mila | portraits . mark

ok... first i introduced alicia. now i'm introducing her brother. this is mark.


mark is in his first year of college in berkeley taking computer science. smart right?! it gets better... he's spending this whole summer working as a programmer full time! double wow?! AND... he's ridiculously good at ping pong just like his sister! aaaaaannnd... he builds computers for fun! enough?


so both kids are intelligent and adept at sports. it must be in the genes. but if you ask either of them they would tell you that they are complete opposites of each other. makes me smile. my sister and i feel the same way.


so a couple of things i learned from this shoot....


1. i like parking lots!
2. i need to spend time checking out GQ magazine (like i spend time on vogue). posing boys just isn't the same as posing girls. any volunteers for the next shoot?

mila | brides

i don't know how she does it ... there's so much to learn from my friend alice (of alice hu photography). she is a networking and marketing diva! she gathered a few of her vendor friends and put together a beautiful bridal photoshoot that was out of this world! as if all that wasn't enough... she decided to share the experience with us by letting us tag along!! a million thank yous alice! and congratulations on being published on style me pretty!


and i just love all the people that contributed to alice's gorgeous shoot...

• my picture perfect model ... crystal leland
• the venue was a picturesque villa in laguna beach. perfect for that intimate wedding and honeymoon all in one ... pacific edge hotel
• the sweet and innocent look was provided by none other than make up guru ... kacee geoffroy
• all the colorful blooms that day were the work of designer magician amanda of ... fantasy floral designs
• to help setup this seamless event, michelle, coordinator of your dreams was at hand .... mele amore event planning
• i LOVE hair accessories and i wanted all of the ones we used that day from ... be something new
• the perfect tea length dress was provided by ... dolly couture
• the foot sassyness crystal rocked that day were provided by ... ellie shoes

mila | 20.20.20 results

did you read about my 20.20.20 offer? the results are in! check out the new profile photos from the session!

if you know of someone who needs a new profile photo or you want one... news on the next 20.20.20 session are coming soon so keep your eyes and ears open.

mila | random thoughts . like riding a bicycle

psyching myself out of my comfort zone. learning to ride a bicycle....


FIRST TIME on a bicycle (may 2007) -- "you can't ask me to ride here! it's a steep incline!" curtis took me to a parking lot to learn. there was barely a slope... a marble wouldn't even roll if you blew on it.

curtis holds the bike as i sit and learn. he's running with me... for all of 30 seconds. i'm wobbly. then he calls out... "you know you're on your own right?" "WHAT?!" crash!

SECOND TIME (june 2007) -- the bike curtis is teaching me on is a mountain bike he won from the fair. it has hand brakes which give me a sense of control. it's too tall for me which gives me NO control. i use the curb to stop. i was bailing out every 2 seconds. i broke the bicycle on the last curb bail. before i killed the bike i was thrilled that i could make right turns! i was working on left turns when disaster struck.

...we order me a beach cruiser on line.

THIRD TIME (june 2007) -- what do you mean i don't have hand brakes?!?!?! now i have to learn how to start AND stop. i can't crash this bike. it's too pretty.

FOURTH TIME (july 2007) -- i'm doing it!!!! woohoo!!!!

... a year passes by

6th TIME -- (july 2008) -- curtis tells me we're taking the bikes out to newport for the 4th of july. i'm panicking. i've never ridden in public. we go back to the parking lot where i learned so i can do a dry run. it's been a year. this test is ride #5.

now we're in public. ride number 6! today i coasted down a hill. surrounded by curtis and 2 of my friends who stop traffic for me, surround me thereby protecting me from too many people and all the while screaming encouragement all the way. actually maybe they were protecting the people. i survive...and so did all the cars that i drove by (barely). i might have left a hand print on a couple of beautiful, new, expensive cars (they needed to be saved from me and a crash).

it's getting late, and dark and it's still only my 6th time on a bike. i'm exhausted from the strain and i can't do this driving on a sidewalk w people thing. i beg and argue and win... curtis installs training wheels. people are laughing at me. i smile. i don't care. i feel better. now we can ride home.

fast forward....

9th TIME (july 2008) -- i'm still shaky. the training wheels were chucked. they didn't do crap. long trips (5 blocks back and forth) leaves me exhausted from the stress. i'm still gripping the bars too tightly. my forearms hurt after i'm done and my legs feel like jelly. i didn't realize how far 5 blocks was! walking is so much easier! oh... and apparently i can't turn my head when i'm on a bike ... today i crashed and scraped my leg badly. the bikes are going into storage until i heal.

12th TIME (yesterday!!!) -- it's been a year since i was on a bike. we went to the store to pick up bloody mary mix. bloody beers! yeah! a quick test run around the compound. i can start.. check. i can stop... check. i can make turns... check. i can turn my head and have a conversation!!!! yeah!!!! still not too confident. i think that should come with time.

fourth time on a bike. shakily handling the beach cruiser. curtis was so proud of me. he took this shot.