I Heart Texas!
March 26th, 2009
For those of you reading from the North Texas area, hello! C Weddings is expanding to the Lone Star State. To celebrate this venture, book now for a travel fee of $100! (Cherry Blossom Package or higher)
It’s for a limited time, so if you’re getting married in Texas send me an email soon!
Why you ask? Because I love Texas. The people are friendly. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t friendly people in LA, but in Texas people, for the most part, are in less of a rush to get to places. I don’t hear the honk of a horn as much, and the roads are so much wider. The Barbeque is excellent. Yes, that’s a capitalization on the Barbeque because I’ve tried barbeque elsewhere (like Georgia) and I’ve yet to taste anything like Texas barbeque. I head over there multiple times a year and my goal is to try a new barbeque place every time. This past month I tried Baker’s Ribs and I loved it. I love the generosity of that place. You ask for more bread and their attitude is, sure! There’s unlimited soft serve afterwards that’s complimentary and I had two cones.
I grew up in Texas. I went to Holub Middle School in Houston and there was football and cheerleading, debate team and regional championship spelling bees. I lost in the regional spelling bee because I spelled fettucini wrong. Dictionary.com is telling me that I’m still spelling it wrong. Guess some things never change.
What else? I thought it was cool in junior high to carry a purse. So I started carrying one to school, even though I had a backpack already and I didn’t really know what to put in it. Due to the non-practicality aspect of the purse (I didn’t even have money in there, I just wanted to be cool!) I kept on forgetting my purse after every class, so almost every day for a week or two my after-school activity was backtracking and looking for my purse. I ditched the purse in the end, it was too much work.
When I went to junior high America was in the middle of the Iraq war. There were yellow ribbons everywhere. Everyone knew someone in the military or had family in the military, and we talked about Saddam and spelled it backwards. We thought we were hot stuff when we got a TI-82 calculator. We thought we were even hotter stuff when they upgraded it to a TI-83.
I have some great memories of when I used to live in Texas. And if you’ve read this to the end, be the first person to book me for Texas and your travel fee will be $0. No travel fee for you!
Though I am not a native Texan, if you think about it Hank Hill (from my favorite show, King of the Hill) wasn’t either. He was born in New York but I consider him to be every bit of a Texan because it’s all about the love. Besides, I have a brother who’s a Texan. Does that count?
Cristy and Neil, Engagement
March 17th, 2009
Spring is almost here! That’s what I realized as I hung out with Cristy and Neil this weekend in Corona Del Mar. It was nice walking around and seeing people up and about. The barbeque area was full of people and there were plenty of kids playing on the beach. The houses there had much character, and Cristy gave me a walking tour of the area as she grew up there. I look forward to photographing their wedding in May! Here are a few of my favorite pics from the session.
Charmaine and Brian, Wedding
March 10th, 2009
Go Bruins! This wedding was a great day with the Bruin family. We kicked off the afternoon with the television (and getting ready, of course) and watched UCLA beat Oregon in basketball. The weather was perfect, and Charmaine was perfect too. It was difficult for anyone to be really stressed out when the bride herself was calm, content and enjoying the day.
Then it was off to the ceremony and the reception, which was held at El Adobe de Capistrano, in San Juan Capistrano. Everything was very personal and intimate. The reception hall was surrounded by pictures from their travels, and of course, Charmaine and Brian kicked off the reception with the UCLA eight-clap, and thus the party had officially begun, Bruin Style. Brian did the robot and that was when the dancing got really serious. Some shoes came off, and then the ties, and then the buttons were loosened along with some soul.
It’s always fun seeing people from all walks of life, as well as different cultures, come together in celebration. I even saw people my mom’s age line dance to Tupac. If you’re not brave enough to do it in public like the cool people at Charmaine and Brian’s wedding, you should try it first in your own home: Ca-li-for-nia, knows how to par-ty! It made me realize that California Love is in a 4/4 time signature. Go figure.
On a technical note, these pictures were shot with the Canon 5D Mark II. I love this camera!
Fun with Medium Format Polaroids
March 2nd, 2009
I finally got a chance to scan these polaroids. These pictures were taken about a month ago. The brothers Han (Derek and Dennis) agreed to help me out by modeling for me on a Friday night. That’s quite a sacrifice, considering it’s the end of the week and they could be out partying. For those of you who are keeping up with my blog, they also helped me build that paper drawer, which is thankfully done and sitting right here by my desk. And for those of you who have been asking, yes, my office is relatively clean now, thanks for keeping up.
And to those of you who are wondering what I am doing with polaroids, last month I got to have some fun with medium format cameras, and since film doesn’t allow for instant gratification, I took some polaroids beforehand to take a look and adjust for the lighting, posing, etc.. Being kids of the 90’s, they got a real kick out of how fast the polaroids developed, and we got to have some fun as the boys coordinated some “looks” for their Facebook profile.
