W Photography

New W Photography Blog!

2010-05-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

First of all, thank you so much for keeping up with our work and blog. That really means a lot to us. Next we just want to let you know that we have a new blog now! All the same work is on there, but we will not being using this site anymore and all new postings will be on the other. Please check us out and follow us there at www.wphotography.com/blog.

Thank you again!

W Photography iPhone Gallery

2010-04-19T16:03:00.001-07:00

For all you iPhone users on the go, W Photography is proud to launch a mobile web gallery for easy browsing any time. Please bookmark this page - http://m.wphotography.com. Check it out, you all!

Jeannie and Joshua Engagement | Fort Point

2010-04-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

Jeannie and Joshua flew all the way from Seattle to be greeted by pouring down rain in San Fransisco on the day of their engagement shoot. Since our original location, Crissy Field, definitely wasn't going to work I thought of Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge. At Fort Point the lighting and structural aspects were perfect. I asked them to change into more formal wear for some of the pictures to compliment the background and the shoot went along without a hitch. This was my first time shooting at Fort Point and I really enjoyed it as did they.

Cheryl and Scott Engagement | Coit Tower | North Beach

2010-04-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Cheryl and Scott were a great couple to shoot for. They are both working at UC Davis, but travel here to San Fransisco for work conventions. On one of their trips down here we met up for the engagement session. Even though Scott was a little nervous at first he was much more comfortable by the end which made for some amazing pictures. Their wedding will be at Westin Saint Francis in San Fransisco and I am looking forward to capturing their wedding on camera.

Daisy & Edward Engagement | UC Davis

2010-04-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous day it was to visit my alma mater UC Davis! Daisy and Edward met at UC Davis and Edward proposed to her there as well, right in front of the water fountain. Naturally, that was where they chose to take their engagement pictures. The campus was not only a beautiful setting, but held a lot of meaning for them and myself. This couple is particularly special to me since Edward is the brother of one of my close friends. I can't wait to see them as bride and groom!

Diana & Brent Wedding | Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery

2010-03-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

Getting married at Case Real in Pleasanton is one of the most romantic moments, and lucky I was in part of the wedding for Diana & Brent's wedding. After weeks of rainy days, the sky cleared up for this lovely couple and it turned a perfect weather. The most important element for wedding pictures is the happy faces and I saw that on everyone all the time and it helped me to create perfect images. Congratulations to Diana and Brent again!

Please visit the wedding highlight slideshow for more images:
http://www.wphotography.com/dianabrentwedding

Here are the perfect vendors:
Venue: Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery
Makeup: Ann Ho from A-List Makeup
Florist: Nicole Ha Designs
DJ: Rob Mutzl from Amos Productions
Cake: Jen's Cake

Anita & Mike Engagement | San Francisco City Hall | San Francisco Library

2010-03-23T15:18:00.001-07:00

"Oh no, it's pouring outside again! Today is our engagement day!" Anita worried. "Don't worry! Let's have it done somewhere indoor, how about San Francisco City Hall?" I said. That was how we started the engagement session of Anita and Mike. On the weekday, you would find many new couples getting married in the City Hall, but there are some quiet spots in the building can be a perfect background for pictures. Anita also suggested to go to SF library for some shots, what a great idea! That was my first time shooting in library. We had to keep our tone down to avoid disturbing others, so I used my body language and showed them how to pose between the bookshelves, so hilarious!

Samala & Danny Wedding | InterContinental Hong Kong

2010-03-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

In 2009 Christmas, I traveled to Hong Kong and also shot Samala & Danny's wedding there. We started the day in the hotel for the getting ready pictures, then we went to Hong Kong University and also stayed in the hotel for the portrait session. We had good amount of time for the session, all the images turned out beautiful. And I'm so proud of one image received an Award of Excellence in WPPI, which is my first international award.

Pamela & Allen Engagement | Merchant Exchange Building | Ferry Building

2010-03-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

Pamela and I met at her best friend Jennifer's wedding two years ago and I was Jen's wedding photography. She started love my pictures and told me she would hire me once her boyfriend Allen propose to her. After the wedding, we kept in touch on Facebook and she always enjoy my images I posted. Two years later, she called me one day and told me she was engaged couple weeks ago and wanted to setup an appointment for wedding consultation. At the end of the meeting, she and Allen just asked for contract and we finished the booking on the spot. I'm so excited and looking forward to see Pamela and Allen with her wedding gown and his tuxedo, I promise their wedding pictures will go beyond their expectation! Let's rock it!

Mahsa & Pedro Wedding | Ritz Carlton San Francisco

2010-03-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

Mahsa and Pedro tied the knots at Ritz Carlton San Francisco and this is my first Persian ceremony wedding. In the Persian ceremony, there is a table setup called Sofreh-ye Aghd and it includes the following items (information from http://www.farsinet.com/persian_wedding/):

