family photography sunnyvale bay area northern california

It's always refreshing to step outside and be surrounded by nature. Most of the leaves had already fallen because of the winter season. But there were still patches of green! A pleasant sunny morning, the crunch of autumn leaves under your feet, a cool breeze passing by. Experiencing these small lovely moments with your family. What a great start to the day for this session.

family photography san jose bay area northern california

Thankfully it was really nice warm autumn day amidst a generally chilly season. Beautiful setting and a beautiful family. Deer came out of hiding and started to frolic the hills towards the end of the session at dusk.

marc jacobs daisy dream

Oh Marc Jacobs, be still my heart.  Brought the mail in and saw a flash of bright blue slip out of a messy pile of supermarket ads, bills, and other miscellaneous things.  I usually ignore these sample scent slips, but this one was so pretty!  I love this graphic - uncluttered and perfectly represents this scent and product.  Product photography at its finest.  And the bottle design is stunning!  The scent is equally compelling; written inside the flap is: "an irresistible fruity floral [scent] with delectable notes of blackberry, jasmine and wisteria".
Couldn't have put it better myself.  I generally prefer fruity over floral scents (Daisy Dream is more strongly floral), but it's still a very feminine, dreamy, and non-overbearing fragrance.   Personally, I've been working on my own Clinique Happy bottle for ages :)

pretty cakes from paris baguette

I go weak in the knees for pretty desserts.  These cute cakes hail from a local Paris Baguette, a South Korean bakery franchise with many locations globally that offers confectionaries with an Asian and French flair.  I really enjoy Asian pastries as they tend to be lighter and less overwhelming in flavor.  I tried the neapolitan mousse cake and their take on the classic chocolate cake.
I was particularly excited about trying the neapolitan one; chocolate/vanilla/strawberry is an amazing holy-trinity of sweet flavors and it was SO DELICIOUS in mousse form.  And the pretty colors!  Overall though it was a tad too sweet, but the mousse was creamy/a little airy and each layer had a great distinct flavor.
I know I'm probably in a small, very tiny, minority when I say this, but I am not a huge fan of chocolate cake (hopefully you're not raging).  But this one I really enjoyed!  Lighter than other choco cakes that are usually super dense and mega rich, but still with all the characteristics that give chocolate cake its timeless appeal. Not sure why an Oreo was sitting at the very top, but it does add visual appeal :)
To find a Paris Baguette in your area: http://www.parisbaguetteusa.com/

forever yeung fashion blog / bay area natural light beauty portrait photography

For the past few months, I've been helping a friend out with the photography of her newly launched beauty and fashion blog.  We try to have one or two sessions a month to get a lot of content ready for future posts. These shoots are so fun - they're like having a bunch of mini-sessions all in one go!  I welcome the adrenaline rush since we usually meet up early in the AM :)  Having to be creative in sometimes less than ideal shooting conditions (crazy winds, distracting locations, harsh/dynamic lighting) for these shoots is a great educational challenge too.  It's really amazing how different shooting techniques, angles, framing, etc. for standard portrait sessions are from the sessions we do for her blog.  I'm so accustomed to focusing on the face, but having a ton of beauty headshots really don't work in this case.  For these shoots, the focus is actually away from the face and more on finding angles that highlight the outfit, accessories, etc.

Here's a preview for a post coming up sometime towards the end of the summer on her blog.  How summery is this shoot?!  Feel free to say hello to my friend Jenn on her blog (or through your favorite form of social media). Caution: lots of pink and lace upon entering ;)

blog // www.fvryeung.com
instagram // http://instagram.com/fvryeung
twitter // https://twitter.com/fvryeung
pinterest // http://www.pinterest.com/jenniferferrrrr/

pascal campion art

No Monday blues for me today.  I am actually so, so, SO excited because I found out recently that one of my favorite illustrators was launching a Kickstarter for a physical compilation of many of his "Sketches of the Day" pieces.  I've spent countless hours drooling over his work and I am over the moon knowing that fans will have the chance to have his art in print form.  EEK!

Here's one of my (and fans') favorites from his sketches, titled "The View".

And sharing the image above because it's still perfect beach weather these days - may head out there this weekend. :)  Pascal did this one earlier this month and shared this thought: "Something that I really like about drawing images like this is...literally imaging the conversations for everyone of the characters."  Love it!

I love the whimsy and nostalgia in his illustrations, perfect (and utterly distracting) for a daydreamer like me. :)  Have a great one, guys!  Feel free to check out his work.

blog // http://pascalcampion.blogspot.com/
website // http://www.pascalcampion.com/
kickstarter // https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/3000moments/3000-moments (less than 2 weeks left!)

Now if only I could get my hands on some Tadahiro Uesugi prints...

welcome

Hello all!  Welcome to the new blog!  This is where I'll be posting highlights from sessions and anything else that I find amusing :)  I'm loving this new layout.  It was surprisingly difficult to find a great blog design that was minimal, had good UI, but was also thoughtful and cohesive in its overall design.  (It was during this process that I wished I had taken a CS class or two during my undergrad years... oh well, no matter - it's never too late.) Anyhow, excited to share content on this format.  Look forward to it!

Starting this off with one from a recent graduation session at Cal.  More soon.