“baby i love your way”
Kayla’s mom, Alana and I went to school together at UCLA waaaay back in the day and now she has a cute, lil’ family of her own 
. It’s nice to see your friends find such happiness and love in their lives . According to her mother, Kayla is destined to be a future Bruin (duh of course) and also Miss Vietnam 2028. And after having this fab photoshoot with lil’ miss Kayla, I am convinced that is very likely to happen .
“good life”
In keeping up with blogging more this year, I thought I’d keep all of y’all updated with lil’ tibits of lil’ me and my lil’ life . If you know me, you know I love to EAT. Combine good food with good friends and that’s my idea of a perfect night. A couple of friends with very talented culinary skills came over this past weekend and treated us to a truly gourmet dinner. I felt so blessed and stuffed that night . Yes life is pretty darn good.
Hmmmm….after working on this blog, I am suddenly hungry. I just ate 2 hours ago…sigh.
“what a wonderful world”
I know, I’ve been a bad blogger lately. There goes 2010 resolution #8,998. But, have no fear, the holiday food coma has worn off, all the suitcases have been unpacked, the skies are sunny again and life for KLP seems to finally be back to some kind of order, well at least the KLP kind.
Sadly this is the last of my photo posts from my amazing trip to Vietnam last December. I can’t believe it’s been a month since I returned. *Sigh*. I would definitely go again in a heartbeat.
The final part of my Vietnam trip included a visit to Vietnam’s central region where my friend Neha and I visited the central cities of Hue and Hoi An. We then traveled south and met up with my sister and her husband in the beautiful beach city of Nha Trang. I love how Vietnam has so many different regions, each unique in their own way. If you asked me which is my favorite city in Vietnam, I don’t think I would not be able to answer your question! You should just go visit them all .
I have received a lot of positive feedback on my photos from
Part 1 and
Part 2. I feel fortunate that I can share with everyone my wonderful experiences . Please keep in mind that if you are planning a big trip and want to spend less time taking pics, but want some pretty good pics at the same time, I am available and happy to take that load off for you . I am so lil’ you won’t even notice I’m there . In addition to my photography skills, I would also bring some of my other travel expertise to the table such as reading maps, finding good eats, updating my facebook status and working on my tan. Things I’m not quite as good at: saving your life in the ocean or other bodies of water, putting your luggage in the overhead compartment, making normal faces in jumping shots and not being tempted to eat everything I can.
Ok on with the photos!
Here are some pictures from the central city of Hue. Hue use to be an Imperial City so there were a lot of interesting sights to see. We got pretty lucky on our trip – it only rained 2 out of the 18 days on our trip. The only 2 days happen to be in Hue and Hoi An. Unfortunately though that meant I wasn’t able to take as many photos during these 2 days.
Amazing, isn’t it?!
Um no my camera was not upside down.
After Hue, we took a bus, yes a bus on a 4 hour trek to Hoi An. We got a little scared when the bus driver parked in the middle of the road, got out and started banging on the wheels. At that point, I wondered if I could make a living as a wedding photographer in Central Vietnam. When we finally got to Hoi An though, I was delighted by the charming streets of Hoi An and all of the shopping and tailor shops that made Hoi An so unique.
After two rainy days, we were ready to leave and then took a flight to the beach city of Nha Trang. I took a total of 9 flights during my entire Vietnam-Cambodia trip. Some of them were about an hour long so they weren’t too bad. We saved Nha Trang for the end of our trip so we could wind down and just do nothing (I’m very good at that by the way) . We also decided to splurge and stay at the
Evason Ana Mandera Resort & Spa in Nha Trang. It was super luxurious and private. We loved it and probably could have spent the entire 18 days here, doing nothing . Sigh…just looking at these pics makes me want to take another vacation soon.
Our beach bungalow:
This is where I spent 90% of the 3 days in Nha Trang. The other 10% was spent at the spa .
It was a little cloudy while we were in Nha Trang (the best time to go is during the summer months), but I did not mind waking up to this everyday:
You know no KLP beach vacation would not be complete without a leg shot:
If you are thinking the words “must be nice” in your head, it was .
And of course we had to do a final jumping shot on our vaca. Neha is gonna kill me for posting this one, but what are friends for?! It’s actually my fault, I jumped early of course .
A sorta normal one? Well at least Neha looks normal. My Michael Jordan impression didn’t work so well. And there’s that hat from Cambodia…
The other side of our resort…which we didn’t really venture to. It was hard to leave our beach chair when they are serving you fresh fruit and yogurt .
No that is not the Hollywood sign in the distance. It is Vin Pearl Resort. I contemplated photoshopping the sign out of this photo.
Yes silliness runs in the Phams:
My brother-in-law Chris aka the Birdman. He’s gonna kill me for posting this hahaha. He learned well from KLP – anything to get the shot!!!
And that is all folks. Don’t be sad. I have a lot of more exciting trips planned for this year and I’ll be sure to share them all!
“just like a star”
I think it’s only fitting that I post Luci & Ernesto’s lovely winter wedding this week. It has been raining up a storm in Los Angeles lately, and the only other time it rained here in the past several months was on Luci & Ernesto’s big day. Despite the rain, Luci & Ernesto were all smiles on their wedding day and clearly did not need the rain to bring them any good luck . These two are so charming and perfect for one another and besides, they are both fellow Bruins! This was my first wedding with rainy conditions and I have a new, profound respect for photographers not from sunny Southern California. Rain or shine, the show must go on and so beautifully it did . Congrats to my favorite Bruin couple: Luci & Ernesto! Can I get an 8-clap for the newlyweds?!
