There’s just something so fun about gathering friends together and coming up with an idea for a photo shoot. Before I left for Houston, Quynh, my cousin and model, helped us organize a photo shoot right in Orange County. It ended up being a Bridal shoot in the woods and we somehow detoured into a real “Biker Bar”. But we kept shooting and it ended up being a lot of fun! A special thanks to our models, Quynh Khang, Scott Jemison and Tina Khong. And Vivian Tran from All Made Up, who styled this shoot and did a phenomenal job on the hair and makeup! Don’t forget to click on the link below to see more!
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE!
Monthly Archives: January 2010
FASHION BRIDAL SHOOT : I
01.29.10 – 11:32 am
HOME IS WHERE THE DONUT IS
01.26.10 – 11:54 am
Whenever I’m on the road and away from home, I always seek out a Dunkin’ Donuts. Not because I have a strange obsession to fast food, but growing up in Connecticut, Dunkin’ Donuts, Donuts takes me back to my childhood. My face would always light up, when my mom came home from work with a dozen of glazed goodness! I still long for the days of playing basketball and baseball in the summer time, drinking lemonade on hot days, taking bike rides after school and playing Nintendo way past my bedtime. It’s so true how foods can be so comforting, no matter what it is. While out in Houston, I started feeling home sick, so I was beyond excited to find a Dunkin’ Donuts. I had my favorite donut, just glazed. Home is definitely where the donut is in my book!
Photos below were taken with my new point and shoot, by my good friend Alex
JACKIE AND BRIAN : VENICE BEACH ABBOT KINNEY ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
01.24.10 – 1:16 pm
You all might remember Jackie and Brian, from their engagement ceremony that I photographed last year. I’ll be photographing their wedding also this March and I’m really excited for that as well! Right before I left for Houston, I had the opportunity to hangout with Jackie and Brian again and take some engagement photos for them down in Venice Beach and Abbot Kinney.
I will confess that I’ve always been a hopeless romantic and the one thing that I always love to hear about is, how they met and the proposal. And when I heard about Jackie and Brian’s story, it sounded so familiar in ways. Here is their story.
How We Met:
“Brian and I first met in January 1998 in a college writing class at Berkeley. We were paired up for a writing assignment on Thomas Bowdler. Brian and I became close friends during our college years as we both majored in Economics. After graduation in 2001, I moved back down to Southern California and Brian stayed in his hometown in Burlingame. We remained good touch and planned some cool activities. I asked Brian to be my date for a friend’s wedding in San Diego in December 2008, and Brian immediately replied that he would be honored. (Brian had always touched me with his special ways). We both didn’t have any expectations for that weekend. Nonetheless, we had an amazing time celebrating our friend’s wedding together and Brian finally confessed his old crush he had for me 10+ years ago. The rest is history!!!!”
The Proposal:
“Brian’s original plan was to visit “Lover’s Beach” near the famous Arch in Cabo but we got to the harbor too late for a water taxi to take us out there. So then Brian and I got into our rental car and drove around town to some scary parts trying to reach the north side to see the sun set over the ocean. Seeing that I was grasping onto the door handles like dear life, and after Brian losing hope of reaching the north side beach in time (or rather not wanting to get mugged as it was getting dark), Brian drove about 2x the speed limit to get back to the Westin Resort. Brian and I went for a walk on the beach in front of the fabulous Westin on our second night in Cabo. We both stopped to enjoy the breathtaking view of the ocean. It turned out just perfect as although the sun had already set, the sky color was still a beautiful fireball orange… Brian first asked me if I knew what Pirates spend their lives looking for…….I yelled multiple guesses: Bad Guys! Money! Gold! (He was hoping that I would say, “Treasures”!) At some point during the riddle, Brian secretly buried the treasure box in the sand. I eventually found it! After saying a heart-melting speech, Brian then got down on one knee and popped the question! I screamed YES YES YES!!!! For the next 3 Days!!!”
