Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category

FUN FRIDAY: 10 Things I Can’t Live Without & Introducing Olivia Mika Chen!

November 11th, 2011

Happy Friday everyone! : )

In elementary school every Friday was called “Fun Friday” for us kiddies. We would anxiously wait for the bell to ring and rush over to the nurse’s office after school. Why?! Because they always sold the best and yummiest snacks of course!! My personal favorite was the candy apples- best candy apples I’ve ever had in my entire life. They were glazed red and covered with these soft white flakes. I still don’t know what those flakes were to this day but man, so delicious! Oh how I LOVE and miss those days!

So in memory of and to celebrate those good ol’ days, I will be writing “Fun Friday” posts every other friday. In these posts I’ll share a little bit about myself, what I’m learning, or just random things that are happening in my life. And although they might not be as exciting as fun snacks and candy apples (yes, the ones with those mysterious flakes), I promise you’ll know more about me in the end… That can be fun, right?! : )

Ok, so to kickstart this new series of posts I am going to share with you 10 things I love and probably can’t live without…feel free to share what YOUR favorite things are! : )

1. vinegar and sugar. Oh, I can eat almost anything with vinegar..or sugar…even better when they’re mixed together!

2. chipotle– enough said! : )

3. chapstick…i have about 5 at this moment: one in my purse, one in my other purse in case I happen to grab that bag, one in my backpack, one in my shootsac, and the last one in my Kelly Moore camera bag. This is to make sure I am NEVER without a chapstick!! I’m like this with gum, too!

4. my chloe perfume…love, love, LOVE scents! This one is especially special to me : )

5. nail polish…they just make life more colorful! I am currently wearing this dark army green from Sephora.

6. my journal– writing out how i’m doing/feeling is very necessary! This really helps me process my thoughts.

7. bobby pins & hair ties– really don’t like it when there’s hair in my face..makes me all itchy and then I can’t get anything done.

8. rings. I have so many but I still can’t get enough! My left pointer-finger is indented from many many years of ring wearing.

9. the color GREEN! my favorite…can you tell?

10. floss..it’s a MUST! Can’t feel clean without it.

And there you have it! : )Â Ok, so today is not only special because I introduced my new Fun Friday posts, but it’s also the birth date of my new baby niece, Olivia Mika Chen! She was born this morning at 11:06am weighing 7lbs. and 10oz…so adorable! What a special day, 11.11.11. Congrats to Liz, Leonard, and Lina on their new addition! : )

Have a great weekend everyone!

BLESSED. SO SO SO BLESSED!

September 10th, 2011

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all your encouragement and input this past week- it definitely helped me out while I was choosing the perfect outfit to wear for my portrait session with Shelley! I just got back last night and had an AMAZING time in Buffalo, Minnesota. I learned so much and can’t wait to put everything into practice. Here are aÂ few photos from my trip- hope they’ll give you a better feel of what my last few days were like! : )

So. My trip started EARLY Tuesday morning. My cousin (THANKS JEFF!) drove me to the airport at 4:20am so I could make my flight at 6. This is how dark it was outside! After checking in I had a good while to just sit and rest, take a few photos.

About two hours later I arrived in Denver and had another hour to rest before catching my next flight. I journaled and ate and looked over directions for Shelley’s place.

Okay. This is where things get a bit emotional. Flying out to Minnesota was a BIG DEAL for me. I knew I wanted my portraits taken this year since it’s my GOLDEN YEAR, but when Shelley first brought up the idea of flying out to her, I thought it was a bit crazy. I’ve never taken a trip for myself and I wondered if it would be too selfish of me to go? But the more I thought about how I just needed to take this opportunity and really live, I knew I had to do it- for myself, for my dreams, for my business. After all, it is my golden year! But even then, it took a lot for me to go. I usually like to stick with what’s familiar so the thought of visiting a place I’ve never been to and know nothing about sounded a bit intimidating. Renting my own car seemed so grown-up and what if I crashed it?! There was so much on my mind even as my plane landed…

Oh, but God knew all of that and he knew just what I needed. When I got to the car rental place, the Dollar man asked if I wanted an upgrade for just a little more each day. When I told him I was fine with the small car I had booked, he nodded and upgraded my car anyway..just for fun, and with no additional fee! I drove out of that parking lot feeling pretty blessed.

I finally arrived at Shelley’s place after a long drive. She welcomed me with a big hug and gave me a quick tour of the house and of her studio. Then, she told me she had a surprise for me. Surprised about the surprise, I put my things down and followed her downstairs. Shelley picked up an envelope from her dining table and handed it to me- I was a bit confused at this point, wondering who in the world would write me (and send it to MN!), but quickly opened the envelope to find a card inside, and inside the card, a big fat check to take care of my expenses. My eyes scanned the card and saw that it was signed by many of my friends at home. I didn’t have to read the whole card (well, I couldn’t have anyways, because I was in tears at this point!) to know that they were sending their love (to MN!). I was so shocked, so WOWed, and completely overwhelmed. They went behind my back, contacted Shelley, and arranged this whole thing without me knowing…I couldn’t believe it! Yes, I am blessed!

