serena's photoblog

Half Frame Photography

2011-05-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hello dear readers,

Yes! After months of planning and brainstorming, Serena So Photography has now become Half Frame Photography. Hurray!

To find out what's been happening, join me over at:

Can't wait to hear from you!

Much, much love.

Kitty & Kelvin Engagement Teaser

2011-03-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

For Japan With Love.

2011-03-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

What has happened in Japan has left everyone in shock. Many lives were lost, many lives were changed.

Please donate anything you're able to afford. Every penny counts towards rebuilding Japan, and helping provide relief to those who have lost everything in the earthquake and tsunamis.

Much love, and thanks.

Catching Up

2011-02-25T12:20:00.000-08:00

Life is pretty good.

(Homemade blueberry muffins makes it all the sweeter, yums!)

It's easy to forget that when my head is stuck staring at the computer screen, working away on images.

By the way, yes, I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!

When I take a break, I will make more of an appearance on this blog. Lots to catch up on, between you and me. Yes, lots of catching up.

See you soon :)

Monday Cheers

2011-02-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm currently *hearting* this song to an nth degree. It's been on constant repeat this weekend as I chugged through work, so I hope you love it as much as I do :)

A sweet, carefree melody to put a smile on your face! And c'mon, who doesn't like the ukelele?? Well, I do :P

Happy Monday!

Oh, that's right.

Happy Family Day too!

Go grab some lunch or dinner with the family.

They need some loving too :)

It's Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:03:00.000-08:00

(bespoke press)

Why hello readers. Yes, it's been a while since I last posted, and once again, I'm terribly sorry for not updating! Please forgive me? It is Valentine's Day ;)

Last year, I did a little write up about Valentine's Day (or Singles Awareness Day) just to remind myself and others, that love is all around. Was it a little emo? Perhaps. Haha. But the sentiments still hold true.

Although I have no big plans for this day (not a huge fan of the whole commercialized bit), I want to let those people who have supported me unconditionally over the years (my family, friends and readers) that you are indeed loved.

I bear-crushingly, gratefully, from-the-bottom-of-my-heart appreciatively love you guys.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone :)

A big hug from me to you. Much love.

Firework

2011-01-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

Listening to amazing covers on a Monday morning makes smile :)

Happy Monday!

Sick sucks.

2011-01-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

4 tissue boxes.

2 bags of cherry Halls.

20 cups of ginger or lemon&honey tea.

3 types of cough syrup.

500, 000 coughs.

1 emerging abs of steel.

Yes, I got sick (apparently, just like everyone else in Toronto, who knew?). It all started with a sneeze...to my face.

So I've been down for the count these past couple of weeks, but I hope for recovery soon! I really do. Really. Tired of being sick now.

Thanks flu, thanks a lot.

Winter Storms

2011-01-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

Karen & Chris Engagement Teaser

2011-01-08T00:27:00.000-08:00

A New Year

2010-12-31T00:06:00.000-08:00

Seriously, where did 2010 go? :P

Wishing everyone a great new start to another year! Hope it's filled with love, success, dreams and happiness :) May this year be a year for growth, new experiences and memories with friends, family and loved ones.

My 2010 resolutions and reflections to follow....

Holiday Cheer

2010-12-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

First off, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas - whether you were at home with family, out with friends, or celebrating somewhere overseas! This holiday (religious stuff aside) is a time to be with loved ones, and perhaps receiving a present if you're lucky ;)

How did I celebrate Xmas this year? With a quiet dinner amongst family and friends, where we laughed, shared stories, and ate until we experienced the onset of itis.

When life becomes too busy and time flies out the window (seriously, where did my 2010 go?) I find it's nice to slow down, share a meal or two, and catch-up with the people who matter the most.

Enjoy the rest of the Holidays everyone!

Much, much love.

Jackie "Mouse" Lifestyle Teaser

2010-12-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

A Cat for Xmas?

2010-12-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

OMG. I just about died when my friend sent me this video - thanks, lady! My cat would totally kill me if I tried to do this. My favourite part is when the cat wags its tail.

Can you believe the holidays are almost upon us? Where has time flown? Hope this video brought a smile to your face amidst all the holiday planning, shopping and partying :)

More updates coming soon ;D

Much love.

Rachel & Dax Wedding Teaser

2010-12-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

Michelle & Tintin Engagement Teaser

2010-12-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Lisa & Wesley Lifestyle Teaser

2010-11-26T02:10:00.000-08:00

Merry & Chris Day After Teaser

2010-11-22T01:36:00.000-08:00

We Gon Find You...

2010-11-11T00:46:00.000-08:00

Home Sweet Home :) I'm back from China, with a ton of photos to share. Going to spend the next few days catching up, and getting over some major jet lag. Zzzzz...

A lot of posts coming up....

In the meantime, to get your groove on, enjoy this "Bed Intruder" song. I dedicate these videos to Tintin and Michelle, a fabulous couple, whom I had the pleasure of shooting their engagement session in Hong Kong. Double Bed Intruder!!! So intense!!!!!

Original report (must watch first!):

Get your dance on:

Much love.

Check, Check

2010-09-27T11:39:00.001-07:00

As always, I've been a busy bee, so apologies for disappearing again. I will *try* to post a few more times in the next couple of weeks, since I'll be unable to in China. Yes folks, I'm going to China (my first time!!) for a month and I've been frantically trying to get all my weddings/lifestyle sessions and life in order before I'm gone. Thanks for your patience!

To keep my sanity in check, I've been listening to a lot of Youtube videos - this one in particular was seriously a WTH moment; crazy AMAZING!!

Anyways, I can't wait to share with you some more photo sessions! Back to work I go ;)

Much love +1

Sue & Derek Wedding (07.10.10)

2010-09-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

Sue and Derek. If you could only count how many six degrees of separation I have with this couple! Funny how that works. You're a friend of my friend who knows another friend of mine?! What, no way!! What a small world :D

Now I'm happy to include Sue and Derek into my circle of friends - the degrees of separation only gets closer from here on out! Love you guys!

Their wedding day started bright and early on a gorgeous summer day. I was at Sue's house shooting the "getting ready" pictures of the ladies:

Sue just being Sue - you're such a ham! Haha, don't kill me for posting this one:

Dave, on the other hand, was over at Derek's house getting shots of Derek and the boys:

Sue had planned for Derek to receive his wedding present before he left for the ceremony site, so she was anxiously texting Brian, Derek's brother, to make sure everything went smoothly:

And it did - Derek received one beautiful Seiko watch from his wife-to-be:

Sue and Derek were married at the Miller Lash House, one of the most quaintest venue's I've shot at in a while. I can totally see why they wanted to get married here in front of their family and closest friends :) What a breathtaking site!

Some details shots by Dave before the ceremony began:

Sue also got a little gift of her own - a pair of D&G sunglasses (which will make an appearance later that night). He also included a note addressed "To My New Wife..." - Sue must have read it over a gazillion times. Derek, who knew you were such a romantic ;)

My favourite exit shot EVER! I just love how genuinely happy Sue and Derek are as they walk up the aisle as husband & wife:

Okay, let me say something about this bridal party. Fun + Crazy + Awesome = one of the best group of people I've photographed!!! Didn't hurt that we all shared something in common: SCARBOROUGH REPRESENT!

You can't go wrong with a group like this one. Need I say more?

Running Man in mid-air? Check and mark!

It was getting quite hot as our portrait session went on, so I was grateful to find Sue and Derek some shade...and a little time to themselves. My FAVOURITE portrait of the day (on the right) - love, love, heart:

After a quick break, we headed over to the Dragon Dynasty Restaurant for the reception. Alim and Gerland were the MCs of the night, and I don't think I've ever laughed so hard. And the surprise of the evening? Alim spoke flawless Cantonese during his MC speech. Wow. Total. Awesomeness.

Sue and Derek making their entrance (see, I told you the sunglasses make an appearance):

Love this shot Dave took of the couple and their first dance:

"I FINK YO SEXYEH...SUE, YOO AR BOOTIFUL!"

