amanda & matt portraits

During my trip out to Toronto for a wedding, I had a full day of shooting with Friday being a double-header shoot because I also had the opportunity to get in a portrait session with the Maid of Honor, Amanda and her beau, Matt.  So, we headed off to Unionville, a quaint, small town in the midst of the sprawling metropolis of Toronto.  I consider this town to be one of Ontario’s best-kept secrets, and is particularly rich in things to shoot, with all the color and architecture of a time gone by.  Perfect for a good looking couple like this!

For some reason, this town reminded me of a scene from Forrest Gump.  You know, the scene where Forrest says, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”  So, naturally, I just had to recreate it!  Here’s my take on it:

Now that I got my Gump-inspired shot out of the way, we were off to eat some candy, slushies, ice cream, and do some more photos!  I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we had fun taking them!

Thanks for a great time, guys!

hutchens family portaits

I recently had the opportunity to shoot Wes Hutchens, Pastor of Lions Gate Baptist Church in North Vancouver.  One fine morning, we met up at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver and had a good time just getting to know them.

I love the spontaneity of this next photo.

kate – newborn photos

What a weekend its been!  My wife and I got a lot less sleep, but a lot more excitement when our little bundle of joy arrived early early morning this past Friday.  What an incredible experience it is to be able to witness the birth of a little one.  Although this is my third child, it was as special as it was with the other two — it never gets old!  As I type this, my new baby is sleeping in my arm…  What a heartwarming feeling!  Of course, despite suffering from lack of sleep, I managed to pull off a quick shoot for my new girl!

Without any further ado, I would like to introduce to you the newest member of my family, Kate Charity Cruz, born 4:30am on Friday, May 7, 2010.

gvbc staff photos

I was asked to take staff photos by the staff at Greater Vancouver Baptist Church for use with their website and print media.   Here are some of the headshots from this session.

Flashes of Brilliance

It was a dark and stormy night, and amid the flashes of lighting, much smaller flashes could be seen on Steveston’s boardwalk. Unaffected by the weather, my brother-in-law and I, our support crew, and a model worked together to create some great images.  By the time we were done, we were all a little wet and cold, but we had a blast!

Model: Kristine Thang
Hair & MUA: Kristine Thang

Photographer: Julius Malazo
Photographer: John Cruz

this next one’s my favorite…

lindeman family photos

This is the second year I have had the opportunity to shoot the Lindemans’ family portraits. We had a great time, but it was a little sad because this would be my last shoot in Ontario, at least for a while!