I too often hear of or see wedding photographers who just don't seem to be very into covering the event they are shooting.  When I see that it really bothers me because I feel if that is the attitude that they are going to have then they really should not be a wedding photographer.  I mean even just on the surface we all know how important a wedding celebration is to the couple and their guests.  But often there is much more beyond what we can see.  Just the other day I received news from Meghan one of my brides from last year.  She let me know that one of her bridesmaids had lost her battle with cancer and it really floored me.  I did not know that at the time of their wedding she had already been diagnosed and was scheduling her treatments around the wedding.  I never knew she was sick but she obviously was determined to celebrate this big event with her friend and make it a memorable and joyous event.  Unfortunately I also recently learned of the passing of one of my other client's parent.  As a result of all this it made me reminisce about my own experience.

A couple of months before my own wedding my Mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.  To know my Mom you would know that she looked forward most of her life to see her son's get married.  Due to circumstances my brother never had a formal wedding and thus I knew that my Mom waited in great anticipation for the day that I would get married.  Aside from all the other stresses that were associated with learning my Mom was very ill was the fact that I knew she was really looking forward to our wedding.  So as our wedding day approached my Mom had to start her chemo treatments.  I feared that she would feel ill and be too weak to enjoy herself, so I prayed that she would have a good day.  Well our wedding day came and my prayers were answered because to my great joy my Mom had a great day.  As with most mothers she was proud beyond belief and to be there with family and many of her friends was I believe one of the highlights of her life.  Sadly we lost her just a little over a year later.

As I look back I wish that we had been able to spend more time together as a family, but I can't even express how much it ment to me to see how happy my Mom was on that day.  I have a number of memories of that day and there were a number of things I never even knew were happening.  So I do cheerish the photos that our photographers captured from that day.  So that is part of what drives me to work hard now, because what we do as a wedding photographer is often more important than we might ever know. 

My parents on my wedding day.  We lost my Mom just a little over a year after this image was taken and just lost my Dad last year. 

So I have talked with some folks lately and they have express that perhaps I should give a little explaination of how I do things.  I know I have talked about trying to make sure that when you hire a wedding photographer that you want to make sure that they have enough experience and knowledge to truly capture great images from your special day. 

So I thought I would start with something small...a ring.  As a wedding photographer I tend to often take a picture of the rings as they have high value and significance.  Plus there is often a lot of thought and effort in finding that right ring to ask that right person the big question.

So here is the ring shot from Karen & Alden's Wedding.

I decided that I would place them in their favor tree. So often trick number one is to make the rings defy the laws of gravity.

Add a flash first to light up the back and top to give some highlight and drama.

Then a couple of other light sources (yes, I use whatever there is because really if you know what you are doing light is light you just have to figure out how to balance and use it) to light and highlight the rings.

Now try and manually focus the 100mm macro lens while hand holding it with a razor thin depth of field or if it is easier to understand that is the area that is in focus.  People think it is easy but one time a couple of my assistants were sort of laughing at me until I let them try and they remarked, "Wow, this is hard."  I am like "Ha ha ha...not quite so easy when you have to do it." 

Well there you go one of my ring shots, I could have just laid them somewhere and taken a picture but then I think they are worth going that little extra to create something a bit different.  If you like seeing these little behind the scene descriptions and explainations please let me know and I will try and work some more in. 

<CLICK IMAGE TO SEE SLIDESHOW>

So here it is Karen & Alden’s full wedding slideshow. This is an example of why I love being a wedding photographer.I met Karen virtually online through an introduction via her cousin Patrick.Oddly that is somewhat how Karen and Alden first got to know each other as they exchanged a fair amount of e-mails and phone calls from what I can remember before they actually met face to face.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I first met Karen and Alden when I went down to Southern California to shoot their Engagement Session.I am sure that we all had our little apprehensions as we did not know each other but as it turned out we had a great day as we went to a few different locations and shared lunch.They were great hosts and as I always hope on e-sessions we got to know each other better personally but also in terms of our relationship as a photographer and clients which pays good dividends for the wedding day imagery.

