A Labor of Love

A few words spoken rewards the thankless without expectation. The diaper changes, the sibling rivalry and the constant attention to every wanton need wanes with a simple baby babble of "Hi, DaDa!". In this family, Labor Day celebrates achievement in milestones.



The hours of preparation by my beloved wife honors the memory of marinated Pinchos of Puerto Rico. Sliced pork seasoned and skewered like Filipino kabobs over flame pleasures the palate and numbs parental headaches of child upbringing. Sounds like good medicine to me!



Growing up is hard to do these days. Academic expectations are higher and more demanding from school and parents. Homework, tests, projects and more homework can seem overwhelming to little minds with big hearts. Madeline and Jude, keep up the good school work and it will all make sense when you are adults.



Parental patience burns faster than marshmallows roasted over an open flame without adult supervision. Add a little Hershey's chocolate sandwiched between two crispy graham crackers, you have yourself a potentially sweet s'mores meltdown. Can somebody please pass "some more" virtue?



Labor Day symbolizes the end of summer but not in this household. Family trips to the beach for sunset strolls and sandy swim sessions last until the cooler weather arrives for two more months. Two very very long months of more Florida heat and humidity...



Almost 18 months old and counting for my baby daughter Serena this Labor Day Weekend. Your spoken words are growing and adorable to parental ears. The bursting charm and cuteness are as big as your never ending appetite for cheeseburgers in paradise.



You can view more corn cobs and pics in my Labor Day Weekend 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens.



Stay updated with the latest Pinchos and HD DSLR gear by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

Happy Mother's Day

Consider Mother's Day a victory for all mankind. Despite the commercial greeting card bombardment of the modern age, Mother's Day can still be called an official holiday. Call it a celebration of maternal bonds between mother and child. You can also call it a last minute gift scramble for your number one fan. How does an adorable 14 month old praise her mom? Simple...rare moments of photogenic smiles for Daddy's camera in the studio.



Watch out Hallmark! Quilling is not for the birds and aristocrats anymore. This decorative paper art form makes full use of your shredded sensitive documents or you could just order a fancy colored set from Amazon, just like my wife did. Nothing says Mother's Day like curled strips of paper from the shredder.



Like mother like daughter, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The creative juices are flowing with my oldest daughter. From Kids Arts Fair at school to contemporary Quilling at home, my daughter became mommy's new art assistant. Truly a Mother's Day gift of heart and free child labor.



Like father like son, the apples are eaten before they even hit the ground. For my son, this motherly holiday is an exercise of strong will and hapless determination. Difficult describes the gifted effort for my son this honored day. His inner "Christmas everyday" soul is challenged with the phrase "giving is better than receiving." Of course with the help of his first grade teacher, this Mother's Day came with barely a smile wrapped in a homemade frame with a loving card. Priceless!



You can view more adorable smiles and quilling delights in my Mother's Day 2012 Gallery shot with the new Canon EOS 5D Mark III full frame DSLR.



How could you say no to this adorable face? Become a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and follow me on Twitter! for the latest gear updates.

Epic

Bigger than life itself. No fabled heroes on this New Year's Day but only humbled eyes capturing a chronicle of events called my family. Year 2011 has passed and the dauntless task of 2012 seems as bright as the New Year's Eve firework's display at LEGOLAND Florida.



Cousins forever. Just like Dick Clark's Times Square Ball Drop for New Year's Eve, the countdown is ticking for priceless childhood moments. School winter break converged masses upon central Florida with several theme parks closing its doors due to over capacity. We braved the traffic and crowds and hit LEGOLAND Florida with a vengeful bite of Granny Apple Fries with delightful whip cream.



Enamored by bombs bursting in air like my wife, my almost 10 month old daughter shares the same fondness for elaborate firework displays. Armed with store bought 500 gram gunpowder cakes, my brother in law illuminates the neighborhood with theme park quality fireworks. The little ones duck and cover while the adults and the local County Sheriff gaze with mouths agape.



A thousand points of light shine bright upon the best Christmas of my lifetime. "The best Christmas" may sound cliche to my kid's gift filled eyes but it is an epic truth to me.



My oldest niece meets the youngest of the Soriano family only for the second time this year. Despite this gap, my baby daughter stares deep into her oldest cousin's eyes with a lifetime of familiarity...Epic.



