Disney Concert Hall Engagement Photography

Good morning,

Sorry Jennifer and Jack - I am slow to post on my blog :) In any event, Doug and I had the pleasure of working with Jennifer and Jack on their engagement photography session last weekend. We started at Old Town Pasadena, but quickly moved to another location because the security claimed that we could not take pictures there, which I found extremely odd because I always photograph there under a few "conditions" - (photographers take notes)

1. This is not for commercial purposes
2. It is for my personal portfolio
3. No tripod

As long as you make these claims, you may photograph almost anywhere [without permit]. Another example would be yesterday's wedding. The couple wanted to take pictures at a park and I was approached by a park ranger about the same situation. The aforementioned excuses worked like a charm.

Anyway, we started at Old Town Pasadena, but were asked to leave five minutes into the photo session. With no rustic brick backgrounds, we decided to photograph on the street intersection! Old Town Pasadena has some cool four-way crosswalks that halt all traffic from every direction, so we quickly frolicked to the center of the street and photographed. While Doug was taking pictures, I was holding up a remote flash to fill in the shadows all while nervously yelling out the seconds left until traffic reconvened.

"6, 5, 4, 3, 2, run!!!!"



The end result was well worth it! Doug tried to crop out all of the cars to put more emphasis on our cute subjects.

Having had enough risque pictures for one day, we trekked down to Green Street [towards our parking garage] where it was a little more quiet. We stopped in front of a grungy door, which provided a nice textural backdrop.



Having some trouble smiling in front of the camera, Jennifer lent a hand...literally HAHA



To help remind Jennifer and Jack remember where they got to play with the Furious Photographers, we picked out a newsstand that said "Pasadena" on the bottom.



Right across the street Doug found a bridal dress store. Wanting to do a playful shot, Doug posed the following image. However, it took the wackiness of these two to play it off well.



Before returning to our cars for another location, we decided to swing by the park on the south side of Old Town Pasadena (next to Castle Green) where we rolled around on the grass and played with leaves!



This picture personifies true love! :) <3



Since it was such a hot day, we decided to swing by Coffee Bean before heading to Walt Disney Concert Hall to conclude our engagement session.



Doug and I got to Walt Disney Concert Hall a little bit early and met a group of singers! It was totally awesome! These cool cats are called "Augies Side Effect." We asked the group to sing some songs for Jennifer and Jack to practice their first dance. They kindly obliged :D





The following is one of my favorite images for the day! The sheen of the metallic walls gave it a nice neutral feel.



Since the following image was back lit, I had two options -

1. Compensate the background lighting with a flash
2. Wash out the details (riskier)

Feeling risky all day, I opted for the latter. We even joked that the picture looks like a cover for a Korean drama series haha



While I went to pull the car around, Doug decided to have a little more fun before our day ended.





What a fun day! I imagine their wedding to be even more fun!

Signing out,

Lawrence

Earth Hour 2008

The goal of Earth Hour 2008 is to alleviate the energy strain on Earth. Although it will not have any notable changes, hopefully it will create a movement to recognize the effects of global warming on our world. Please go green!

March 29, 2008 at 8pm - Join the Movement!



I will be joining the movement, so anticipate postponement on emails during that hour =P

Sincerely,

Lawrence

Painting With Light

Hello,

Here is a picture that Doug and I tried out on our friend, Elijah. It is a process called "Painting With Light." I used to do it a lot at UCLA when I was bored at night. I would set a camera on a long exposure and draw pictures with a flashlight similar to that created in the current Sprint commercials. I was bored a lot of the time.



In the picture above, we had Elijah sit very still on the sofa. Afterwards, I used a flashlight and painted areas that I wanted lit. Cool huh?

Signing out,

Lawrence

UCLA Wedding Photography

Hello viewers and fellow Bruins,

It was a good day to be a Bruin on March 15, 2008. UCLA just beat Stanford in Men's Basketball (67-64) and Angie (the lovely bride) just married Cheston (the charming groom) both on the same night. Both being UCLA alumni, we were thrilled to photograph their wedding, which had a UCLA theme.

Weeks before the wedding, Cheston inquired into UCLA's Cheer Squad for "the bears" to come during the reception. Unfortunately, the department did not respond until minutes before the ceremony. As excited as Cheston was about the wedding, he was twice as excited when he received a text message saying, "the bear is coming."