As the night progressed, it was time to dance!! Dave took this amazing shot of the DJs booth. DJ Mack was seriously spinning some old school jams that brought me back to my high school days. He definitely got everyone on the dance floor:

Sue and Derek, I can't thank you enough for allowing me and Dave to share in your celebrations. I instantly felt like I was welcomed into your group of friends, and I can't wait to hang out again! On that note, it's time to make our exit! *smokebomb*

Rainbow Love...All the Wayyyy...

2010-08-31T23:38:00.000-07:00

Hey people! Okay, I'm still alive and no, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth just quite yet. Haha :)

I've been busy working, editing, shooting and getting involved in some exciting projects!

No worries, I'll be hopefully posting on a more regular basis soon, but in the meantime, if you're having a crappy week, please enjoy this epic song :D

Just because it's so intense...so vivid....what does it all mean???

Much love.

Sue & Derek Wedding Teaser

2010-08-06T01:10:00.000-07:00

Golden 1/2

2010-08-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn, New York. Taken with the Golden Half (my new love). More to come.

New York, New York

2010-07-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

So I dug this photo up from the archives taken during my vacation in NY - has it been 2 years since I've been there? Geez...

Anyways, I'm crazy excited to be going back for a few days - not on vacation like last time - but for a different reason :)

I'll be attending the shootshop held by the amazing theimageisfound!! I've been an avid follower of their work and they've been constantly blowing my mind with their awesome BOOM-SAUCE images. It'd be such an honour to learn from them :D

Truth time: I'm a little nervous to be going since 1) I'll be meeting Nate & Jaclyn Kaiser (what if I come off as a complete loser?!) and 2) I feel like such small potatoes next to the room full of other amazing photographers (again, what if I come off as a complete loser?!?)

Sigh.

But I can't wait to see what's in store :)

Merry & Chris Wedding (06.12.10)

2010-07-19T02:19:00.000-07:00

Rain.

For some reason, it seemed to follow Merry & Chris whenever we had a scheduled photo session. So I wasn't surprised when there was a forecast of thunderstorms and showers on their wedding day.

But a little water didn't seem to dampen their spirits at all. Merry & Chris wanted to enjoy their day with their families and friends and celebrate - rain or shine. They're probably one of my most relaxed couples that I've photographed to date :)

Dave came out to help shoot again and we started at Chris' house as he got prepped for the day:

Merry's house was the complete opposite of Chris'. While he got ready in quiet, there was a flurry of action at Merry's:

We had a quick Chinese tea ceremony for Merry's family before heading over to the Mandarin:

After a quick change, Chris got a first glimpse of his bride:

With it starting to rain, the originally planned outdoor ceremony at the Mandarin Golf Club quickly moved into the tent. While I was busy taking photos of guests, Dave was getting the details:

With all the guests seated and the bridal parties ready-to-go, the ceremony commenced:

Okay, remember what I said about the rain? During the ceremony, the sky opened up and decided to POUR. Needless to say, we couldn't get any portraits done at the golf club without casualties.

Ray, their incredible videographer (check out his blog for his amazing video!), suggested we go to the Marriott, where the next tea ceremony was being held, to see if we can grab some photos there. I'm so glad we did!

Although I'm sure the bridal party must have thought I was nuts taking them into the pool area, these are some of my favourite group shots to date :)

Merry & Chris work at the Four Seasons and it's also where they first met, struck up a conversation and well, the rest is history ;) Adore the shot Dave took - how appropriate! (L):

The reception was held at the Diamond Banquet Hall; good food, drinks and games were had, but it was really a time for Merry & Chris to finally relax and enjoy their day:

Thank you Merry & Chris for putting up with all my crazy ideas and having such a great go-with-the-flow mentality. I had an amazing time at your wedding, and I'm looking forward to our next photo session! Uhmm...no rain please? ;)

The World Better Prepare

2010-07-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

I've been singing out loud to this song for the past month when I needed a pick-me-up, so f'ing bad...haha!

Hope this song will be the same for you ;)

Happy Friday!

Merry & Chris Wedding Teaser

2010-07-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

Words to Live By

2010-07-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

"We're all designed to do something; something that makes you come alive. Doing what you love for a living is the definition of a fruitful, fulfilled life. I am living that life. I desire for everyone to experience that. I believe that everyone can. The catch is that it's not free. It will cost you more than you can imagine. It's the riskiest thing you will ever do. It's your heart that is at stake. Your passion is the prize possession of your heart, and to put that on the line is to put yourself in harms way. To RISK the world rejecting you. To RISK failing at the thing you want most. It will cost you everything.

But that's the thing about design.

When you are designed to do something, you can't help but succeed. Because of the One who designed you. "He don't make junk" ladies and gentleman, and He doesn't waste passions. He gave you the desires of your heart for a reason. You are designed to succeed in that which you are passionate about. You may not make the most money. You may not have the most fame. But you will have JOY. That elusive quality that separates those people who live from the people who are ALIVE."

~ Erik Clausen

So friends, I've finally taken the leap. I'm going to be putting it all out there - my passion, my creativity and happiness...and risking my heart.

I'm nervous and frankly, a whole lot of scared, but if I can find joy at the end of this journey, it'll be well worth the jump.

Wish me luck folks! And a thank you to those who have been there supporting me all the way.

Much love.

On a Jet Plane

2010-07-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

If you've been following this blog, you may know who Jason is. Even though he's primarily a fashion/commercial photographer, he's been shooting weddings & lifestyle sessions with me for the past year. During that time, he's become a great friend and partner-in-crime, pushing my creative boundaries and encouraging me to develop my own voice.

Tonight he'll be leaving for Hong Kong to make his own mark in the world :) Although he'll be terribly missed here in Toronto, his skills are going to be a great asset to the industry overseas.

A rare image of us working together (I really hate having my photo taken, haha! Obviously J has no problem hamming it up in front of the lens):

J: You're probably frantically packing the last of your belongings and making your last rounds, so I don't know if you'll read this until you get to HK. But again, thank you for everything (haha, yes, I do say this too often). I wish you all the best over there, and if you ever need some creative feedback, you know who to call! (by the way, blog, blog, blog...) Have a safe flight and take care, ok? Ok. :)

Oh my G20

2010-06-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone had their own experience with the G20 Summit; this was mine. I've never seen Toronto such a ghost town before on a weekend...crazy, huh?

Taken Sunday afternoon, 5 PM.

Sue & Derek Engagement

2010-06-20T22:30:00.001-07:00

What can I say about this couple? Besides the obvious fact that pretty awesome and super fun, Sue and Derek are really forgiving too (well, particularly Sue...haha, more on this later).

I shot Sue and Derek's engagement session a few weeks ago on a beautiful Sunday (which I was so thankful for, since the weather played some weird Jedi mind tricks that month). We decided to hit up two different locations for their shoot: one being urban (Derek's an urban planner) & the other being somewhere in nature + a playground (Sue's an elementary school teacher).

My friend Dave came out once again to help shoot :) My shot (L), Dave's shot (R):

Sue was initially quite shy to be affectionate in public, so what did I do? Offered her some tough love and got her to show a little PDA in a very public place. Haha! She got over her nerves pretty quick after that. Love you Sue!

My shot:

Dave's shot:

During the shoot, I took Sue & Derek into one of my favourite Japanese stores, cubeshops:

I love it ;)

Haha, okay, remember how I said that they were a forgiving couple? Sue in particular? Well...after a quick change, we headed to the beach for some natural + playground shots. I suggested that we get some photos at this beach (that was also a dog park). Sue happens to be afraid of dogs. Wait. Oh. Crap. But Sue toughed it out for me! Thanks guys, you rock!

Dave took this next amazing shot! Love, love, love:

D's shot (L), my shot (R):

Derek having some fun:

My favourite shot of the day:

I leave you with this series. Derek, you make me smile :) And obviously you make Sue do the same:

Sue & Derek, I can't wait until your wedding next month!!! See you soon :)

Puppy Love

2010-06-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Just shot one amazing wedding this weekend; there were laughs, tears and rain...lots of rain. I will post pictures later!!!

