ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to begin by thanking the great people who made this book happen. Thank you to Scott Cowlin and Ted Waitt, and everyone at Rocky Nook! Through the many years of working together, I have enjoyed our new dinner traditions all over the United States. It has been such an amazing time working with both of you. Thank you for pushing me, believing me, and always supporting me.
A heartfelt thank you to my family for their love and support. My mom, my big brother Antonio, my sister Blanca, and my little sister Susana, and my awesome brother-in-law Daniel Yu. I would also like to thank my brother-in-law Kent for always being a great listener and advisor in personal and business matters. To my awesome nephew Ethan. I can’t believe you are a high school senior now! I’m so proud of you, Ethan, for your grades, your discipline in Cross Country and Track, your band, and most of all, for being a good person! To my little nephew Caleb, I can’t believe you are 10 now! So fun to spend time with you looking at exotic cars here in L.A. And to my amazing niece Ellie. You have grown to be a beautiful young lady! I will never stop talking to the vegetables, though, no matter how old you get. It brings so much joy to my heart to see all of you coming together through long-distance running.
To my mother-in-law Christina: Wow, five books now, Christina! I feel so grateful to you for the incomprehensible amount of work and dedication you put into every word in these books so that they read beautifully. You truly are the unsung hero of these books. I also want to thank my father-in-law Peter for always being there for me. Peter actually provided me with my very first copy of Photoshop as a gift, and it ignited my passion for photography. I am lucky to have you as my in-laws! To Amy, Sarah, and her husband Neal, who were among the very first subjects I photographed. They patiently allowed me to do many practice photo shoots with them to help me improve my skills as a new photographer. Thanks to my cute little niece Alexandra, I love you so much! You are so fun and full of life! To Wendy Wong, for always being so supportive of my career and all my endeavors. I also thank you for your honorable interest in my books even though you are not a photographer. You read every book I write, and I can’t tell you how amazing that feels. Thank you!
To Arlene Evans: I owe so much to you. I know I have said it many times before, but you took a chance on me before anyone else would. I’m so excited and honored that you wrote the foreword to this book!
To Andre Plummer and Tyler Austin: One of the reasons why I love being a photographer is because photography has put you both in my life. Andre, your friendship and unconditional support has made these crazy years some of the best years of my life. Tyler, our trip around the world at the end of 2018 for the Canon EOS R will always be a highlight in my heart and a great deal of amazing memories forever in my mind. Eternally grateful to you both!
To Dan Willens: Dan, a great deal has changed in your life since the writing of my last book. My heart is with you every day, and I will always see you as a great father figure. I want to sincerely thank you for not only the professional guidance you have given me, but most importantly for how involved and supportive you have been in my son’s life.
To all my wonderful friends around the world. You keep me motivated and encouraged every year. I would like to especially thank the following people, listed in alphabetical order: Rocco Ancora, Jimmy Arroyo, Roy Aschen, Tyler Austin, Ado Bader, Jared Bauman, Michele Celentano, Kathy Cho, Joe Cogliandro, Skip Cohen, Blair DeLaubenfels, Dina Douglas, Andreina Duven, Marian Duven, Luke Edmonson, David Edmonson, Jerry Ghionis, Melissa Ghionis, Rob Greer, Cami Grudzinski, Eric Joseph, Scott Kelby, Colin King, Gary Kordan, Brad Levin, Paul Neal, Maureen Neises, Alva Ortega, Vicky Papas-Vergara, Andre Plummer, Luis Quiroz, Theresa Raffetto, Ryan Schembri, Justine Ungaro, Luis Urtaza, Juan Vargas, Alex Willens, Tanya Wilson, and Lenore Winsberg.
To my friends at Dentsu Singapore: Pearlina Chan, Kayla Chong, and Martin Ong. I feel so blessed to have met all three of you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking care of me and giving me one of the best rides of my life. I hope you all became quality tequila fans! Cheers!
To all my friends at Canon around the world: Canon Asia, Canon Hong Kong, Canon Indonesia, Canon Malaysia, Canon Philippines, Canon Singapore, Canon Taiwan, Canon Thailand, Canon Vietnam. Thank you for such a great experience with the Canon EOS R Creators Workshop tour.
To my good friends at Canon USA: Len Musmeci, Dan Neri, Mike Larson, Rob Altman. You guys have been a real pleasure to work with. Being a Canon Explorer of Light is and will always be a great honor to me. Thank you for all that you do for the betterment of this wonderful industry.