Well finally the big day came for their wedding which was held up here in San Francisco.We had the use of some great venues as Karen got ready at the Hotel Vitale, a very cool place, then out and about by the
Ferry Building and Embarcadero, and finally into the Rincon Center and Yank Sing.So again I could see that our time was well spent on the e-session as Karen and Alden due to our comfort were great models.Plus it didn’t hurt that Karen looked amazing!Okay, Alden was holding his own too putting on a little of that James Bond suaveness .So needless to say their special day was pretty special.What more could you ask for?A stunning bride, a dashing groom, great venues, good food, fun and loving friends and family, and a beautiful day in of all things December!

Last I checked in with them K & A were doing great but I would not expect less.I again wish them all the best and thank them for letting me be part of their memorable celebration.Click on the image above to see the slideshow.

Assistants - Ellis and Brian

Venues - Hotel Vitale, Yank Sing, Rincon Center

Cake- Napoleon Bakery

Bride's Hair & Makeup - Angie Pham, info@angiepham.com

Bridesmaid and Mother's Hair - Mina Tran, makeupbymina@gmail.com

Florist - Joann Cai

I have shot with Jordan before.  In fact it was a couple of years ago when he was first starting to think about doing some acting.  After that shoot he started to get some more jobs and has been doing some plays and small independent film projects.  Well he figured it was time to come back around and get a few more shots to update his portfolio.  Jordan mentioned that his son was going to be along so maybe we could shoot a few shots of him as well.  Well I have to say that Milo is a pretty good looking boy and a natural in front of the camera.  Well here are a few shots from that session we shot in downtown San Francisco.

So here is part two of my previous post.  In the time between a little package came in the mail with my award ribbon.  Nice ribbon but definitely it is what it stands for that makes it more valuable than what it is constructed with.  People ask if I am proud of this image.  And you know I am, but mostly because this image was shot in real time in the real world.  This image was produced on one of the worst stormy days that we had this winter.  It was gloomy and raining hard.  The couple asked “Can we still shoot something outside?”  My answer, “Of course we can!”  Of course they did not know this was one of those ducks paddling in water moments, you know the duck looks calm on top but is paddling like crazy under the water. That is one of the truths about wedding photography you can’t tell them to wait for another day, since that is the day.  That is why it is so important to find a good photographer for your wedding because you don’t want excuses; you want them to still be able to produce.  Obviously there are some constraints but really folks you need someone that can adjust and that means knowing how to use lighting.  I know it is hip to say you only use natural lighting but as Joe McNally (a famous photographer) says, “If you are going to be a professional photographer there are times you must use a flash.”  I am paraphrasing a bit here as I don’t know exactly where in his book he says that and I am too lazy to go look for it but that is the jest of it.  If your photographer does not know how to make the best use of flash lighting then your images are going to suffer somewhere.  Well back to the story, we got to the Legion of Honor and it is gloomy…..it is dark….it is depressing and the light there is awful.  I suppose I could have packed it in and the couple probably would have not been too mad but is it fair to them?  One might say it is not fair to expect a photographer to come up with something and maybe not but that is what we are getting paid for and so you dig in your little bag of knowledge and tricks, and hopefully you have more than just a sun bonnet in there. 

So yes, I am proud of this image because it was considered by a very distinguished panel of my peers to be worthy of an accolade but more so because it was produced in hard conditions in the spur of the moment with a couple who are just ordinary people.  Can I produce an award winning image every time out?  I don’t think anyone really can but for my clients and for myself I am always going to be out there trying to produce one every time!  I find myself always driving and walking around trying how to make an image better or something else I can learn and master so I can bring that to the table. 

I want to thank Luisa & Allen for trusting me to record their special day.  They really hung in there and gave me a few moments to set up and shoot this image.  Thanks also to their bridal party and friends who volunteered to be mobile lightstands and for helping to spread a tarp and hold umbrellas to keep L & A dry and looking marvelous.  Kudos to Brian who assisted me, you know what I want and how I want it. Hummm…that being strictly in a photographic sense.  Ha ha ha…  Again thanks to Scott Robert and Brian Ng for being my mentors.  Then last but not least thanks also, to all of you out there that follow and support me I appreciate more than you know. 