But I wanted to share this video with everyone - it totally made me smile :) Although I have a cat, I'm generally in love with all animals, so dogs = awesome! The entire clip is beautifully done - makes me want to try video one day. Maybe.

Dedicated to those who are having a crappy Monday!

Have a happy one :)

Merry & Chris Engagement

2010-06-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, it's certainly been a while! My apologies. So why the hiatus? Well, I've been a busy bee with preparing for some new and terribly exciting changes - lots of things in the works! But I'll leave that for another post ;)

Meet Merry and Chris! I shot their engagement a few weeks back, but that wasn't before their session had to be postponed a couple of times due to rain. I was nervous (as were they) that the weather wasn't ever going to be on our side :(

Then one weekend in May, the forecast called for an overcast sky (a photographer's dream) and huzzah! Off we went to Woodbine Beach to shoot their e-session :)

Along for the ride was my good friend Dave to help me second shoot. Thanks!!

Merry and Chris seemed kind of nervous at first, but soon after, they were such naturals in front of the camera!

I love me some doors:

A couple that can be fierce and fun? Win-win :) My shot (L), Dave's shot (R):

I adore this next photo:

I sometimes come up with really quirky ideas. Thanks for being such good sports about it :P

As we wrapped up the shoot, we ventured into the local beach pub where they enjoyed a hotdog and fries. Yum!

One request I got from Merry was to do a couple of shots of them with her Mini Cooper. Done and done! I absolutely love the last shot (on the right):

Thanks guys for such a wonderful day! I can't wait to shoot your wedding tomorrow! See you in the morning ;)

Sue & Derek Engagement Teaser

2010-05-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to share this fun shoot! There were tons of laughs to be had for sure; in the meantime, here's a teaser. Stay tuned ;)

Merry & Chris Engagement Teaser

2010-05-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

A teaser to a wonderful & casual engagement shoot with an amazing couple :) More to come!

Long Weekend

2010-05-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

I love long weekends - seriously, who doesn't? It's always a special treat to have that one extra day to catch up on everything. For me, I get the time to run errands and catch up on editing (boring, I know), but I also had time to relax & have a cup of tea; basically de-stress a little bit.

So I hope you guys had a chance to just relax and have fun! Now if only every weekend was a long weekend...*sigh*

Happy Victoria Day :)

Amanda & Sarah Featherband Lifestyle

2010-05-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've gotten some inquiries about who Amanda & Sarah are. To make a long story short - they are not a couple, haha! A couple of best friends maybe :D

And now that they've seen their photos, I can blog for everyone else to see!

So Amanda is this crazy creative girl who bakes cupcakes and makes these BEAUTIFUL headbands. I was approached to photograph some of her headpieces; after seeing them, I was completely inspired for her shoot!

She also wanted to bring in her best friend, Sarah, to be an extra model. Okay, how blessed am I to have 2 gorgeous girls to photograph? I tell you, they make my job so easy sometimes.

This shoot was a collaboration for sure: 2 photographers, 2 models/stylists, 1 assistant/stylist and beautiful weather was what it took for this amazing shoot to come together! Can you believe all the shoes & clothes belong to these two? JEALOUS.

I definitely wanted to showcase the headpieces and how they can be worn. Dressed up, dressed down, they just make the perfect accessory to any outfit!

Oh, and if you're wondering how to purchase some of these pieces, just head over to featherbands. She's also open to commissions, so if you have an idea for something more custom, don't be shy to ask!

Thank you girls for bringing your creativity to the table. I was completely inspired; you two remind me of why I love photography so much :)

Amanda: I'm absolutely going to commission you for more headpieces! I'm loving the ones I have!

We'll get together soon!! Much love.

Old School

2010-05-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

So I'm home tonight nursing a cold *sigh*. In an attempt to make myself not think of my horribly congested nose and chest, my brother showed me this link to the most greatest game ever - old school!!! Hahaha, you know you're a game nerd when...

If only I had a Spread Gun to blast away these sick germs; it would solve alllll my problems. Tylenol? Cold FX? Dimetapp? Nope. A Spread Gun.

A Spring Dilemma

2010-05-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

There are things about spring that I look forward to all year. I love the pit-pat of spring rain and the smell of fresh grass. I like to feel the coolness of morning and watch the sun disappear in the evenings. When it's sunny, it can be marvelous! Pair it off with a slight breeze = heaven. Armed with a hot cup of tea and my laptop, I'm set to go.

But lately, Spring's been a real pain in my side! I mean, we've been having horrible fake-outs with rain forecasts - rain? sunny. rain? sunny. Coupled with torrential winds...argh! And c'mon, seriously, we had snow this weekend?

With summer quickly approaching and lots of shoots on the go, I'm *praying* for better weather! In the meantime, I'll be glued to the weather network and my hot cup of tea.

P.S. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the Mommies out there :) Hope you had a great one!

WFF

2010-05-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

I've been a huge fan of WongFuProductions for a long time now; I'm sure some of you might have received links to "Yellow Fever" and "Poser!" from me in the past. What can I say, they make good stuff :P

But their recent video by Wesley Chan is breath-taking. Each frame could be a photo, and it's so wonderfully composed. The concept is about a relationship of love and loss, of longing and waiting; feelings that everyone in their life has probably felt at least once before. The interesting part is that these emotions are expressed through 5 everyday objects.

Watching videos like "When Five Fell" inspire and challenge me to go and view the world from a different perspective, from another angle.

I hope it does the same for you.

Exhale

2010-05-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

How time flies when you're busy! With a blink of an eye, it's already May. I swear there's never enough time to do everything you want; I can't believe we're already 5 months into the year.

Sorry for being away for so long, but I promise I'll have lots to share when I get a chance to blog all the cool happenings from these past few weeks. With shooting, assisting, meetings and editing, I have to remind myself just to breathe. But it's all good!!

So please bear with me :)

Much love.

Amanda & Sarah Lifestyle Teaser

2010-04-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

I should be working on my taxes right now, but I couldn't help posting a sneak peek of one amazingly fanta-bulous photo shoot I had this weekend :D

I'm really excited to show you more from this shoot; stay tuned.

Easter Getaway

2010-04-12T22:16:00.000-07:00

Over the Easter weekend, my best friend and I decided to venture out on one of our foodie adventures and explore Toronto. I was thinking we would have loads of food related activities to choose from over the long weekend.

Search up "Easter + Toronto + festivals + food" and literally what came up was "maple syrup festivals". Okaaaaay. Perhaps not what I expected to see pop up in my search engine, but sure, why not? Maple syrup festival it is :)

There were a few farms that had syrup festivals going on, but we decided to go to Bruce's Mill in Stouffville. I almost forgot that we actually visited this farm way back when while we were in elementary school (we must have been 11??). So I guess it was also going to be a trip down memory lane for us too! I sort of remember the farm being exciting...?

Wouldn't you like to learn about maple syrup from this "friendly" lumberjack? Uhm...

So off we went to the farm with camera in hand, waiting to relive our youths through the sheer pleasure of maple syrup...in the springtime...with summer-like temperatures. Now for those who don't know, cooler (almost freezing) nights and warmer days are needed to get sap flowing out of the tree. The tree is then "tapped" and the sap is collected in buckets. Obviously with scorching heat, there was not a lot of sap being collected :(

Luckily, we found some buckets that were filled with the sweet stuff. Surprise! I guess we're not the only ones who enjoy tree sap. Yum.

Obviously the maple syrup we consume today isn't the sap that comes directly from the tree. It gets boiled down and reduced into its sweet & sticky goodness. I was able to grab a sample and it was excellent; super thick and not too sweet. I ended up buying some to take home with me :)

This is maple syrup making the old-school way. It takes up to 24 hours in a boiling kettle to turn fresh sap into what we know today as syrup. Obviously there were no raging fires to boil these kettles, but it was enough to show visitors what the set-up looked like. I found out from one of the Mill employees that they had to keep the fires low to prevent visitors from getting injured. No joke, he alluded to a situation where someone fell face first into the boiling kettles. Fun times all around!