Mirror
Candelabras
A tray of seven multi-colored herbs and spices "Sini-ye Aatel-O-Baatel"
1. Poppy Seeds "Khash-Khaash" (to break spells and witchcraft)
2. Wild Rice "Berenj"
3. Angelica "Sabzi Khoshk"
4. Salt "Namak" (to blind the evil eye)
5. Nigella Seeds "Raziyaneh"
6. Black Tea "Chaay"
7. Frankincense "Kondor" (to burn the evil spirits)
A specially baked and decorated flatbread
A basket of decorated eggs and a basket of decorated almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts in the shell
A basket of pomegranates and/or apples for a joyous future.
A cup of rose water extracted from special Persian roses
A bowl made out of crystallized sugar
A brazier "Manghal" holding burning coals sprinkled with wild rue "Espand" a popular incense.
A bowl of gold coins
A scarf or shawl made out of silk or any other fine fabric
Two sugar cones
A cup of honey
A needle and seven strands of colored thread
A copy of the couple's Holy Book
A prayer carpet/kit
An assortment of sweets and pastries

Of coures, each items has its own meaning and blessing. At the end of the ceremony, the couple dip one pinky finger in the cup of honey and feed it to the other one to sweeten life and this is my favorite part of the ceremony. Congratulations to Mahsa and Pedro again and it was my pleasure to capture the unforgettable moments for them!

Venue: The Ritz Carlton, San Francisco
Cake: Just Cake
Makeup Stylist: FACE IT make-up by Kristin
Florist: Asiel Design
DJ: Denon & Doyle

Diana & Brent Engagement | Cliff House San Francisco

2010-03-11T14:54:00.001-08:00

Brent proposed to Diana at Cliff House last year, and they decided to go there again for the engagement session. This was my first time shooting at Cliff House, and I found out it was a very romantic area. I can't wait to see them with wedding gown and tuxedo in front of my camera, I believe it will be a fantasy wedding!

Stephanie Maternity

2010-02-18T17:27:00.000-08:00

Stephanie is seven months pregnant, and we had a maternity picture session at my home studio. We had fun and sexy photo session and thank Stephanie's hubby, Aaron, who helped me out during the session as my assistant.

Jenin & Rich Wedding | The Julia Morgan Ballroom, Merchants Exchange

2010-02-16T22:06:00.000-08:00

Jenin and Rich tied their knots at The Julia Morgan Ballroom at Merchants Exchange in San Francisco, where is one of my favorite wedding venue. Beautiful lights and decorations, warm blessing from the guests, and the happy faces from the wedding party made a perfect wedding. Congratulations to Jenin and Rich again!

Venue: The Julia Morgan Ballroom, Merchants Exchange
Cake: The Cakemaker
Makeup Stylist: Be Philavong
Florist: Carrie Chow
DJ: Aaron Yen & Jon Lee

Bambi Cantrell Workshop Day 2

2010-02-01T23:39:00.000-08:00

Images from second day of the workshop. Aren't they nice?

Bambi Cantrell Workshop Day 1

2010-01-31T23:48:00.001-08:00

I attended Bambi Cantrell's workshop in her Benicia studio today, awesome stuffs. Thumbs up! Here are few images I captured in the class. Two more days to go, more images will be posted!

Katie & Olumide Wedding | Grace Cathedral & Mark Hopkins

2010-01-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

Katie and Olumide made it official at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. They had an elegant wedding in Mark Hopkins where is one of my favorite wedding venues. I truly enjoyed Olumide's parents dressed in their Nigerian attire. My first bi-racial couple I have done. Very beautiful couple and an honor to be their photographer.

Grace & Mark Engagement | Hong Kong University

2010-01-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

My friend and her cousins gave Grace and Mark an engagement session as a wedding gift, and I was their photographer when I was in Hong Kong. We all spent a day in Hong Kong University where was one the famous locations for engagement session and wedding portrait. Congratulations to Grace and Mark, and I'm glad you love the images I captured for you.

Yolanda & Bruce Wedding | San Mateo History Museum

2010-01-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

Yolanda and I worked in the same company for several years and it was my pleasure to be her wedding photographer. Congratulations Yolanda and Bruce, nice wedding!

Judy & Chun Wedding | Hyatt Regency Sacramento

2010-01-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

This is my first wedding in the Sacramento area, Hyatt Regency in downtown.

Mahsa & Pedro Engagement | Downtown San Francisco

2009-12-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Last 2009 engagement session in San Francisco downtown. Thank Mahsa and Pedro dressed up nicely and well prepared for the session. I can't wait to see them in front of my camera again at their wedding in Feb 2010.

Mayumi & Zachary Wedding | Byington Vineyard & Winery

2009-12-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

Mayumi & Zachary tied the knot at Byington Vineyard where is a beautiful wedding venue in Saratoga. Both Mayumi and Zachary are quiet person, however the wedding was so eventful. The most unforgettable moment was the speech from them. Mayumi spoke in English which is not her first language, and Zachary spoke in Japanese which shocked every single guest. I hope they love the images I captured for them and can't wait to work on their wedding album.

Maddie Baby Portrait

2009-11-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

Gina was the bridesmaid of my clients couple years ago and she loved the images I captured in the wedding. She emailed me one day and asked me to take pictures for her 4 months old Maddie. Maddie was so adorable and she kept looking at my camera during the session. Pink is her favorite color (but I think it's Gina favorite color too), and that's why the pictures are so pinky!

