Bethlehem's Big Night

Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland puts on a wonderful Christmas musical every year. This year was no different. Bethlehem's Big Night was a comedic interpretation of the events leading up to the birth of Christ. We had a blast watching and we know the cast had a blast performing. Here are some of the shots of the night...

Seleta's dad Lee getting his professional stage make-up doneLee said he was trying to hook up his microphone...we know he just wanted to show some leg for the camera...

Seleta's brother Jacob was also in the musical. He and Lee played two of the shepherds that the angel spoke to that first Christmas night. As you can see, Lee the shepherd was in shock at the booming angel's voice coming from the sky!

The shepherd scenes stole the show with their hysterical dance number illustrating the message from the angel.

Our son got to pose with some of the cast. This is Jennie (she played the camel's rear end), Jacob, and Lee. Ian enjoyed hanging out with Papa the shepherd and trying on some of the costumes.

Seleta also had some fun posing with the cast. Here she is with her brother, dad and son.

We would like to thank Immanuel Baptist for putting on such a wonderful, meaningful production. This is part of our family tradition to celebrate the Christmas season. Keep up the great work!

New Employee?

It's the hopes of some parents that their children follow in their footsteps. Some physicians want their kids to grow up to be doctors, some musicians want their kids to grow up to become rock stars, and some lawyers who want their kids to grow up to be - well - something else ;)

So imagine my pride when my 2-year-old son comes into the room still in his PJ's, wearing my old Pentax film camera around his neck, screaming, "Dad, look at me!" Then he picks up the camera, looks in the wrong end, and yells, "Click!" At least his thumb wasn't covering the lens...

But as much as he likes taking photos, he likes to ham it up in front of the camera, too. Here's a shot with his 100 pound teddy bear...

But I'd also like to show off the newest addition to our family, Lexi, an eighteen-month-old beagle that we rescued from the Camarillo Animal Shelter.

Erika Aguilar Quicenera

Thanks to Al Ungar from Photography by Al Ungar for allowing me to tag along and congratulations to the Aguilar family on Erika turning 15-years-old this past week.

Jake and Jennie Engagement Session

What better way to spend a Sunday than to do an engagement shoot in an arcade and at the beach? And to do it for my brother-in-law and his fiance tops it. Hard to believe that I grew up with Jake and watched as he went from a shy kid with a baritone in a marching band to become a chef, dietitian, and a world traveling visionary. It's great to see him so happy and in love.

And then there's Jennie... We're still getting to know each other but she's beautiful, she's charming, and she can definitely hold her own against anything I throw at her! And - most importantly - she's very much in love with Jake. That was obvious to Seleta and I as we got to capture these moments on a clear Sunday evening.

Hope you enjoy!

Ventura County Arts Council

Seleta and I won honorable mentions in the professional medium category at this year's Ventura County Arts Council competition! There were a lot of great entries and some very outstanding paintings and sculptures. Here's our two entries that made the cut:

"The Newlyweds" - Terrance Dobrosky

"Vivien" - Seleta Dobrosky

You can see our work on display at the Ventura County Government Center (Hall of Administration) in Ventura until the end of the month.

"The Art of Portraiture"

Here's a selection of several photos Seleta and I took during a weekend workshop on "The Art of Portraiture" taught by photographer Joyce Wilson. It was a nice break from following the usual wedding format, gave us a chance to learn a new skill or two, and meet several new friends. Even though many "students" (many were working professionals older than us) lived locally, we actually had a photojournalist from Norway. There's nothing better than to be free to think out of the box sometimes and remind ourselves that you must learn the notes before you can carry a tune...