Hearts Full of Love
Just a few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of photographing Karen and Joe’s wedding. Weddings are a big part of what I do, and I enjoy every one of them for the happiness and sense of celebration that ties them all together in a chain of love. I also love them for what makes them unique.
This wedding was no exception.
Karen’s dad is no longer with us, so understandably there was a lot of emotion around his not being there. In Chinese culture, the tea ceremony demonstrates respect for the older generations. Here, in Saratoga’s tranquil and elegant Hakone Gardens, we are at the same venue where our lovely Demara and Reynold got married. The guests witnessed the bride and groom serving tea to their parents. When Karen’s turn came, everyone—me included—was completely choked up. Karen knelt and offered tea to her mom and also to her dad whose tea cup was carefully placed on the empty chair right next to her.
Yes, the chair was empty, but the hearts of everyone at that wedding were as full as the cups of tea. I won’t forget this scene anytime soon or the tradition that it honors, and I know that Karen and Joe won’t either.
- Michael Soo
Labels: hakone gardens saratoga california cafe los gatos wedding



The interesting part of this filter is that I've been sandwiching a polarizer and 1-2 3-stops ND filter in the past few years of my life, with the polarizer being a slim version. This filter single-handedly remove those 2-3 filters from my bag of filters. Although I wouldn't call it a slim filter, it's pretty easy to handle and adjust.
As you may already know, sandwiching a combo of filters has its pains. Whenever I need only the polarizer, I'll need to unsandwich the filters. Then, there's the handling of three filters instead of one. More surface area exposed to dust, dirt and smudges.
So, the Vari-N-Duo solves all that issue. On top of that, it allowed polarizing effects (really great for waterfalls, reduce glare and reflections in your shots) and slows down the shutter for up to 8-stops!
The drawbacks? It's a thick filter (size of 3 filters put together), can cause some vignetting and it can be an issue fitting into some bags. However, since I'm using the 1Ds3 to shoot, I have plenty of pixels to play with. Thus, I often shoot wider than normal to allow myself cropping opportunities. Having that in mind frees me from having to worry about the vignetting. I'm also using a bag that fits 6 filters. So, there are definitely enough room for me to fit this baby in.
- Michael Soo















