A Wedding Photography Blog Based in Orange County by Jimmy Cheng

Brandy and Jason in Murrieta

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:10:00 +0000

Murrieta, CA.

We met at the beautiful house of Brandy's mom's friend in Murrieta on a really, really hot day. Since we shot at sunset, the weather cooled down a little and the light softened just the right amount to create beautiful backlight and flare for our photos. The house was so cute in many ways, from the old-fashioned porch with a swing to the horses and dogs in the stable to all the greens throughout the property.

Brandy and Jason made a great choice in location. I always encourage couples to think of a unique concept or location for their engagement session.

We can't wait to photograph their wedding at the winery in September!

Here's a little trivia about the house: It belongs to the uncle of the lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold.

Adam Surprises Su at Huntington Botanical Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:50:00 +0000

San Marino, CA.

Let me start off by saying that Adam is one of the nicest guys I know. So it's not shocking that he went through all this trouble to set up a surprise proposal for Su. He had been planning this for a while and was still a nervous wreck up to the very moment he got on his knees.

The set-up: Since Su is pregnant, Adam told her that we were going to the Huntington Libary (The Botanical Gardens) to do a maternity session. He had me go there earlier to hide a bouquet of roses in the Rose Garden where he was planning to propose. There's a special meaning to the roses, so even though it was a pain to get it through security, I wanted to make sure I could sneak them in.

Fortunately, everything went without a hitch. They showed up with Su's sister because they were going to have afternoon tea at the Rose Garden Tea Room after the shoot. We did a few warm-up shots and then I suggested that Adam pose with his face next to Su's belly. So Adam got on his knees and based on the look on her face, utterly surprised Su as he pulled a ring box out of his pocket. She started crying immediately and as witnesses to this special moment, Su's sister and I got misty-eyed too. It was just one of those genuinely happy moments that a couple will remember for the rest of their lives, and it'll be easier to tell their kids about with these photos below:

I had a little time to kill before they arrived, so I shot this sweet looking flower.

The Blog Has a New URL

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:10:00 +0000

The new url for the blog is:

http://blog.jimmychengphotography.com/

I asked my lovely wife and dog to help spread the word.

If you subscribe to the RSS feed, be sure to add the new RSS Feed here.

All the previous entries are here in the new url and also at the old url, but new entries will only be here.

The cool thing about this new one is that the archives work a lot better now. Also, there is now a "older posts" at the bottom of each page so navigation is much improved.

I still have a few recent shoots to post and a little personal announcement, coming soon.

Alison and Andy at Irvine Regional Park

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:21:00 +0000

I'm glad we were able to catch Alison and Andy for an engagement session since they were down here for only a couple of days. We'll be covering their wedding in Santa Barbara in August and it should be a fun one.

For this shoot, we traversed across Irvine Regional Park and found some cool spots. When I say cool, I mean it was like 100 degrees and I really wanted to find shade for them. Despite the weather, we still had fun and they even went out with a paddle boat to take in the scenery. I really enjoy getting to know the couples through the engagement shoots because when the big day comes, they are so comfortable in front of my camera.

Here's a sneak preview and see you guys in Santa Barbara!

Frederique's Family Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:53:00 +0000

You know you must be a loved teacher if your class gets together and buys you a portrait session. Frederique and her family is moving back to France after being here three years, and the class that she teaches thanked her with a family portrait session with us. They were so much fun to work with, especially the little ones. I hope that one day these photos will bring back fond memories of their time here in Orange County.

Kami and Nathan in Laguna Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:48:00 +0000

When I first met Kami at the consultation I could already tell that she and her fiance would be really fun to shoot. She was pleasant and just had a really easy-going personality. My favorite part was that she mentioned she wanted to get in the water at the beach. I haven't had one of those in a while and the weather is perfect in June to do that.

We started at Bluebird Park and then headed over to Bluebird Beach in Laguna Beach.

They were more comfortable playing than posing, so the slides and swings were perfect for these two.

We can always find ways to adjust to the height disparity.

They have great chemistry with each other. Kami and Nathan laughed and smiled for pretty much the entire shoot, which is great on camera.

The sun starts to set.

Nathan spun Kami faster than I've ever seen anyone spun!

I love running-in-the-water shots.

Getting hit by the water with regular clothes on takes a little getting used to.