Pheasant Hunting | Suisun Marsh Hunting Preserve in Fairfield

2009-11-23T01:34:00.000-08:00

I met Mark because I was interested in an advertisement spot at his car wash shop in Danville, and I ended up trading my photography service with him. He wants to take some pictures of his hunting dog in action. Hunting? Wow, I was so exciting because I've never hunt in the past. We started our hunting day in the very early morning and Mark drove me to the hunting field in Suisun city with his father Andy. Hunting is fun, to me, it's very similar to fishing, but you have to walk on the field a lot. They didn't shoot all the time because most of the time we had to wait for the dog to search for the pheasants on the field. We spent 3 hours on the field and we ended up with 3 pheasants, not bad at all. Mark gave me one pheasant and I cooked it with my own Chinese recipe, yummy (it tastes like free range chicken). Thanks to Mark gave me this opportunity and it was a fantastic experience.

Tuny & Bryan Engagement | Livermore Wineries

2009-11-13T13:15:00.000-08:00

This was the second time I shot engagement session in Livermore and it became one of my favorite locations. This cute couple Tuny and Bryan is getting married in August 2010, but they would like to have the engagement session done early because they want to use the images for the wedding planning. We went to several different wineries for the pictures, and I love the combination of the vineyard and sunset which created beautiful moments. I can't wait to see Tuny and Bryan again in front of my camera, of course with the wedding gown and tuxedo!

Aylang & Dave Wedding | Castlewood Country Club

2009-11-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

Castlewood Country Club is one of my favorite locations for wedding. The shaded lawn for outdoor ceremony, classic decoration for reception, variety locations for portrait session, and many other facilities to make perfection of the wedding. Moreover, Aylang and Dave also picked good vendors for the decorations which enhance all the details of the wedding. I specially love the purple pink theme color though out the wedding such as flowers, cake, dress of bridesmaid, and more, they were all mixed and matched perfectly. The color contrast created vibrant images. Congratulations to Aylang and Dave again and I'm looking forward to the wedding album.

Venue: Castlewood Country Club http://www.castlewoodcc.org/
Florist: Mints Design http://www.mintsdesign.com
Chairs: Especially Yours Chair Cover http://www.eychaircovers.com
Makeup Stylist: Tracey Yuen treiyuen@gmail.com
Wedding Coordinator: Norman Harm normanharm70@hotmail.com

Christine & Jacky Wedding | New Life Church

2009-11-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

Christine and Jacky tied the knot at New Life Church in Fremont. They like the modernness of this new church in Fremont and plus the location was convenience for their guests as well. In between the ceremony and the reception, we went to Stanford University for portrait session. This is the highlight of the wedding for Christine, she said taking pictures in Stanford is a MUST for her wedding. I hope she enjoy the images and congratulations again!

Yolanda & Bruce Engagement | Livermore Valley Wineries

2009-11-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

Yolanda and Bruce's wedding is coming at the end of November, before the weather is getting too cold, we enjoyed our day in Livermore valley wineries and had the engagement session there. Livermore valley wineries are much closer to the bay area where is perfect location for engagement session because we don't have to drive all the way to Napa valley. Wente and Conconnan are the two most famous wineries in the valley and they have nice buildings and vineyards for pictures. If you like your engagement pictures with grapes and barrels, Livermore valley wineries is one of my favorite locations in the bay area!

Baby & Family Portrait Holiday Special

2009-11-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

Devon Baby Portrait

2009-11-03T11:07:00.001-08:00

Sally and Halbert tied the knot in front on my camera in early 2008, today, I'm shooting their first new born adorable son Devon at their sweet home. Devon is so cute! I really like his spiky hair style, I thought Sally made the hair style of him for the photoshoot. But no, this hair style is nature born! Sally told me the hair was even longer and it was also standing straight, haha!! At the end of the session, Sally put the Mickey Mouse halloween costume on Devon. Too bad, he doesn't like it too much. "Hey, don't screw up my hair with this costume!!" Devon said.

Victoria Portrait

2009-10-26T10:40:00.001-07:00

Victoria is an adorable 5 year old kid, she is smart and knows how to pose in front of my camera. We started the session at the backyard of Victoria's home. Old backyard fence is always one of my favorite spots for children portrait because the texture of the fence and the happy faces from the children make phenomenal contrast. After few shots at the yard, we headed to the park near by and captured some candid shots while Victoria was playing. We all had a lovely morning portrait session and enjoyed the images turned out as well.

Caesaria & Alvin Engagement | Marin Headlands

2009-10-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Caesaria and Alvin, good friends of Amy from Amy's Wedding & Events, liked to take some engagement pictures for their wedding in Hong Kong. They only spent couple days in the bay area and thank you for sparing one day for this engagement session with me. Caesaria was well prepared for this photo shoot. She prepared the dress, shoes, and even the bouquet which was important to the session. Since they live in Hong Kong where is a big city, Caesaria would like to have somewhere unique and nature as the background for this photo shoot. I brought them to Marin Headlands where was another side of the Golden Gate Bridge during sunset. I really enjoyed this engagement session with this overseas couple, good luck to their wedding in Hong Kong and I hope they love the images.

Emily & Ralf Wedding | Testarossa Winery | Los Gatos

2009-10-08T16:32:00.001-07:00

Testarossa winery in Los Gatos is one of the famous wedding venues in the bay area. Fortunately, I had a chance to shoot Emily and Ralf's wedding in this beautiful venue. We started out day at Emily's house for getting ready pictures, then we went to downtown Los Gatos to captured some fun moments for the entire wedding party. Then we arrived Testarossa winery early for some romantic shots. Near sunset, ceremony started in the famous cave in the winery. Emily and Ralf also performed a very special first dance in front of us during the reception which was the highlight of the day. I also created an instant slideshow to show the same day wedding day pictures to the guests, I hope everyone enjoyed the party as I did. Congratulations again to Emily and Ralf!!!

