Time to update your bookmarks and RSS Feeds!

It's time! We have officially launched our brand new blogsite. You don't have to come here any longer, unless you really want to. We won't be upset if you want to just relive the past.

So, go take a look, update your bookmarks, google reader, and RSS feeds. Stay a while, leave some comments, and keep coming back.

NEW OFFICIAL TIRA J PHOTOGRAPHY BLOGSITE!

The Workshop!!

It was all the buzz last week in blog land, when Jasmine Star announced that she was going to do her first official workshop titled, "The Workshop". Oh my goodness. I had a feeling that something like this was going to be coming soon, she just couldn't not do something like this with her major popularity, skill, commitment, and love for the photography industry.

I went straight to the website she created with Show It Sites and read all the details. It was so exciting! To spend an entire day with Jasmine Star and 19 other photographers who want to learn how to build their business, work on branding, and other shooting techniques. I started to send David text messages with the details and informed him that the workshop was going to be held on my Dad's birthday. He said it would be a wonderful way to pay tribute to my father's legacy in the photography business and go to Jasmine's workshop on March 10th. HOLLLAAA!! I am going and I can't wait!

*edit, I haven't been "wait listed" and I am going. I get to spend the entire day with some totally fabulous people!



I think with the huge response she has received from the workshop, there will be more in the near future.

Something new is coming! And it's gonna be good!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

You may have noticed that our old website has disappeared.



The good news is that something even better is coming your way soon. If you want to be the first to find out about it, CLICK HERE.

Keep checking back for other updates and some recent shoots.

Just for fun, and because 2009 is going to be GREAT!

So, this is circulating around Facebook and I thought it would be fun to post. Especially to calm the nerves after tonight's eventful 4.5 earthquake out in Riverside. Have fun!



If you want to send this to someone for fun, CLICK HERE.

We Believe....We Achieve! Class of 1988!

It's hard to believe that almost three weeks ago, I had the privilege of co-chairing and attending the 20-year class reunion for the Class of 1988 of Temple City High School. This is the event I had been nervous about for the past six months. I worried about whether people would show up, enjoy themselves, and remember this night forever. Well, at about 6:45 on August 16th, our first guest showed up, and over time, everyone started to trickle in. We had approximately 150 guests, which was a perfect number for a perfect evening. While we were obviously missing many classmates because we graduated with over 380 in our class, they were remembered throughout the evening. Ten years back, we had our 10 year class reunion, which was also a huge success, but this one was different for me, because I played an intricate part in it. Looking back to my days in high school, I would have been the very last person who would have stepped up to put on such a massive party. Well, a lot can change in 20 years, and I am thankful that I got up the courage to do this.

I could not have put on this huge production without my dear friends on the reunion committee, Myrriah, Vanessa, Joanna, Tony, Erik and Mike. Myrriah was the co-chair for the event, and I am thankful for all of the experience she had at planning the Monrovia reunion, and many other events. Vanessa, helped put so many things into perspective, and I appreciated her attention to detail and for opening her home for the first few months of planning. Joanna for her new company, Jo Show Promotions! She was a huge help at purchasing the party favors for the event, and for putting together the music list for the DJ. Joanna could not have ordered the party favors with our class reunion logo if it were not for Melanie of Melanie Kronemman Design. Melanie created the greatest logo for us and we had signs, keychains, flyers and magnets made with the images she created. Tony and Mike called it like it was and made some last minute calls to classmates, encouraging them to come to the event. The night we were making the phone calls, we went through the yearbook to reminisce about our times in high school. Wow! How time flies. And Erik, he is a news anchor in Corpus Christi, Texas, and put together a slideshow of hundreds of images to be shows at the reunion. And to my husband David, our friends Tim and Scott, they helped coordinate all of the photography for the event. Without Tim and Scott, we would not have the great images that will last a lifetime!

I am so thankful for each of them and for what they brought to the table for this reunion to be such a HUGE success!

And to all of our classmates from Class of 1988, thank you so much for coming! It was a true honor and pleasure to put on this event for you. We hope you had a great time, and we cannot wait to get together again. Enjoy the slideshow and pictures!

Sincerely, the Reunion Committee.

To view a slideshow from the reunion, CLICK HERE! *please give it a few moments to load.

To view and purchase images from the reunion, CLICK HERE!

password hint: Our mascot - plural!

Co-chairs, Myrriah & Tira



The reunion committee, L to R: Vanessa, Erik, Mike, Tony, Myrriah, Tira



Class of 1988!

Happy Birthday Kara!!!.......and Portland Pictures!

I must begin this post by wishing Kara Dillon a very special Happy "21st" Birthday.

CLICK HERE TO ENJOY THE SLIDESHOW!

I waited to post these pictures and write this entry until now, so I could wish her happy birthday over my blog with all of the fun pictures we took during my last visit to Portland. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Portland and Seattle for work and to hang out with Kara and her family. The main goal of the weekend was to meet the parents and students that would be coming to Azusa Pacific University for the fall 2008 semester. The events we put on for the weekend were on Saturday in Portland and on Sunday in Seattle. But, before I had to put my financial aid hat on, I had the opportunity to "play" a bit.

Rick, Robyn, Darren and Kara are a wonderful family whom I have had the opportunity to know and love over the past 7 years while working at APU. Rick and Robyn are alums of APU who have so graciously opened their home over the years for APU events. Darren just graduated from APU in 2007, and Kara came to APU as a freshman in 2006. Words cannot express how generous this family has been to not only myself, but to everyone they come in contact with.

On Friday, Robyn, Kara and Darren spent the entire day with me, showing me around Portland. *quick note, my friend Julie gave me a list of things they needed to show me so we worked off that list! Some of the things we saw were the Japanese Gardens, The Rose Gardens, Pittock Mansion, 23rd Street shops, Downtown Portland from the City Grill, and then had a fabulous Sushi Dinner. Rick joined us later in the day to go to the Grill and then dinner. Below you can see some of the images I captured during our "tour de portland".



As you can see from the slideshow and the pictures, it was absolutely gorgeous up in Portland. The Japanese Gardens were so green and lush that ever step we took, we had to take a picture. It was pouring rain while we were at the Rose Garden and I was shooting pictures left and right while holding my umbrella. Even though I did not get to see all of Portland, I will say, I can't wait to go back to see more! And if you are wondering who the cute little puppies are in the photographs: The beige one is Kobe, the black and white one is Miss Lilly, and the little black one is the newest member of the Dillon clan, Valentina Renee aka Valley who was sporting her APU gear at our event on Saturday.

Thank you Rick, Robyn, Kara, and Darren for the fun filled day, the fabulous dinners, and your wonderful hospitality!

**Kara, I hope you have a wonderful birthday today! I am so proud of you and look forward to seeing and hearing how God works in your life. Hugs to you! Love, Tira