Steffanie and Ruben at Calafia Park

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:33:00 +0000

San Clemente, California

After having such a great time doing their engagement session, we couldn't wait to shoot their wedding at Calafia Park. Steffanie and Ruben are easy-going people so we knew it would a fun one. Although the rehearsal was rained out the day before, the skies cleared up and the sun came out for their wedding. It seems to always work out somehow.

Steffanie and her dad had a surprise dance for everyone so be sure to scroll down to the bottom to see it.

Steffanie's "Ruby" had given her the necklace as a present.

Calafia Park has an amazing backdrop with an ocean view.

I love to focus on the bride and groom's faces as they see each other for the first time.

The ring-bearer and flower girl were so adorable!

They are too cute around each other.

The reception site at the golf course.

This was the surprise father and bride dance. They started off dancing normally and then busted out a choreographed hip hop routine. I've seen the bride and groom do this, but this is a first for the bride and father! The dad pulled it off well I might add.

Another great idea was the colored hats that was passed out.

These women were going to slug it out for the bouquet.

The girls caught it at the same time but eventually one let go and gave it to the other.

Sarah and Noah's Wedding in Pasadena

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:28:00 +0000

We had a great time shooting Sarah and Noah's engagement session so we knew the wedding was going to be awesome. They had a couple of requests that I was thrilled about: The first was that they wanted mostly photojournalism style shots, which I always look forward to doing. The second was that, because Sarah's parents had been married at the same church, she wanted some shots that looked just like the ones that her parents had taken. She sent me some scans so I can try to match them. This took some preparation but I am so glad that I was able to pull it off because it was important to her. These are some of the shots...

Sarah had such an adorable expression here.

Noah's sisters were celebrating with Sarah the fact that they were soon going to be sisters.

This is one of the shots that Sarah wanted me to replicate. Look below to see my version.

I think it's pretty close.

They had one of the shortest ceremonies I've ever witnessed. This is because they just wanted so badly to be married so they could start enjoying their marriage. That is, after all, what it's all about.

I loved how they had their guests greet them as they came out of the church straight onto a red carpet and into a Rolls Royce. It's so old-fashioned it's beautiful.

Again, a shot of Sarah's parents.

And here's Sarah and Noah. This was such a cute idea!

Another cool thing about the wedding was that they had family and friends perform jazz music throughout the night. They are some talented people!

And finally, Noah sang a beautiful song to his wife, and you can just see how much she loved it.

Sarah and Noah, thank you so much for having us capture your unique and lovely wedding. You are surrounded by great family and friends and we are so glad to have been part of your joyous celebration. Have fun in Portland!

Maria's Maternity Portraits in Laguna Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Sat, 17 May 2008 05:39:00 +0000

Being the photographer's assistant, I usually just show up and help out wherever I can and get some shots of my own in. When Maria asked us to shoot her maternity photos, I asked Jimmy if I could do this one. See, I work with Maria and she's also a good friend. Her son, Joseph, is completely in love with me (sorry, Jimmy), so I really wanted to shoot this one for her. Of course, Jimmy couldn't just stand there and be my assistant for a day. The last couple of shots were taken by him.

Maria is the most gorgeous pregnant woman I've ever met and her son is just so flipping cute! We had told Joseph to talk to the baby, so that's what he was doing in the picture on the right.

For someone who's 8 months pregnant, that belly looks mighty small!

Like any little boy, Joseph couldn't resist playing in the water. This was his attempt in outrunning the water as it came up the shore. Mission failed.

Thanks, Maria and Joseph, for letting me take these shots. I had tons of fun and can't wait till baby Isabel comes.

Love,
Sen

Kim's Maternity Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:13:00 +0000

Taking a one week hiatus from weddings, I was able to squeeze in two maternity shoots just in time for Mother's Day.

Kim is expecting any minute now so this was our last chance to get a shoot in before the baby comes. Schoolteacher and wife of my friend David, Kim comes off adorably in pictures. I can't wait to get the text with the good news!

No, the baby's name is not going to be Ted. She's actually going to be a girl, but since David starting calling the baby Ted for no reason, it just kind of stuck.

