Wedding Extravaganza = 01/03/2009

I need to do my more blog postings, especially with the 2008 weddings I’d shot… but I am busy preparing for the upcoming Wedding Extravaganza at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester MN this Saturday (1/3/09)… so will blog more later. Yes it is part of my New Year Resolutions to blog more frequently this year!

So please check back!

Meanwhile, please drop by to say hello if you are going to the show!

http://www.weddingxtravaganza.com/

A Tale of Two Careers

I am a portrait/wedding photographer.

I also work at the Mayo Clinic – as an analyst, non-photography related.

I often got asked if I’d become a full time photographer. To be honest, I don’t know.

While I do love photography, I also really enjoy my job at the Mayo Clinic. My undergraduate was in psychology/marketing, and I also finished my MBA last year so the job really fits well with my educational background.

As for photography, it was pretty much self-taught. I started off reading photography books (told you I love reading!), then participated in some photography forums, and did some photography workshops.

I know a lot of photographers said they loved photography since they were little… my love for photography didn’t start until I was in my early twenties – while I was searching for my own wedding photographer. In high school, I loved paintings so much more (but had hardly ever painted since…)  Since I grew up in Hong Kong (then later on in Australia – but I had no reason to look into wedding photography then!), the only wedding photography style I knew of was studio-based photography. The couple would get to dress up in different outfits (e.g. Chinese wedding customs, Japanese or Korean customs just for fun, and western wedding customs), and actually have their wedding photos taken BEFORE the wedding day (more like a portrait session). Then on the wedding day, photography typically isn’t part of the package – there are enough relatives and friends to take photos that day since almost everyone has a camera.

I was never really into that style of photography, so when I got engaged and started really looking for a wedding photographer (the wedding would be held in the US), that’s when I discovered the power of photojournalistic style of wedding photography. I love the emotions captured.

My then boyfriend (now husband) decided to send me a SLR as a gift (a Canon Rebel – FILM camera… am I dating myself here? ). I was still living in Australian then, and he was in MN. To my shock, I ended up having to pay about A$300 (about US $200? depending on the exchange rate) for the package for customs fees! I almost sent the camera back to him :p

My first wedding was for a friend in Melbourne (before I actually started as a business). It was all film. Much different to digital in terms of perparation (how many rolls of films do I need?! What ISO since I can’t change mid-roll?), actual photography (you have to change rolls every 24 or 36 shots, in the middle of the ceremony, hoping the ring exchange or kiss won’t be within the next few seconds…), or workflow afterwards (a lot less time spent on computers).

I digress.

Regardless whether my photography is full time or not, I still give in 110% at every wedding or photo shoot. There are also many behind the scene hours (thanks to digital photography! ) As with anything else, it’s a balancing act.

Since I am feeling a bit sentimental tonight (must be the new year!), I’d post my FIRST ever wedding here (without shooting any weddings, or second shooting/helping another photographer before). I am still proud of it – especially since that’s how I started my photography journey, and how I got hooked into wedding photography.

(okay for some reasons the photos I posted aren’t showing up anymore, so will re-post now):

Hoax – Memoir

I wrote about this love story a couple of months back. And of course now the author has admitted the story is not true.

Sigh.

Why do people lie about such things. If you read the list of non-fiction books I read in 2008, you could see that I read a lot of memoir. It is interesting to read about other’s lives. Their joy, their struggles, their tears and their hope. Sometimes my life seems so normal (or boring if you will!) after hearing their stories.

Ah well, it won’t stop me from reading more memoir. If you have other memoir to recommend, please leave a comment!

100

What does 100 mean?

It meant I read 100 books in 2008.

Actually I read more than 100 as I read some Chinese books (somewhere around 20?) but didn’t record those since I can’t type Chinese so it’s hard to keep an electronic record of them.

I have always loved to read, even if it meant I slept a few hours less so I can stay up to read a few more pages. I usually read and eat lunch at the same time. I have, however, stopped trying to read and have dinner at the same time so that Justin won’t be neglected (though at times it’s hard to stop reading to get over to the dining table instead, especially when it is at an exciting part of the book!).

I used to read a lot more fiction books – 99% are probably fiction. This year though about 2/3 are non-fiction instead. I am reading a lot more memoir which I hardly read before late 2007.

I will try to do reviews in 2009, instead of just listing the books I’d read. It’s too late to do reviews for 2008 now, especially for most of the fiction, I’d forgotten what it’s about – when I read fiction books, I really just want to enjoy the story/plot (that’s why I love reading murder/mystery/thriller) so I don’t tend to remember them afterwards.

I’d high-light those I’d recommend in BLUE, and in a future post I’d comment on a few books that leave an impression (good or bad).

