Wow what a FUN, FUN, FUN night! Just a few hours ago, Nancy and I threw Ace (the real love of her life :P) his first birthday party. We invited a few friends who also have their own dog(s). All the little ones were so adorable and got along with each other so well! We played a few dog games and had treats for them all, including a birthday cake for the birthday boy Ace!

Thanks to those that attended: Trini, Gary, and their dogs Bella and Rocky; Jenny, Joe, and their dogs Moochi (sp?) and Cotton; Sharlene, John, and their dog Bailey; as well as a few other friends who made it but without a four-legged friend: Will, Mark, Stephanie, Morgan, and even our parents!

Check these video clips of Ace and the gang having a good time. Warning, there might be a lot of awwwing and more awwwing after seeing these ooberly cute friends!

Ace's 1st Birthday Party - Part 1 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

Ace's 1st Birthday Party - Part 2 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

Hey gang, the biggest event of the year for wedding and portrait photographers, WPPI, is next week...woohoo! I'm really looking forward to the various shoots, classes, trade show, but most of all, I can't wait to see some of you again and meet some new friends :).

Below is my (tentative) schedule for WPPI. I'll be there from Wednesday, March 3rd until (most likely) Tuesday, March 10th. If you'd like to meet up and hang out, or just need to reach me, please try any of the following:

Phone/text: 626-664-6735

E-mail: henrychenphotography[at]gmail[dot]com

Twitter: @henrychen

Wednesday, 3/3:

4:00PM: Arrive in Vegas and check into hotel.

5:00PM+: Free for the evening, anyone want to grab dinner or hang out? Is there anything happening this night?

Thursday, 3/4:

3:00PM-9:00PM: Trash The Dress Workshop/Photoshoot.

9:00PM+: Free for the evening, anyone want to grab dinner or hang out? Is there anything happening this night?

Friday, 3/5:

11:00AM-4:00PM: Hotel/restaurant product shoot with Nancy.

5:00-7:00PM: Anyone want to grab an early dinner?

7:00PM-9:00PM: (Business Institute) Mitche Graf and Sandy Puc'.

9:00PM+: Free for the evening, anyone want to grab dinner or hang out? Is there anything happening this night?

Saturday, 3/6:

8:00AM-9:30AM: (Business Institute) Jennifer Gilman.

10:00AM-11:30AM: (Business Institute) Matt Hill.

1:30PM-3:00PM: (Business Institute) Michael Warshall.

3:30PM-5:00PM: (Business Institute) Michael Costa.

5:30PM-7:00PM: (Business Institute) Team Panel Discussion.

7:00PM+: Free for the evening, anyone want to grab dinner or hang out? Is there anything happening this night?

Sunday, 3/7:

12:00PM-2:00PM: (Platform) Joe Photo.

2:30PM-4:30PM: (Platform) Doug Gordon.

6:00PM-7:00PM: Keynote - Gregory Heisler.

7:30PM-9:00PM: Welcome Reception.

8:00-10:00PM: Finao Party.

Monday, 3/8:

8:00AM-10:00AM: (Platform) Jerry Ghionis.

8:00AM-10:00AM: (Platform) Jesh de Rox.

10:00AM-3:30PM: Trade show; will be around the West Coast Albums booth, stop by!

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) John Mireles.

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) Cliff Mautner.

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) Jim Garner.

6:30PM-8:30PM: (Platform) Kevin Kubota.

6:30PM-8:30PM: (Platform) Jasmine Star.

8:00-10:00PM: Pool Party.

Tuesday, 3/9:

8:00AM-10:00AM: (Platform) John Michael Cooper.

10:00AM-3:30PM: Trade show; will be around the West Coast Albums booth, stop by!

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) Dane Sanders.

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) Yervant Zanazanian.

5:30PM+: Back to Los Angeles.

All of these things, except the workshop I'm hosting, are subject to change (in case any last minute hang outs come up or I'm just dead tired :P). I'll have most of my camera gear with me, so if there's other shoots taking place, please let me know :). And I'm always up for picking each other's brain so if you just want to talk photography, business, etc. let me know too. Once again, here's my contact info:

Phone/text: 626-664-6735

E-mail: henrychenphotography[at]gmail[dot]com

Twitter: @henrychen

Ivis + Mike's Engagement Session - Just when you think things have cooled off, especially with the recent gloomy weather in Long Beach, the ever-so awesome Ivis and Mike come along and heat everything up again. These two met on a double decker red bus (wink wink to some of the photos below) a few years ago; one is from a small town up North and the other grew up in the city down here. Together Ivis and Mike make one perfect pair. One thing that isn't a secret...they loooove to have a good time together, especially when it involves a few drinks and lots of smooching ;).

