When I first came across the Missional Photography Intensive I could barely believe my eyes. The opportunity to learn from Dane Sanders, Jessica Claire, & Mike Colon all in one sitting? For $40? That alone was unbelievable. And then as I slowly read what the workshop was about I felt even more compelled to sign up.

I feel like “serving” has been a part of my days that has been missing recently, but was so integral in every other stage of my life. Girl Scouts in grade school, KIWINS’s in high school, APHIO in college – it was something I always sought out to do. But ever since I’ve hopped into the “working world” this has changed, and I don’t like it. I don’t like that I’m so “busy” that I feel I don’t have time to give back. I’ve been trying to think of what I can do to change this, and in the midst of these thoughts, I came across this opportunity.

It’s amazing how much was covered in the 4 weeks. There were people from all different backgrounds in the class – some professional photographers, some just picking up a camera for the first time – and the intensive did an amazing job of catering to everyone. All three of the intensive leaders are brilliant speakers and teachers – the kinds of people who are engaging and interesting and excellent at helping you understand, making you laugh, involving you in dialogue, and it was so great that they were essentially donating their time to share their knowledge with us. It made me look forward to class every week, even though it meant braving the 405 from West LA to Costa Mesa (I think I cringed a little just typing that).

I love the issues the course addressed – essentially how to tell and honor the stories of others through your photographs. I really have realized how easy it is to be caught up in the “photographer” side of things and almost forget that you are taking pictures of real people and their real lives. That it is not about your perfect image, and that it is about the stories we all have to share.

Dane during the weekly photo critiques (the photo he’s holding was one of my favorites!)



Mike explains histograms



A shot with Jessica Claire. She actually photographed my taiko group (those photos you see along the top of each page are hers) though I was not at that shoot. (I know, it’s terrible.)



Thank you to Doug for this one!

Unfortunately I didn’t get to grab a pic with Mike Colon but suppose I can make do with the one from February :)

It finally came. I had it delivered to work, but I refrained from completely tearing the package open since I wanted to take photos of every step of the opening process (since that’s what people who like taking pictures who get shiny new things do). I wore it around the apartment a bit but the real test was when I brought it to the wedding earlier this month and let me tell you, it was MARVELOUS. So much more comfortable than my box of a camera bag which would have probably knocked over the cake/bumped into the heads of guests had I worn it at the reception. And oh so stylish!

—

There are a few other things I’ve been meaning to blog about, but in the meantime here’s a little questionnaire Serena Grace tagged me on that I finally (finally finally!) am getting around to answering. Be sure to drop by her site as she is an AMAZING photographer and all around cool person — and while you’re there offer a big congrats on her recent marriage!! ;)

What was I doing 10 years ago?
– I was in my first year of high school. At any given time I was playing tennis or hanging out at the mall or writing notes and folding them into little hearts/other nifty shapes. (Tell me you did this too.)

Bad Habits
– Being really bad about finishing books. I feel like whenever I’m talking about a book with someone I always find myself saying “oh yeah, I started that but…”
– Being really terrible about waking up in the morning. Once I’m out of bed it’s all fine and dandy, but it’s getting me out of there that is the challenge. It’s really the bed’s fault for being so comfy in the morning.
– Being really delayed in completing online questionnaires.

Places I have Lived
– Torrance
– West LA
– Gunma, Japan

Things Most People Don’t Know About Me
– I am a quotes fanatic. I have a quotes database on my comp that I’ve been compiling since high school. Given that my taste in quotes has changed quite a bit and I no longer find “If you love someone, do not put their name in a heart because hearts can be broken, instead put their name in a circle, because circles go on forever” as profound as I used to.
– I consume about 42 liters of water daily. I can’t go water-deprived longer than 30 minutes without feeling like I’m fighting a losing battle in the Sahara.
– I love SAUCES. I drench everything in ketchup/pasta sauce/ranch, though not at the same time, because that, my friends, is just disgusting.

I tag…
Kevin Tsang
Lawrence and/or Doug
Mika
Wayne Toshikazu
Hana Chung

… and anyone else who wants to join in on the fun!

When I first became interested in wedding photography, there were a few things I did.

I upgraded to a shiny new camera. I researched and bought lenses (and freaked out about how they were more expensive than the camera itself). I read books. I blog-stalked wedding photographers whose work I loved. I contacted some of those photographers, and prayed that they would spare a few moments of their spectacular wedding photography lives to grab my flailing newbie hand out of the sea of photography jargon & post-processing techniques & business practices and point me a bit in the right direction.

The Furious Photographers were the first to come to my rescue and my first real contact within the wedding photography realm. It just so happens that they were planning their very first workshop right when I emailed them. It was an awesome workshop filled with a bunch of priceless tips and the chance to shadow a real live engagement session.

Which is basically how I found myself, camera in hand, at my first real live wedding 2 weeks ago, shadowing Lawrence & Doug of FP. The wedding couple Sharon & Derek were in fact the same couple at the engagement session back in January and are both amazing amazing people. They were so kind for letting me come along and so sweet and easy to get along with. Their wedding had an adorable Disney theme – I especially loved how the tables were labeled after Disneyland rides (a la “Splash Mountain” and “Matterhorn”) and included a nostalgic picture of Sharon & Derek in front of the ride. And seriously, as they celebrated their amazing love among their closest family & friends it really did feel like – you guessed it – the Happiest Place on Earth :)

A big thank you to Sharon & Derek for allowing me to share their day with them. And of course a huge thank you to Lawrence & Doug for inviting me to tag along, for being so patient, and for giving me useful tips throughout the day!

Mirror mirror on the wall…



Mirror mirror off the wall (thanks to Lawrence’s quick thinking)

And while the mirror’s off the wall…