Jenin & Rich Engagement | Marina District | Marin Headlands

2009-10-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

Jenin & Rich is getting married in the coming January and we went to Marin Headland for their engagement. That was my first time shooting engagement session at this location, we had to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and waited 5 minutes to pass the one way tunnel. Once we passed the tunnel, we saw old ranch buildings, land fields, and many other different spots for pictures. We were all excited and spent a hour there. Afterward, we headed back to downtown San Francisco and captured few images with the green balloons. Jenin & Rich loved the balloon idea for the engagement session and I hope they love how I captured the moments for them.

Betty & Kin Wedding | Crystal Springs Golf Course

2009-10-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Betty and Kin tied their knots over at Crystal Springs Course Golf in Burlingame, and it was a sunny day with almost 100 degree. When I prepared my equipments for this wedding shoot, I also packed sunblock, an golf umbrella, ice bag, water, and extra shirt along with my camera. I was worried about to use the umbrella during the group pictures session after the ceremony, but my worries were gone once I arrived to the location - because most of the guests were prepared their own umbrellas! Yay! Congratulations to Betty and Kin again!

Jolie & Tate Wedding | Pacific Oaks Vineyard Estate | Aptos

2009-09-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

My good friend Amy from Amy's Wedding & Events asked me to shoot some images of Julie and Tate's wedding for her portfolio, sure! This gorgeous wedding was held at Pacific Oaks Vineyard Estates in Santa Cruz and this was my first time shooting at this beautiful venue. Under Amy's well prepared planning of the event, everything ran smoothly. Jolie and Tate had no worry about anything and enjoyed their wedding. They just needed to yell "Amy, I have a question..." or "Amy, I want this and I want that..." Moreover, the owner of the estate was helpful and friendly, and she put my wedding highlight slideshow on the website as well! Here are several beautiful images just want to share with you.

Rosanna & Michael Engagement | Golden Gate Park | De Young Museum | Baker Beach

2009-09-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Rosanna and Michael are getting married in October 2010 and this was an early engagement session for them. We started the session in Golden Gate Park and wrapped up in baker beach. It was one of the hottest day in San Francisco in 2009 and the beach was packed of swimmers (90degree.) Although it was a hot day, the sea water still cold, poor Rosanna and Michael had to go in and out to the water for the images. I hope they enjoy the session as I do and love the images I captured for them.

Laurie & Paul Wedding | San Francisco Rincon Center | Yank Sing

2009-09-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Laurie and Paul's wedding was one of the special weddings of this year. First of all, the ceremony was held at Laurie's parents house in Hillsborough where was nicer than some of the ceremony sites I had been. Second, it was a partial green wedding. This couple is living in New York and they planned the whole wedding remotely with assistance from my best friend Beverly from Especially Yours Chair Covers. Planning a green wedding is difficult because most of the vendors needed to use recyclable material, plantable flowers, organic food... etc. Although this wedding was not a 100% green, but I really appreciate Laurie and Paul to try their best to save the earth and share this message to all the friends and families. Congratulations to Laurie and Paul again and hope they love the images I captured for them!

Chair Covers: Especially Yours Chair Covers
Florists: Poppy;s Petalworks
Reception: Yank Sing, San Francisco Rincon Center

Mayumi & Zachary Engagement | Japanese Tea Garden San Francisco

2009-09-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Japanese tea garden in San Francisco is one of the most popular locations for engagement session, Mayumi and Zachary also love this place because it matches their cultural background. In this session, I tried to shoot little differently and I mainly shot with my 50mm 1.2L lens to have more depth of field. I hope this couple will love the images I created for them!

Judy & Kerr Wedding | Marin Art & Garden Center, Ross

2009-09-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Judy and Kerr are living in the city, but they love to the sun on their wedding day. They decided to tie the knots in Marin Art & Garden Center in Ross. Ross is a little city north from San Francisco and the weather is always nice there. The wedding images turned out perfectly and you will see flowers and tree all over the pictures and this is exactly Judy loves to see. Congratulations to Judy and Kerr again!

Florist - Not Just Flowers
Officiant - Kathy Wilkerson
Cake - The Cakemaker
Musicians - San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Catering - Napkins Catering
Linen & Plates - Party Center

My New 17in MacBook Pro

2009-08-20T15:16:00.001-07:00

Mac? PC? Mac? PC? I ended up with a 17in MacBook Pro after many discussions with different friends. Mac won this battle because of its stylish design, crispy sharp vivid screen, reliable and fast performance, and the most important - I don't have to do Ctrl-Alt-Del everyday. I've been using this MacBook for a week and I feel I'm an computer idiot because I'm confused with the fn/control/alt/option/command keys... Command-C vs Ctrl-C, then what is the control key? What are the differences between control/option/alt....aaahhhhh!!! Although these keys are driving crazy, I still love my new MacBook!!!