This is the modern way of sap collecting where they "tap" the maple trees with this plastic tubing and spout. It essentially draws out the sap and transports it to the boiler house where the syrup is made. Gone are the days of waking up at 5 AM to collect the hundreds of sap buckets.

Their site says that we should allocate about 4 hours to fully enjoy the experience of the Maple Syrup Festival. And...we cleared this in about 1 1/2 :P Granted, we decided to skip the tours that explained the history of maple syrup, but with signs and information plaques posted everywhere, we got the gist of it :) And we did spend some time seeing other parts of the farm.

There was the petting zoo, which is always fun to see! There were lots of hungry goats and one pot-bellied pig (not shown). Oh, and a llama. I kind of felt sorry for the ponies though (they worked pretty diligently for the pony rides) :(

One wagon ride, a visit to the pancake house, some maple syrup and one honey purchase later (the farmer asked me whether it was really called "fung mi" in Chinese, as it sounds like something else in English - HA!), we called it quits and left to enjoy the rest of our afternoon.

Although the experience wasn't as magical as I remember, it was still a nice trip. Now what to do with all that maple syrup I purchased...hmmm...

Tina & Eric's Desert Engagement

2010-04-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Call me Bond, James Bond.

That was the inspiration for Tina & Eric's engagement shoot ;) Since we were going to have this shoot in Vegas, Tina didn't want to do just another ordinary portrait session around the Strip. I immediately agreed, and off we went brainstorming some wild concepts! What we came up with was one of the most exciting ideas I've had the pleasure of executing :D

The engagement session took place the day before the wedding, which allowed Tina & Eric to really go all out for this shoot. Tina even had a custom dress made for these pictures! Isn't it gorgeous?

We had wanted to shoot somewhere in the desert, so Jason & I scouted the Jean Dry Lake Bed (which was absolutely breathtaking) just 45 minutes away from Vegas. This is definitely somewhere any photographer should make a point of visiting if they're ever in Las Vegas...seriously.

So with 1 rental car (along w/flying hubcaps) + 2 photographers + 1 stylin' couple + 1 dry lake bed + lots of wind + gorgeous light = 1 unforgettable experience!!

Love this shot that J took. Definitely has a James Bond feel:

We found this abandoned mattress in the middle of the desert; it made for a really cool prop:

As you can tell, we really were in the middle of nowhere! It was just miles of jaw-dropping desert. I'll definitely make another trip out there whenever I find myself back in Vegas :)

Eric wanted to have a little fun and sling his girl over his shoulder - RAWR! The one thing I like about shooting with another photographer is the 2 different perspectives you get of the same moment (right/J, left/me):

One of the last shots of the evening. It started to get really cold at this point; soon after we made a mad dash down the hill and headed back into the city.

I love the lights from the trucks in the background (my view):

J's view:

Tina, Eric - you two were absolute troopers! Thanks for letting us play in the desert with you (despite the freezing temperatures and high winds)!

Photoshop CS5

2010-04-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, what the MAGIC.

I'm so interested to see what else this CS5 is capable of.

Anyways, Happy Easter Weekend everyone! Enjoy the "summer" weather (for those who love the heat). You can find me hiding under a tree taking in the shade ;)

Nothin' on You

2010-03-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

While I was cleaning up after a shoot tonight, my friend had this cover playing in the background. It's one of the best covers I've heard in a long time of a song I'm currently loving :)

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Happy Monday everyone.

A Desert Engagement Teaser

2010-03-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

Psst...here's a teaser from that pretty amazing engagement shoot we had in Vegas. More to come ;)

Jump, Step and a Hop

2010-03-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Just touching base and letting you, dear readers, know that I have not forgotten this blog. I've just been swamped with a lot of projects and meetings recently; as an unfortunate result, I haven't been able to give my blog some love...le sigh.

But in other news, there will be lots of new changes coming up, so I will be back to posting on a regular schedule :)

As a side note: the above image is a detail from one of my favourite paintings in a series called "everything we wanted, in our nostalgic future" by my friend, Tessar. I went to see his show last month...and as always, had no time to post & review :(

*I will blog about the show in the future though - it's definitely worth mentioning!

Cheers.

Tina & Eric Wedding (03.06.10)

2010-03-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

It was sometime during December of 2009 that I got a phone call from my cousin Eric telling me he was getting engaged to his girlfriend Tina! I was more than ecstatic (I believe I might have squealed into the phone at some point), but I wasn't prepared for what he asked me next. It sort of went like:

Eric: How's your work schedule like in March 2010? Would you be able to take time off?

Me: I should be fine....? Why?

Eric: Well I'm getting married in March....in Las Vegas.

Me: Okay....

Eric: And I'd like for you to be my photographer. Would you be available?

Me: (stunned silence) ...YES!

So Eric flew me and my photo-partner Jason down to Vegas to shoot his wedding! And there began my Vegas adventure :)

Now I've never been to Las Vegas, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But after doing some research and getting some first hand Vegas experience from Tina & Eric, I was confident that we were going to get great images! We even planned an aweessssommme (oh yes, I went there) engagement session in the desert (more on that later!) ;)

We stayed at the Wynn Hotel (one of the nicest hotels in Vegas) and it was also going to be where Tina and Eric were going to get married in the evening.

Even though the ceremony wasn't going to take place until later that night, the wedding day started out early in the morning with make-up and hair:

Getting ready in the hotel rooms:

Tina taking a moment before heading downstairs to meet Eric (Tina, you make a stunning bride!):

When we got down to the Wedding Salon, I set-up a 'First Look' moment. I think they might have thought it was weird that I kept them from seeing each other right away. I had Eric stand with his back towards Tina, as she approached him from behind. When they were ready, Eric turned around and they both took their first look as bride & groom. In the end, I think it worked out well :)

Let's just say there wasn't a dry eye left in that hallway:

Portrait time! We had some time to take casual portraits around the Wynn and Vegas strip:

I love this next shot!! Tina & Eric are really fun people, so I'm glad they brought their sense of humour to the table (pun intended):

Since they weren't able to have a "First Dance" at the reception, we set one up in this gorgeous entrance by the Tower Suites:

Getting in some quality lounging time by the pool:

Work it out Tina:

Obviously we had to get a shot by the "Welcome to Fabulous LAS VEGAS Nevada" sign. This next series just makes me smile:

A tender moment:

Evening rolled around and after a slight delay, the ceremony started at the Wynn's Primrose Courtyard in front of Tina & Eric's family and closest friends:

During the ceremony, it started to rain. We were actually afraid that this was going to happen (we checked the weather forecast everyday in hopes of no rain), but it made for a dramatic backdrop! And I believe Eric's mom said that "Rain on your wedding day is a sign of good fortune!" ;)

So the only request I had from Eric was "FOOD SHOTS". Eric's quite the foodie (as am I), so I was more than delighted to capture some amaaaazing food details for him.

The reception was held at the infamous Boulud restaurant, and the food certainly lived up to its reputation. Eric sure knew how to spoil his guests with only the best ;) The sea bass was out of this world:

Christina (the MOH) took a moment to speak a bit about Tina and got choked up during the speech. Tina also couldn't hold back her emotions, it was a wonderful speech indeed:

Brian (the best man) was up next and gave a hilarious speech (and his honest opinions) about his brother!!!

I love, love, love this next moment. As Eric stood up to talk a little bit about his wife, Tina eyes stayed glued to her husband, occasionally rimming with tears; his speech was heartfelt, touching and a genuine tribute to her:

Okay, I have to explain this next shot a little bit. During group photos after dinner, all of Eric's friends thought it would be funny to hoist him up and toss him in the air. Easier said than done, especially when Eric's not a small guy (he towers at over 6') :P I love Eric's expression though! Haha, good times:

Thank you Tina & Eric for letting me play such an important part of your day. I can't even begin to express how honoured I was to photograph your wedding. I had an amazing time and it'll be an experience I'll never forget!!

