Chanda and Dave were referred to us by one of our close friends.  Although we know Davy for many years this was the first time we’ve ever met big sister Chanda.  What a resemblance they hold because I caught myself calling the bride by her sister Davy all throughout the day.  I know, it sounds horrible but can you blame me though? =)  Well, pictures were very important to the couple so they made sure to allot ample time for their couples, wedding party and family portraits.  They chose the Bellevue Botanical Garden as the location for their wedding portrait session.  We’ve been there several times before and this was the first time we ever saw flower blooms so that made us happy.  It was just beautiful with all the flowers!  The overcast that morning also made it perfect for picture taking.  Afterwards, we headed over to the Bellevue Kingdom Hall for their ceremony followed by a reception at the Vasa Park Ballroom.  At the reception, Chanda and Dave changed into traditional Cambodian wedding attire which was met with awe by the guests.  Chanda and Dave, thank you for choosing us and allowing us to capture your wedding day.  We were impressed by the overwhelming support shown towards you from your friends, family and community members on this day.  Every wedding should be this way.

To view more pictures from Chanda and Dave’s wedding day click here for their slideshow.

Meet Natalie and Jack and I swear the happiest baby ever!  I love happy babies and Bryson is one happy baby.  I met Natalie in the eight grade and we’ve been friends since.  It’s crazy to see where life have taken us and no matter how busy life gets or what different roads we end up on we somehow always seem to find our way back.  I guess it helps that I ended up marrying Natalie’s brother’s best friend so I feel like our lives is even more intertwined now.  Another cool and interesting fact, we both got married the same weekend one day after the other.  Call us crazy for planning our weddings on the same weekend!  It’s amazing we even made it to each others’ wedding with all the chaos of planning a wedding, but I wouldn’t have missed it just like I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to take their first family portraits.  Natalie, Jack and Bryson… you are a beautiful family.  There’s just so much happiness going around and it definitely shows.

Four months old Nate was born ready for the camera.  Just a few posts ago I said I would probably think twice before doing another baby session.  You need a lot of patience when photographing kids.  Funny thing was Nate actually loved the camera!  He wouldn’t stop looking at the camera and so that made the job much easier for us.  His mom mentioned he doesn’t usually like having his “tummy time” but on the day of the session Nate wasn’t fussy as long as his pictures were taken.  Hmm, maybe the trick for his parents is just whipping out the camera.  If you don’t know what “tummy time” is like I did prior to the session you can read about it here.  Yup, I just googled that for this post.  When baby Nate was done being the adorable model he was he let us know by turning away from the camera.  Soooo cute!!  I’d work with him again =).

Happy Labor Day!  About a year ago around this time I put myself out there.  Nara Photography Blog was born on Labor Day weekend of last year.  I really had no expectations for what I was about to get myself into.  All I know was that I wanted a platform to share my love for photography.  Friends and co-workers who knew about my growing passion for photography referred me to their family and friends.  It was such a honor when I started getting inquiries for photography services especially when I didn’t have a real portfolio or a website.  Starting a photography blog seemed like a great idea because it was a nice way to share some of our recent work as we continue to build our portfolio.  In light of the one year anniversary mark I decided to give the blog a little blog-lift.  Nothing major.  I contemplated about getting a custom blog made, but personally didn’t feel the need to spend the extra money and thought it could be put to better use elsewhere.  This $30 blog template from Tofurious still works just fine for me as a year ago.  There’s a free version too for anyone who’s interested.

One year after the birth of this blog my mind is running crazy with a list of “to-do’s”.  Like I mentioned earlier, I had no expectations whatsoever when I started this blog.  The road Seung and I went down on as a result was more than what we both ever imagined.   This summer was a busy one for us (on our own standards) and we’re actually glad it’s coming to an end (in terms of the wedding season).  We’re excited to finally set some expectations and goals and focus more on the business side of things.  I must say that it’s probably the toughest challenge so far.  A few items at the top of the “to-do” list is to put up a website and start marketing.  We have a lot of work ahead of us, but happy to be doing what we love.

Stay tune for some blog posts with pictures!  We have a couple weddings and lifestyle portrait sessions to share.