My first rainy day wedding, and it was phenomenal! I love the rain, having grown up in Portland, so this was actually an oddly ideal situation for me. Molly and Peter are goofy characters and brilliant people whose love of their friends and family was on display at this wedding. The entire wedding was in one building, and it made for cozy quarters as nobody cared to go outside into the courtyard in the rain. And I have to think that these two rather enjoyed it that way.

I thoroughly appreciated Peter’s transparent happiness and Molly’s contemplative affection throughout the day. In a superfluous industry with so much -stuff-, I’m thankful to always be reminded by my clients that it’s all about the people.

Location: Bakersfield, CA
Venue: Bell Tower Club

Taken on Christmas Day, 2009.

(G.O.D. is the name of the group, by the way.)

This song is from a period when Korean music and film were just starting to find an international audience almost 10 years ago. I like the song, but I love the cinemetography. Simple color palette, beautiful light and framing.

(Mini-movie intro. Music starts at 2:14)

At the time we shot this session, Natalie was around 8 months pregnant and her son Ethan was just about to turn two. Some might still remember Ethan on this blog as the little birthday boy who really couldn’t get enough cake. How fast did he grow up, eh? Anyway, it was my pleasure to capture them in their final few weeks as just the three of them, before the joy of welcoming a new little one to the family.

I’m so grateful to have met these two people. I’m so grateful to be allowed to photograph their beautifully revealed selves. Confident in person, and confident in front of the camera, they really inspired me.

Venue: Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong

I’m very excited to finally reveal the pictures from the wedding of Carey and Keith. I went to Hong Kong to shoot this wedding, and it was an amazing way to be introduced to a full Chinese/Western hybrid wedding there. The morning was orchestrated by the a series of negotiations and games, followed by tea ceremonies for the two families. In the afternoon, a more western “legal” wedding was performed and the evening reception had the energy of a college party while maintaining a wedding elegance. I really can’t say enough for embracing the traditions and ceremonies at hand, whatever they might be. Even though I didn’t understand what was said through half the day (sadly, I don’t speak Cantonese), I had a great time just received the amazing moments that were happening all around.

(I will post later with their wedding portraits, as this set of pictures has a cohesive story that I didn’t want to disrupt.)

Venue: Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong

Upon pondering about trees:

Trees don’t judge,
Trees don’t stress out about things they can’t control,
Trees aren’t self-conscious,
They don’t worry about defining themselves,
They don’t strive to be that which they are not.

They are free.

Trees exist.
They grow.

Trees let themselves just… be

Be the tree.

I usually don’t do sneak peeks or previews, but I will this one time because I don’t want to release all the pictures before Julie’s CD comes out in a month or 2… and because I just had to share at least one.

To strive to capture an idea, a moment, a feeling. To attempt to find the essence of the present. To rest. To be.