**play this MUSIC for the full effect** 5 years ago today, I said "yes" to the woman who has since made each year, week, day, and moment so worth living. She's made me a husband, she's made me a father, she's made me more of a man. She's got a quality about her that makes me want to live for the joy of others more than myself. She does this because she's selfless. It's like she knows that bettering herself is learning to care for others... it's her philosophy, her drive, her silent-spoken passion. Cheers to 5 SPECTACULAR YEARS with the beautiful Mrs. Annie Ric... *Photo Above by Tim Monzon * Photo Below by Jessica Monzon ** Photo Above by Julie Christine Photography **
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Today was the day! Got to run the Coaster Run 5k for Nathan's school, the speech and language center in Buena Park. I had an amazing time getting to meet people who were running and united with purpose. I'm proud to have met people along this journey and some of the amazing kids and families that are walking on the same path as us (no pun intended... Or was it?). Thanks to everyone who donated for Nate. Words cannot express our gratitude here with our family. P.S. This post was made entirely mobile from my phone. Pardon the low quality images!! Thanks friends!!! - jasonric In August of 2013, life at the RIC-household was forever changed. Our son, Nathan was diagnosed with "mild-autism". And while the diagnosis involved the prefix of "mild", our family had absolutely no idea of what to expect. In our eyes, our son is and forever will be PERFECT. Since August, our lives have been an endless array of counseling and therapy appointments. Upon telling others we were embraced with optimism, hope, and in some cases denial in the thinking that our son can't possibly have autism. And so since August, we knew that Nathan would be seeing the world through a different lens, interacting in unique ways, and socializing in a manner that the world would classify as different than others. As a father, I can't recall a moment in my life where I've actually felt like the world was turned upside down - I remember I was out leading a student trip to Knott's Berry Farm, an engagement that Annie and I had talked about would happen during the doctor's revealing of Nathan's autism. Questions in my head started multiplying: What is autism? What will my son be able to do or not do because of this? How could we parent him better with what he's been diagnosed with? Can we have more kids if we'd be giving Nathan slightly more time? And I remember Annie telling me on the phone about Nate's autism and with no chair to sit down, I chose the floor. My beautiful son would have hurdles - and I think regardless of what the hurdles would be, as a parent, I wished I could have held my son at that very moment and carried him through all of the different obstacles that he was about to face: hours of therapy, intentional challenges to his will and way of thinking, frustration and meltdowns because we would just have hard times of communicating and understanding to one another... I wanted to spare him from it all. But I know that regardless of any conditions or challenges... parents can't and won't be able to spare children from all harm. Now, 6 months ahead of time, his therapy and therapists particularly have been wonderful. I am truly grateful that we live in a culture and society that is seemingly endless in their provisions for our son in setting him up with the best possible education to fit his needs. Ironically enough, I was told several weeks ago that there would be an event at Knott's Berry Farm (the place where it all hit) to raise funds for Nathan's school: The Speech & Language Development Center in Buena Park. This is one of the many ways that I will be able to support my son and the people who love him so dearly to provide for his needs with me. This Sunday, March 2, I will be participating in the Coaster Run to help raise funds for the school. With no pressure and no obligation whatsoever, I am attaching both a flyer and ways which you can help the Speech & Language Development Center and Nate's Great Race with Autism. If you are interested in donating to the Speech & Language Development Center, please contact me at jason@jasonricphotography.com Let's GO NATE! **Click the image below to open up the event page on facebook** Other ways to donate... click hereI am happy to introduce you to our new albums designed to remind our couples of their very special day! We currently offer two different types of albums, a 12x12 and 12x14 with two cover choices: (1) photo cover or (2) leatherette. We are now offering these albums in our updated mid and upper level packages (Keep it Simple & A Day in the Life). For our updated packages and pricing, please email me at info@jasonricphotography and i'll send it to you! Our 12x14" Album with Photo Cover & Imprinted Front Our 12x12" Leatherette Album with Engraved Cover
I refuse to be what everyone says I am... so I shall become... the ANTI-MALL! All jokes aside, I had a chance to visit the anti-mall in costa mesa (?). Not sure how I ended up here, but it was a pretty awesome experience. I've never gravitated towards the title of "hipster", but i've always been fascinated with the style and culture of what is "hipster". The anti-mall was a great spot to shop, to look at style, products, knick knacks, and just things that you don't see everyday... Here are some photos from my adventure!!! Anytime a shopping area has a used record store... I automatically fall in LOVE! So many great records to choose from, and the set up was pretty schnazzy! Only in California. There it is... go check out the anti mall if you have a chance... it's a fun and refreshing scene that nothing like your conventional mall -- ...and I'm guessing that's what they were going for!
