Savoring Life

French photographer Marc Riboud once said,

"Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second."



This image won the Best Wedding Candid award as well as a Kodak Gallery Award in the Wedding Division at the recent 2010 Professional Photographers of Oregon print competition. It was exciting and humbling at the same time. Awards aside, capturing genuine moments is what I love the most about photography. It is almost magical how an instant is forever preserved. Imagine fifty years from now, how the pictures might bring back memories of the wedding day. Imagine what the little flower girl's grandchildren might say when they see this picture.

Won't you join me in savoring life? Don't forget to bring your camera, and take lots of pictures.

Spring

It has become somewhat of a tradition that I photograph cherry blossoms around this time of the year. I waited all winter for this--it really excites me for whatever reason. Once a year the streets around town are graced with these pink blossoms, signaling that the cold and rainy days are almost over. Almost. If the weather cooperates the flowers will stay for about a week. Some years we'd get a rain storm that washes the petals down in a matter of days.

Here's a new one. A bit early this year.



And a few from past years.

Steve & Rena | destination wedding Taiwan

My baby brother got married. Finally. The hired photogs were late, so my brother Michael and I filled in and photographed the pre-ceremony stuff. Good thing we brought all our gear...



The family flew halfway around the globe to Taiwan via Tokyo. The kids did really well on their first trans-Pacific flight. Jess was just super excited to be a flower girl. Some 16 hours later we arrived in Kaohsiung, the city where I grew up, where I used to roam as a teenage photographer. It had been so long since we visited. They had put in a whole subway system in the city!

The wedding was held in a mountain resort, the Lalu, overlooking the Sun Moon Lake. The wedding was a traditional American style wedding, with freshest flowers, live string quartet by members of the National Symphony, multi-course French-fusion dinner... and it was wonderful to see friends and family, some of whom also traveled all the way from the States.







Congratulations, Steve and Rena. We're so happy for you! Thanks for giving us an excuse to travel back home to see everyone.

On Location | vancouver wa portrait photography

Here in the Pacific Northwest rain is a fact of life in the winter. Sometimes the rain clouds make for interesting backdrops. Add a pinch of off-camera flash to taste. Bam!

An ordinary moment

Daughter having breakfast. Brought to you by an ordinary moment. Ordinary yet lovely. In press photography they talk about having access. "f/8 and be there," they say. After all, being there is perhaps the most important part. f/8 is just some camera setting that would more or less get you a good image. As parents we have the best access to such moments, if we just slow down and observe. Of course it helps if you have a camera handy. So many times I miss these moments cuz we're in a rush. "Hurry up, we're going to be late for school!" Or going from soccer practice to music lesson to gymnastics to Chinese school... Who would've thought a bowl of oatmeal reflects such soft light?

Three Seniors, One Session

Three seniors, one session. 'Nuf said. Daniel, Christine and Jack have known one another all their lives. Top students in their class, they're also athletic and musically talented. Christine's cousin Tim came and assisted me. This was a family event, as little brother, sister, aunt all came to help, even grandma was there... We met up at Esther Short park, and walked around a bit for interesting backdrops. Our favorite had to be the turtle place. As the sun went down and we brought out the OCF--off camera flash--the real fun began. I loved their energy and chemistry. What a blast!!














Even after we had declared "it's a wrap," I did not put away my camera. When we got to the car, Jack jumped on top of the car and I quickly asked Tim to put the light in place, and voila! One of my favorite pics from the day!!

Chhote

I normally don't photograph pets. We have a cat, but since kids came along, even she doesn't get much camera time. A while ago my friend Andie Petkus was photographing some 40 dogs for a show, and she asked if I'd be interested in photographing some of them. "Why not?" I thought to myself. It's always good to do something different and there's always something new to learn.

I drove down to the Carriage House not knowing what to expect. The dogs were all different: size, age, breed, temperament... it was eye-opening for me. One session there were three German Shepherds and a Doberman, who wasted no time checking out the studio as soon as they came in. The next dog was well along in years, and lost some of her sight and hearing. She nearly stumbled as she stepped in from the door. What a challenge to get them to sit in the right spot long enough for a few pics! I came away with a new-found respect for pet photographers, and no, I'm not ready to add that to my service yet :)

This is Chhote, a rescued Doberman. He was nine months old when they found him, tied to a tree with spikes embedded into his skin. He's a bit older now, and in much, much better shape. A sweet dog he was. His ears I love. Reminds me of Yoda.