Home | Wedding Portfolio | Portrait Portfolio | About Brian | Contact Brian
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DENISE AND RICH : HYATT HUNTINGTON BEACH TURNIP ROSE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
01.21.10 – 1:03 pm
So how did I celebrate The New Year? By kicking off New Years Day, photographing Denise and Rich’s wedding! I can’t even begin describing how Denise and Rich makes you feel when you’re around them. They have such carefree souls. Denise is one of the sweetest people I know and she always has a genuine smile that’s insanely infectious! And Rich is one of those guys that you can just rely on. He’s always worrying about others and I can see why these two were brought together. Now, I definitely didn’t make up these descriptions of Denise and Rich. During toast, their friends and family that spoke, said almost the exact same thing. There was so much love that day, that you’re just happy to be there. As was I. Congratulations again Denise and Rich! I’m still smiling ear to ear and happy for you two!
getting ready: Hyatt, Huntington Beach, CA
ceremony and reception: The Turnip Rose, Newport Beach, CA
coordinator: Emma Kelly
hair stylist: Chiali Meng
makeup: Tiana Rae Holiday
florist: Moments In Color
cake: Rockwell Creative Cakes
string quartet: Rebecca Chung
cinematographer: Artistic Imagery
Home | Wedding Portfolio | Portrait Portfolio | About Brian | Contact Brian
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OUR WEDDING : PART I
01.18.10 – 5:08 pm
Now I know it’s long overdue that I share with you all, some details about our wedding day. But before that, let’s take a trip back to 1999. When a very shy and not so confident Brian Khang asks a not so approachable Helen Au, out on a date. I could already see it in her eyes that she wasn’t at all interested, but eventually after many times of asking her out, she finally said yes. Persistency and annoyance I guess is an asset!
I never thought that I would actually get married. When they say that, “When the right person comes along, then you’ll just know”, it’s very true!
The honest truth is, that I’m so over excited and over joyed to finally be married to the person that has stuck by me through alllllllll of these years, that’s been my constant strength, support and positive influence in my life. I can truly say that without Helen in my life, I wouldn’t know where I’d be right now. She’s always pushed me to follow my dreams, even if that meant failing. And even pushed me to pursue what I love, which is photography. I would even suspect that if she wasn’t in my life, that I wouldn’t have been a photographer.
Babe, I know that you’re reading this right now and today, my life is so wonderful thanks to you! I can’t wait to finally move on to the next chapter of our lives together!
Our Planners : Sixpence For Your Shoe
(Photo by Justin and Mary Marantz)
Talia and Lindsay are amazing! I just have to say that right away! They’ve been seriously kicking our butts and making sure we are right on track with what needs to get done. Can I say they are a life saver? Planning a wedding is a tough job and especially if it’s miles away. Although I’ve photographed many weddings, I’ve never been on the other side to plan a wedding. I knew it was a lot of work, but never really experienced what my couples were going through until now. That’s why now, I strongly suggest hiring a planner!
So why did we pick Sixpence For Your Shoe to help us plan our wedding? Besides being amazingly organized, Talia and Lindsay are just 2 really cool people. Laid back and just easy to get along with. So much so, that we really just see them as our friends helping us plan our wedding. We’re so grateful for what they have helped us with so far and we’re extremely happy to just have them there at our wedding!
Our Venue : The Branford House Mansion, Groton, CT
This is a far stretch to even think that someday I’ll have a wedding at a mansion. But it’s happening! The truth is that we didn’t even consider this place until our most recent trip back to Connecticut. We saw it and fell in love! We really wanted something different and Helen and I are big fans of having our wedding by the water, so it worked out. The Mansion has so much character and the grounds are just large and beautiful! Not to mention it’s right next to the casino, just incase we want to do an after party there!