In June of 2013 a wildfire broke out in Southern California called "the Powerhouse Fire" burning miles upon miles of forest in the Angeles Mountains. During a recent business trip I had time to run out into some of the wilderness, which, if there were no fire, would have been much more difficult to navigate through. What an amazing experience! My friend Roice ran up the mountain side... spot him above and below! The crazy part about it all was that I only found out about the fire after visiting a retreat site that should have burned down along with this fire. For some reason, the fire burned wildly around the retreat and it was spared. Take a second to look up "Powerhouse Fire" from June 2013, and if you get a chance, visit the Oaks Camp & Conference center sometime and they'll show you an amazing map of the land that was spared out of the tens of thousands of acres that were burned up. Simply stunning views. Cheers! Apologies for going MIA on the blog friends! 2013 has been a wild year for us! As our year began to close I realized how much I had to catch up on... weddings, family portraits, and even personal family moments. Well, we hope you've had a wonderful holiday season with Christmas and New Years and "cheers" to good fortune and health for the upcoming year of 2014! One of the first things our family did in 2014 was retreat away to the beach (our home away from home) and being a father and photographer, I brought my camera along with me. As a rule of thumb, I try to be very picky with where I bring my camera gear when it comes to family gatherings because I've learned over the past year that "he who holds the camera exists outside the moment"... we are physically present in tons of moments, capturing wonderful emotions. So usually I tend to leave the camera gear at home to play with the family... however, this time around I couldn't help but notice how BIG my kids were getting! This past December my son turned 2 and my daughter turned 3. We took a ride down to Huntington Beach and I got to capture these heart-melting moments that I will cherish forever! Cheers to new adventures, loves, journeys, victories, & challenges in 2014!
_ jasonric Several week ago I watched a youtube piece on smart phones and their affect on our culture. It's not rocket science, that when we go out, whether with friends or family, phones have become a normal part of our "table time". Watch this youtube video first and then read on. Having shot several weddings and events this year, I've come to learn how obsessed we are with our phones (All of us, including myself). At one wedding we did this summer, I witnessed a majority of the audience recording the video on their smart phones and ipads and I thought to myself... how often are they going to watch this video? Are they putting together a video for the bridal couple? What happens after they watch it on their phones? Does it get archived with the hundreds if not more videos that stay clumped up on our computers never to be watched again?
As a father AND a photographer, I've caught myself "disconnecting" in very important moments, moments spent recording on my phone that (if i'm really honest about it) I'll never watch again for years, and all the while, what I've come to realize is that my physical presence with my family, my wife, my kids, would be so much more meaningful if my mind were present in the moment. I used to bring my dSLR camera with me whenever my family would go to Disneyland, or just plain adventuring, but now, I've come to realize that not only can my phone take decent enough pictures, but when my kids grow up, I want to be more than a man behind a camera capturing their moments (and at 2 and 1 year old, they've got thousands of memories to relive on file), I want to be involved in what I'm capturing with my eyes. That being said, If you are planning on going to a couple of weddings this year and next... remember this, if the bridal couple is already shelling out thousands of dollars on photography and videography, try to be present at their wedding by putting the phone down and enjoying the moments that we as professionals don't get to personally experience: (1) the truly candid - moments where a picture just can't sum up the emotions of the moment; (2) the people around you - those that have come from all over to celebrate, make connections with them, share your moments and memories with them, even create new ones! (3) Lastly, let go! - This is a time to have fun with family and friends, celebrate and enjoy being present in the moment. Almost didn't make it out to this year's surf competition, luckily, a couple of friends were planning on heading out and "coerced" me to make the trip! This year I focused more on the crowd (seeing as how I've shot some surf sessions a few weeks ago *see earlier posts), the city, and just the feel of being around this dynamic event. Thanks so much to VANS for keeping it free for us enthusiasts!
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