A special gift Luci got for her man:
Such gorgeous details on Luci’s gown:
I heart purple shoes.
And I just heart getting ready shots. Don’t forget to schedule photography time for this ladies!
Classic cars are cool.
The church ceremony was held at the lovely St. Peter & Paul Church:
It’s all about the details, right?!
In search of dry areas, we ventured to nearby Pomona College for some great shots. I just adored Luci’s purple bouquet by Wisteria Grove!
The complete wedding party all decked out:
Of course I made them go outside and of course with the UCLA umbrella-ella, ella, eh, eh, eh
And while the ladies wanted to stay dry (I don’t blame them), the fellas were a little more adventurous:
Please note that while my couple is in the rain, so am I! And David…who is not only good at holding my bags, but also my umbrella . I kid, I kid.
Off to the reception at the lovely Doubletree Hotel in Claremont.
A loving moment between Luci & her father:
And Luci & her husband :
Some more reception favorites:
Special thanks to Luci & Ernesto’s fabulous vendors:
Second shooter: David Do
Church: St. Peter & St. Paul Church – Alta Loma
Venue:
Doubletree Hotel Claremont
Wedding Planner:
Lux Event Planning (Sylvia Srisinthorn)
Cake:
Cucamonga Cakery
Florist:
Wisteria Grove
DJ:
After Dark Entertainment
Invitations:
Emily K Paperie
Mariachi: Mariachi Gorriones de Sonora
Videographer: Henry Casas
Remember to CHECK OUT LUCI & ERNESTO’S WEDDING SLIDESHOW by clicking HERE!!!!
“sweet dreams”
I just love photographing lil’ ones, especially when mommy and daddy decide to pick out the most adorable lil’ outfits like this for their lil’ one. Meet baby Isabella at 3 months
Yes I love baby feet.
I’m sorry Isabella – your mommy & daddy made me do this. You’ll thank me in 30 years.
And at this point, it’s almost a wrap…
Must.be.nice.
“all the right moves”
W-O-W. What a way to start off the new year!!!! Words cannot express how ecstatic I am right now. When Serendipity Magazine contacted a few months ago and told me they wanted to feature Jennifer & Charlie’s Rancho Las Lomas wedding, I was beside myself, but nothing could prepare me for seeing it in print for the first time! Serendipity Magazine is the premier Asian wedding magazine for the Southern California bride. It is a great local resource for wedding ideas, services and products that will be beneficial to brides and grooms. When the Winter 2010 issue arrived yesterday, I felt nervous and excited at the same time. It’s like seeing your baby for the first time, ok not really but you get what I mean. I did my happy dance around the house (no one was home but the doggies) and had the biggest smile, braces and all on my face. I screamed a little and I think I scared the doggies. I opened the magazine to pages 70-71 (bookmark that) and it was like TA-DA!!!! I danced around some more and then like the dorky photographer I am, started taking photos of the photos.
I finally calmed down a little, sat there staring at the magazine and smiled quietly inside. It is truly amazing to do something that means so much to you and be recognized for all your hard work and passion. I am truly so blessed and thankful. I know my dad is smiling down at me right now and dedicate all of my hard work to him and my wonderful mother.
Thank you Jennifer & Charlie and Serendipity Magazine!
“look of love”
I had an amazing time with Virginia & Sinh as we hit up some of Los Angeles’ most picturesque spots. Little did we know that we had picked to have our shoot the same day as this year’s winter solstice. What is a winter solstice you ask? Well, a winter solstice occurs exactly when the earth’s axial tilt is farthest away from the sun. And yes I looked up that definition on
wikipedia. It marks the first day of winter and occurs on the shortest day with the longest night. And yes I looked that up too. The sky was incredible that evening and we could not have picked a more perfect day to visit the
Griffith Observatory. Besides the breathtaking scenery, there is one particular moment that I remember so vividly from our shoot. As we stood on top of the Observatory, in awe of the gorgeous, amber sky, Virginia turned to Sinh and said in the cutest way possible, “is this what love looks like?” This made me smile. After spending just a few hours with them, I wanted to turn the camera around, show them what I had captured behind the lens and say “no guys, this is what love looks like”. So folks, please enjoy a little peek into what Virginia & Sinh’s love looks like:
We started off at one of my favorite areas of Los Angeles, Old Town Pasadena:
Virginia’s smile is the reason I got braces. Just look at her perfect teeth!
Red walls.are.the.best.
Did I mention that I LOVE my clients?! They are so cute. They come up with their own cute lil’ poses that are meaningful to them.
Virginia & Sinh totally have that casual, cool look down.
Next we moved on to one of my other favorite spots in Los Angeles – the incredible Griffith Observatory. Virginia & Sinh both play musical instruments (and both are convinced they inspired the other:)) so Virginia brought along her ukulele and Sinh brought along his guitar for our shoot. Aren’t they SO cute?!
I don’t know what’s hotter – the sky or these two:
I love my clients part 2. While I was up top shooting down on them, they decided to get super cute and playful for me .
And yes I saved the best for last:
I can’t wait for their wedding in June!
“when i see you smile”
More happiness on the way!
“fireflies”
What a better way to start off the week than with another beautiful boudoir?! Waking you up on this HOT Monday is the stunning Miss Foxy. She is Miss Foxy for obvious reasons, but also because she reminds me a lil’ of another hottie by the name of Megan Fox with her gorgeous brunette hair and piercing green eyes. Miss Foxy was definitely no diva though and like all of my clients, such as pleasure to work with.
Special thanks to one of my favorite makeup & hair artists, Miss Angelina from the All Made Up Team for helping make Miss Foxy super foxy. It’s always so wonderful working with the All Made Up Team!
