There was a great turnout to the “Photography Made Simple” workshop this past weekend—over 150 people showed up! The class was a blast; we just spent the whole time laughing and having fun. Thanks to everyone who came out!!

This class is designed for everyone from complete beginners to amateur photographers. The goal is to learn how to tell a story with photographs. Over the course of the day, we cover topics like using an SLR, posing groups and individuals, changing lighting to create a mood, utilizing windows and household items to shape light, and touching up pictures with Photoshop.

This class was one of the most engaged and excited groups we’ve ever had. Everyone was excited to try new things and asked great questions. The day just flew by!

If you missed the workshop, you still have a chance to catch the next one this upcoming weekend. We’re teaching it again on Saturday, February 4th from 9 am to 3 pm. Breakfast and lunch are included, so all you have to do is show up with a camera (preferably an SLR) and a notebook or laptop. The session is held at The Lookout, located at 605 Macara Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94085. The class is already 92% full, so
hurry up and get your ticket while you still can.

Also, we’ll be teaching an intermediate/advanced photography workshop at The Lookout on February 29th from 9 am to 3 pm. Everyone knows that the best way to get the perfect photograph is to capture it with the shot, instead of trying to fix it up in Photoshop later. “Garbage in, garbage out,” goes the saying. But how do you get beautiful shots on the fly? Come find out! This class will teach techniques you can use to create standout photos, whether you’re photographing portraits, food, products, or anything else you can think of.

We are looking forward to meeting everyone who comes to these classes! Getting to teach these workshops is one of our favorite parts of the job, and we truly appreciate each and every person who decides to spend a day taking pictures and having fun with us.

Los Altos Town Crier interviewed my bride’s mother about the rain on her daughter’s wedding day in Nestldown, Los Gatos Hills, on the way to Santa Cruz. They probably also saw my article about raining on your wedding day in Nestldown.

Rain? What rain?! It was a gorgeous wedding that had the gods crying!!!

We are very blessed to be one of Yelp’s highest ranked photographer in the bay area. Yup, with approx. 50 FIVE STARS reviews, we feel loved. However, today came an email stating that we now have a negative FAT ONE STAR review in Yelp! A one-star what?!!

We’re breaking the mold ! Making history and causing chaos in the industry. People officially now hate us on Yelp!

- Michael Soo
Sad Photographer of the Year

Engagement sessions are not just bringing_a_couple_out_anywhere_to_photograph. It’s a big deal for us. We plan the locations (nature versus architecture), schedule (time and location for the sunset) and wardrobe matching with the couples. We’ll ensure that our most amazing makeup artist and hair stylist are on board for the shoot. At times, we’ll go as far as to invite our couples for a home cooked meal while we talk about the upcoming shoot while we psyche each other up for the fun filled day of shooting.

I’m a foodie. So, it’s not one of those mac-n-cheese dinner, but white truffle cheese, salad with drizzled pomegranate reduction dressing, shrimp bisque, medium-rare grilled tenderloin steak, banana fosters spread over grilled peaches-a la hot/cold/sour/sweet combo. Mmmmph..mmmmmph. ~ Did I ever mention that we also photograph food? So, imagine how beautiful your wedding cake will look.

I digressed… There are three important pieces to our engagement sessions that we always capture, which you’ll notice through the images in this blog.

1. Love – It’s about how he looks at her and holds her, how she plays with her hair when she talks to him, how she always laughs when he tells a joke. It is the most basic instinctive raw emotion. Yes, we capture the love and we know where to find it.

2. Fun – The above images tells it all. We have a blast when we go out photographing our couples and by golly, you should too.

3. Art – We play tai chi with nature. We utilize natural sunlight in combination with flash photography to create the most beautiful and natural portraits, with a gorgeous backdrop in nature (see images below). By posing you a certain way in relation to the light, we help you shred 20 lbs without breaking a sweat.

Engagement photography collection for us is to reach through the camera lens, pulling in the couple’s shared happiness, and recording that for them to remember.

Of course, the greatest fun with the engagement shoots is my collaboration with the couples themselves. They give me new ideas all the time. These collections of pictures reflect the freshness of relationships before the weddings, before the kids, before the mortgages. They are keepsakes as meaningful as wedding albums.

- Michael Soo

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.

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

Normally, I would collaborate with the model or with the model’s parents (under 18 years old models) for modeling comp card (also known as composite cards or zed cards) creation. Planning tend to start weeks in advanced so that we’re certain what to expect, the styles, market segment to go after as well as the environment.