You can view more photos in my New Year's Eve for 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T3i paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens.

Stay updated with the latest HD DSLR gear by Becoming a Fan on Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

The Ultimate Gift

Birthdays come and go with the wind, but some birthdays hold a special place in your heart. Believe me, my faint memories of my birth year made only slight dents in my clogged arteries and my wife's birthday recently celebrated over the weekend reminded me birthday wishes do come true.



Happy birthday to my beautiful wife of over ten years. Ten long years. Long meaning a very good length of time, really. There is no other woman in the world that can put up with my personal foibles and bear gorgeous children other than the Blessed Virgin Mary. Truly a wish that keeps on giving. Even the BVM has hit the social network, check out her Facebook Fan Page. She does not like the new look and feature changes of Facebook either!



You do not have to be a fortune teller to read my crystal ball. I love taking pictures, especially of my family. My friends at North Tampa Photography hosted another successful Canon EOS Discovery Day over the weekend in Tampa, FL. Experienced and aspiring photographers gathered to learn from official Canon instructors like Drew Macallum and Amanda Arrick. I played with all their latest Canon gear with childhood reckless abandon.



I got my hands on the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4 Fisheye lens. Although, I am not a fan of fisheye lenses, but this lens is unique because it caters to full frame, APS-H and APS-C image sensors. The 8mm focal length gives you a true fisheye effect on full frame such as the Canon 5D Mark II. The lens is actually marked on the zoom ring with a "C" for APS-C and an "H" for APS-H sensors for a no borders wide angle view in camera. The lens will give you a unique POV especially for the HD DLSR video crowd.



The gift of scoring six runs by the Tampa Bay Rays led to a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday night. The Ray's rookie left-hander, Alex Torres, even threw five scoreless innings topped off with Johnny Damon hitting a three run homer for the big win. Just like TV news, baseball has lots of waiting between innings for the prime action.



My family enjoyed the possible playoff atmosphere of game #77 especially for my baby daughter Serena. This was her first official baseball game of her new life and that was the third chili cheese hot dog of mine to celebrate America's past time.



Just like a Major League player connects with his game through his fine weathered glove, my camera captures the loves of my life. Call it the love for my family through my love of photography. That is the ultimate gift.



Stay updated with the latest Canon gear by becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!



I just had to show you a close up of that yummy Chili Cheese with onions Hot Dog I ate multiple times at the Tampa Bay Ray's baseball game. Pictures do not give it justice, as a matter of fact.

The Fruits of Our Labor Day 2011

Labor Day sparks the end of summer and the day off from work for most but for my newborn daughter Serena, this holiday weekend celebrates her 6 month old milestones. Sitting up on her own, grabbing objects with her hands and recognizing her own name are just a few recent developmental skills of this very happy baby.



With 10 pounds of Rib-eye steak and Pork ribs to grill, we officially ended summer with a windy trip to our favorite Fort De Soto Beach Park. The family loves the beach and everything that comes with it. The waves, the splashing and the seashell hunting tops the beach favorite's list. For me, it is the uninterrupted charcoal grilling with the ultimate final reward of consumption. One juicy bite at a time.



Okay, we did not spend all weekend grilling meat and soaking up all the sunshine. We journeyed long and far to various eating establishments. Of course, all this culinary research is for the greater scientific good. The good of our appetites.



We hit a Food Network favorite of Guy Fieri, Taco Bus in Tampa, Florida. I would not consider this Mexican Food Truck restaurant as a "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" hotspot, but more like a school bus authentic Mexican kitchen attached to an air conditioned dining area.



All that matters to me is that the kids like it with the convenience of 24/7 yummy dining. My daughter's Food Network choice is definitely the fried fish tacos with all the trimmings. Scrumptious!



Capturing my newborn daughter's six month milestones is naturally a labor of love. Every month comes with a new shining baby moment and an overwhelming photo gallery of cute and adorable baby portraits.



Labor Day for my son means a few short weeks closer to the upcoming iPhone 5. Call my son the King of anything Apple and an Honorary Soldier of the soon to be released, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.



Almost every week my daughter Serena surprises me with some new baby skill. Everyday my daughter's adorable smile makes everything worthwhile one photograph and dirty diaper at a time.