Tyler Baby Portrait | Pier 39 San Francisco

2009-08-20T01:34:00.001-07:00

1 year old Tyler is an adorable baby, Blenda and Martin decided to have his baby portrait in Pier 39 because they loved the cityscape of San Francisco. As usual, Pier 39 was full of tourists from different countries and they loved to watch me shooting with my big lens. So, I decided to go the quiet side of the pier and all images turned out fabulous. We also snapped few shots on the carousel, Tyler was little scared in the beginning but he ended up with fun. I love to see Tyler in front of my camera again and I'm sure he will be running around in the next photo session.

Emily & Ralf Engagement | Stanford University | Palo Alto Downtown

2009-08-11T13:54:00.001-07:00

Emily and Ralf are well prepared to tie the knots at Testarossa Winery in a month. Before their big day, we went to Stanford University to practice their smiles during the engagement session. Ralf knew all the good spots in the campus and we headed to downtown Palo Alto for some causal "coffee shop" pictures. I enjoyed the morning with this couple and can't wait to see them again on the wedding day. Congratulations!

Michelle & Collin Wedding | Blackhawk Country Club

2009-08-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

Michelle and Collin tied their knots at Blackhawk Country Club, where is one of the famous wedding venues in the east bay. I shot this wedding with my best friend photographer Chung Li again and also worked with several vendor friends such as Beverly from Especially Yours Chair Covers and Laura from Poppy's Petalworks. I love the details of this wedding, from the chair covers to the flowers, and the cup cakes to the center pieces, they were unique and elegant.

Makeup artist : Starr House The Salon www.starrhouse.com
Chivari Chairs & Linens: Especially Yours Chair Covers www.eychaircovers.com
Florist : Poppy's Petalworks www.poppyspetalworks.com

Contreras Family Portrait

2009-07-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

Beverly and my wife Sam are colleagues in Safeway, and she asked me to shoot a family portrait for her sweet family in the past weekend. We decided to go to Blackhawk Plaza for the session. This was the first time I met with Beverly's entire family: Pat (hushand of Bev) and the three cute daughters and they are 16 years old Beatrice, 5 years old Brianna, and 10 months old baby Brielle. The photo session was so much fun and I had a good time with this sweet family. I hope they will love the images as I do!

Caroline & Marlon Wedding | Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

2009-07-21T16:03:00.001-07:00

Caroline & Marlon tied their knot at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in the past weekend. This was my the first time working at this church, it's located at a very convenience location in Oakland and we went to Piedmont community center for the picture session after the ceremony which only took us ten minutes to get there. Piedmont community center is a perfect location for picture session and you also can hold the wedding reception there as well. If you like garden and plants, this is a perfect location for your wedding. Congratulations to Caroline and Marlon again and thank you for the Grey Goose Vodka, love it!

Victoria & Scott Wedding | Villa Montalvo, Saratoga

2009-07-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

Couple weeks ago, I shot Victoria & Scott's wedding with my best friend Chung Li at Villa Montalvo, Saratoga. So far, it was the hottest day of this season, it went up to almost 100 degree there. We were melted under the sun, however, Chung and I enjoyed this wedding very much because Villa Montalvo is one of the most beautiful wedding venues in the bay area. I love the reception area the most, you would enjoy the party with the guests in front of the main building and facing to the beautiful view. I hope to shoot here again in the very near future.

Brandy & Chris Wedding | Nestledown Los Gatos

2009-07-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

This is the third time I shot a wedding with my best friend Chung Li in this season, we love shooting for each other because our style is similar and of course we love each others work. Brandy and Chris tied their knots in Nestledown Los Gatos, where is a one of the most famous private estate wedding venues in the bay area. I love the ceremony area of this venue where is located at the bottom the hillside, the bride needed to walk down from the stairs to the groom and it created a dramatic "welcoming the bride" moment. If you like to see more images of this wedding, visit my W Photography Facebook page. Enjoy!

Tyler Baby Portrait | Home Sweet Home

2009-06-30T15:30:00.001-07:00

Tyler is now 14 months old which is a perfect age for a baby portrait. Tyler is a smart boy, he can walk, speak few words to express himself, and search for my camera during the photo session. We started our session in a 100 degree morning at Lilia/Kerwin/Tyler house. At first, Tyler was little bite shy and scared of my camera. After playing few peek-a-boo and showing on the pictures on the camera, he started to play with me. Lilia and Kerwin is well decorated and every corner was a perfect spot for pictures. We also stopped by the park near the house to capture the active side of Tyler. I really enjoyed shooting with Tyler and the family and I hope to see them again in the near future! If you want to check out more images of Tyler, please visit W Photography fan page on Facebook.

Nicholas Studio Session

2009-06-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

It's time to share some studio pictures with you all again and this time my baby, Nicholas, is the subject! He is now almost 18 months and has too much energy! He just won't sit still in front of the camera! He loves to perform and has so many different expressions for me to capture! It's fun for him and even more fun for me! For all the parents out there, kids grow too fast, take as many pictures as possible!

Christine & Jacky Engagement | Sausalito Downtown

2009-06-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I drove up to Sausalito for Christine and Jacky's engagement session. It was beautiful day but little windy near the bay. Sausalito is one of famous visitor locations, and you will see tourists over over the place. The session wasn't easy because the crowd and the wind, we spent almost two hours there and I captured many images in many different locations. I highly recommend this locations for my future clients, but we may have to do it on the weekdays instead.