This shoot unfortunately was postponed twice due to bad weather and family emergencies. So, the proper planning was shorter than average. I spent only 2 hours on this shoot (unlike other modeling shoots for model’s portfolio that can span 3-5 hours).

A 7 year old model tend to not have the attention span to work for long period of times for a shoot. Going beyond 2 hours tend to wear them out fast. It is also crucial for the Ad agencies to see environmental shots where the model has an action oriented image where she is reading or playing.

Agencies and Art Directors often like to see the models’ versatility.

After all, modeling is a form of acting. Who wouldn’t hire an active looking model when the product that goes with the model is an active wear or even an music player?

Creating comp cards for modeling use isn’t rocket science, or is it? Is it really just taking lots of pictures and slapping them together as a card, then print as many as you can to send to Ad Agencies, Producers and Art Directors. hoping, just hoping to get a break. We’re in the realm of statistics here, right? The more you send, the better chance of getting a call back.

The market estimate survey shows that the chance to get a call back is 0.5% for the average model. So, in order to get 5 phone calls, you will need to send out 1000 cards! Realize that not all 5 calls will work out either. Now, 1000 cards isn’t cheap. Neither is the price of stamps nor the time it take to fill them out and send them off. So, wouldn’t you be better served to increase that chance by improving the statistics? How do we go about doing that?!

Before we even start, here are the things you should NOT do as they will decrease the statistics even lower than the market estimate of 0.5%

1. Don’t have your family & friends take your modeling images for the comp cards (with the exception that they are professional photographers and done it comp cards extensively). With all due respect, photographing a model is just a bit more involved than clicking the shutter. Posing a model and understanding the market needs are two of the major components missing from your boyfriend’s mind while he drools over the camera while photographing you.
2. Using the same background/situation for all of the images in the comp card. You need a bit more variety to proof your ability to adapt and express.
3. Using the same expression for all of the images in the comp card. Botox won’t win you a modeling job, unfortunately.

Doing all of the above will get you to the 0.5% acceptance ratio. We are getting somewhere, aren’t we? What if I tell you that you can triple or quadrupling that percentage? It takes time to create a WOW comp card.

1. Time to plan on the outfit that suits your style
2. environmental or action shots to show your versatility and your ability to fit into various roles
3. the spectrum of expressions to show your adaptability
4. masterful lighting that will showcase your charm (notice I’m not using the word beauty. Being beautiful doesn’t necessary make you a great model)
5. post-processing or retouching to enhance your look will push your comp further than you can imagine.

Modeling isn’t always about how beautiful you are or how sexy you look. Rather, it’s your style and look that will fit the requirement, might that be a need for an athletic sportsman or a grumpy woman with an intriguing frown. Plan to collaborate with your photographer. It takes two hands to clap and only by working together, can this be achieved.

Here’s the final Comp Card.

- Michael Soo
Soo Photography

By now, you probably think I’m a nutty professional photographer, dipping my toes into such a wide variety of subjects, from product photography to food photography to fashion photography to glamour photography to landscape photography and fine art photography to gosh, portrait photography, wedding photography and what else, commercial photography. On top of all that, I’m also well versed with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Website Design!!. Still think I’m sane?! I think not. While 90% of professional photographers out there strive to specialize in one field of photography, I spread my wings and claim strength in all. Is my brain really that slow? Contrary to what you might think, I have good explanations on what I’ve done thus far.

1. Mastering different facets of photography has allowed me to apply my knowledge in one to another. For example, if I were to shoot an engagement session at a seemingly boring golf course, I can utilize my knowledge as a landscape photographer for composition; my discipline in fashion and glamour photography to pose my subject beautifully; my in depth experience with studio lighting to use bounce multiple light sources to the subjects to create a wonderful interplay of light and shadow.
2. It keeps me excited as a photographer and continually challenge my ability to improve. It is much more often to hear of, say a specialized wedding photographer to get bored of his craft due to lack of innovation, creativity and exciting work. He/She will tend to do the same style over and over again with overall little improvements. For me, however, I am never bored since I have been peaking my performance by learning everything I know from one area of photography to the next. What I thought about in one area of photography has constantly been applied to another.

However, in spite of the above, most clients tend to think of a photographer is best when he or she is specialized. Just think, a bride probably will be more apt to choose a photographer who is specialized in weddings versus one who does everything. How do you, as a photographer prove otherwise? Show them your portfolio. The images needs to speak and they will, if you are good.