Congratulations to the both of you - oh, and Tina, welcome to the family ;)

Much love!

Tina & Eric Wedding Teaser

2010-03-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

I've been crazy busy since I got back from Vegas (just in case you didn't get my previous hint to where I was last week). But I had to share a teaser picture of an amazing wedding that I was privileged to be a part of while I was there. It was definitely an experience to remember :)

Thanks Tina & Eric, for letting me and Jason be a huge part of your day.

More to come!

What happens in...

2010-03-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

Just a hint to where and what I've been up to this past week.

Touching Base

2010-03-01T23:47:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I know I've been kind of absent from my blog and not quite posting anything too exciting - my apologies :(

I've been super swamped with meetings, catching up on emails, work, and living life in the in-between. But I promise I have new and exciting things to share sometime in the near future!!!! :)

Until then, I'll be on a slight hiatus.

Much love.

60,000 Photos

2010-02-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Something that certainly left me impressed!

Happy Hump Day everyone :)

Happy Year of the Tiger

2010-02-15T12:36:00.000-08:00

Coincidentally, Chinese New Year fell on the same day as Valentine's Day, so instead of living out a spectacular S.A.D., I spent some quality time with family and watched the Winter Olympics (GOLD!!! Silver & Bronze too! Yay!!) :D

This year's the Year of the Tiger - for those who are curious, you can find out your horoscope here.

*note: It's a little confusing at first because you have to find out what element & animal you are, but just follow the links on the page. Then go back and see what type of luck you'll encounter in 2010.

And I wish everyone a great year of happiness, good health and success! Let's all work hard and play hard! Make 2010 a year to remember :)

A Love Reminder

2010-02-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

link

One day at work, we were talking about relationships (no surprise coming from a group of women, haha) and on the drive home, I couldn't help but reflect on my life as of now. If you already don't know - I am currently single. Oh, yes. Solo. Uno. One. Dance without a partner kind of gal.

So today is a wonderful reminder of how single I am (oh, you silly, commercialized love day)! Singles Awareness Day Unite! Joking aside, I like being unattached for now. The only part of being single that's slightly annoying is the "sympathy/pity" looks and comments I get for being on my own...as if that's a bad thing...?? :(

I admit I can be quite negative at times, so sure, there are days when I feel lonely and bitter. But right now, I have the company of great friends and family to keep me sane ;)

In the meantime, I can wait. Wait for my special someone that will want the same love I'm looking for. You know, the love which makes you feel lucky all the time? The understanding, appreciative, well-rounded kind of love? That grounded love? The I-might-hate-you-right-now-because-you-pissed me-off-but-I-still-adore-you love; the you-accept-me-for-me-but-you-really-make-me-a-better-person type of love. I'm waiting for that love to come along. Call me a dreamer, but it's what I'm holding out for :) It's worth being patient for. I'll be waiting for the "we".

So why go through this waiting game? It's because I get inspired by good and honest love all the time! After all, I use it as fuel for inspiring my art. It's written in the faces of the couples I shoot for; each moment, each whisper, each quiet (or loud!) laugh, warm hug, sweet kiss and slight touch remind me of what's out there for me :)

It brings a smile to my face when I see parents lean in closely to one while their rowdy kids dance circles around them. They still enjoy those moments - and that's the kind of love I'm talking about.

Anyways, I've rambled long enough, so I thought I'd share one of my current favourite songs and dedicate it to those I care about (whether single or taken) - AND my blog readers. Thank you for being you and always bringing a smile to my face. Happy V-Day.

Much love.

Mei & Mark Wedding (09.12.09)

2010-02-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

Back in September (yes...I know, another late post!), I was approached by Windmill Video to be a second shooter for a couple of weddings they had. Um, yah! I happily accepted the opportunity :) It's not every day you get to work with such great guys who do amazing work. Make sure you click on the link to see some of their video productions!

The day started off pretty early at Mei's house:

We had a quick portrait session a Main St. Unionville. There was such unbelievable light to work with:

Mei & Mark were such troops and were really up for anything. They really knew how to ham it up for the camera and were NOT shy about their love for each other, that's for sure ;)

Overall, a great day + great couple + great company = an amazing experience! I had such a good time shooting with the guys! Keith & Stan, thanks for letting me come along for the ride :D

Lady Mika

2010-02-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd finally make a formal introduction of the newest addition to the family: Mika. She's 2 years old, talks a lot, purrs a lot, and doesn't like to be picked up (I have scratch marks to prove it - what's with my cats not liking to be hugged??) *cry* Oh, and her former name was Sally.

I got her at PetSmart (who now collaborates with local animal shelters - YAY!) about 2 weeks ago. To be honest, I wasn't thinking of really adopting a new cat - I was at PetSmart trying to get re-acquainted with cats to see whether I'd be ready to open up to another one again.

A few weeks and a few trips later, 'Sally' got me to smile at her first chirpy 'meewwww' and head-butt, and I knew I had to take her home :)

Obviously, I still miss Jasper (R.I.P.), but there are enough differences between the two felines to stop me from comparing. First off, Mika's a girl ;) And Jasper was quite the boy :P

Second of all: Mika's already an adult, and Jasper was a kitten - or 'young adult'. So Mika's personality is a lot more stable than Jasper's. He was unpredictable at best! Haha!

Thirdly, Jasper was my baby. Afterall, I was his mom at 6 weeks :) Mika - I consider her more a room-mate and we're still figuring how to co-habitate; getting used to each others habits, sleeping patterns, joys and irks...she does like to sleep on my chest though, with her paws in my face = comfortable??

But most of the time, she just likes to laze around the house and sleep a lot:

I'll keep you readers updated from time to time with how things are progressing. I'm still not sure whether she likes the camera in her face, but to be my cat, it's going to be a given ;)

Facebook

2010-02-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

I resisted the idea of Facebook for a long time. I mean, it seemed like just another social distraction and I wasn't all too keen to join. I preferred to actually talk to my friends...in real life...over coffee perhaps. Or dinner.

But then something changed. Everyone's life got busy and coffee dates became hard to arrange around multiple schedules. Sad, but it happens.

So hello, I'm on Facebook. I've started connecting with old (and new friends) online, and it's been pretty good so far. I know I'm late in the game, but better late than never, right? ;) I still don't get what a 'poke' is, or why Farmville is awesome though.

If you haven't done so yet, add me as a friend and I will confirm! Just click on the badge on the (bottom) right --->

In the meantime, enjoy these tributes to the phenomenon known as Facebook ;)

Home Life

2010-02-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

Taken with my SuperHeadz. I like how moody these images came out. An unexpected surprise :)

Oh, and Happy Groundhog's Day! Let there be....aw dang it....6 more weeks of snow...yay.

Passing By

2010-01-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

Taken with the SuperHeadz camera on my way to the CUTMR show.

CUTMR

2010-01-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

Last week, my friend E & I were invited to check out a friend's installation (you can check out their progress on their blog) at the Gladstone Hotel, Come Up To My Room.

I can tell you that it was one of the best art shows I've been to in a looong time! Each room & installation piece had a strong vision with excellent execution. I don't always leave an art event feeling engaged and conceptually satisfied, so I was quite pleased. Well done :)

I also bumped into a few familiar faces that I haven't seen for a while, which was an extra bonus! It's like the cherry on top of a sundae ;) Overall, it was a great day!!!

Here are some of my favourite works from the show:

Undertaking Acquisition - Chronicles of Our Time

(Maggie Greyson, Christine Lieu, Phoebe Lo)

A Piece of the Pie

(Edward Lin, Kira Varvanina)

Untitled

(Jamie Webster, Berkeley Poole)

Untitled

(Lisa Keophila, Jon Margono, Fiona Lim Tung, Kristen Lim Tung)

Can You Remember My Dream?