Monalisa & Jason Wedding | St. Mary's College Church | The Bridges Golf Club

2009-06-10T14:52:00.001-07:00

Monalisa & Jason tied the knot at St. Mary's College Church and had the reception held at The Bridges Golf Club in San Ramon (Yeah, only few blocks away from my house!). Monalisa planned her wedding with Tiffany blue color, which is my top favorite color for wedding. Bridesmaid dresses, groomsmen ties and vests, wedding cake, chair covers, wedding favors, invitation cards are all having the same color, every details stand out from my images. Monalisa and Jason like the waterfall near by the golf club and of course the famous Bridges tunnel, we spent also 2 hours for both locations and we all had fun time! Congratulations!

Ceremony: St. Mary's College Church
Reception: The Bridges Golf Club
Videography: Lumitone
Wedding Coordinator: Leilani Alfaro from For All Occasions
Florists: The Flower Shop
DJ: Reignforest Collective (Cedric Nodado + Noel Bacani)
Emcee - Franco Finn
Lighting - Northern Lights
Makeup Stylist: Sharelle Manansala

Virginia & Loi Destination Wedding | Edgewood Tahoe

2009-06-02T14:35:00.001-07:00

Virginia is living in New Jersey and Loi is from Bay Area, they decided to end the long distance relationship and tied their knot in Edgewood Golf Course where is super nice wedding venue sitting right next to the Lake Tahoe. The wedding day was on Friday and most of the guests arrived on Thursday night to prepare for the party. Similarly, my assistance and I arrived in the Thursday evening. After the delicious buffet and several blackjack games (we lose...), we slept early to save up energy for the big day. Planning a destination wedding is always tough, but Virginia and Loi did a good job. All details of the wedding were planned perfectly and all vendors did a fabulous job. I really enjoy the image I took in this wedding and I hope Virginia and Loi will be amazed when they see this pictures during the honeymoon!

Ceremony & Reception: Edgewood Tahoe
Hotel: Harveys Lake Tahoe
Photography: Ricky Wong from W Photography
Videogrpahy: MvideoM Productions
Makeup Stylist: LuLu Hair Design
Florist: Rose Petals
DJ: Barry Lai Design

Betty & Sam Wedding | San Francisco

2009-05-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

Betty & Sam had a very simple wedding, there was no wedding ceremony but all the guests and the wedding party had fun. It was a traditional Chinese wedding, we began our day with the traditional tea ceremony with both families. Then we headed to downtown San Francisco for the picture session. Betty likes structural buildings and Sam likes garden, so we decided to go to the old stock exchange building as the first location and Yerba Buena gardens afterward. We also took a lot of pictures of Sam's father's old Mustang, this antique automobile made the pictures classic and elegant, I love it!

New promotional postcard

2009-05-19T11:54:00.001-07:00

I spent few hours to design this new promotional postcard, it was tough to select the pictures because I want to express both romance the detail of the wedding. This postcard has been printed and you will see them in some wedding venues around the bay area.

Michelle & Craig Wedding | Hakone Gardens, Saratoga

2009-05-12T11:34:00.001-07:00

Couple weeks ago, I shot a Japanese style wedding in Saratoga Hakone Garden with my photographer buddy Chung Li. Both ceremony and reception were held in the garden where was well decorated with all Japanese style settings. I always like to shoot in Hakone Garden because of the color of the plants and the style of the buildings. Here are few images I like to share with you, enjoy!

The most funniest testimonial I ever had!

2009-05-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

I just received the most funniest testimonial from my client, Emily and Nathan, on Project Wedding. Emily & Nathan got married in Sir Francis Drake hotel couple weeks ago and we all enjoyed the party and had good time. Thanks Emily, you made me laugh!!!

RICKY WONG WAS AWESOME!!!! I am soo happy we contracted with him!! His talent and quick turnaround for the day of highlight slideshow impressed us, our parents and all of our guests!! In addition to his great talent, we are truly grateful for his utmost diligence, hardwork, persistence and creativity in all of the wedding shots.. he worked non-stop for 8 hours straight on our wedding day.. and ensured he did not miss a breath the bride breathed!!!! I HIGHLY recommend RICKY WONG for all weddings... YOU will regret it if you dont.... W PHOTOGRAPHY ROCKS!!!!!! Cant wait to see the final deliverables.... check out wphotography.com Ricky's blog spot is soo much fun too... we and our parents often check back to his website just to see his most current work and see what projects he is up to..... BOTTOM LINE.. WE LOVE RICKY WONG!!!!!! WE WANT TO BE RICKY WONG!!! THANK YOU RICKY WONG!! WE are naming our first child RICKY!!

Judy & Kerr Engagement Session | Downtown San Francisco

2009-05-01T15:29:00.001-07:00

Judy and Kerr are getting married in Marin Art & Garden Center at Ross in the coming August. Judy wants to have different style for the engagement pictures, so I suggested cityscape of downtown San Francisco. We drove to the less busy side of the downtown, walked around the blocks and took pictures in the small streets. At the beginning, both Judy and Kerr were little nervous and stiff, but they were relaxed after few kisses. Good jobs guys, keep it up until the wedding day.