It's not just their ooberly sweet attire (brownie points again!) and dashing/beautiful looks that I admire, but it's also how they look at one another and just how much fun it has been knowing them. And who do I have to thank? The one and only Trini Randazzo of NOZZA Studio, pretty much the mastermind behind Henry Chen Photography ;). Ivis is a childhood friend of Trini, and when she got engaged, it didn't take long for Trini to start helping her plan the big day.

I'm REALLY looking forward to their vintage-style wedding out in Redlands on 4/2. Here's a few of my favs hanging out with Ivis and Mike on The Queen Mary and at The Sky Room down the block, gotta love Downtown Long Beach! Special thanks to Jared Crawford for assisting/shadowing me on Sunday and the folks at The Sky Room for being so awesome and letting us shoot at their pad.

Vy + Linh's Wedding: 12/20/2010 - Seems like it was just the other day I met Vy and Linh and did their e-session (oh wait, it was!). But in the last month, I've quickly gotten to know them and am now proud and honored to have photographed their wedding this past Saturday. Kudos to William Kim and Anna Lam for helping me out :).

The day was filled with non-stop fun and excitment. We had a traditional tea ceremony at Vy's house, followed by a Catholic ceremony at Holy Spirit, some portrait time nearby at Mile High Park, and finally, the oh-so grand reception at Mon Cheri. It may have seemed a bit overwhelming, being a 13+ hour day and nearly 600 guests at the reception, but Vy and Linh smiled, laughed, and enjoyed the company of their loved ones every second of the way.

I want to give major, major thumbs up to Fayth and her team at Three Petals for completely transforming the banquet hall at Mon Cheri into an AMAZING reception room (over 50 tables I think). The place looked stunning, you guys are wicked good! And of course, a big thank you to Fayth, who was also the maid of honor, for introducing me to Vy and Linh :).

Sanaz + Arash's Engagement Session - What started as a hello at a party quickly turned into destined love. Just celebrating their two-year anniversary earlier this month, Sanaz and Arash wanted to have their e-session in beautiful Santa Barbara. On Friday, Nancy and I trekked out to the botanical garden, beaches, and downtown streets of SB to hang out with Sanaz and Arash.

As we drove home, Nancy mentioned how she noticed that extra special way S + A looked at each other. It's the little twinkle in his eyes and the certain smile she gives that makes their love that much more meaningful. Once again, I'm giving brownie points to Sanaz and Arash for dressing up a bit and picking out a different outfit for each place :).

Their wedding is in less than three weeks and will incorporate both their Jewish and Iranian cultures together. It may very well be the first wedding I party at, um I mean work at ;), through midnight. Thanks guys for a great time on Friday, Nancy and I had a wonderful experience exploring Santa Barbara with you!

Lillian + Sang's Engagement Session - I didn't meet L + S until the day of their e-session (last Thursday), and I'm not even shooting their wedding (introduced Lillian and Sang to the amazing Brian Khang), but somehow, through our e-mails and phone calls, I felt like I knew of Lillian and Sang for a while now. They are good friends of Debbie and Brian, whose wedding I photographed back in August of 2009. See, everything connects :).

Side story. I've been in talks with Melissa and Rafael at AVIA Hotel in Long Beach, which is a 5-minute walk from my studio, on doing a few wedding/e-session shoots there. They've been so gracious to give me free reigns of the place for photo shoots. So I propose to Lillian and Sang the idea of just doing their e-session at AVIA Hotel, followed by a few around Downtown Long Beach. The rest, as they say, is history :).

I had a blast working with L + S, still bummed I won't get to shoot their wedding, but am glad I still got to work with them. And a special thanks to AVIA Hotel for letting me use their space. If you're planning a wedding or just need a place to stay in Long Beach, I HIGHLY recommend you contact them. Ask for Melissa Selmanson or Rafael Llorente! Also, a shout out to Mark Chastek for shadowing/assisting me, thanks everyone!

It's a valuable site to visit (and join!) whether you're a wedding photographer or a bride and groom. I found out about ISPWP late last year and was absolutely blown away by the photography from its members. Thanks guys for picking a few of my images for your Winter contest.

2nd Place: Emotional Impact, from Ivette and Joe's Wedding

12th Place: Venue or Location, from Karen and Steve's Wedding

11th Place: Wedding Details, from Kristin and Rafael's Wedding

Melissa + Bernie's Engagement Session - These two were loads of fun last Wednesday, when we hung out at Union Station (in LA), and City Hall plus Colorado Bridge (in Pasadena). I loved how Melissa and Bernie got all dressed up for their e-session; really dug the black + white look and matching shirt and blouse color! It's like major Henry brownie points when my couples sport the ooberly cool looks :).

