Couture Bridal Photoshoot at Jinza Jin with my Profoto 600R

The most fun in any photoshoot is when you get to collaborate with the best talents the industry has to offer. Here, in this shoot, we have:

1. two absolutely stunning models, Charisse and Milena
2. our gracious host, Jinza Jin who owns the amazing couture bridal line at 2040 Union Street in San Francisco
3. our lovely Janice Daoud whom I can't have enough praise of
4. the most talented hair stylist, Mikel with a fantastic personality!
5. Of course, our Paul Ferradas who is always there to help

What's this shoot for? How about for all our portfolios? Is that a good enough reason? WE ALL THINK SO!.

While I am at it, I got the chance to try out my new toy, the latest little photo gear from Profoto. The tiny little, Profoto Acute-B 600R battery and of course, its equivalent Profoto Acute-B 600 w/s lamp head. I'm not even counting the modifiers and this tiny light bulb made me bleed $3k. Ouch! And I'm actually thinking of buying 3 more sets of these? Hahaha. Michael Soo's lofty goals.

Talk about finances, I'm leaking ... gushing money this month. My credit card bill came yesterday and even though I expected it, I still fainted for a few minutes before I ran and played with the lights again. I think I need help. Know a good therapist, anyone?

This is probably one of the main reason why a photographer charges a few pennies extra for their services.

On the bright side, this little sucker is an amazing pack. Possibly the lightest gear available in the market! 10 measly pounds!!! I could see myself pocketing the long term medical savings when I turn 70! That's where the savings will roll in by the millions!!! Oh yeah!

I really enjoy commercial, high fashion couture shoots for a few damn good reasons. I can't do the statistical type of shoot where I take 1000 shots, hoping for 1 great shot. I'm the type of guy who wants to take 10 shots, expecting 5 phenomenal shots! That made me really suitting for commercial since most companies only want 1 to 10 great shots and use it for anything from advertising, packaging to websites, etc.

I think we got enough out from this shoot to last us a while. Then again, we're doing a beauty shoot the day after tomorrow. I guess I just can't sit around long enough without fidgeting. ;)

- Michael Soo

Sample Wedding Album at Cypress Hotel of Cupertino

This completely customized wedding album was actually completed on Tuesday 4/17/2007, a mere 3 days after the 4/14/2007 wedding!!! Not to brag but this is somewhat unheard of. Most photography studios require at least one full month to complete a wedding album design of a lesser quality. I only get to post this today since I don't want others to see the album before the bride and groom do. It's a courtesy thing. They check it out last night and loved it with a minor change to the last page. So, it's signed off and ready for printing. ;) Rie & Bryan's Wedding Album - Michael Soo

Rie & Bryan - Wedding Photograhy at Cypress Hotel, Cupertino

Rie (pronounced Ree-ia) and Bryan are the absolutely sweetest couple I've met. Bryan has got to be one of the most considerate guy out there. They would consult every details of the wedding with each other. On top of that, their spontaneity adds to the fun. We had to switch our shoot plans from one dress to another due to location conflicts. They also had to switch their engagement shoot date. Their engagement shoot was in a cold windy location. I could see goosebumps on Rie's arms and she didn't even flinch. What a trooper! This wedding is at the Cypress Hotel, just a mere 5 mins walk from my studio. Lea Mcintosh (a truly gifted and charming lady with a business mind), the Cypress' Catering Director referred me to Rie and Bryan. Cypress is a fantastic hotel to shoot in due to how much thought they placed in designing their interiors. Every corner can be a great background to shoot in. So, I suggested to use it as the location to shoot for Rie & Bryan's Engagement shoot, days before the wedding itself. I cannot stress how important engagement photographs are. It meld and transforms a wedding album elegantly. It creates diversity of colors, collage of emotions, texture and charm to an otherwise, plainer album. Rie's dress and train are absolutely gorgeous. The design of the dress contours around her hourglass figure fashionably. It's an awe to watch her stroll the aisle in that dress. Bryan is one lucky man. Paul (my 2nd shooter) and I shot over 1500 images in that short 6-7 hours. My return rate for my images are higher than most, so I tend to get 30-40% keepers. What that means is that the album is going to be super amazing. I'll update the blog with a link to the album when it is completed (possibly in a week or two). Meanwhile, you can view the images in Rie & Bryan's Wedding Gallery with options to purchase prints. - Michael Soo

Food Photography for Takara Japanese Rest.

寿司, or sushi has evolved from a traditional food base for the japanese to now an artistic dining experience. In its earliest form, dried or pickled fish was placed between two pieces of vinegared rice acting as preservative. The nori (seaweed) was added later as a way to keep one's fingers from getting sticky. Photographing a creative and beautifully styled food such as sushi is a great experience by itself. Since most sushi are colorful to begin with and each piece is an art form, sitting them on a clean white plate opens the imagery to its simplest form of art. I was in the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo at 6am one morning while the fishes were being hauled into the pier. There are many little drop-in sushi bars that one can just sit in while pieces of sashimi or sushi are being sliced and served. Toro (fatty tuna), the filet mignon of sushi, was what I ordered all morning. The thin slices of ginger cleansed my palate while I sipped hot green tea and dipped slices of toro into soy sauce and wasabi. It was heaven on earth. Takara Japanese Restaurant that I shot for serves these wonderful pieces of fishes in bulk. What amazes me is that despite its heavy operation in a huge 8,000 sq feet location, they were incredibly organized. They were able to maintain a fresh load of fishes every day. On top of that, their staves are highly trained and thus their service, impeccable. They encourage the creativity of their chefs by creating new dishes every Friday. These dishes go through a battery of palate tasting and tests. The winners can end up in the ever changing menu. The losers may never see the light of day. Their Nutty Shrimp, for example seems to have withstood the test of time. They serve 2,000 of them each day. THAT is a lot of roll. The Sunrise/Wasabi Sunrise dish on the right, is a testament to the artistry of sushi in the new generation that combine food and art. Takara Japanese Restaurant 3775 Capitola Road (Next to Capitola Mall) Capitola, CA 95010 (831) 464-1818 - Michael Soo