Needless to say, the Bruin (UCLA's mascot) joined them during the reception, which was a happy surprise for Angie. This is definitely a cool idea for those thinking about having a UCLA themed wedding :D







Instead of doing the conventional "V" finger pose, they taught me a new one, which is "WOW." Essentially, you use your middle three fingers from both hands and place them next to your mouth agape. It was an interesting concept haha



Cheston enjoys drawing. He draws on Angie's FaceBook wall religiously everyday. Meet his wedding party:







Alas, it was a cold and windy day. Nevertheless, these two braved the elements.





Another note about Cheston, he really loves his stoic grandpa poses. Traditional Chinese members (especially the male), will take pictures without smiles or expressions at all. We decided to mimic the feel of it by turning it sepia and adding some grain.



Isn't that awesome? Custom made by one of the groomsmen.



This was our cool guest book! Since Doug and I had such a blast working with Angie and Cheston during their engagement session also hosted at UCLA, we thought that they would enjoy something like this.



The BEAR! :D





I loved that bear. The Bruin got everyone dancing by being first to work the dance floor. However, I know a secret about this Bruin - it was really a girl! *gasps*

Cheers,

Lawrence
Furious Photographers!!! R A W R !

KaBOOM! in Los Angeles

What is up beautiful people,

The Furious Photographers were asked recently to photograph a charity event hosted by KaBOOM!. KaBOOM! has a phenomenal vision of installing safe playgrounds throughout the nation for children to play.

Their slogan, "It starts with a playground" speaks for itself. Having a safe playground where individuals can play offers many highlights!

1. Children can play safely!
2. Children can build motor skills
3. Children have the opportunity to make new friends :)
4. It keeps children away from negative elements

When I learned of this non-profit organization, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to photograph their debut in Los Angeles. The event was filled with press coverage and influential figures, which I was not anticipating. I even met Lawrence's old mentor - Hal Wells - from Los Angeles Times! As much as I loved the event, I went unprepared - no sunblock! I returned home looking like a cooked lobster. *glum*

Anyway, please enjoy a snippet of the construction of the playground!



The following has Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles County Mayor) hanging with the kids:



Antonio Villaraigosa



Xzibit!!! It was totally awesome meeting Xzibit! He was very humble and kind. Since I really wanted to meet him on a personal level, I blurted the first thing that came to my mind, "X to the Z!" Xzibit turned around and laughed and offered a proffered hand. It was such a great honor to meet such a famous rapper. He took a respite from his social responsibilities and chatted with me for a bit. Afterwards, he rolled up his sleeves and got down to help out with he construction of the playground. He was definitely someone who was not there for only publicity; Xzibit really cared.



Maria Shriver (Arnold Schwarzenegger's - California Governor - wife) - also known as the "First Lady of California" :)



Xzibit giving a speech with Maria Shriver in the background



The KaBOOM! teams were split up into different animal squads. Team Turtle had a rad team leader.



There was a large mural of Caesar Chavez mounted near the playground. Chavez's son - Paul F. Chavez - was also present to help paint the mural! How cool is that?









This volunteer worked the entire day without a break, so he deserved some more limelight :D





The final product with over 450 volunteers!!!



Some KaBOOM! team leaders chillaxin!



Whew! What a wonderful day to build a playground! Remember that children are the future and education/play should not be neglected.

Best wishes,

Doug

Newport Beach Engagement Photography

Hello,

Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, what is there not to like about Spring? Doug and I photographed a funky couple - Kim and Edgar - at Newport Beach (near Corona Del Mar). This beach is a quiet retreat where Kim always goes to when she needs to escape the daily rat race.

Newport Beach is also a great location for whale watching! Unfortunately, we did not see any whales. Instead, lots of dolphins greeted the couple near the coastline! They were surprisingly close! I do not have a super long telephoto lens so you can imagine how close they were if you see the picture below. This part of Newport Beach was so beautiful during the morning. I can see why they called it "Inspiration Point."



Look at that! They were all playing!



Check out the morning glow!









For some reason, I was thinking of Bay Watch (the television series) and I thought of this pose. Don't ask - I have no clue.



Haha I thought this was hilarious!



Anyway, check back soon because we just photographed a UCLA wedding last Saturday where Joe Bruin (UCLA's mascot) himself showed up! Ahhhhh!

Cordially,

Lawrence