Hampton Roads Virginia Tweetup - @HRVAtweetup - is organizing a tweetup on Thursday, June 11, 2009, 7pm at Zushi Japanese Bistro in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  This is the second #HRVA tweetup that I - @johncachero - have organized; the first being the Hampton Roads Virginia Tweetup Photowalk on May 3, 2009.  Having met so many great people from Hampton Roads at that photowalk (21 total in attendance), I’m determined to continue to organize more of these fun and inviting tweetups to help build a sense of community amongst the Twitter users AND non-Twitter users in Hampton Roads.  Tweetups are a great way to finally meet the people we’ve been connecting to in 140 character spurts via Twitter.  I also believe tweetups are an excellent way for our friends who aren’t on Twitter to understand what all the hoopla is about.

Vital Information:

• Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 7pm
• Zushi Japanese Bistro @ Virginia Beach Town Center - 757.321.1495
• 4540 Main Street, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 23462
• Reservations have been made for two tables of 10, side-by-side
• Follow @HRVAtweetup for info tweets regarding this and future tweetups in #HRVA (Hampton Roads, Virginia)

Here’s some information on Zushi Japanese Bistro as provided by our point of contact, Emit Enriquez, who has been very helpful to me in setting up this tweetup:

“Kevin Chang is the owner and head chef of Zushi Japanese Bistro.  Kevin is a hard working soul.  In fact you will probably see him every time you come to his restaurant.  His work is fast paced, and there is never a time when he can be caught standing still, yet he always has time to greet and talk with his customers about his art.

Kevin got his start in the culinary arts over 14 years ago at a Japanese hibachi restaurant named Beni Hana’s of New York.  After a few years he worked with his family in a restaurant venture called Korea House of Dallas, Texas.  It was at Korea House that he learned both kitchen and restaurant management.  After completing training with his family, Kevin took an interest in sushi.  He sought out an experienced sushi chef named Sota, who was the head chef of Nakimoto’s of Dallas.  The Nakimoto family worked for the Emperor of Japan for generations before coming to America and starting their own business.   Because of Kevin’s previous culinary experience and some would say, his natural talent, he completed his training as a sushi chef in only two years.   Sushi training in Japan lasts a minimum of seven years.

Since that training with Master Chef Sota, Kevin has enjoyed over 9 years of work as a sushi artist.  He has prepared sushi in some of the worlds finest restaurants in places like New York, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas and San Juan, Puerto Rico.  When he arrived here in Virginia Beach, he was the opening chef for Sumo, which is how many of his regular customers discovered his wonderful style of sushi.  In January of 1999, he purchased the Nara Sushi restaurant, which had been operating for two years prior.  In 2005, Kevin sold an interest in Nara Sushi and opened Zushi Japanese Bistro.

Kevin has a simple philosophy about his art.  Keep it looking fancy, and keep it affordable.  That philosophy is one of the many aspects of Kevin’s restaurant techniques that make a trip to Zushi worthwhile.”

Twitterers/Tweeps Who’ve RSVP’d:

• @johncachero - That’s me!
• @kflahaut
• @nOeL1215
• @ericfadden
• @LlamaKid
• @dolceshan
• @iamtiff
• @candyappple
• @shuttergirl
• @KrittyPie
• @hubertallen
• @debmarkham
• @jinime
• @SonofVBeach
• @steviedove
• @CharlesGnilka
• @spivurno
• @esweterlitsch
• @CourtneyBird

I am looking forward to meeting again those of you that I met previously and especially those of you I’ll be meeting for the first time.  More importantly, I’m really looking forward to eating some delicious sushi.  See you all on Thursday!  =)

Leave a comment; let me know you’ve stopped by.

[ John Cachero Photography Blog ] [ John Cachero Photography Portfolio ]

Flickr brings photographers from all over the world together and allows us to network amongst each other. I’m fortunate enough to have made acquaintances with one of the leaders in NJ wedding photography, Brad Ross. His talent is inspiring and his photojournalistic approach helps to chronicle his clients’ emotions, from the bride and groom to the family and friends.  He is like a fly on the wall in that he sees everything without ever getting in the way.  When you look at Brad’s portfolio, you’ll have no doubt that he is among the finest wedding photographers in NY and NJ.  Give him a call if you’re in the NJ area and need an excellent photographer.

[ ...and, of course, if you need a photographer for your Hampton Roads wedding, portraits, or special event, be sure to contact me -- John Cachero Photography ]

This weekend, I was hired to shoot a concert and a senior portrait session… both of which were incredibly fun to shoot.

First a shot of Tailgate Down’s lead singer, Aaron, from the stage inside the Granby Theater in Norfolk, Virginia during their benefit concert for the Hope House Foundation, and then a shot of beautiful Kelly from her senior portraits session in First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Keep an eye on the John Cachero Photography blog for more samples from these shoots when I’m done editing them.

Also, this weekend, I added a new “Portraits” gallery to my portfolio site.  Check it out if you haven’t visited in a while.

UPDATE: The concert photography set has been posted to the John Cachero Photography blog.

UPDATE: The senior portrait set has been posted to the John Cachero Photography blog.

“The 6 Million People Project at Flickr is collecting pictures of 6 million people, one portrait at a time. The photo pool stands a tribute to the 6 million Jewish people and millions of others who died during the Nazi Holocaust.”

Keeping awareness about the Holocaust is important and The 6 Million People Project aims to do this with the help of the Flickr community.  How social media allows people all over the world to collaborate on a project like this on an epic scale is simply amazing.  The support for this group grows daily (as of writing this, 13,405 members are in the group and 82,504 unique portraits have been added) and I intend on participating until they reach their goal.  Check out the Flickr group and the blog for not only more information, but also for some amazing photography.  If you’re a Flickr member, there is no reason why you shouldn’t participate in this group.

Also check out Spotlight Seven, a Flickr group created out of The 6 Million People Project, that every week features the work of a talented photographer who has contributed to the group.

I just got a hold of my new business cards for my Hampton Roads wedding photography business, John Cachero Photography, and I’m very excited.  I planned on these just being my temporary business cards, but I have to admit that I like the simplicity and elegance.

Someone asked me why I didn’t use an image and make it a dual sided card.  I still might do that in the future, but for now, I’m going use what I have here and consider making one when a photo I shoot warrants that kind of attention.

In other news, this is the first time in an entire month that I’ve posted something to Flickr.  I’ve just been too busy working on getting John Cachero Photography launched.

I’ve launched my official photography websites. If you are in need of Hampton Roads wedding photography please visit my sites. I shoot weddings, portraits, and special events for Hampton Roads, Virginia and beyond.

New sites:  [ John Cachero Photography - Blog ] | [ John Cachero Photography - Portfolio ]

Welcome to the new redesign of the blog.  This will be the place you can come to find out what’s going on with me in and around the internet.  I may occasionally share some fun media here, but mostly, I suggest you just use the links up top or to the side to check out what I’m all about.  Thanks.