You can view more fruits of our Labor Day 2011 shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D and the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV in my Labor Day 2011 Gallery.



Stay updated with the latest HD DSLR gear by becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

First Day of School 2011

The dog days of summer are behind us and the infamous first day of school hit the Soriano household like freight train. Up before sunrise, get the lunches packed and bulldoze the kids out of bed is just the short list of morning endeavors. There is something refreshing about this school season. It is Serena's introduction to her sibling's and cousin's elementary school. Consider it a precursor to her preschool days!



I remember six continuous weeks of preschool tantrums of year's past for my grown up son. Those days have come and gone. First grade complete with addition and subtraction tables is the new stubborn obstacle for my mini-clone. Wait! I take that statement back. Getting out of bed is obstacle number one.



A big whopping Fourth grade already! Social networking is now a required course for these up and coming Millennials. Without a doubt,my daughter is awaiting the arrival of the iPhone 5 with open arms of anticipation.



I am counting the days, hours and minutes when my youngest daughter Serena will join this first day of school portrait. They will have iPad 5's in their backpack for course books and iPhone 8's in their pocket to text each other about the latest cool App!

A Father's Day to Remember

I have many loves in my life. They come in many forms and there is no photoblog big enough to list them all. I will spare the details and just give you the highlights this fabulous Father's Day. My first love is my family. Through thick and thin and even at the lowest points of my life, the wife and kids including extended family have always been there for me. Constantly overlooked and usually taken for granted, keeping the family unit together is the hardest and most enjoyable task in my entire life.



I have to admit food comes as a personal favorite. Just the lure of fried chicken or Spinach,Ricotta and Garlic Pizza from Angelina's Fine Italian Cuisine makes my mouth water. The Soriano family has traveled many miles for a good meal. From Jolibee Chicken Joy in Manila, Philippines to fried Calamari at Covo Dei Saraceni in Positano, Italy, culinary delights are beautiful to consume and photograph. My appetite for Italian was satisfied on Father's Day just in Brandon, Fl at Angelina's with no long airplane travel, currency conversion or even a long wait.



My 2000 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic is just a faded memory but a love I will never forget. Some other lucky owner will cherish this semi-retirement motorbike. Riding on two wheels is an experience but not safe and practical for this father of three children.



I think shooting guns for sport is in my Filipino blood. The gunpowder flows through my veins with an unusual desire for 1911's in 45ACP. I actually had a brief moment at the gun range on Father's Day with a fellow Filipino father with the shared desire. Shooting pictures of shooting guns. Do I have to explain?



Sharing the love for Carvel Ice Cream with my children is priceless. The chocolate crunchies in their ice cream cake, dipped in soft serve in a cake cone and sprinkled on top of a Banana Barge is just plain heaven. You do not have to be middle aged to appreciate the simple things in life.



The ultimate love for photography and everything related to image making fuels my passion as well as my career in life. I am pretty much never without multiple cameras at any given time. I document my life with photographs because they will last longer than me and gives my children a chance to look back into their childhood. The good memories and the bad memories. It is all there.



You can view all the food, family and guns in my Father's Day 2011 Gallery.

Stay updated on my ChadSorianoPhotoBlog by becoming a Fan on my Facebook Page and following me on Twitter.

Maternity Mayhem

Just like the latest Canon gear I review on my ChadSorianoPhotoBlog, I wish my wife's upcoming special delivery had a tracking number. Billing information received, origin scan and finally a scheduled delivery date to my front door. Somehow the folklore of UPS and FedEx deliveries of newborns seem unfit for fables and fairy tales.



My family maternity photo shoot of Serena's arrival continues after the debacle at Fort De Soto Beach, FL. Hair trimmed and flattened. Bangs cut and layered. A father's photography patience tested repeatedly.



The Stork is the harbinger of child birth and my kid's cooperation leads to a successful maternity photo shoot. The proper pose, the perfect smile and the glowing expectation of many good things to come make good pictures that last a lifetime.



Happy Valentine's Day to my beautiful wife of almost ten years. Very long years. "Heart" day is here again for intimate companions showing their affections and for going broke in the wallet. My love is never ending because my "Parlement of Foules" rest in my family.



This tumultuous yet fruitful maternity photography session is shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and EF 100mm f/2.8L IS lenses. You can view more in my Maternity and Family Gallery.