Joy in the Journey

This past month has been one of the most inspiring in my life, photographically speaking. I had the opportunity of running into an old acquaintance on a forum. It was wonderful to learn about her new-found passion in photography and to see her excellent work. I had the privilege of seeing photographers of various skill levels try new things and the excitement that resulted. I had the joy of witnessing an "A-ha" moment from a friend with whom I shared the basics of off-camera flash techniques. I had the honor of writing introductory photography lessons, in Chinese, on facebook, for my brother and his friend, both new to the world of digital SLRs, who live across the Pacific Ocean. I was in the company of some lady photographers until the the topic turned to Boudoir--um, Awkward!! I had the pleasure of reading several books by passionate photographers who were like mentors who came alongside to encourage me to dig deeper into the craft, to move beyond the how-to into the why-to.

One of them was Joe McNally. I have been poring over his books The Moment It Clicks and The Hot Shoe Diaries. These books not only contain beautiful photographs and technical tips, they're also sprinkled with wise words by one of the most respected photographers today.

"You're not going to be in the same room when people look at your pictures. Your picture has to speak for itself."

"Don't pack up your camera until you've left the location."

"Remember the hardest thing about lighting is NOT lighting."

"The only way to keep your heart beating as a photographer is to shoot what you love."

Another mentor goes by the name David duChemin, whom Zach Arias mentioned on Dane Sander's askdane.com. David is a humanitarian photographer who has traveled the world and works with relief organization such as World Vision. His e-book entitled Chasing The Look--10 Ways to Improve the Aesthetics of Your Photographs spoke to me in a special way. Using the visual language metaphor, duChemin challenges the photographer to answer two questions, "What are you trying to say?" and "How does that camera and lens help you say that?" Every decision, be it shutter speed, aperture, ISO, ... will change the look of the photograph. How does the photographer acquire new vocabulary and become fluent at it? I was inspired to continue to improve my craft, and be very deliberate about it. There's so much to learn still. I must continue to experiment, to sharpen the vision.

"Perfection is overrated, and technique without passion is like vision without a voice--it rarely moves the heart."

David ends the book by quoting Joe McNally, "This is a journey without a destination. We keep learning not to 'get there' but for the joy of being wherever we are, camera in hand, chipping away at this hoping to uncover our vision, learn our craft..."

Speaking of joy, I photographed water drops for the first time! You should have seen the big grin on my face. Brings back sweet memories of discovery... such is the joy.

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!!