Never-ending deadlines, continual search for new content to publish, reviewing new equipment for readers, replying to emails and mail from million of readers. These are but few of the challenges that face the editors in a publishing house. This becomes an upward battle, especially when it’s a large publisher, like Popular Photography & Imaging, the largest photography magazine in the world. They have to constantly feel the pulse of the readers, facing the impossible task of pleasing everyone.

PopPhoto has always been kind to me. This is the organization that gave my photography business a good boost a mere 3 years or so ago. Receiving one of the most prestigious and coveted international recognitions, the Photographer of the Year award from PopPhoto did a lot to extend my credibility and promote my business.

Recently, after months of hiatus from not hearing from PopPhoto, I’m just so glad that I will be doing a short 8 pages of photo work for them. On top of that, one of my images of Tiffany is the February Cover!!!

I personally know a number of photographers who get jaded along the way after being on numerous magazine covers, spreads and what not. I have been published dozens of times in various magazines, newspapers like The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, etc. However, being in a magazine will always be refreshing to me. I feel very blessed to be able to work as an artist.

John O, Jason B, Pete K, Debbie G, Julia S, Linzee K, and everyone in PopPhoto, I want you to know that each and every one of you made an impact on my life, and I want to thank you for it.

Below is the 4 spreads (8 pages) of the story.

Well, heads as in headshots.

Recently, we had the great opportunity to meet all of the lawyers with a very large law firm, Meyers, Nave, Riback, Silver & Wilson (more affectionately referred to as Meyers Nave). The expertise of this organization was an education for me-public law. They represent airports, cities, schools, public power companies, and on it goes. As part of developing their website and printed materials, Meyers Nave wanted to have headshots of all their attorneys…and this is OUR area of expertise.

This project translated into: Have camera, light meters, reflective screens, softboxes, posing knowledge, multiple lights, power packs and backdrops-will travel. And I REALLY traveled. This firm has offices in many locations around the State of California, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, Santa Rosa, San Francisco, all of which we visited!

For the photographs we made, regardless of locations, the key requirement is to keep the look and feel consistent. Consistency is absolute in importance, in the area of branding and marketing. This meant reproducing the same backdrop and the style of head placements over a period of many months.

I’ll share a trick when photographing faces to make the subjects appear younger (less wrinkles), and avoid the reflections of light on the retinas of their eyes. If you can, take the pictures near a large light source, such as a large window that has sunlight shining indirectly in or perhaps on a cloudy day. A simple way to avoid the retinal reflections is to avoid using a small light light source (i.e. direct camera flash).

Our thanks to Meyers Nave for selecting us as their photographer. And I’ll share a little-known secret I learned through this project about lawyers…they do smile!!

— Michael Soo

If you remember back in April, a local Vietnamese hairstylist, Allan Ngo of Allan’s Salon, approached me to photograph his work for a huge competition, namely, Goldwell’s Trend Zoom 2008 Color Challenge. This is very much akin to the Grammy award for hairstyling. (The blog can be found here)

Allan has previously entered in the annually held competition, to no success. For him, it’s really about the exposure and not much else. A month ago Allan called me, “I made it into the semi finals!!!” he exclaimed. He was elated.

Then a week ago he called again, “I WON !!!”

He went on to explain that the image I created for him showed the proper shape, texture, color, depth and lighting of the hair that is crucial to become a winning image. On top of that, makeup artist Aimée Lam really brought home the matching colors of the eyes and accentuated the look with her tedious 1-hour makeup work on Danijella, the model.

It just pleases me tremendously that I am able to help Allan “uplevel” his business and reputation a big notch. What used to be an underdog local hairstylist is now a big name. A true “American Dream” success story.

Allan is now sponsored to compete internationally in October. This time, in Spain. Congratulations, Allan!!! I’m rooting for you! We all are!
(The winning image is on the right.)

- Michael Soo

Where is your studio?, is a common question that I get asked a lot. My answer is always the same,

Yeah, you can quote me. The term photography studio tends to indicate an indoor space where backdrops and sets are available to create a seamless background. Multiple lights are setup for a consistent look and feel to the images.

