Ilona and Carl’s wedding was literally star-studded.  Both the bride and groom are actors from San Francisco.  Carl’s children also played a role in their wedding.  His son was one of the groomsmen and his daughter was a bridesmaid.  The story of this sweet newly formed family actually began when the groom decided to change careers and leave New York.

Carl used to be an officer in the NYPD but had traveled across the country seeking  jobs as an actor in California, one of which was a role as Karl Sly on the TV show Trauma, a San Francisco based drama series.  Ilona, is of Hungarian descent, but pretty much grew up in San Francisco.  Also an actor herself, she easily caught Carl’s eye on a movie set and the two started dating soon after.   Ever since meeting her, he couldn’t stop talking about Ilona, making frequent phone calls to his brother in New York to tell him about the best thing that’s ever happened to him!

So how did I get chosen to be the photographer of this wedding?  I too, met Carl on a set, but I’m sure I didn’t catch his eye the same way that Ilona did.  He was a model for a commercial shoot I was working on for a ring company.  We had a great time doing the shoot together, and well, needless to say, I caught his eye enough to be chosen as his wedding photographer.  Thank you for giving me this opportunity to be a part of your wedding!

We recently photographed some pretty cool looking products and it made me think. Ok, not too hard but…

Ever wonder why women have so many purses? I figure that it might have all started back in the caveman days. You know, women were the gatherers and we men, were the handsome, daring, not to mention, hairy hunters. Ok, back to the gatherers. Well, the women had to collect berries and what other food they could find and you know all of that doesn’t fit into their hands. So came the invention of the purse – some cloth or fabric or other material to hold the food. But then they added colors and made the purses out of different materials and so came the invention of the designer purse! It’s a theory anyways. I think this evolved into a display of color to attract us men, you know, like how some birds attract others with cool unusual colors.

These days, women switch up their purses so much, one might worry that it could be a wasteful hobby. Well, worry no more. Wo Schiffman, founder of the new company Fibre Arts Design, created a line of bags that are made from recycled materials. Recycled purses that can eventually be recycled. That sounds really awesome. Well, you probably don’t want to recycle these though. They’re the latest trend and they’ve traveled to fashion shows in L.A, San Francisco, and are now on their way to Milan! Who wouldn’t want to keep these new bags! From my perspective as a photographer, the unique colors and fabrics definitely have caught my eye.

Her new line also includes bags for us men. For years we’ve pretended that we didn’t need purses, er, bags and we try to stuff the minimal into our wallet and into our back pocket. Sometimes it does get uncomfortable especially when you’re sitting down for a long time. Nowadays, we’ve got a lot of other gear like sports water bottles, cameras, etc. Besides, hasn’t it occurred to you that it might be dangerous for men to stick their keys in their front pocket? Guys, there is serious potential for injury here! Think about it! Besides I could use something to hold my extra camera gear. Maybe I should consider a man purse after all, er I mean a bag. You think that I could attract the opposite gender by sporting a cool new bag from Fibre Arts Design? Would women find me fashionable? Should I try?

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Makeup Artistry and Hair Styling by Tiffany Chiang of designHERimage

 
It’s always humbling when I’m chosen as the photographer for people whose professional careers depend on my pictures. So Cal model Elizabeth is a special case.

For years she has used photographs from her modeling gigs as her portfolio. But recently she decided to create a collection of pictures specifically for her. After canvassing websites of many, many photographers, Elizabeth found me; and she chose to drive eight hours all the way from Los Angeles to come here to Cupertino…TWICE!

We worked both days and had some fun setting up different categories of shots to create a complete portfolio: headshot, commercial, athletic, and business-style photos.

The collaboration brought us from the studio, to San Francisco downtown, to the garden in my backyard, to a local park. We really covered her comp card in more ways than one. Tiffany Chiang did the makeup wonderfully.

Being a model is about versatility and acting. By creating photographic situation for the model to act out her role will dramatically increase her chances of being cast into a role.

My best wishes follow Elizabeth back to Los Angeles, and I hope my photos will bring her great luck with her modeling career.

- Michael Soo