Go To Your Room
February 23rd, 2009
Here’s a picture of Angela in her room.
I enjoy hanging around people younger than I. Younger people, like those in my youth group at church, still have the world before them and it’s nice to be with kids who have alot of questions and are still a bit unsure about what is going to unfold before them. I can relate in this aspect, because there are still questions that I ask every day, and there are still answers that I haven’t found.
One of the big blessings in my life are my youth group kids. I had some trouble relating to them when they came into youth group in the seventh grade: they had attention spans of bats and no one seemed to be listening more than a minute at a time (well those things don’t change sometimes so maybe I’ve adjusted). But now they have grown up way too fast and many of them are not just the kids I see every weekend but instead, they are now my friends; people with whom I can completely be myself and not hold anything back. I connect on a deeper level with them and now many of them are leaving for college.
A month ago I was challenged in a class to do a series, and I wanted to do an ugly sweater series. Go to the thrift stores and come up with the ugliest sweaters that hit the light of day and do a fun fashion shoot. So that idea got killed when my professor told me it’s supposed to be in black and white.
Then I thought about kids in their rooms. I thought about how kids order their room the way they want to and how sometimes their personality and likes and dislikes surface in their room. In any case, Angela’s room was one of my favorite assignments to do because I really enjoyed talking to her during the shoot. I hadn’t seen her in a while, and seeing her room really brought me back to my room, and how sometimes my mom would try to clean up my room and I would be so frustrated because then I couldn’t find anything. Yes, I suppose that sometimes there is disorder in order also.
Here’s the first in the series. I’ll try to post some more pics as they get done.
You are currently visiting Christine Chang Photography’s blog site. Thanks for dropping by! Feel free to look around. Get a glimpse of who I am and what I do.
For those of you who are here because you’re interested in wedding photography, Christine Chang Photography is also known as C Wedddings. You can check out my portfolio on the main site or you can look to your right and click on the weddings and engagements categories. Also, here are the packages that I offer, and here’s two entries about the albums that I carry, here and here.
Feel free to email me (christine at christinechangphotography.com) if you have any questions or comments.
Happy Friday
February 6th, 2009
Thank God it’s Friday! This week has been a busy week. I’ve been fielding inquiries for the upcoming wedding season as well as playing around with medium format film cameras. A few days ago I shot a few portraits in studio with a Mamiya RZ. It was alot of fun. It’s quite a departure from the digital age. I kept on forgetting to take the dark slide out before releasing the shutter–the darkslide is this thin metal piece that kind of reminds me of a coaster, except thinner. I also got a kick out of framing my shots in squares, since medium format film results in square photographs, unlike 35 mm films, which results in rectangular photographs.
I love the sound of the shutter releasing, but even more I love learning new things. I think as people grow older they tend to want to settle into things and do a routine that is comfortable. Not everyone of course, but in general it’s uncomfortable to be out of our element as we get older. But for me the payoff is that it satiates my curiosity. I hope I never lose that part of me.
And another thing I tried this week: fresh cut coconut. I squeezed a wedge of lime on it and eh, it’s okay. I love coconut juice so I thought fresh cut coconut would be a nice extension. But the fresh coconut was crunchy and very mild-tasting. I probably wouldn’t get it again, but maybe it’s an acquired taste. Or maybe Mexican coconuts are different than Thai coconuts.
Here’s to trying new things.
Christine.
Just One of Those Days
January 28th, 2009
I was going to write about my mind wandering off today, but really, I find that every day my mind wanders off into somewhere, the edges of reality and imagination blurring. That statement is pretty way of saying that I’m, simply and now proudly, a space cadet. It wasn’t always this way– in the orderly world of school and in some parts of real life this does not prove advantageous–it’s funny to me how, when I first stepped into UCLA I thought I wanted to suit up and be a CEO of a big and powerful company (I know, as specific as teen thoughts get sometimes), just to go through school and discover that corporate was the last thing I really wanted to do.
Fast forward about ten years and I don’t suit up every day and I’m not in charge of a big and powerful company. This was the goal that I’ve wanted to accomplish all along, because the path I am on now is better. Not that there’s anything wrong with suiting up and being a CEO, but there are unique and special personalities for this and since space cadet is on the top of my list my life would (and had been) difficult in a cubicle environment.
But here’s my thought for today: although I am not where I need to be, currently I am where I need to be in order to be where I need to be in the future. Try saying that ten times as fast.
And since this is a photo blog here are some photos back in the editorial days when I was running around covering stories, some interesting and some not-so-interesting. In the spirit of the Miss America Pageant, I present to you the Hottest Moms of America:
This contest was sponsored by Restalyne. Restalyne is a drug like Botox, so you get by now why they were having this contest.
Time to get to work! But before that I leave you with this thought: Hotness is in the eyes of the beholder.
