Wedding in Santa Clara University Mission, Hotel Valencia and Maggiano's in Santana Row

 

View Kirsten & Marcos' Wedding Album

Mission Church Santa Clara de Asis

Maggiano's Little Italy, Santana Row

Hotel Valencia, Santana Row
August 16, 2008

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Before I tuned my life into wedding photography, commercial photography, food photography, and fashion photography, I was a computer geek…

There could be double entendre in this title, having grown up in an area that was a colony of the United Kingdom (Malaysia), but the job I’m going to feature in this blog has a twist that takes me back to the time when I was a computer guy with Sun Microsystems.

Kirsten (the bride) and Barbara (bride’s mom), a Sun Microsystems employee—whose husband, like me, successfully switched careers to become a lawyer—discovered me after I left the company. Kirsten found me via Maggiano’s Little Italy’s amazing Banquet Sales Manager (Thanks, Vicky!). I have photographed Maggiano’s entire staff outside the restaurant, a hefty few hundred employees; and one of my most memorable weddings in Maggiano’s was with Stacy and Harold.

In my new career as a photographer (with no dreams of going back to computers), I had the chance to get to know Barbara and her family. Happily, Kirsten met, and is now married to, Marcos. I worked on both the engagement and wedding photographs, giving me lots of time with the couple. I have the positive impression that Marcos has sparked a new sense of adventure in Kirsten. I think they’ll be very, very happy.

And in the sense of adventure, we tried for adventurous locations for the engagement shots. For San Francisco cognoscenti, see if you can recognize some of these locations in this clip! A couple of hints: Pulgas Water Temple in Woodside; and the Sutro Baths and Stockton Street Tunnel in San Francisco.

Fortunately for us, the famed “pulgas” (fleas), after which the Water Temple was named, didn’t try to get into the pictures. No itching on the way home!

At the old Sutro Baths ruins, we found a cave that presented a wonderful backdrop. One of these pictures was blown up, made into a framed photograph, and all the guests at the wedding later on got to sign it, making an interesting alternative to the traditional wedding guest book.

Of course, engagement photos can only mean a wedding coming up. Kirsten and Marcos’ day was a treasure trove of photo opportunities. Someone in the family must have a connection to Santa Clara University, because they were able to book their wedding at the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asis. I understand use of this church, the eighth oldest of the original 21 California missions, is restricted, and it can take more than a year to secure a date!

From the photographer’s view, the Mission was wonderful. The inside is fantastically colorful. Outside, with its old, adobe wall, gated walkways, and ancient garden plantings, we got some great pictures.

After the ceremony, it was off to Santana Row in San José for the partying. Carrying on the adventurous theme, Kirsten and Marcos have a shared/learned passion for travel. Their reception tables, rather than being numbered, were named for locations they visited together already or plan to visit in the future. You can see from these photographs that there were two different venues: Hotel Valencia Santana Row, and Maggiano’s Little Italy, directly across the street from the hotel. The food was great, the reception was great, and—if I do say so myself—we got some great pictures, too. I hope all their future journeys are successful and happy!

–Michael Soo

10 TOP Criteria to look for in a dream Wedding Photographer

Being a bride isn't easy. You have a thousand things that you are coordinating and another thousand that you have to do yourself. As the saying goes, "If you want to get things done right, you'll have to do it yourself."

On top of all that work, you'll need to select a photographer without knowing their true abilities. That's one of the biggest reason referrals work great and higher-end bridal shows are filled to the brim. So, what are the Top Criteria to look for in your Wedding Photographer? Hopefully, this list will help you funnel down the list of photographers to a top 2-3 that you will be absolutely thrilled with.

1. Style : Your eyes tells it all. What styles are you attracted to? Is it photojournalistic (documentative by nature with well composed artistry fused within)? Traditional (posed beautifully against a backdrop of scenery of sorts)?

   Although there are some photographers who are more flexible than others, you can pin point down your style easily by just going through photographers' website. The photographer's portfolio will look really easy on the eyes if you really like his style. Comparison shop by viewing the images will provide a big payoff here.

2. Website : Any legitimate photographer should have a professional website that showcases his/her portfolio of imagery he/she is capable of. The website should be clean and easy to navigate. The portfolio and design of the website can clue you in on what he/she likes and his/her composition skills in photography.
3. Blog : What is more important than the website is the blog!!

   See what the photographer has been shooting every other week!! Every photographer places their absolute best work out of years of shooting in their website. But it's the consistency in their artistry that you will only find in their weekly blog.

4. Clientele Variety : The portfolio of the photographer website should contain a variety of clients. If it contains a lot of images from the same people, you might want to research further as those may be weddings of relatives of that photographer.

   Weddings place a lot more stress on a photographer. Every moment counts. The fast paced environment do not allow the photographer to think twice about how to expose their images correctly in the technical sense.

5. Reference/Testimonials : Ask the photographer for testimonials or reference from his past clients. That will give you an excellent idea on how well he works with his clients. If people you personally know has worked with him/her before, it's even better.
6. Engagement Sessions : Photographer who does engagement sessions will provide an excellent test-bed for you and your fiance(e) to work directly with your photographer in a casual environment before your momentous day. This will strengthen your relationship with your photographer as well as produce a larger variety of imagery in your albums.
7. Backup Equipment : Ask your photographer how many cameras will be there at the wedding. If he/she replies "one", run away as fast as you can.

   With the digital imaging revolution, just about everyone has a $1000 digital camera and claims to be a photographer. Do not get trapped into allowing your big day to be shot by a photographer who does not have multiple cameras, multiple lenses, multiple memory cards, etc.

   I have seen weddings half ruined by photographers who dropped his camera into mud and not being able to continue shooting for the rest of the day. Do not let that happen to you.

8. Photographer #2 : Beyond backup equipment, if you are paying good bucks for the wedding, expect an option from the photographer to allow a 2nd photographer to be present.

   Providing multiple angle coverage is more important than one might think. Just by the couple turning away from the photographer to kiss, the main photographer may, within that second, lose his ability to capture the most important moment of your life.

   In addition to that, a 2nd photographer may come in handy to direct group photos to be shot smoothly, arrive to a wedding separately ensuring that if the main photographer is stuck in traffic or whatever other inevitable that may happen. Essentially, the 2nd photographer is your one time insurance coverage that pays for itself.

9. Speed is of the Essence : Find out from the photographer when will your images be available online (average timeline is a week), when will your album be designed (average timeline is a month) and when the final album can be delivered after the approval (average timeline is another 1-2 months).
10. Contract : Never do business with any wedding vendor without a clearly written contract or agreement that specify what exactly you will receive.

This will hopefully get you started on how to narrow down on your search for the photographer of your dreams. Do meet up with your photographer if you have questions. A good professional photographer will answer your questions to the best of his/her abilities in the most honest way possible.

- 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