rizzarizphotography » san francisco wedding + portrait photographer

Fuji 400H Pro, Contax 645, 80mm F2, Image Copyright RizzaRiz Photography 2011

Ya kinda rock. You like badass comics and share an affinity for photography. You also wear a red hair sensimilla shirt in public. Happy Father’s Day!

I’m back on the saddle again! It’s been a brutal two months but now things are beginning to settle down. I call this the calm before the storm.

You’ve probably heard the buzz on branding (and if you haven’t that’s okay too) and branding your business in a way that perfectly reflects who you are. Taking this to heart, I decided to team up with graphic designer and photographer extraordinaire, Rosemary Mamisay. There were a lot of elements to consider, for example, NOT straying completely away from the overall look and feel of my previous logo. Somewhere between creative meetings and an old Anthropologie catalog, magic happened and the new RizzaRiz logo was born. Among my wants (and there were many, believe me) I opted for something that said ‘classic, yet fun’ and ‘grown-up, yet fresh’. And here it is, in all its glory, integrated with my first major production to boot (in the coming weeks my blog and main website will be like a construction site, demolishing old aspects of the blog and in place nailing in more interactive features). The logo IS and has been the way I’ve signed off in emails with clients and friends (love, Rr.).

All the while, I was inspired to roll something out along with the birth of my new logo. You may have already seen Monica, whose face lately has been plastered all over my site. She’s been my muse because her look is so classic and beautiful. She is reminiscent of my favorite decade, the 40′s. The image manifesto took place this weekend along Hwy 1. in Pacifica. I think I’ll be selfish and keep this hidden gem under wraps (at least for now). In the meantime, a look at what’s in store:










I want to extend some major shout outs to the team who helped put this together: to our models Monica and Sean-both whom had to grin and bear it through the cold and boogied when asked; our wonderful stylist extraordinaire Jody Siu (thank you for helping us out on the fly!); and designer/photographer Rosemary Mamisay/Doodlebugg Love — your constant support in this venture is so very much appreciated! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Love, Rr.

Photography: Rizza San Agustin
Hair/Make-up: Jody Siu, Rosemary Mamisay
Wardrobe Styling: Jody Siu, Rizza San Agustin
Wardrobe: Second hand vintage, Armani Exchange, Sean’s Shoes (Nueva Epoca), Monica’s wedding dress (Alexandra Dillon) and getaway dress (XXi).
Hat/Accessories: Mikimoto, Target, ForLove 21

This post is not meant to be cute in any way, but thought I’d just rant about the effect an exposed tear duct has had on the vision on my left eye (my camera eye!). The swelling happened sometime around Tuesday night. I’ve experienced swelling in my left eye before because of the exposed tear duct but this time it’s gone out of control!  So I printed a list of general practitioners through my health coverage network and low and behold! They had several to chose from next door to my previous GP! I thought no way!

I called the GP’s office, explained what was happening to the gal and she in turn schedules me a 3p appointment. Fine. I arrive about 10 minutes late because the parking situation is also out of control (like my eye), the elevator is also out of control and takes 5 minutes to go up three flights and nowhere is there an emergency stair exit in sight. Once I arrive I begin filling my information out via this machine a la Magnadoodle meets Fisher Price computer for big kids. Fine, I get my information in, the doctor sees me, looks at my chart and says, “Sweetheart, I’m a cardiologist.” 

At this point I’m fuming which might have had a lot to do with the fact that I just watched Sicko not two days ago. I’m also very paranoid about how much my insurance company will be billed. So I roll my eyes, extend my hand out, get my prescription but I’ll stop there because that (my prescription) and blood testing were both sagas unto themselves. I have a swollen eye, a destination wedding in a day and medication that might make my stomach hurt regardless if I eat or not.  Okay, I think I’m done ranting for the day. Pic below, but the swelling is much more severe in person. I can somewhat see out of it but my vision is a bit blurry now. Looks like Manny Pacquiao had a field day on my face! The guy at my local breakfast spot asked if I was okay as though I was a victim of domestic violence. Eek! 

I’ve spent the past few days recovering from a nasty head cold and adjusting back to my normal schedule. So now that I’m feeling better I can finally share some pics from my trip (yes, and pics from the wedding are forthcoming – I promise!). So here they are (but just a few)….

The pedicab or ‘tricycle’ is a form of public transportation for the Filipino people. Each unit is made up of a small motorcycle with a small carriage attachment. I’ve seen about 7 people illegally packed on one of these things. The average pedicab or tricycle driver makes an average of 150 Philippine Pesos per day which is the equivalent to $2.50 per day. Here a driver on standby waits for the next passenger after a long nap in the sweltering sun.

The pedicab or ‘tricycle’ in ALL its glory..

Poverty is prevalent in the Philippines. This child lives in nothing more than a house made of bamboo planks and dirt floors coexisting with livestock and other animals within the home. This child in particular also happens to be a distant relative of mine.


Too many are without jobs in the Philippines. For those without, time is often passed hanging out on ‘standby’. I watched the man in this photo for at least a good hour fixating on some object on the ground and watching traffic drive by.

Filipinos are big on all things ‘inihaw’ which means anything that can be barbecued. For me barbecued squid + calamansi (or kumquat) + patis (fish sauce) = one happy gal named Rizza.