Time went by so fast and I couldn’t believe it was time to do an annual family shoot for the Fongs again. This year, their brother’s family flew in from Sweden to have a Fongs x 2 family shoot together.

It was a hot day in Southern California. On the morning of their photo shoot, the Fongs were still debating whether they should go to the beach or hit the mall for some AC. I’m glad they decided to head to the coast so we were able to enjoy some cool breezes on a day with triple digit temperature. It was their love and connection with one another, not the hot sun, that melted me. They made me wish that I was part of their family!

Thank you for the fun time. Love you all!

Let me introduce to you the Masillamoneys. They are Singaporians who flew in to attend Amy and Andrew’s wedding. I had the pleasure of shooting this adorable family at the Great Park in Irvine. I love it when their kids want me to take photos of them instead of running away.

Thanks guys for the fun time!

I thought we were in the North Pole in the beginning of the session. Although Ark, Susanna and Abby are good friends of mine, Abby has always been camera shy. She hid and turned away from me as if my camera would suck her in. I was screaming inside my throat, “Help me Lord!” So there, God answered.  We were playing all these crazy games that I made up, and then the ice melted. That’s the only way to break the ice in the North Pole.

It turned out to be a fun and successful session. You can see Abby’s playful and sassy personality all captured in these moments. Now meet this cute little family.

I got together with my friends Darwin, Irene and their little girl for a family portrait. I won’t hide the fact that it’s quite challenging to photograph a toddler at this age. Especially when Bethany has her very own creative mind.

While we thought we have strategized our game plan for the morning, Bethany always had some new ideas. Speaking of this, I feel so guilty and have a confession to make. In the middle of the session, Bethany insisted on putting her beloved head band around her head, which none of us thought was a good idea. After some bribing and negotiating that failed, I just told her the head band looked beautiful on her…after I stole it from her. She looked a bit confused and tried to feel the head band on her head. Then we kept reinforcing her that she looked gorgeous with it. Oh what have I done to an innocent little girl! Bethany, sorry that Auntie Iris wasn’t telling the truth. To make up for this, I picked out the following three photos just for your enjoyment.

This morning, my head was so dizzy and I felt like I was about to drop dead on the ground. I was thinking in my head that may be I have some sort of terminal illness.  It’s about time for me to make that overdue physical appointment with my doctor. Then I incidentally glanced at the clock and realized that it was almost 11am but I had not eaten breakfast. So I ate a banana and it cured my terminal illness. Now that poor annual physical will be postponed indefinitely.

One time I suspected that I had an ulcer in my stomach. You know, having to think about what to eat for dinner every night can easily give me an ulcer, or brain tumor. After a bunch of tests and scans, my doctor found no ulcer, but also couldn’t find the cause for my long-term stomach problem. My mom suggested Chinese medicine to me, and thank goodness it cured my stomach bloating! Unlike the banana, Chinese medicine tastes really bad, but hey, whatever works!

As I’m writing this, I am reminded that last year I did a session for John Boik, Ph.D. and his non-profit cancer research organization, New Earth BioMed. Dr. Boik has quite an interesting background. Before getting his Ph.D. in Biomedical Science, he studied Chinese medicine.  After that, he had his own acupuncture clinic in Texas for a couple of years. He has developed a passion for discovering natural plant mixtures to cure cancers and diseases, so early last year, he started a non-profit collaboration project in hope of accomplishing this mission. That’s the story behind New Earth BioMed.

Dr. Boik, thank you. I’m not sure in the blur of our shoot if I was able to express my appreciation for what you’re doing for us. Yes, US. Cancer is not a stranger to anyone anymore. I hate to say it but I know it may knock on my door someday. And what you and your organization are doing may save lives.

The crew at New Earth bioMed.

A big part of their research is this laser system.

If you also hope for a natural cure for cancer, I encourage you to make a donation at his site here. If you are a graphic designer and are willing to donate your time and talent to support this project, please send me an email.

I’ve been wanting to do photo-fusion for a while. In a simple way, it is the blending of still photos and motions in a single video. But what it can do goes far beyond it’s simple definition.  While still photos freeze precious moments, videos capture the in-betweens. The marriage of the two simply takes story-telling to the next level. It is a powerful way to document life and to showcase personalities and relationships. You may have seen my first attempt at photo-fusion when I put together a short and simple video for my family’s last Disneyland trip, but I am much more excited about this for I finally have the determination and opportunity to do it at a real session.