My first Lomography Camera

2009-04-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here is first Lomography camera, I received it as my birthday gift and I LOVE IT! I was so busy in the past few weeks and didn't have a chance to play around with it until today. I definitely will take some pictures of Nicholas with this camera and will share them with you all. Oh, film photography, this means I have to scan them to put on Facebook? Where is my scanner?

Emily & Nathan Wedding | Sir Francis Drake Hotel

2009-04-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Emily and Nathan tied the knot at Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco, this is one of my favorite hotels, Sam and I were checking it out when we planned our wedding 5 years ago. Although we didn't get married in this hotel, I'm so happy to revisit this hotel as a photographer. The decoration of the lobby and ballroom are very classic and elegant, in contrast the hotel rooms were very trendy and contemporary. These mix atmosphere brought variety styles to my images. For the picture session, we went over to Union Square because Emily and Nathan like cityscape wedding pictures. I love how the images turned out, the sunny blue sky mixed with different colors of city buildings which are the perfect combination. Emily and Nathan are now enjoying their honeymoon in Greece, and I hope they will have internet connection there to check out the pictures.

Emily & Nathan Wedding Teaser

2009-04-13T14:47:00.001-07:00

FULL - W Workshop | Introduction to Digital Photography

2009-04-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

My first workshop is sold out, thank you for your support. If you would like to receive more information of the future workshops, please contact me at ricky@wphotography.com.

Betty & Sam Engagement | Golden Gate Park De Young Museum

2009-04-07T15:44:00.001-07:00

Betty and Sam's wedding is coming up in May and it's time to have the engagement pictures done. Betty decided to take pictures in Golden Gate Park near the De Young Museum because she loves the pictures with contemporary structure buildings. I really enjoyed the session with this lovely couple and can't wait to capture their wedding in May.

Tiffany & Jeremy Wedding | Robert Livermore Community Center

2009-04-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

Tiffany & Jeremy married at Robert Livermore Community Center. The wedding day schedule had some last minute changes because Jeremy didn't arrive to the bay area from Tennessee until afternoon of the wedding day. Whew... that was close!! Although the time line got changed, Tiffany was still relax and enjoyed every moments in the whole morning until the ceremony started. Jeremy showed up in his crisp military uniform at the ceremony . And he was pleasantly surprised by Tiffany in her amazingly beautiful wedding gown. Jeremy had to fly back to Tennessee two days after the wedding. I hope they enjoy their short honeymoon weekend as newlyweds.

Wedding Invitation Card

2009-03-31T16:10:00.001-07:00

Rachel and Roland got married last year and they're now working hard on picking pictures for their beautiful handcrafted wedding album. However, we missed the pictures of their invitation card on the wedding day. Rachel mailed me their card and and took pictures with it. I hope they like these pictures and will use some of them in their album selection.

W Workshop | Introduction to Digital Photography

2009-03-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here is my first W Workshop of Introduction to Digital Photography, I'm going to share the basic knowledge and technique of digital Photography with you to become a better photographer. This workshop will be held in my home studio in San Ramon on April 19, 2009 from 10:30am to 5:30pm. Lunch will be included and of course Live model shoot.

Here are the topics we will cover in this workshop:
- DSLR introduction
- How to operate my DSLR?
- Usage of different camera mode (P/AV/TV/M)
- Usage of ISO
- Basic lighting technique
- Basic framing technique
- On Location Live Model Shoot
- Basic of post processing (Photoshop + Lightroom)

Sign Up - Please send an email to info@wphotography.com with the following information:
Name/Phone Number/Email Address/Camera model

Hope to see you in my workshop.

Margaret & Schulmynn Wedding | Old First Presbyterian Church San Francisco

2009-03-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

I shot Margaret & Schulmynn's engagement session couple months ago and couldn't wait to see them with wedding gown and tux in front of my camera. Margaret always put smile on her face and Schu is the one like to make people laugh, totally match couple. They decided to tied the knot at Old First Presbyterian Church San Francisco, and we had the picture session in the heart of downtown before the ceremony. We took some pictures on the cable car and the drivers were very nice to us, they watched the incoming traffic for us for our safety and also hold up the passensgers. We also found a nice texture wall as the background next to the bank, the texture standed out on the images after I incresed the contrast, I luv it! Shooting wedding pictures in downtown is always fun, cityscape with classic wedding gown made perfect contrast on the images.

Nice makeup by Chrintine's airbrush makeup

Mark Hopkins San Francisco Photo Shoot

2009-03-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Mark Hopkins San Francisco, located on the top of Nob Hill, one of the famous 5 stars hotels in San Francisco. Also, they are the "wedding factory" because they did about 25 weddings last year and the number is growing. Besides the grand ballroom, Mark Hopkins also has many other spaces where are perfect for smaller weddings.The purpose of this project is to capture all the transformed these rooms into elegant wedding venues and the hotel can show the images to the potential brides. Here are the rooms of this project:

The Florentine Room (Rehersal Dinner)
The California Room (Ceremony)
Six Continents (Reception)
Top of the Mark (Perfect for Proposing, Rehearsal Dinner, Ceremony, Reception)

I love Top of the Mark the most, it's located on the 15th floor of the building, 360 degree landscape of San Francisco, it was so amazing! If you've never been there, visit their Sunday brunch and I'm sure you will love it. Thanks for the hard work from all the vendors, their works are outstanding and made my images beautiful, I can't wait to work with them again!