(Julia Hepburn)

The night ended with some good eats (nom nom nom!) and a super bargain on vintage sherry glasses (not shown):

Camera Love

2010-01-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with one of my new toy cameras lately (a yellow SuperHeadz camera), which I carry in my purse with my P&S. I'm still experimenting with the right film and light conditions, so not all of my images turned out. Such is the way with toy cameras ;P

Even so, there's something about the element of surprise I get from each roll of developed film - the moment captured and forgotten, coupled with some wide lens love & vignetting makes me *heart* this little camera :)

I'll be posting more images later. Stay tuned.

Happy Friday!

Monday Nights

2010-01-25T18:50:00.001-08:00

Until last Sunday (the season 8 premier), I never bothered to watch this show. Not because it wasn't good - since I've heard nothing but how "OMG, this show is AMAZING!!". It's just that I have a lazy habit of not watching a series if I've missed the first episode. Weird, I know.

But between 24 and the Golden Globes, I figured I'd give this series a shot. It also helps to have a brother who LOVES this show, give you a full review in under 15 minutes. And now I-am-addicted.

I also have a slight crush on Jack Bauer....Kiefer Sutherland's alright too ;)

(But don't ask me why he's in a dress...watch the interview):

Ham & Eggs

2010-01-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

Again, this post is long overdue. Sorry girls!! Oh, what can I say about these two? Fun, crazy, energetic, silly...sisters! Ugh....so energetic....hahaha....I don't think I've ever been more worn out from a photo session before, and I've shot 16 hour weddings! You two are definitely down in my books for one of the most memorable shoots I've had :P We ventured to a nearby park in the summer for some definite good times.

Hello. Meet Bonnie & Katy. Can you tell what kind of sisters they are? If you guessed TWINS, ding ding ding! Who do you think is older? ;)

Some of the more serene moments I captured (which was a special feat, since they were constantly moving - haha!):

I thought it would be fun to play with some props, and what better way to enjoy a summer day than to play with bubbles? Yes, please:

LOVE. IT. That is all:

One of my favourite portraits of all time! *side note: they actually don't like hugging very much, but you couldn't tell with this photo! Love, love, love:

This shoot was so much fun!!! The girls really made my job so easy!! Gah, I just love you two! They remind me of why I feel so privileged to document such precious relationships between people with my camera. We'll hang out again soon ;D

***Happy Belated Birthday Ham & Eggs! I hope you had a good one!

CCYAA 2009

2010-01-16T20:18:00.000-08:00

This year, I was invited to be the official photographer for the Chinese Canadian Youth Achievement Awards at the CCCYC. They opened the ceremonies with a traditional Lion Dance, performed by the Christian Wushu Fellowship, which made for an exciting start! :D

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect since I've never been to a CCYAA. By the end, I was left completely blown away. The 13 award winners certainly deserved to be recognized for their talents and contributions. I was AMAZED by how much these youths have accomplished at such a young age (most of the winners were still in high school!!!).

What was I doing at their age? Watching television, playing video games and participating in a few club activities. As far as my future, I only knew that I wanted to be in the arts. But I was nowhere as far along as they are.

The Visual Arts winners had some beautiful art on display in the foyer - Amy Wang (left)/Stephy Chang (right):

Eric Yam (2009 Youth of the Year) - he was recognized for his achievement as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2009 NASA Space Settlement Design Contest:

Laura Suen - in high school, she volunteered at a African refugee camp as a journalist. When she came back, she started her own non-profit organization, Over Bounds, which aims to abolish illiteracy, hunger and poverty :

The Performance Arts Winners gave a spectacular performance of their musical talents that left me pretty speechless (I almost forgot to take pictures - haha!).

George Fan (saxophone):

Ariel Kwan (violin):

Helen Lu (classic guitar):

Guest performance by Shulammite Chow:

Of course, the night ended with some light refreshments :)

Thanks again to the CCCYC for the opportunity to document such a great event! And a bigger thanks to all the winners - for your dedication & devotion to your crafts, and spreading such inspiration to your community. I wish you nothing but great success! You've definitely left a lasting impression on me :)

A New Year

2010-01-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Well, another new year is upon us. How time really flies! Where did 2009 go? I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the incredible experiences from last year. And remembering some of the sad ones. It's been a year of change, that's for sure....

Did I manage to accomplish all the things on my "To Do List" for 2009? Yes...and no. I totally failed in the 'posting one-picture-a-day' resolution. Or to lose those stubborn 10 lbs - yes, a futile resolution :(

But I did try to shoot as much as I could. I bought myself a P&S for those 'in-the-moment' everyday pictures (a Nikon Coolpix S52, if you're curious) and made huge developments on focusing my vision & style of shooting.

I've also met lots of new friends and colleagues in the photo industry, shot some CRAZY FUN weddings & lifestyle sessions (with a good friend in tow - thanks!!), booked some pretty awesome (my Mom says I use 'awesome' too much...but I like the word!) weddings for 2010, got some new 'books' in the works, added a few more toy cameras to my collection *cough*......and a whole lot of other stuff I can't quite remember.

What do I hope for twenty-ten then?

To be happier.
To remain inspired, motivated and spontaneous.
To stay productive. To keep moving.
Shoot more. Travel more. Laugh more. Love more.
Enjoy life to the fullest.

So dear readers, what are your hopes for 2010?

Kelly & Richard's Wedding (08.23.09)

2009-12-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, this post is waaaaay overdue (yes, this wedding took place in August - I'm a terrible blogger!). Anyways, I thought I'd post up one wedding post before the New Year :P This particular wedding was kind of special to me because this time around, I had the pleasure of assisting my partner-in-photo-crime, Jason. Hoho! And it was loads of fun! :D

Kelly & Richard were married at the Mandarin Golf Club on a gorgeous summer day. Richard welcomed me like I was a part of his family having never met me before - the first time we met was at his wedding! They really made my job easy :)

***Note to Couples: The more relaxed you are at your wedding, the better your pictures will turn out! Seriously, stress will show all over your face :( Just remember to enjoy the day as best you can, and you'll have great images!

I was asked to shoot the bride getting ready (one of my favourite moments to shoot during weddings):

At the ceremony, Richard couldn't stop the tears from flowing...it was kind of a re-occurring theme that happened throughout the day/night - haha!:

Announcing the new couple ("...bubbles, MORE bubbles!!!!!..."):

The wedding was such a joy to shoot :) It was full of emotions, laughter and good times - what more could you ask for? Thanks J for letting me tag along!

The Day After

2009-12-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is over and life slowly slips back into its routine. Except there's yummy leftovers to be had, gifts to use, memories cherished and unfortunately Christmas clean-up :( My room looks like a Christmas apocalypse of wrapping, ribbons and tags - eek!

So I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday! Although I'm slightly sad that there wasn't a White Christmas this year. Boo. Black ice, yes! Snow, no. :(

Oh well.

Here's a picture my Dad sent me yesterday morning of our Christmas weather:

Have a good Monday!

Holiday Cheer

2009-12-25T15:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas. Oh, Christmas.

An overly commercialized holiday? The celebration of Christ? The birth of Mithras? Hannukkah or Kwanzaa? Chrismukkah?? Whatever the reason is for this particular time of year, it never fails to bring out the stress in people. Dinners, gifts, scheduling, planning, decorating, shopping...blah, blah, blah....

I am no stranger to that stress by the way. But what it comes down to is spending much valued time with family & friends; it's something I fail to remember at times. After all, the gifts aren't what matters, just good company is enough.

So to you dear readers, I wish you Happy Holidays and that you'll remember to relax and soak in the moments you'll have during this holiday season. Hug your loved ones (or give them a loving pat if you're not into that touchy stuff), have a few laughs and enjoy some hot chocolate for me :)

Much love.