So this was the start of my fabulous few days in Minnesota. Things just kept getting better and better from there and I will definitely get into more details as I process this trip some more. Here’s a sneak-peek of what I wore for my photoshoot, by the way! I will keep the rest a surprise until I get my photos back! : )

(These next two photographs I took yesterday as I was journeying home.)

Oh, what a blessed week! I had so much fun and can’t wait to share more with you soon!

WHAT DO YOU WEAR TO A PHOTOSHOOT?!

August 31st, 2011

I am wondering the same thing! In exactly one week I’ll be getting my portraits taken by Shelley Paulson. I’ve been going out so much in the last two weeks looking for the perfect outfit and I realized one thing: I suck at shopping! For the past few times I went out I spent hours looking around, tried a few things on, decided to get them, then put them all back on the rack before I left the store. Not productive at all!

I did pick up a pair of cowboy boots, though… still haven’t decided if I’m going to wear them for my session yet.

I was talking to my wonderful girlfriend Janet about my dilema and she was SO helpful. She got so excited for me she started looking up different outfits for me to consider. This is what she came up with…

1. i think the color mint would look nice with a light brown cowboy boot. mint is very inÂ
http://www.polyvore.com/romantic_date_set-requested/set?id=36253494

2. a striped dress would add some texture to the landscape you’re photographing in and would draw more attn to the subject: you!!Â Â maybe pair it with a jean jacket.
http://www.yesstyle.com/en/info.html/pid.1024051677

3. i particularly like the denim look with cowboy boots. its more laidback, yet chic! very “in”.
http://www.refinery29.com/l-a-street-style-walk-the-line

4. red would be a good color with neutral brown boots too. and it would look very nice against a yellow or green nature background. think color blocking!
http://lookbook.nu/look/896125-Tonight-Imma-Let-You-Be-the-Captain
http://lookbook.nu/look/2107715-SUPERWOMAN
http://lookbook.nu/look/880657-These-boots-are-made-for-walking

I put together everything she suggested on Polyvore and tadaaaa! (Thanks for all your help Jan!)

What do you guys think? If you have any suggestions, please share..I’d love to hear from you : ) And to all my clients- I’M SORRY! I had no idea it was this hard choosing an outfit!

YUMMY BOK CHOY SALAD!

July 26th, 2011

I’m so excited to share with you my new favorite summer salad! It’s called the YUMMY BOK CHOY SALAD! Yes, yummy is part of its name : ) I was first introduced to this salad at a bridal shower. My friend Annie (I owe you big time!) brought this dish and told me upfront that I would really enjoy it (I LOVE anything with vinegar in it!). Indeed, I fell in love with the salad, and because she made so much, Annie let me keep the leftovers after the shower. Today I made it for my sister Eunice, who is staying over with her daughter Shiloh. Eunie didn’t like the idea of eating raw Bok Choy, but ended up liking the salad a lot. So, give it a try everyone! : )

Tadaaa!

and while I was putting this together, this little one was watching me…

I’m sorry Shi, but you can’t have any. I promise to make you some when you’re older! : )

enjoy!

PEACH PICKING and FIREWORKS!

July 12th, 2011

[“LIKE” this blogpost from my website and leave a comment below to enter for another chance to win aÂ FREE PHOTOSHOOT!]

My parents are VERY into gardening. We have all kinds of flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees in our yard- orchids, squashes, guava, and pomelo, to name a few. We used to have this huge plum tree in our backyard, too, and I remember having friends over and climbing to the top with them, picking the sweetest plums and throwing them down for others to catch. But when we added additional rooms to our house (we had 8+ people living in our house at that time!), we had to cut the plum tree down…it was so sad!

Anyway! Our peach tree was bearing much fruit last week and my parents wanted me to take some photos before we picked them all. So after our 4th of July dinner the girls went out to do some picking (and of course eating!) and I brought my camera along to take a few pictures. Here is my little niece Lina, excited and ready!

We enjoyed the peaches inside while the boys went out to get some fireworks. We’re not hardcore at all when it comes to fireworks, btw…

Can you guess what my sister and her husband were trying to write? haha : )

Happy Tuesday!

ELLA AND HER BOYFRIEND : )

July 3rd, 2011

What a week! I left for Texas on Monday, flew back into LA on Friday, and since then, have been on the go! I was finally able to get some rest last night (and thank goodness, because my body started shutting down! I had to drink some ginger tea before bed to re-energize! I’m not exactly sure what it does or how it helps, but it just does, haha). I feel completely well this morning and am excited to share a few pictures with you all : )

From my last post, I mentioned that my 4-year old niece (my cousin’s little girl) Ella, has a boyfriend and I’m sure you were all so curious about who this guys is. Well, I sure did meet this little fellow and he is quite the charmer. Ella’s mommy, Stephany, told me that this boy tells Ella that she is beautiful and that he will marry her one day. SO CUTE! Here are some pictures from their play-date…

are they not the cutest thing?!

and what’s a summer play-date in Texas without some swimming?!

here, the boyfriend with his brother : )

and finally, the day ended with a fun tv show for the kiddies + more yummy snacks!