Location: Mark Hopkins San Francisco
Wedding Coordinator: A Bride's Best Friend
Lighting: Enhanced Lighting and Sound
Flower Arrangement & Decor: Amy Burke Designs
Flower Arrangement & Decor: Floramor Studios
Chairs & Chair Covers: Especially Yours Chair Covers

The Florentine Room (Rehersal Dinner)

Chivari chairs by Especially Yours Chair Covers

The California Room (Ceremony)

Draping & Lighting by Enhanced Lighting and Sound

Chair Covers by Especially Yours Chair Covers

Six Continents (Reception)

Draping & Lighting by Enhanced Lighting and Sound

Top of the Mark (Perfect for Proposing, Rehearsal Dinner, Ceremony, Reception)

Views from Top of the Mark

Mark Hopkins San Francisco Photo Shoot Teaser

2009-03-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

Kristi & Alex Wedding | Saint Mark's Episcopal Church | Pacific Athletic Club

2009-03-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

Kristi and Alex tied the knot in Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, a nice elegant church sitting near downtown Menlo Park. After the ceremony, we had the picture session taken just outside of the church because the little garden was beautiful. I enjoyed the session with this newly wed because they had good facial expression and also knew how to show love in front of my cameras. Kristi and Alex met each other at their friends' wedding reception couple years ago, so they decide to hold their reception at the same place - Pacific Athletic Club in Redwood City to make it more special. I love to shoot at this venue because Sam and I got married there as well. Lovely wedding, Lovely couple, Congratulations!

Kristi & Alex Wedding Teaser

2009-03-09T15:25:00.001-07:00

Photoshop Filters

2009-03-06T12:16:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, I don't like heavy photoshop images, simplest is always the best to me. However, sometimes I'd like to play around some filters in Photoshop just for fun, and here are some example. What do you think? Which one you like the best?

Before Antique Filter -

After Antique Filter -

Before Glow Filter -

After Glow Filter -

Before Special B&W Filter -

After Special B&W Filter -

Nicholas First Snow Trip

2009-03-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

Sam and I bought Nicholas to his first snow trip couple weeks ago, we drove up to Sierra because it was little closer than other resorts. At the beginning, Nicholas was scared to touch or walk on the snow, maybe he never touched anything like that cold and walk on slippy surface. Well, this was his first snow experience, and I hope he will get better next time and become my snowboard parnter later! Here are few shots would like share, enjoy!

How to Choose—and Get the Most Out of—Your Wedding Photographer

2009-02-24T23:58:00.001-08:00

I found this article on the WETV about hiring wedding photographer. I agree with this article especially in the "During the wedding" session, "The wedding is your day, so relax, enjoy it,relax and enjoy it...", "Also, try not to pose for the photographer; this will create a less natural look for your photos and your memories won't be captured as they really were." This is exactly what I want my clients to do on their wedding day!

Here is the link of the article, enjoy!

http://www.wetv.com/relationships/how-to-choose-your-wedding-photographer.html

WPPI 2009

2009-02-13T16:37:00.000-08:00

WPPI is coming in couple days, I have packed my suitcases and ready heading to Las Vegas! WPPI is the heaven for all the wedding photographers, contest, exhibition, classes, parties, and more. This is my fifth year going to WPPI and I'm still excited to go there. Everything I will bring new vendors to my studio and I can't wait to find out what's new for the year. I also have my shopping list ready because the show price usually is a bargin. Of course, party party parties, I hope I don't get too drunk this year! Viva Las Vegas, here I come!

Virginia & Loi Engagement | South Lake Tahoe

2009-02-02T23:32:00.001-08:00

Virginia and Loi decided to tie the knot in Edgewood Country Club in South Lake Tahoe in coming May. Since both of them are expert snowboarders, we decided to have their engagement session in South Lake Tahoe as well. We arrived there on last Thursday, stayed one night and shooting was on Friday morning. We all were little disappointed because we expected a lot of snow in Janunary and gosh... it almost hit 50C degree during the session, and there was very little snow around the area. However, the blue Lake Tahoe and the snow top mountains composed nice and romantic background for us. After the shooting at the pier and on the beach of the lake, we drove up the hill and finally found some snow. In order to make the pictures more "freezing", Virginia and Loi changed to wool jackets, scrafs, and leather clothes. We ended our session on the pure white snow, and we all had a unforgetable day. South Lake Tahoe, we will see you in May at Virginia and Loi's wedding.

Blue Lake Tahoe -

Clear water -

Are you cold? -

They had fun with the snow -

I was sweating with my snow jacket -

Nicole D'Ambra Wedding Consulting

2009-01-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

I met Nicole in Studio MSV's party two years ago and we didn't have a chance to meet each other until yesterday. Nicole is the owner of Nicole D'Ambra Wedding Consulting, one of the top wedding consulting companies in the Bay Area. During our lunch meeting, we talked about business and also shared funny wedding stories to each other, she made me lol! Nicole's service covers the whole Bay Area, Napa/Sonoma area, and also southern california. Her customers always give her 100% satification, so her bookings filled up quickly, if you want a fantastic wedding or you're looking for wedding consulting service, you better contact Nicole once you finsih reading my blog!

Sorry Nicole, the picture didn't turn out well with my point & shoot! -