog”. I had taken a  shot of her in a previous meetup under non-ideal lighting so I was glad that she liked it. Who knows, maybe this could be the start of a fun pet photography business in Orange County or Southern California?

Click on the picture below and check additional photos from the shoot.

OC Yorkie Valentine's Playdate and Pet Photography

Santa Monica Pier Monster

My neighbors wanted to shop at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA and enticed me with the line “We can drop you off at the beach for your sunset photos”. I was sold!

The sun had already set by the time we had arrived, so I decided to check out the pier when I saw this monster. It glowed with alternating colors or purple, red, and blue. Setting my tripod down and taking a few sample shots, a fellow photographer approached me and smile “I’m stealing your shot”. I guess it’s worth stealing.

Camera: Sony A77
Lens: Sony 16mm-50mm 2.8
Filter: B+W  CPL
Exposure: f/11 at 0.8s, 3.2s, 13s

Hanalei Pier After Light Rain

My wife and I were initially disappointed when we drove to Hanalei Pier in Kauai, Hawaii.

The day was overcast and we had just ran back from the beach into our rental car to escape the rain. I wanted to call it a day, but she insisted that we made the most out of it. After 30 minutes, the rain stopped and we grabbed our stuff and headed back out.

Luckily, the sun starting to set and we made our way back to the beach. With tripod in one hand and my camera in the other, I ran back and forth along the shore before setting down on this spot. Enjoy!