So now I can’t hold it any longer…I’m most thrilled to unveil to you a photo-fusion movie that I created for the Fongs. Oh well…okaaay, I can’t take all the credits because Ricky took the video footage. Although I tried taking some clips in between photos, my main focus was still photography. The biggest credits actually go to all members of the Fong family because they JUST ROCK! They belong to the type of family that is labeled “loving, goofy, and fun”! I thank them for letting us capture their love and silliness. Watching this video a hundred times doesn’t stop me from smiling with tears.  Sit back and enjoy!

Music: Best Friends by Maria Lewis

The perfectest family photo is not one that has everybody smiling at the camera in front of a nice background. To me, THIS IS IT. The prayer moment of this three-generation family is the most beautiful scene in the world. It reminds me of the essence of a truly blessed family. A normal routine like this can now be remembered forever.  I’m so glad that we chose to start off the morning with a family breakfast at home.

You may remember these happy faces. I did a session for them last year and they want one every year. This makes much sense because kids grow up so fast. They sure look and act different in a year’s time. It was a cold morning but the weather couldn’t cover up their sunny side. Get close to them and you’ll feel the warmth.

Doing family session with kids requires a different approach than photographing couples session. While I normally shoot with my 50mm f/1.2 during an engagement shoot, I had to use my 70-200mm most of the time here. Knowing that one of the girls is extremely shy, the telephoto lens allows me to capture her from a distant.

Things go much smoother when you have a game plan. Literally. The little people hate it when you tell them what to do, unless they think it’s a game. So I planned some simple games for the family to play together.  Voila! Now they’re all having a great time.

The Fongs are a blast to follow around and to photograph. We had a genuinely good time together. I’m even more grateful for our growing connection and friendship. I love them. With all my heart.

Have you ever met someone who has the magic of attracting people and is always the center of attention? I met a dog last weekend who has that kind of charisma. Let me introduce to you, Bao Bao, a Saint Bernard who is turning one soon. We were stopped by by-passers so many times in the middle of our photo session just because people wanted to pet him and know more about him. I think he has just that kind of magnetical charm.

Bessie and Gary wanted to capture moments of Bao Bao, the way he is now. Bessie told me when they brought Bao Bao home, he was like a little pea. So tiny that an eagle may pick him up and fly away.  I’m sure he will still grow to be stronger and more muscular. But now with these photos, he will be remembered at this size and age.

Bessie, Gary, and Bao Bao, you guys are the friendliest people, and dog, I’ve ever met. Although I was losing my breath chasing after Bao Bao, I had such a great time! Because it was a much needed workout for me indeed. I look forward to more fun sessions with you!

His pastime is taking off people’s shoes and socks…

Even with just a half hour nap, her performance was exceptional. We could not have found a better model to work with than this sweet-sweet-little-cutie-pumpkin-pie. Sweeter than Costco’s cake icing! Her smiles melt my heart.  I so missed her after the session!

We started the photo shoot with the Chens in their home, and then walking around the neighborhood. I got Ricky to come along with me that day. What a treat! As we walked into their home, Miss A looked just like that, smiling and warmly welcoming us…

This is the heart-melting smile that I was talking about (left photo). Just about anyone would fall in love with her…

Her mommy and daddy are just as lovely…

Then we went to the pumpkin patch at the Tanaka/Strawberry Farm in Irvine. I’ve had several portrait sessions there before, and this time, I was still in awe at the scenery. With the sun setting in the background, this place is a photographer’s dream…

This is one of my favorites from the session. The colors are soooo yummy…

Say hello to Mr. Scarecrow…

Someone was very curious…

She really did not mind that we moved her around and put her on the spot. Thanks for letting me have fun with you…

Shan and Rebecca, thanks for sharing your sugar bomb with us. Honestly, I am quite happy with the photos from this shoot. And you guys were the ones who made it happen! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

One year has past. Two birthdays to celebrate. It has been a whole year since my website and photography business has launched. It is totally God’s grace that I could find my passion and turn it into a real job. I am not saying that it is easy. My stress level has been much higher in the past year because of new responsibilities to all the stakeholders of my business. Stakeholders are my clients, blog readers, future clients, and more. Despite of getting tons of breakouts on my face as a by product, I still love (x10) what I do. Minus the zits.

I had a wonderful session with the Chen family last Saturday as their little girl was also turning one. To have a little celebration, I am giving my blog photos a new look. It is time to grow BIGGER. Here is one for you to preview:

I photographed this baby doll last year when she was ten days old. This was taken in front of their home:

And then two days ago at the same spot:

Stay tuned for more sugar treats…