As I announced recently I was awarded an Accolade of Excellence for one of my prints entered in the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) 16 x 20 print competition.  I was reflecting a bit about this and mentioned to my wife that it is very special to me personally for a couple of reasons.  Of course it is a great honor to receive this award in light of the how many prints were submitted and the level of difficulty by which they were all judged.  But more important to me was that this is one of those milestones.  A bit over three years ago I went to my first Scott Robert workshop.  At that time I had no aspirations of shooting professionally but merely had wanted to improve my photography skills.  Well Scott is a pretty motivating speaker and after that workshop I found myself looking for opportunities to shoot more and gain experience.  As I mentioned in my previous posting Brian Ng gave me my first opportunity to shoot as a professional by shooting 2^nd for him.  He sat me down and each time we went out and looked through my images and gave me feedback.  That was one of the most valuable things to me since it really helped me grow by making me think about what I was doing.  So what better way to start my journey than to have Scott and Brian combine to provide a very solid foundation.  From Scott I get my ability to see and create beautiful light and an understanding of why portraiture is important and how to make unique and timeless images.  Brian on the other hand was a true photojournalist in his approach and desired to show the moments that joined together to complete the story of a couple’s special day.  Thus for me I feel that a blend of both is the best way to serve my clients, because both serve to record the happenings of the day and also to preserve who they are at that moment in their lives. 

So as I was saying this award is a milestone for me because as I embarked on my journey as a professional photographer, I knew that due to my family obligations and life stage I could not pursue photography as a full time profession at this time.  But even as I began my journey I knew in my heart that if I were going to do this, part time or not, I did not want that to be an excuse for the level of imagery that I was going to provide to my clients.  So in other words, I wanted to be as good as the finest photographers doing this full time.  It is quite a tall order since there are many talented photographers out there, but with a solid foundation from my photographic fathers I was on my way.  My journey also included searching for ever
more knowledge, determination, and persistence which has brought me to where I am at this moment.  You know you are always your worse critic so I often struggled and wondered if I was really producing good imagery.  So this accolade is a nice affirmation to let me know that I am able to produce imagery worthy to compete at a world class level.  So have I arrived?  Well I guess I have arrived at something, one goal perhaps, but really I am just getting started and I desire to continue to grow, explore, and push; all in the hopes of producing better and more meaningful imagery as time goes on. 

Stay tuned as I actually have more to this post but as it was getting long I decided to split it.  So I will post the rest in a day or two.

Why the W Shoot?  Well when a bridal salon offers to let you borrow a beautiful dress, a talented florist offers to give you an amazing bouquet, and very cool and talented makeup and hair stylist volunteers; you say “Why not!”  Plus we were shooting at the W Hotel so just seems fitting that it is the W Shoot.  So with that combination how could you loose especially when we got Natalia to model for us.  Natalia is not a profession model by the way but with her natural beauty and Jocelyn’s magic touch she was nothing short of stunning. Jocelyn first showed me a picture of Natalia and asked how about her modeling for us?  I took one look and was captivated by her eyes.  I am thinking that you will be too.  We shot more with Natalia since she was wearing the dress that Anna’s Bridal Boutique graciously provided, but thanks go out to my man Mike for coming out and bringing Sarah along too.  Thanks also to Zabrina of JEZA Photography for loaning us the other bridal dress so we could shoot outside. 

Thanks also to Brian, Jason, and Myron for their assistance.  And especially to Brian for
making Crème Brulee for us all, is that classy or what?  If you are planning a wedding you have to
check out Anna’s Bridal Boutique, Flowers by Erica, and Jocelyn the Stylist.  They are all great vendors and fantastic to work with. 