- MS

Paul and I decided to do a 2nd mega photoshoot, this time with 4 models, 3 photographers (Paul, myself and a guest photographer) and 1 videographer (Bryan Chang). We were graced by the presence of 4 models from across the bay, Nicole, Celeste, Melina and Angelina. Each bring a very different and unique set of talents into the shoot. It’s really amazing because most Art Directors will think of a particular concepts and there will only be ONE model out of hundreds that can fit that role. Same case in this shoot as I have concepts rolled up in my head weeks before the shoot. Along with the concepts, ideas on who can fit the roles has already been stamped and cleared. In effect, I was the Art Director, the Photographer and at some point, a really bad stylist and awful make-up artist, all rolled into one. For a larger shoot, this will not be ideal, obviously. Wearing multiple hats will help ensure that I can jump into a role when the need arises.

One of my objective of this shoot is to help “pave a pathway”, if you will, for these new models-to-be, into the world of commercial modeling. I’m hoping to help create a starting point with at least 1 out of 5 shots that they can use for their comp card, should they choose to do so. The other part of this shoot, done most gracefully by Paul are glamour shots for the girls. Paul has a style in photography that few has managed to achieve, much less, duplicate. It is no secret that many photographers tried to have him divulge his techniques. However, it’s my belief that if it isn’t their style to begin with, it will never be their style to end with. Paul, if you’re reading this, you can share your techniques with me. I’ll keep it a secret.

We also had Bryan videotape an hour worth of fun. The video footage is amazingly well done (thanks to Paul and…me, haha!) and if you have not watched it, it can be found in youtube as well as MySpace. Do NOT miss it. It’s good clean fun and if Nicole can have her way, she’ll dance her way through the entire shoot.

Nicole on the right was fooling around when I shot this. What she does not realize, most of the time is that she has the innate ability to extend her character across the room when she is relaxed. That’s her personality and her great selling point in a portfolio. Nicole rocks. I keep telling her that and it may diluted the effects. Bah, who cares. Nicole Rocks!

I do have to admit that the best shot that I did that day is actually a ultra hot glamour shot for Celeste. If you want to see that image, you’ll have to talk to Celeste. But let’s push glamour aside for a minute and talk about modeling portfolio. What do the commercial agencies really want? Modeling is really about acting and if you send them a comp card with 5 images of identical expression, it’ll get them uninterested really fast. You need to prove that you have the ability to be an actor(ess) in a different scene, different products and different use case.

I first took Celeste to the fireplace for my first session of the day. Celeste took a bit of time to warm up but when she did, she really glowed with her full ability to showcase herself. She is also a bit more seasoned as a model as she has done work with a few other photographers. I really wanted to showcase her “wild side” and she has the body to show off. We did my best glamour shot that day and right after, this shot on the left. Her hair flying sideways looked incredibly dynamic. In addition to that, Jorge’s wonderful makeup on her just spiced it up a big notch. The hardest makeups are the ones that you can’t tell there’s a makeup but makes the model look incredible at the same time. That’s a fact! Keep that in mind for your search for the best makeup artists out there. Jorge did a phenomenal job here. I also found the perfect crop for this hot image. Yup, I’m the Crop King!

Melina coyly admitted that she’s not the typical glamour girl. However, that’s not really an issue here. As I stated earlier, it’s really about personalities and how a model can fit into a role and, not the other way round. Her gorgeous blue eyes is the main attraction and rightfully so. I had Bryan and Ken hold her arms while she gave me an intense stare. What came out from it is perfectly slated for this mock ad, Delirium on the right.

Angelina has one of the most perfect skin and beautiful face one can lay eyes on. She’s a cutie. If there is a commercial for skin products, she is the perfect choice. She only had red lipsticks on at the time. Of course, I could just shoot her plain and she would look incredible. But to give it a unique twist, I had her hold two torn pieces of translum and got the shot on the left. The additional make-up was done by yours truly. As you can tell, I only smooth out skin when necessary and skin texture can be a great friend and gives an image a real feel to it.

For a model to jump into the modeling business, he/she needs to start with CRS (Critically High Standard). What does that mean? You need to be able to impressed the agent with just one glance. One look is all it takes for you to get in. You folks have it easier than actors. Actors sends in one headshot and that’s their one chance. Models have a comp card that shows 5 shots. You are as strong as your weakest link and it’s true. Your worse + worst image will be branded into the minds of Art Directors, agencies and photographers. This really is a First Impression business.

- Michael Soo