I'm super stoked for M + B's wedding over Memorial Day weekend for so many reasons. Getting to work with Trini and Deanne, plus seeing Kristin and Rafael (who introduced me to Melissa and Bernie), are two of them. For Melissa, keep looking fabulous. And for Bernie, don't forget to bring a soccer ball to the wedding :D. Also, I just want to give a shout out to Steph Lloyd for shadowing/assisting me on this shoot; thanks for all your help that day Steph!

Rebekah + Jeremy's Wedding: 2/13/2010 - It's always an honor (and a bit nervewrecking) to photograph a photographer's wedding. But even more so when both are photographers and one actually shoots wedding herself ;). R + J's big day last weekend at Verandas Manhattan Beach included guests from all over the country, including FOUR generations of family.

I know I say this a lot, and I do mean it every single time, but being at Rebekah and Jeremy's wedding was like hanging out with a group of old family and friends. When I got to the getting ready hotel and Rebekah introduced me to her family, including her grandparents, great grandma (how awesome is that?), and her two adorable little cousins, I KNEW the day was going to be amazing.

And what a beautiful wedding it was, filled with so many sweet, sweet moments and gorgeous details. It's always a pleasure working with Sarah at Verandas, she's such a wonderful young lady who makes sure the day goes smoothly while ensuring the vendors are all taken care of. Big ups to Scott Norris of Coastline Music for being a great MC/DJ, Jenny Liu for second shooting, and Austin Kurtz for assisting me again. Thanks again to Rebekah and Jeremy for trusting me to document their memorable day :). Please check out some of my fav images below!

We spent the morning talking about the various topics of starting and running a wedding photography business:

- Overview of wedding photography
- Equipment list and shooting/lighting tips
- The wedding package
- Defining your own style of photography
- Workflow
- Portrait session with Lightroom/Photoshop demo
- Showcasing your work
- Q/A session. Where to go from here?

Special thanks to Nathan Nowack and (just recently!!!) his fiance Allison for stopping by and "modeling" for us :). 30 minutes was simply not enough time for us to photograph these two love birds. I mainly focused on showing the workshop attendees how I interact with the bride and groom, how I go about posing them, and getting the shots I need (exposure, composition, and defining a certain style/look of photography). Thanks again Allison and Nathan, you guys totally rocked it...btw, congrats!

Here's a few behind-the-scene shots I grabbed while demonstrating some things during the shoot:

We wrapped up the workshop with further discussion over lunch nearby. I really enjoyed sharing the info I've learned and experienced the past 2.5 years being in this amazing industry with the attendees, and really hope to do more workshops in the near future. To the attendees, thank you all for making the trip down to Long Beach this past Monday. If you've already blogged your own images, please let me know :). Here's Jeremy Chou's thoughts on the workshop.

Lastly, for photographers going to WPPI in Vegas next month, I hope you'll join me on Thursday, 3/4 for the TTD Workshop I'm conducting at Red Rock Canyon and along The Strip. Thanks!

Melissa + Adam's Wedding: 2/12/2010 - My 2010 wedding season couldn't have started any better than with Mel and Adam's memorable day last Friday. Not only are these two insanely in love with each other, but they have a group of amazing family and friends that care so much about them.

We started the day at a nearby hotel capturing Mel and the girls getting ready, followed by photos of Adam and the guys re-getting ready at the church's men restroom :). The church that they go to must be one of the most modern and biggest ones I've ever seen!

The night was filled with so much emotion; the toasts from Mel's sister and Adam's brother were memorable to say the least. Then we had a blast partying the night away with some killer dance music and yes, guitars from the DJ/MC, Curtis Whipple. Special thanks to my past groom and now wedding photographer Austin Kurtz for flying all the way out from Chicago to assist me, what a trooper he was! And a big congrats to Mel + Adam. I'll be seeing these crazy kids again next Wednesday for their day after portrait session, woohoo!

Vy + Linh's Engagement Session - Vintage car + super fun couple = great time shooting last Thursday. Linh was so thoughtful to surprise Linh with a 1965 Austin Healey last Christmas. We took it out for a spin for their e-session around Orange County, catching the attention of passerbys and security.

The only thing that is more rad than the car, Linh, and Vy is their wedding being THIS Saturday. Special shout out and thanks to Fayth Vuong of Three Petals, who does fabulous floral and decor, for referring me to them. See you guys again, very, very soon :).