However, the next step in the progression of a photographer is outdoor where nothing is consistent. The sun travels across the sky, a dynamic lighting phenomena that perplexes the likes of Ansel Adams & Galen Rowell. Add the complexity of studio lighting, it creates lighting condition that will make the most skilled studio photographers cringe. A good example is a recent sunset shoot with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Cheerleaders’ 2009 Swimsuit Calendar. As the sun dips lower into the horizon, the lights had to be toned down by half power every 2-3 minutes!!!

I had fun shooting Environmental/Lifestyle Executive Portraits for Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a VC company that invests in tech companies such as Hotmail (acquired by MSFT), Baidu (BIDU), Skype (acquired by EBAY), etc. The lifestyle portraits are meant to create a fun factor, humanize the executives and build a virtual rapport with their business partners/clients via their website.

(Click on an image, then use your RIGHT and LEFT arrow keys to go through all of them)

- Michael Soo

North American Hairstylist Awards (NAHA), presented by the Professional Beauty Association, is the most prestigious hairstyling competition in North America. I was delighted to help Allan of Allan’s Salon in Santa Clara to photograph Allan’s entry in the Colorist Category in NAHA.

Trend Zoom Color Challenge, an international color competition invites colorists to interpret the Trend Zoom 2008 trend worlds—Rockmantic and Newstalgia—in a highly creative way and then have their interpretation professionally photographed. Goldwell Colorists can choose to enter one of three categories:

TPR, The Peninsula Regent in San Mateo, California is a magical place. It isn’t a run-of-the-mill retirement community but an elegant continuing care retirement community that was thoughtfully designed to cater to its residents.

The security is tight but not overbearing. The automatic doors are wonderful for the residents and myself whilst I push my photo gear past them.

We were brought on board to photograph commercial lifestyle portraitures of the residents for ViewPoint, a newsletter article for the residents and probably the TPR’s potential clients.

Kay Harris, a talented freelance graphic designer was with me. Kay worked with TPR for a while now and knows most of the staff of the TPR. She would design and layout the newsletter itself, inlaid with my photographs.

The residents walk around with smiles attached to their faces. They look like they are on vacation 24/7. It then became clear to me that TPR found the perfect concoction of care, love and talents that seem to set the lovely folks here at their ultimate ease. I was astounded by how caring and geniune the staffs were. It is as if they were born to help everyone around them. The Assistant Director, Michelle, would constantly ensure our comfort while we were in the facility. Cookies, drinks, lunch, dessert were pushed into my hands while I was there.

I met Ms Greene, a resident swim instructor, shot by the pool. Dr Moore, a handsome doctor, photographed in his clinic.

Mr Scherba of Scherba Autos, was sitting on a high-back italian sofa. He smiled at me and told me the story of his military service in the Philipines. He did not receive a lifestyle portrait from me. Instead, I chose to showcase his personality, style and his charm in a photograph. He held his chin while he talk, gleaming on his finger, a modest ring that his mother gave him, back in 1946.

The brochure for this shoot, designed by Kay is nothing short of excellent in layout, color and language.

- Michael Soo

This is a quick portrait session I did with Samurai Cooking‘s Chef Yoshi before I left for China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Speaking of Asia, the economy boom in Asia is phenomenal to watch. Technological advances in Singapore are, for the most part, more advanced, compared to the United States and other parts of the world.

I stand in awe watching 3G and pre-4G cellphones used openly in the marketplace; ERP systems used on highways collecting tolls (cars need not stop to pay tolls); smartcards used throughout the country on everyday payments of parking, tolls, etc.; traffic congestion eliminated via careful planning of roadways and highways; major highways and public mass transits being built in months instead of decades (literary).

- Michael Soo

Our commercial photography presentation, has been officially launched alongside our website redesign, SooPhotography.Com !!!

This is great news as we have been working diligently on the presentation as well as our new website for a while now. Our fashion/lifestyle/beauty/glamour website is still under construction but will be up shortly as well. Stay tuned!!

Please sit back and be inspired. Place us into your marketing toolbox.