Laguna Beach Wedding: Kathy and Steve

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:13:00 +0000

It's always flattering when people who work in the creative industry hire me as their photographer. Steve is a senior art director for a prominent website (hint: initials are A I) and I'm so glad that he and Kathy invited me to capture their beautiful wedding in Laguna Beach. We had so much fun during their engagement session that we were totally looking forward to this. Their family and friends were all so warm and friendly and just a joy to photograph. There are just too many great moments to post them all here, so these are just a few preview shots that I picked out.

The bride's brother getting ready.

The wedding party on both sides were so great to work with. This is a total guy shot and it was mostly unposed as they were walking down the hill.

We photographed Kathy and the girls in a home high up in the hills of Laguna Beach with an amazing view.

The wind was blowing a little so Kathy decided to have a little fun with it. This is just how silly and fun she is. I should mention here that Kathy skydives, a lot, and this is what she would probably look like if she were to have a wedding while skydiving.

While shooting the guys and girls at separate locations, the dogs in the neighborhood wanted to say hi. The adorable one below brought a tennis ball up to me to play fetch while I was shooting.

The cute flower girl smiled like this all the way down the aisle.

The interior of St. Mary's Episcopal Church is amazing with gorgeous hardwood and just as important, good air-conditioning.

Not pictured: The hundreds of people watching them being photographed, honking in their cars and congratulating them.

After a wedding, a bride just wants to relax and receive a foot massage.

During their engagement session, I told them to run on the beach and being the athletic types, they ran by so fast I could barely catch up. I learned my lesson so this time, I told them to jog by slowly.

One of my favorites of the day, Kathy and her beautiful expressions.

This cake topper has been passed down a couple of generations.

The lighting was perfect for their first dance.

The speech from Steve was emotional. It was quite endearing when he delivered his speech, and I'm so glad I was able to grab the gorgeous blue glow from the sky as it was disappearing.

Grace and Angel at Rancho Capistrano

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:35:00 +0000

San Juan Capistrano, California.

Grace and Angel were married at Rancho Capistrano in Orange County. The venue is set outdoors with beautiful greenery and a mountain backdrop ideal for photos. I wasn't surprised by this since I could tell that photography was important to Grace and Angel when I first met them. The wedding party was a fun group of people, the live band was fantastic, and the day was great. Here's a preview of the photos...

We were walking up this hill and it was difficult for Grace in her heels. I thought it was cute how Angel was helping her by holding the dress up this way.

My favorite shot of the evening, on the red bridge above the pond.

The plaza where the reception was held was adorned with red flowers and served as a gorgeous backdrop.

Sarah and Noah in Encinitas

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:53:00 +0000

We didn't meet Sarah and Noah until the shoot, but we hit it off right away. I say this a lot, but they seriously are such a sweet and fun couple, not to mention adorable and photogenic! We met them at a beach near the Batiquitos Lagoon in Encinitas by their place. The day started off extremely hot, but we waited until sunset to capture them in gorgeous soft natural light. Their wedding is coming up really soon and I'm so looking forward to it!

Sarah decided to improvise a little by kicking some water up which, if you look carefully, ended up on the lens filter. I love this shot, and like I told Sarah, my equipment is fine. The high-end Nikon cameras I use are tightly sealed and the lenses all have filters on it that protect the lens.

For a Good Cause

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:40:00 +0000

I usually don't bother with photo competitions, but this is for a good cause so... I'm entering images in the WedComp International Wedding Image Competition to benefit Thirst Relief International.

For you photographers out there: Get recognition. Help a cause.

70th Birthday Portraits in Seal Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:15:00 +0000

Kerry and Jason wanted to surprise Jason's grandpa with a family portrait session for his 70th birthday party in Seal Beach. We counted almost 30 people for this shoot, my largest portrait group ever! Everyone was so nice and having fun with it, so it was a blast. Here are just some of the shots from last weekend.

Underneath the pier.

The birthday boy!

They are such a fun group.

We took Kerry and Jason aside for a quick romantic shoot.

Annalisa and Will at Dove Canyon Courtyard

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:51:00 +0000

Trabuco Canyon, California.

You have to enjoy shooting a wedding when the father of the bride inducts you into the family. That's precisely what Rick did while we shot Annalisa and William's wedding at the Dove Canyon Courtyard in Trabuco Canyon, next to the Coto De Caza Country Club.

