I know Joyce and Terry from my church. Joyce to me is simple, sweet and easy going, like an innocent little girl with a heart of gold. While finishing her master degree on marriage and counseling, she found her own soul mate, Terry. He, who is a funny guy, always makes Joyce happy. In fact, they are both good at making each other laugh. I think God paired them up perfectly.

Joyce uses “boss and secretary” to describe her relationship with Terry. She is the one who does the research and gives him the information. He is the one who says yay or nay. I know Joyce enjoys being Terry’s secretary, for life.

We spent some time in Balboa Island for their engagement session. They thought of themselves as “trees” in front of my camera, but I actually thought they did great after a little bit of warm-up. Unlike my kids who always ask “why”, they would do anything I asked them to. No question asked. They are tying their knot next year. I feel so blessed to be able to have fun with them and to document their big day.

Believe it or not, there was a big crowd of people having picnic and playing balls right behind them in this photo.  They are down there below the horizon…

I love spending time with clients at their engagement sessions. As opposed to the portrait time on a stressful wedding day when every tick on the clock counts, an engagement session is much more relaxing and fun. Honestly. This is the time when I bond with my clients and laugh with them just about anything.

I still remember how much fun we had at Kristina & Eric’s engagement session.This was the scene that made me laugh. They found a booger fell on the ground and tried to examine it.

Here’s me in action. Ricky said the way I hold my camera looks so uncool. I KNOW! But what can I do about it? I’m like one of those old ladies who feel most comfortable wearing ankle length slacks because if I’m comfortable, then I won’t change. So don’t scream next time if you see me walking around with a pair of ankle length trousers.

Just if you’re curious, this is what I was looking at…

Kristina and Eric are two of a kind total awesomeness. No kidding. Kristina has the traits of a girl that I envy…playful…funny…AND beautiful. Eric is authentic; has the sweetest smile that a big and tall guy can have. At the start of our session, Eric said they preferred me to give them posing directions. Sure, no problem. But after I shot for approximately 30 seconds, they started putting on their own show. These two totally rocked the session as we strolled through the streets of Old Towne Orange and Chapman University. I absolutely love them together.  Six more months until their wedding and I simply can’t wait to laugh with them again.

I met Emilie and Edwin when His Torch Music Ministry came to my church for an evangelistic music event. That night, they sang and shared their testimonies on stage but I did not know they were an engageed couple. Soon after I posted photos for the night on my blog, Emilie and Edwin contacted me and asked me to be their wedding photographer. Throughout the past year, we learned about each other on facebook and became friends.

Last week, Ricky and I had the chance to spent an afternoon with them in Santa Monica for an e-session. I was surrounded by nothing but — love. laugh. love. laugh, the entire afternoon.

Emilie and Edwin, I look forward to another round of – love. laugh. love. laugh, at your wedding next month.

See more photos on this slideshow.

A couple days before the session, Hanns called me to confirm about the session detail and our trip arrangements. Before he hung up, he said to me, “Oh, by the way, Winnie has no right hand. So you don’t need to ask her to pose with her right hand.” I had question marks all over my head and didn’t quite get it. “What do you mean she has no hand?” I have met Winnie a few times during the past three years that we knew each other, but I had not noticed about her hand.  Not until two days before her engagement session, I learned that she was born without a right hand.

After spending an afternoon with Winnie and Hanns, I noticed Winnie has the most cheerful and optimistic personalities. As I see her living a life no different than anyone else, I will probably never understand the challenges and emotions she has been through. And here is her story to share with you…

Winnie is the only one in her family with a physical challenge. When she was young, her elementary school classmates laughed at her. She then had questions about her existence. She asked God why He had created her like this. She doubted if her existence would bring troubles to her family and people around her. She didn’t want to be a burden to them. Then at the age of 17, her life was changed when she formally proclaimed and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord. Through God’s words and encouragements from brothers and sisters, God started His healing process. As she started learning about who God was, she also became more clear about who she was.  In her words, “He is my creator, and I am His creation, His chosen one, and His object of love.” She shared with me her favorite bible verse from Psalms 139:14,  “I praise you for I am wonderfully and fearfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Now Winnie is comfortable using her right hand to glorify the Lord.

I am so happy to know that she found God, and Hanns, to be part of her life. She is in good hands.

One of the biggest rewards I get out of my photography job is the closer relationship that I can build with other people. I truly enjoy learning about their stories, their personalities, and their testimonies. Ricky and I spent a wonderful afternoon with Hanns and Winnie in San Fransisco. We walked, talked, laughed, learned about each other, and grew our friendships. And I can’t tell you how stoked I was to see all these beautiful places when we were walking around town.

Special thanks to Anna for doing Winnie’s hair and makeup! I am excited about documenting their wedding in April.  And here are a few favorites from their engagement shoot…

He is thoughful.  She is cheerful.  He takes care of her, and she reminds him to smile.  Isn’t God a great match maker?

We all laughed as Winnie retold the story of how Hanns flirted with her on the phone when he first asked her out.  “It was not the typical serious him.”  She revealed.  It must be the magic of love.

To see more photos, click here for the slideshow.

Help me Lord! I cried out two minutes after started shooting, as I was laughing, laughing and laughing.  I knew this was going to be a super fun session, but I also hoped that I wouldn’t laugh so hard that I could actually take some pics without shaking the camera.  They were just too hilarious, and I love hilarious sessions!

Despite their strong sense of humor, there is so much Ricky and I can learn from Danny and Gigi. Their love for God.  Their love for each other.  Their hope and faith.  All these things make them shine in front of others as a couple.  They will be moving back to Hong Kong in September because of their family.  I will miss listening to their stories and  jokes.   Have a great wedding in Hong Kong next year!  And I pray that they will adjust well in their new lives together and start growing their family into a soccer team.  I have absolutely no doubt that God will bless their family and they will live happily ever after!

Wow, Danny can jump really high!

See the slideshow for more photos from their session.

I think slideshow is such a cool way of showcasing beautiful photos. That’s why I have decided to put Grace and Parson’s engagement photos in a slideshow for you to see. I love capturing actions in my photos.  And showing them in a slideshow adds so much more dynamic to still images.

I just did my very first e-session for my high school buddy and her fiance.  I still remember Grace and I had the same hand writing when we were in high school!  She recalled that we both loved copying pop song lyrics during class (did I really?).  Grace and Parson live in Hong Kong and came all the way here to the U.S. to get some photo shoots.

Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A.  It’s such a cool place.

We headed back to Irvine in the afternoon.  They visited Annabelle and Christian at my home.  Then we went out for some more photos at the Strawberry Farm.

Don’t they look like super models?

I’ve never seen so much kissing right in front of me.

Playing hide and seek…

I met Parson for the first time.  His personality is way friendlier than his looks in these photos.  I did not ask for his serious expression most of the time.  He naturally looks this way in front of the camera! I couldn’t stop laughing when I took these serious looking shots of him.  That’s how I am in photo shoots…always laughing until I fall on the ground, or couldn’t keep my hands stable because I laugh too much.  What kind of photographer is that?