Fiction

1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.
2. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 1/6/08.
3. Got the Look by James Grippando
4. Hide by Lisa Gardner
5. Simple Genius by David Baldacci
6. Afterimage by Jay Brandon
7. Carved in Bone: A Body Farm Mystery by Jefferson Bass
8. Flesh & Bones: A Body Farm Mystery by Jefferson Bass
9. The Chicago Way by Michael Harvey
10. Mistress of Justice by Jeffery Deaver
11. Iron Orchid by Stuart Woods
12. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
13. Mystic River by by Dennis Lehane
14. Judas Child by Carol O’Connell
15. Pyres by Derek Nikitas
16. Hostile Witness by William Lashner
17. Midnight Rambler by James Swain
18. A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo
19. 24 Hours by Greg Iles
20. Gone for Good by Harlan Coben
21. The Broken Window: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver
22. Obedience: A Novel by Will Lavender
23. Beverly Hills Dead by Stuart Woods
24. The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot
25. The Spellman Files by Liz Lutz
26. The Dirty Secrets Club (Jo Beckett) by Meg Gardiner
27. The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martnez
28. Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
29. Sequence by Lori Andrews
30. The Keepsake: a Novel by Tess Gerritsen
31. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
32. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
33. Delusion: A Novel of Suspense by Peter Abrahams
34. By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer
35. House of Wolves by Matt Bronleewe
36. The Bodies Left Behind: A Novel by Jeffery Deaver
37. Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

Non-fiction

1. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by Maarten Troost.
2. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
3. A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein by Lisa Rogak
4. More Than a Hobby: How a $600 Startup Became America’s Home and Craft Superstore by David Green, Dean Merrill
5. How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else by Michael Gates Gill
6. The Year of Eating Dangerously: A Global Adventure in Search of Culinary Extremes by Tom Parker Bowles
7. The Emergency Teacher: The Inspirational Story of a New Teacher in an Inner City School by Christina Asquith
8. Mentor: The Kid & the CEO: A Simple Story of Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Significance by Tom Pace
9. Out of the Frying Pan: A Chef’s Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal by Gillian Clark
10. No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach by Anthony Bourdain
11. Juggling Elephants: An Easier Way to Get Your Most Important Things Done–Now! by Jones Loflin & Todd Musig
12. Roman’s Journey:a memoir of survival by Roman Halter
13. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
14. Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets by Sudhir Venkatesh
15. Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson
16. What Clients Love: A Field Guide to Growing Your Business by Harry Beckwith
17. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath, Dan Heath
18. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
19. Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results by Jack Mitchell
20. Buzzmarketing: Get People to Talk About Your Stuff by Mark Hughes
21. On my own two feet – a modern girl’s guide to personal finance by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar
22. My Life as a Traitor by Zarah Ghahramani
23. Grow Your Money!: 101 Easy Tips to Plan, Save, and Invest by Jonathan Pond
24. 500 Ideas for Small Spaces: Easy Solutions for Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less by Kimberly Seldon
25. Children of the Flames: Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz by Lucette Matalon Lagnado
26. Blue Pills by Frederik Peeters
27. The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
28. If You Save One Life: A survivor’s memoir by by Eva Brown with Thomas Fields-Meyer
29. Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
30. Heaven’s Harlots My Fifteen Years As a Sacred Prostitute in the Children of God Cult by Miriam Williams
31. A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
32. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8 Lee
33. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
34. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow
35. Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope by Don Van Ryn, Susie Van Ryn, Mark Tabb
36. Step Into the Spotlight!- ‘Cause ALL Business is Show Business! by Tsufit
37. Teacher Miracles: Inspirational True Stories from the Classroom by Brian Thornton
38. Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman
39. The Present : The Secret to Enjoying Your Work And Life, Now! by Spencer Johnson
40. Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America by Steve Almond
41. The Butterfly Garden: Surviving Childhood on the Run with One of Americas Most Wanted by Chip St Clair
42. See Jane Write: A Girl’s Guide to Writing Chick Lit by Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs
43. All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House by David Giffels
44. Where is the Mango Princess? by Cathy Crimmins
45. Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters by Annie Choi
46. The Girl with the Crooked Nose: A Tale of Murder, Obsession, and Forensic Artistry by Ted Botha
47. Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by John Kotter
48. Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School by Philip Delves Broughton
49. The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman
50. The Ice Cream Maker: An Inspiring Tale About Making Quality The Key Ingredient in Everything You Do by Subir Chowdhur
51. Change Is Good… You Go First by Mac Anderson
52. Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon’s First Years by Michael Collins
53. Saying the Right Thing: A Business Parable : The Four Secrets of Powerful Communication by Raymond Dizazzo
54. How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman
55. Journey of a Thousand Miles: My Story by Lang Lang
56. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
57. Murder by Family: The Incredible True Story of a Son’s Treachery and a Father’s Forgiveness by Kent Whitaker
58. The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn
59. Travel Writing by Peter Ferry
60. House: A Memoir by Michael Ruhlman
61. One Smart Cookie: How a Housewife’s Chocolate Chip Recipe Turned into a Multimillion-Dollar Business : The Story of Mrs. Fields Cookies by Debbie Fields
62. Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande
63. Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir by Jennette Fulda