Bridal Gown: Anna's Bridal Boutique, Napa:

http://www.annasbridalboutique.com/

Florist:: Flowers by Erica, Calistoga
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flowers-by-Erica/153188936912?sk=wall

Hair and Makeup:: Jocelyn Gomez, Napa
Valley & South Bay http://jocelynthestylist.carbonmade.com/

This past weekend I shot Melinda & Brent's Engagement Session and it really reminded me why I love shooting these.  Melinda & Brent were just so much fun.  As with many couples they were a bit apprehensive as we started, most people are since not too many people I know are really that used to having professional photos taken of them.  But with a little prompting and a lot of laughter the edge came off and they did great.  This is why I think it is important to do engagement sessions since I am sure that as with many of my couples the time we spent together now will put them more at ease and will be pros on their wedding day. 

After we finished they graciously treated me to dinner and some dessert crepes too.  Of course the laughing carried over from the shoot.  I look forward to seeing them again!  Stay tuned for more images from this session and get ready because I am sure that their wedding will be one very fun event.  For now here are a couple images.

 Back when I went to WPPI it was one crazy week to say the least.  Before I left I celebrated my oldest daughter’s Birthday and also had to take my youngest for her first dental appointment.  I think you know which one had more fun.  After that I headed down to Las Vegas for the convention and was totally blown away by all that I learned and experienced.  Well to top it off I had to shoot a wedding the day after I got back. 

It was a blessing though to receive the honor of photographing Jessica & Jacob’s wedding.  I will say off the bat that Jessica was not feeling well but was a real trooper and hung in there even as we tried to get their portraits on a very nice but COLD day in San Francisco.  Here are is a little preview of what their special day looked like.  Congratulations to Jessica & Jacob all the blessings in your new life together!

I finally made it to the WPPI convention the other week.  WPPI stands for Wedding and Portrait Photographers International and it truly is international as there were over 16,000 photographers from all over the word in attendance.  Talk about overwhelming!  I have wanted to go for the last couple of years but due to different circumstances I was unable to.  Well it was a pretty amazing experience.  The speakers I heard definitely gave me food for thought and sparked ideas of what I can do to improve myself and what I do.  Plus I got to see all the toys….oh I mean tools that are associated with the industry.  But the best thing was getting to meet other photographers to share thoughts and ideas as well as hook up and catch up with old friends as well. 

In association with the conference WPPI also conducts their 2 biggest competitions of the year, the Album Competition and the 16 X 20 Print Competition.  Both of these competitions are huge in the wedding and portrait industry because they really are international with entries coming in from all over the world from many of the very finest photographers in the industry.  I was not able to attend any of the judging but from all accounts I heard the judging was particularly hard and brutal this year.  When the dust settled there were only two rooms of prints displayed that had been awarded accolades of excellence.  I was told that last year there were three rooms and also some down the hallway.  So I was greatly honored to find I had a print hanging.  I mean I believe that I have been producing quality images and it is always nice to hear people compliment you but sometimes you just have to wonder, “Where am I in the grand scheme of things?  Am I good, okay, great…what?”  So sometimes to answer that question you have to put yourself out there and play in the big arena.  Often you get smashed but even then it is a learning experience and if you go with the right attitude even those setbacks can be positive, teaching you and making you grow.  But when you earn an award you then know you are producing world class images at the top of the industry.

I owe a lot to my friend, teacher, and mentor, Scott Robert Lim.  I have been friends with Scott for many years but it was not till I took one of his workshops a bit over three years ago that I began my adventure and journey to true growth in photography.  I would never have been able to achieve this high level in such a short time if I had not had his knowledge and guidance.  In addition, I credit Brian Ng who gave me my first opportunities to shoot and shared thoughts and philosophies that continue to shape what I do.  Prompts to the entire Scott Robert community as well, it is great to have a community that shares and supports one another as we all strive for excellence.  Thanks also to Brian Lee who assisted me to execute this image on one terrible gloomy and rainy day, just showing that for a wedding photographer there are no excuses, you owe it to your clients to produce good imagery even if conditions are far less than ideal.  And lastly thanks to Luisa & Allen, who were brave enough to trust me and go out to shoot this shot on their special day.

Here is my print hanging on the wall.

Here is a better look at the image