Guilty Pleasures

2009-12-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

What I love about this season is the fact that I have a great excuse to do what I enjoy the most (besides photography that is) -- BAKING! What can I say? I have an inner Martha Stewart that whispers sweet nothings to me when I see bake-ware and kitchen gadgets, and she squeals in delight over new recipes and crafty projects. It's a good thing ;)

I rarely get the opportunity to spoil my loved ones with my baked goodies (I'm usually met with large groans about hips & asses getting fat!) but during Christmas, there's no running from my newest baking adventure!!!

This year, I've made Chocolate Peppermint Meringues and it's been met with great success (coming from those who got to eat some already). Hurray! Another win :) So hips & asses everywhere will just have to work out a little more in the New Year :P

Ho ho ho.

First (of many) X'mas Dinner

2009-12-18T23:00:00.000-08:00

I usually don't get a chance to see all of my co-workers outside of work on a social level (hey, we all have lives!), but once every year when the snow hits the ground and Christmas is around the corner, we gather over good eats, laugh and re-connect :)

Tonight was no exception. A stomach full of Mongolian Grill, shaved ice and a drink or two with both new staff and old friends, I enjoyed my first Christmas dinner of the year.

Cheers.

Midnight Oil

2009-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

You might have noticed that I've been on and off with my blog. So what have I been up to then? What's been keeping me from posting on a regular basis?

Wellll....I've been burning the midnight oil these past few weeks (and losing my mind, I admit), working on something that's going to turn out pretty amazing :) So I can't wait to share it with everyone!

I'll keep you posted (and in the dark for now) ~ muahahaha....!!!!

First Slush

2009-12-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

Nothing says "It's Winter!" like being knee deep in wet, cold snow. Oh, and driving over potholes of ice. Or watching cars dance around each other on the roads. And the wind-chilled kiss of Mr. Frostbite. Yes, winter is here.

But, to be honest...I do welcome my winter boots, the fuzzy scarves and my fluffy earmuffs. I look forward to seeing a soft snow blanket on the streets & trees. And the possibility of hot chocolate after a day of building snow-people (or just giant snowballs if I get lazy). Yes, winter is here :)

Scroll to the Right...

2009-12-08T22:54:00.000-08:00

Leave Me from Daros Films on Vimeo.

Brilliant concept, cinematography & creativity. It left me speechless.

***warning: you might cry watching this video ladies.

We.

2009-12-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

I came across this story a long, long time ago by Haruki Murakami, and so, I'm dedicating this post to a good friend who's experiencing the bittersweet taste of love.

Perspectives

2009-12-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

Ugh, this past week I was feeling a bit frustrated and impatient...with just about everything!!! But this not only brought out some good laughs, it also put things in perspective for me.

Happy Friday!

Lune

2009-12-03T20:09:00.000-08:00

If you know me well enough, you know that I'm interested in anything related to food ;)

So I'm really excited to be sharing this thesis project of a friend of mine, Christine L. :) She's an incredible industrial designer and her newest creation, Lune, is inspired by and an homage to her grandfather.

After seeing how difficult it was for her grandfather to eat using standard Asian utensils, Christine did a little more research and found that this was a common problem among the Chinese senior community. She went on to create this line of dining ware (all hand made!) to help them stay connected to their culture.

Simply charming :) Congrats Christine!!!!! You can read more about it here.

Gimme a Break

2009-12-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had those days where NOTHING goes right? Life just throws you a whole bunch of curve balls and you're expected to catch? Well, I'm just having one of those days riggghhht now :(

Le sigh.

Some Early Holiday Cheer

2009-11-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

I don't often talk about my FT job on this blog, but I had to share these photos of the decorations we're putting up at the store. They were made by one of my co-op students last week and I died laughing, they were so freaking fantastic!

I couldn't be happier looking forward to (a somewhat awkward looking?) Christmas. Just perfect :)

Richard Simmons in the house!!! Let's go holiday shopping!

The Debate Continues

2009-11-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

HAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!! This video is crazy!! It got me laughing to say the least. For all you Nikon and Canon users out there, you'll definitely get the gist of this.

FYI, I'm a Nikon girl all the way ;)

***warning: this video contains slight profanity

Edward Steichen

2009-11-21T01:46:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I had myself a "Just Me Day" and spent a rainy, but beautiful Saturday at the AGO. Armed with an iPod and my thoughts, I journeyed into the renovated art gallery and checked out the Edward Steichen show.

Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take pictures (fie on those security guards! they seemed to be following me every time I tried to take a photo) so these images are taken from the web. Obviously they don't do the actual print justice, but they're some of the few favourites I had.

I still have to check out the Vanity Fair Portraits @ the ROM, but we'll save that for another Saturday :)

If you haven't had a chance to see Steichen's work and you're a photographer, I would recommend seeing his images at least once in person. It's incredible how much inspiration he served for photographers today - from his lighting, composition, to posing and mood.

I only managed to hunt down one image from this series, but it's fantastic. It would be neat to re-create/re-invent this concept....for sure I'll be filing this idea away for a potential shoot ;)

Get your Geek on

2009-11-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

"mobile evolution"

kyle bean

When it comes to art, I have a preference for more contemporary pieces; fun & quirky makes it even better. And when an artist can re-invent something traditional like Russian maroushka dolls to showcase the cellphone, I think it's genius :)

A Different Perspective

2009-11-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

What a breathtaking reminder of how great life (and people) can be - haha, and it's a small world after all.

Coffee Break

2009-11-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

Hey, it's been a while.

Sorry for being M.I.A. I've been taking these past couple of weeks to catch up with...well, me - call it 'taking a break' if you will. Since things have started to slow down photography wise, I can finally make time for the simple things - things like laundry, cooking, getting my car fixed, watching a movie, sleep. Don't get me wrong, I still have a couple of projects left to do (and an exciting partnership in the works!!!) but sometimes it's nice to have that extra time to re-connect with myself and to breathe just a little more deeply.

In light of my down time, I'm going to start doing something I haven't really done in the past on this blog (and I should, really) and it's basically posting things that keep me inspired and motivated - whether it be professional or personal. (Haha, take a glimpse into my creative madness I suppose? I kid!) But hopefully you'll feel inspired too :)

Indeed it is...

2009-11-03T23:06:00.000-08:00

(taken from design*sponge)

Happy Hallowe'en!!

2009-10-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

The Epic Bread Battle

2009-10-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that when I'm stressed - I bake. It probably accounts for the last 10 pounds I've not been able to shed off since.......ever :P

This week I decided to try my hand at making bread with my brand new bread maker! In theory, it's supposed to be easy, right? Get ingredients, measure ingredients and dump said ingredients into bread machine -- press start.

My results:

The first loaf came out looking good, but the measurements for the salt in the recipe seemed weird from the get go = Salty Bread
My second loaf was a veggie bread and I had dropped the ball and incorrectly put in 2 TABLEspoons of yeast instead of TEAspoons = Burning Veggie Disaster Bread Nightmare = Ugly Veggie Pizza Scone (I didn't want to waste the dough, so I stuck it in the oven to finish cooking)
My third loaf was a sad attempt at getting back some dignity with the veggie bread. It came out better than my first stab at it, but something was still off = Sky High Veggie Bread
The fourth loaf was back to basics and I re-visited the first recipe. Less salt, but I'm thinking there's something weird with my yeast being used straight from the fridge. This resulted in = Sky High Good Tasting Bread

That being said, the last loaf came out the best - minus the appearance. But I was still left a little wounded by the whole experience. Soooo.....when life gives you bread failures, you make bread pudding ;D And that's exactly what I did tonight.

YUM!!! The bread pudding came out fantastic! Finally after 4 failures, I got something right :D And all is right with the world again.

Glee = Happiness in Songs

2009-10-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

When I want to take a break and enjoy some witty sarcasm, good music and love triangles, I try to watch this show. I can't tell you how much I love this series :) Just thought I had to share.

Playing Catch-Up

2009-10-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, it's been a while since I've posted anything. I've not been the greatest blogger lately - whoops.