So fun. I want to be a kid again! : )

HOWDY!

June 28th, 2011

Hello from Texas (or should I say Howdy?!)! It’s my first real day
here in Dallas and I’m already loving it (or maybe just because I have such good hosts! I’m staying with my cousin Dave, his wife Stephany, and their two kiddies Ella and E. Bryce)! It’s so nice to take a break from life and spend it in another city with family I don’t get to see often- what a treat! : )

And as you can imagine, it is HOT here in Texas! Today was 100 degrees outside and I feel like I got a tan from just standing inside the garage, getting into the car..it’s crazy! So when Ella came home from school today, guess what we did?! We went swimming! What better way to spend the afternoon?! Plus, it’s been FOREVER since I’ve gone swimming..it totally brought back fun childhood memories (shout-out to you, Jobanna! I was thinking about how we used to swim in your pool all the time, that HUGE slide we’d have to pour water down, picking plums, and your mom’s delicious meals..so fun!). : )

Ella is SO fun to be around. She is full of JOY and excitement…like all the time. Oh, we had tons of fun splashing around and doing funky dances under the water. Isn’t she so cute?! Tomorrow I’ll be meeting her boyfriend officially (I saw him briefly when we picked her up from school) and taking some photos of them together- I can’t wait! : ) haha

MY NEW BLOG, A FEW SNEAK-PEEKS, AN UPCOMING PHOTOSHOOT GIVEAWAY, AND (ALMOST) HELLO TEXAS!

June 26th, 2011

Hello everyone! : )

I’m so excited to share this new blog with you all. Thank you Tailwind web design for working so hard with me to put this site together! We still have a few things to work out (a bigger photo gallery, etc..), but tadaaaa, here it is! : )Â What do you guys think?

Because I’ve been working on this blog for the last few days, I wasn’t able to get too much editing done. However, I do want to post a few sneak-peeks from my shoots this past week. There’s a lot to look forward to! : )

Natalia+Davi

Portrait Session with Michelle Ford

Family Session with the Lais Family Session with the Chens

There’s also an upcoming PHOTOSHOOT GIVEAWAY coming your way! Keep checking back for more details! : )

And lastly, I’ll be heading off to Texas this Monday! My cousin Dave and his wife Stephany invited me to stay with them for the week and to take some portraits for their baby boy. They also have a 4-year old, Ella, and she is just the cutest thing! You better believe there will be pictures/updates to come : )

ok, goodnight!

SMUDGE POT!

June 17th, 2011

I LOVEÂ smudge pot, beacuseÂ it’s only the best eye-liner EVER! Â I recently started using this make-up product after I shot a wedding in March. By the end of the banquet I realized I was NOT very presentable with myÂ pencil eye-liner completely smeared and faded away. I quickly went to Sephora the following week to pick up one of these, and am really satisfied with the way it stays on! I used the smudge pot by Stila (in jet black) for Hanalei and Austin’s wedding last month and even after 12+ hours of being on site I still felt put-together by the end of the night. So for any photographers out there looking for the perfect eye-liner, or just anyone looking for something that stays on, this is it! : )

You can read the reviews here! Hope you love it as much as I do!

Photography as a Healing Art

May 22nd, 2011

About a month ago during Portraiture from the Heart, a portraiture workshop I attended in Sacramento, Shelley Paulson read to us a part of the introduction from God Is at Eye Level, a book by Jan Philips. The introduction talks about photography as a healing art, healing in three ways. I was so moved by what she read I quickly ordered the book when I got home. I’m still going through it, but wanted to share with you what was shared with us at that workshop.

One fall day, while I was splitting maple logs into firewood on my farm in upstate New York, a neighbor pulled up in his ’57 pickup, rolled down his dusty window, and shouted above the rumbling engine, “You know, that wood’s going to heat you three times.”

“Oh yeah?” I replied, wondering what he was talking about. “Yup,” he said. “The first time is now, when you’re working up a sweat splitting it into firewood. The second time is when you’re sitting in front of the fire, toasty warm as it crackles away. And the third time is when you haul out the ashes. Can’t ask much more than that from a tree,” he laughed as he roared off down the road.

The neighbor loved wood-loved to work with it, walk through forests full of it, talk about it. His observations were as deep as the passion he held. When spring came, and I was wandering through the forest hunting for images with my 35mm, I thought of that neighbor. I thought about his passion for the woods, how it nurtured him, brought him to life. And I thought about my passion for photography, how it comforts me, brings me to life. Photography, I thought, heals three times.

The first time is when I am in search of the image, present only to that which is, focused on the moment at hand. By virtue of this absorption in the now, I am released from the often painful grip of past and future. The second healing belongs to the person being photographed, the honored recipient of pure attention, healed by an artist’s loving gaze. The third healing occurs when we view a photograph as an outside observer and are moved by its power or beauty. The chance to see the world through another’s lens, to be transported to another time, another place, another reality, can heal and transform out own.

HELLO + WELCOME!

RANDOM FACTS