Eat your vegetables,
Christine.
Queensberry Albums, Matted Pages
January 21st, 2009
Here’s my album schpiel for the out-of-state inquiries I have been getting lately. Usually brides and grooms around the LA area will touch and feel my albums and it’s oohs and aahs all the way.
To continue, I have been including Queensberry Albums with my wedding packages ever since I started photographing weddings. My first album with Queensberry was ordered as a result of my own wedding, and since then I have loved Queensberry for their classic and durable albums.
I strongly believe in providing albums of the highest quality, and though Queensberry Albums are more expensive than other album vendors I think that the albums are really worth it. Usually the bride and groom get two choices as far as albums, either a matted style or a digital style (or what I’d like to call a magazine style, where the picture is printed directly on the page). After the couple signs off on my design I send the order electronically to New Zealand, where the album is printed and assembled. Gino Demeer is my customer service friend and he usually answers any questions I have promptly and with a very cute New Zealand accent.
Here’s a photo tour of what I’m talking about. Pictured below is Erin and Sam’s album. They ordered an 18 page matted album. When I say pages, I’m referring to two sides.
Notice the attention to detail that Queensberry gives to these albums: even the protective corners have curliques, which I think is a great design finish-minimalist and tasteful.
I choose vinyl covers for all albums so if your future kids gets their cheese whiz fingers on the album all that is needed is a damp cloth for cleaning and care.
With matt albums the bride and groom get to choose the mat color (or colour as they spell it in New Zealand) and the page color. Here Erin and Sam opted for a classic white mat with black pages. With mat albums photographs are printed by Queensberry and the pictures are cut and hand-assembled into the album.
Above is a page of Erin getting ready. Included with every album (mat or digital) is a presentation box that is made of heavy caseboard that is overprinted in bronze.
Last but not least, matted albums come with a glassine cover page that adds an elegant touch and sets the mood for the rest of the album.
So why order an album? I have thought about this too with my own wedding, and here’s my answer. In the digital era we take many pictures, but oftentimes those pictures don’t really go anywhere except into the realms of digital la-la land. There is just something about holding a physical album and being able to pass this treasure on from generation to generation. Every page tells a story, and every time I flip through my own wedding album I relive the wedding day better than it was on that very day-in other words, without all of the stress I went through for the process of getting married. It’s just the quiet of my living room and an album with a story that sets my memory into motion.
Nancy and Ricky have also ordered an album, but they chose a digital album instead. When their album arrives I will go into the unique personality of the digital album next.
Houston, we have a problem.
January 20th, 2009
As you know, I’ve been in the process or reorganizing my office, and this past week I went to Ikea in the daytime. My husband offered to go with me and help me carry all that stuff but since he works regular hours he wanted to go on a Saturday, and Saturdays at Ikea are crazy, so I declined. I went to Ikea a year ago on a Saturday and all I remember were a ton of people in a maze, and me standing in the middle of it and not really enjoying that consumer experience at all. I vowed never to return there again on a Saturday, and after the current experience that I am having with the furniture I don’t think I’ll be buying from them for a while.
In any case, part of my Saturday evening was spent with a pair of teenage brothers from church who helped me assemble some furniture, since 150 lbs of chipboard is not really my idea of a good time. Here’s how it went:
Derek: Here Dennis, you screw on the wheel.
Dennis: No, Derek, you screw it on! I’ll be the brain, and you can be the muscle.
Derek: Why don’t you just listen to me, I’m older.
Christine: You know, it might be easier if you screw the wheels on with the wheel panel on top instead of to the side.
Dennis: Yeah Derek, why don’t you do that?
Derek: That wasn’t your idea, Christine said it before you did.
My husband was busy doing Sunday dinner preparations so I think he got to enjoy the show.
Needless to say, I thought they weren’t being very efficient, so my friend Stan and I helped out. I take a closer look at the manual. I used to be a tech writer, and the directions are simple enough, but the execution is much more complicated. My friend Stan and I took over assembling the paper drawer, since Derek had finals and his mom wanted him home by 11 (they were sweet and refused to take any money, so I sent them home with some clementines and much gratitude).
Like me, Derek and Dennis just didn’t understand that Ikea products have a learning curve and a pattern that you get used to once you’ve built enough Ikea products. Turns out my friend Stan assembled an Ikea living room with his roommate before, so he was the one who took over in building the paper drawer. By midnight we weren’t done and sawdust was all over the living room, and needless to say I was a bit frustrated. Certain parts were also ill-fitting so I still need to assemble the rest of the paper drawer and run a drawer back to Ikea for an exchange in parts.
On the brighter side, the other piece of furniture I bought went without a hitch, as there were really only 3 main pieces to put together.
If I’m worth my salt I’ll show you pictures of a clean and organized office by the end of next week.