Our Photographer : Jonathan Canlas
This is the question I get most often asked and it’s pretty apparent why. We actually purposely set out looking for a 100% film photographer. There’s definitely nothing wrong with digital photography, as that is the media that I still shoot with and love! Digital has it’s advantages over film, but it’s the look of film that we love! There’s just something so soft and timeless about film that I can’t describe. That is why I still shoot film also from time to time at my own weddings.
Here is how we selected our film photographer. What we actually did was, I selected 5 photographers whos work I love and is someone that I admired. After that, I just let Helen pick out her favorite. We found it was the best system so that we both had a say in who was going to photograph our day.
And the person that we picked was Jonathan Canlas! His work is amazing! He has such a creative eye and he’s someone that I truly admire. After meeting Jonathan on Skype, we knew he was a good fit for us. He was super down to earth and friendly. We’re having our engagement session done with Jonathan soon and we can’t wait! What should I wear?
Stay tuned for more updates about our wedding! I’ll be posting more of our vendors up as we book them. March is another trip back to Connecticut to finalize our plans.
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HOUSTON BOUND
01.10.10 – 10:00 am
It’s 11PM and I’m delaying the inevitable, which is packing! I’m always the last minute packer! I’m getting ready to head to Houston for a few weeks for some family business. But have no fear clients, I’ll still be working as usual, but just not from the comforts of my home studio.
While I’m out there, I do plan on hosting at least 1 get together for all the Houston Photographers. So please comment or contact me if you’re interested in meeting up!
I’m going to keep this post short and sweet, because I have to get back to packing. And I know you really wanted to see some photos and you know I don’t disappoint! Here are 2 photos, until I get to Houston and post the rest.
Denise and Rich’s wedding on New Years Day. The largest wedding party yet, that I have photographed! Go ahead.. count the wedding party!
Jackie and Brian’s engagement session from yesterday at Venice Beach! Foot race and all!
ROSCOE’S CHICKEN & WAFFLES : A 20 YEAR CRAVING
01.08.10 – 8:00 pm
I want to state first before you read this, that I don’t always eat this unhealthy. Occasionally, I’ll treat myself to something bad for you, but that doesn’t come with regret, sadness and lots of sit ups! Please continue!
You’re reading the title and thinking, “Really? A 20 year craving?”. Well it’s true or at least it felt like it’s been 20 years since I’ve heard about Roscoe’s. Now give the deprived Connecticut boy some slack. I don’t know the origins from where I heard about it. I’m thinking most likely it was from a movie, but after such a long, long craving, I finally ate at Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles on January 2nd, 2010! I’m going to say that it was well worth the wait! It was like my taste buds woke up and said “WOW!, can we do that again?” I hope that’s what they said or maybe they were thinking, “Well you waited this long, I’m going to just tell you it’s good!”
Now that this part of my life experience is over, now what? “White Castle”? Does it really end? The fascinations of experiences we have yet to try? It seems at most times, a vicious cycle of our lives. But without these cravings for experiences, won’t life be boring? My choice? Chase the experience, even if that means waiting to taste Chicken and Waffles!
I think this story is so much better with a photo! And I’m sorry if you are reading this and are hungry!
CAUGHT ON CAMERA WITH NO SHOES ON AND NO CAMERA IN HAND
01.06.10 – 1:23 pm
But I swear it was for the common good. I can only laugh at myself sometimes for how strange I look when someone takes a photo of me unknowingly. But the truth is, that’s who I am. I’m always feeling that I look uncool, but I’m always willing to lend a hand, no matter what. Even if that meant standing on a chair with just my socks and taking photos or putting down my camera to help out a groom, get ready on his wedding day. It’s funny how when I grew up, how much I cared about what others thought about me. I definitely gave that up these days and are acting more like myself. Now if only I could go back in time and tell the former me, that same thing. Helen is probably reading this now and saying, “I created a monster!”. Thanks babe! You did! Happy Wednesday!
Thanks to Brian Fletcher for taking these photos of me at my last wedding, in all my uncoolness and bad hair day!