So what have I been up to? Well, I just finished wrapping up one of my last weddings of the season (which I'm a little bit sad about) but that doesn't mean I get to breathe any easier (haha!). I still have lots of stuff on my plate to complete --- but it's allllll good ;)

In time I will share with you what I've been working on....so dear readers, don't leave me yet!!!! LOL! I still have posts to share with you all!

Elvie & Jayesh Wedding (09.26.09)

2009-10-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

***This blog post is long overdue - sorry guys for the wait! And it's quite a lengthy one too....hahhaha....

What can I say about this couple? Just that I simply adore them. (Really E & J, I do. Not only are you great friends, but you set an example of what good love can be). I actually knew Jayesh (what? 4 years ago? from work) primarily as a wicked & talented illustrator. Seriously, his illustrations rock!! And when I met Elvie, she was the most laid back, coolest girl I've met in a long time. Leather jacket and all ;)

Their love story started allllll the way back in highschool. Elvie had a crush on Jayesh, and Jayesh thought she was hot. But nothing happened! Go figure. So they stayed friends. But as fate would have it, they would eventually date, fall in love and 6 years later, were planning their wedding.

When Jayesh found out that I was starting to shoot weddings a couple years back, he booked me on the spot. No questions, no hesitations, he didn't even see my stuff before! - he had that much faith in me. So you can imagine that when their wedding day arrived, I was sweating bullets from the pressure....hahhahah.....I had to rock this shoot out!

Elvie & Jayesh, I hope I did your day justice. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for letting me create these memories for you and for believing in my work :)

The day started early in the morning at Elvie & Jayesh's house:

I totally fell in love with Elvie's dress! J's shot (on the right) totally captured all the romantic details:

Make-up and hair were done by the fabulous charmartistry; Christine (make-up) & Chuana (hair). These ladies were hilarious!!! And I love this vintage necklace that Elvie used as a hairpiece:

Elvie had a spectacular henna artist draw these AMAZING designs on her hands and feet! Did you know (according to tradition) that before the wedding night could commence, the groom had to find his name hidden within the henna design? Hey Jayesh, did you manage to find it? ;P Here's a clue (thanks J, for this next shot):

Their ceremony was held at Sunnyside Pavillion - such a beautiful & calm location by the way. It was around this time that it started raining (b0o!) but no worries, the ceremony took place on the Observation Terrace facing the lake:

Officially husband & wife; their union was greeted with loud cheers and applause:

There's just something that I love about this next shot. It's one of my favourites from the day :) It was Elvie's first opportunity to sit down and soak everything in:

Ladies & gentlemen - WORK IT! ;)

Hmmm...how do I even start? Originally the reception was booked at M*****N, but after a huge fall-out a MONTH before the wedding (grrrrr!!! I'm still angry about the whole situation!!), E & J had to scramble to find a new venue. Luckily, everything worked out for the best and their reception was held @ 5th Elementt. To be honest, it was one of the best restaurants I've been to in a long time - fantastic choice! Great food + laid back atmosphere = awesome venue:

Okay, how cool is it to have freakin' LION DANCERS?! OMG. Love it!

Toasting the guests & a quick costume change:

And heart warming speeches:

Elvie's bridesmaid, Becky, wrote a heartfelt song instead of a speech. Definitely a first in my book and the song was crazy good:

First dance as husband & wife:

...and then the party started! Hands down, Indian people sure know how to PAR-TAY!

Elvie & Jayesh, thanks again for an unforgettable experience! We'll get together for beer sometime, k? Much love :)

Elvie & Jayesh Wedding (Teaser)

2009-10-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a quick teaser before I head off to work ;) Full post coming very soon.

CIBC Run for the Cure

2009-10-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank everyone who donated to this amazing, amazing cause! You guys rock! :)

So today was the day of the run @ Richmond Green, and we were all expecting the worse.....rain. But surprisingly, it stayed away just long enough for the event to be over (with even breaks of sun!!! OMG!).

There was a huge turn-out:

The volunteers were pretty great at keeping morale up:

The release of balloons at the end of the race:
*Ok, I don't really condone the release of helium balloons into the atmosphere...poor ozone...but for the symbolic reasons in this case, it was kind of nice.

This run was dedicated to the women in my life & Nelly's mom:

*Side note: I also bumped into Sue & Derek at the event, which was an awesome surprise :D Hey guys!!! I'll be photographing their wedding next year, and it's gonna be great!

Dear Autumn,

2009-10-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

...welcome back :)

I always look forward to....

your yellow-orange-red transformations
your cool & crisp weather
fall harvest
wearing my long sleeved coats & scarves
sipping on hot apple cider
kicking the leaves on the ground
another birth year....

That's what I love about you Autumn. So why have you been cold, grey & rainy for 2 weeks now? PMS? Mood swings?

Please don't hate on us - don't let me down during my favourite season! And tell Winter to keep at bay for a while. I'm not ready for snow yet. Seriously. Not yet.

Thanks :)

A Last Summer's Evening

2009-09-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

Taking a Moment

2009-09-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

Watery Days

2009-09-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

Run for the Cure 2009

2009-09-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, I'm participating in the CIBC Run for the Cure this year!!! It'll be my third time being a part of this great cause, and I'm extremely honoured to be representing the women in my life that have been affected by this disease; it's the reason why I do this every year.

I also do this for my friend Nelly and her Mom. I'll be a part of Letty's Angels and for a change, we'll be going to Richmond Green this year. It's going to be great!

Please donate and support a good cause :) Blog readers/stalkers, now is the time to show some love. Thank you & much love.

***Hey guys, please remember to sponsor me for the Run that's happening this Sunday Oct. 04! ! It's for an awesome cause, and I'd appreciate any donations. Thanks again :)

Elvie & Jayesh Engagement Session

2009-09-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

Elvie + Jayesh = AWESOME! I mean, seriously. They're just that cool ;P I had the pleasure of shooting their engagement session a few weeks ago at Main St. Unionville. We had originally scheduled the engagement session for July - but rain, clouds and wind dampened our chances of getting anything accomplished :(

We managed to reschedule and as a result, had an amazing session :D Even though we chose probably one of the busiest days of that week to shoot (there was a Jazz Festival going on) and the hottest!! HOLY CROW we were all melting!!! But we churned out some pretty great images! (Thanks again for the ice cream guys, it was much appreciated!)

If you read my previous teaser post, you may remember that they brought their dog Sheba with them. SOOOOO cute!! I totally recommend bringing any furry companion to your engagement shoot!

Love, love, love :)

I'll end this post with my absolute most favourite engagement photo...EVER! Smokin' HOTNESS!!! *cough cough* Jayesh - get this one enlarged for your house ;)

I'll be shooting their wedding next week and I'm all sorts of nervous :O I'm working with a pretty rad couple afterall! Guys, I can't wait until next Saturday!!!!!! I'm so excited and honoured to be part of your big day :) Much love.

***Added bonus: (don't kill me J for posting this photo...hahhaha) If you were wondering where Sheba was when I had my one-on-one time with Elvie & Jayesh....may I present to you, the Dog Sitter :P I think you might have made a new best friend J ;)

Stress Relief

2009-09-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit I'm a few blog posts behind with my shoots, but they're coming! It's just been a whirlwind of a month for me and I'm just getting a chance to breathe a little again - phhewwww....

With my full-time work, part-time photography and side projects, I sometimes forget to take a moment to myself and I can let it get the better of me. So when I feel really stressed out, I bake :) Like Martha Stewart style, but perhaps not as anal in its entirety. I mean, presentation is one thing, but for me, it's all about how it tastes and the final devouring of the baked goods :) (I'm totally an emotional eater...mmmmm!)

Tonight I decided to use up the bag of apples that Lez gave me and I baked an Apple Crumble Pie :)

Before:

After:
So I kind of burnt the top of the crumb, but it still tasted pretty good :) Most importantly, I got to relax for a couple of hours. Yay me :D

***Stay tuned for Elvie & Jayesh's engagement session post tomorrow ;)