Minh & Mae Do’s Wedding

I hate winter weddings.  This had to be the coldest day of the year.  With the chicago wind chill, my bones were hurting during this brief photoshoot on the lakefront.

summer where are you?!?!

canon 5d | 17-40mm

Richard and Maribel Tinimbang’s Wedding

 This one was by far the toughest ever.  sunday’s are usually a pretty long day for me already and it’s rare that i get to book a wedding at night.  this one happened to be new year’s eve and i had to cut out from my friend’s party just to shoot this wedding.   the chapel was so dark and hard to shoot in.  on top of that, i couldn’t use flash until the end of the ceremony.    overall, i’m just thankful that canon bodies can handle higher iso exposures and still be usable.  

have a happy new year everyone!!

canon 1dmarkN | 24-70L | 580ex | garyfong lightsphere

the answer to shooting at a popular tourist attraction with no one in the background: 

shoot when it’s 12 degrees outside.

it’s been a busy month. here’s a shot from yesterday’s wedding with connie and trey. we got lucky with decent outdoor weather today.  i need more memory cards!!!!

1D MarkIIN | 24-70L

here’s a shot from Leo and Elaine’s wedding.  Congrats!!!

5d | 17-40

Double Happiness is a well-known Chinese character. It is depicted
either in paper cut-out or on a red piece of paper, and is affixed in
such a position as to easily attract the eyes of young couples. This
character is a sign of goodness. There’s a story behind it:

During the reign of Tang dynasty, one young boy was on his way to the
capital to appear for an examination, the results of which would
qualify the candidate with highest marks to become a minister in the
royal court. On the way, he suddenly fell ill. While he was passing
through a mountainous village, he came across an herbal practitioner
who took him to his home. Thanks to the doctor, and his young daughter,
the young boy recovered soon. Leaving the doctor’s house was difficult
for the young boy as he had fallen in love with the doctor’s daughter
during his stay there. Before the boy left, the young girl wrote down
the right hand part of a couplet for the boy. He left their house,
promising that he would marry her as soon as he finished the
examination.

Thankfully, the young boy passed the examination and received the
highest score. The emperor showed appreciation for boy’s knowledge.
During his interview with the boy, the king asked him to complete the
right hand part of a couplet. Suddenly, the young boy remembered what
his young love had written for him. Realizing that it was perfect
answer to the emperor’s couplet, he answered the emperor with her
words. The emperor was more than happy with his reply, and soon
appointed him as a minister in the court. He also permitted the boy
some time to visit his hometown before assuming the office. The young
boy went straight to the young girl and told her everything about the
examination. He kept his promise to her, and they got married. On their
wedding day, both of them wrote the same right half of a couplet, which
had kept them together. This is how the double happiness character came
to be.

Since then, this character has represented love, happiness, and luck,
and has evolved into part of the social custom for the Chinese wedding.
You can find the Double Happiness character at the Museum of the
American West and at Autry National Center. Movies have even been made
about “Double Happiness.”

canon 5d | 17-40

congrats to tony’s sister, and now husband, Lin and Billy Qiu.

jimmy and i shot their entire day. it was a lot of fun and a delight to learn the traditional chinese rituals.

here’s a sample shot from the day.

canon 5d | 17-40L | iso 400 | 580ex gf lightsphere

photo by Albert Yau

canon 1dmk2n | canon 15mmfisheye

“Beck-Eye”