I started off at Annalisa's parent's house and became acquainted with her family immediately. Her father, Rick, was comedy relief the entire time (sorry Annalisa, I know you told me not to encourage him, but he is funny). What I found out though, through a fun car ride with the family to the wedding, was that they had an open and genuine love for each other. It made for a lot of funny and touching moments througout the day, and to able to capture that is why I love doing what I do.

If you know me, you'll know that I always gravitate towards dogs. It was feeling left out of the festivities.

Waiting in the room.

Mom gets dad ready for the big moment.

Rick protected this door like a secret service agent, checking all visitors upon entrance. Most of the time, he was making the whole room laugh by providing funny commentary on the guests walking by outside the room. Here, he is quiet as he gazes at his daughter the bride.

My favorite shot, unposed.

"The perfect pear."

Click here to view Annalisa and Will's engagement session

Christine and Roy at Hilton Waterfront

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:04:00 +0000

Huntington Beach, California

I had an amazing time documenting Christine and Roy's wedding that started at her parents' house in Aliso Viejo and ended at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach. We shot their engagement session a long time ago so it was great to finally see them again. My favorite part of the day was the private moments between Christine and her father. This is usually something that only the photographer sees, that moment before daddy gives his little girl away. I don't listen to the words that they say, but I follow the eyes as they look at each other and then away to keep from crying too much. I've seen this moment time and time again and it's always special.

My favorite shot, part one.

My other favorite shot.

Click here to view Christine and Roy's engagement session

Time Sync on Cameras

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:58:00 +0000

I'm getting ready for a weekend with two weddings, and one of the things I always do the night before is to sync up the date and time on every camera so when you're sorting them after the wedding, it's in perfect chronological order.

Nikon D3, Nikon D300, Nikon D200, all with the exact same time.

Weekend in Big Bear

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:00:00 +0000

We just got back from Big Bear with some needed R&R. We stayed at a cute little cabin and cozied up with the pups. They've never seen snow before so it was fun to watch them run around in this mysterious cold white surface. Sen said it ended up being more tiring than if we had stayed home and slept all weekend, but it's hard to beat just how gorgeous the view is up there.

Photos in Coto De Caza News

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:29:00 +0000

My friends were flipping through the local Coto de Caza News paper and saw the article on the Athletes and Aces Casino Night for the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center along with some of the photos that I shot that night. It's always fun to see my photos published.

The article, along with Robb and Jendy Nen on the top left.

On the top left, my favorite shot of the night, Jiggy and Sammy and the Stanley Cup.

New Features in the Proofs Viewer / Prints Ordering

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:39:00 +0000

I have been working on the website recently to make it even easier to order prints. The two most requested features have been added!

Save shopping cart: You can now save whatever is in your cart and load it up later in case you're not done choosing all your photos.

Selected photo indicator: While you're viewing the thumbnails page, you will now see a polaroid icon next to the thumbnail if you've selected prints for that photo. It makes it easier if you're scrolling through pages and pages and you want to know which photos you've already selected.

I've been wanting to add these features for forever but have been tied up with shoots and retouching photos. I'm glad to finally be able to get this out.

To check it out, just log in to the proofs site (for my clients that have passwords).

Photography Tip: Use Your iPhone for Timelines

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:15:00 +0000

I always have my clients send me the wedding day itinerary before a wedding and it usually comes in the form of a Word doc or Excel spreadsheet. This helps with my preparation as I'll know what to expect on the day of. I'll go over it a couple of days before the wedding, but at the actual wedding, I'll load it on my iPhone so I can check it anytime. It does a great job of rendering the documents and spreadsheets and you can pan and zoom with a simple swipe of the finger.

I had Dusky and Bobby's timeline loaded on my iPhone.

So if you ever see my looking at my iPhone during a wedding, it's not because I'm texting my friends... I'm just double checking the timeline.

Jackie and Roy's Wedding in Laguna Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:48:00 +0000

Laguna Beach, California

The day started out with a few sprinkles and fortunately it went away by the time we began shooting, since it was an outdoor wedding at Occasions in Laguna Beach. That paved the way for dramatic looking skies that serve as a great backdrop. Jackie and Roy were so great to work with, as were their parents and wedding party. Everyone was so pleasant that it was just a joy to capture the event. Here are just a few of the many shots from the wedding:

Introducing the groom, Roy.

And his groomsmen.

Having a little fun, snapping fingers.

The girls walking down a busy Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach.

I love the dark blue dresses the bridesmaids wore, so we wanted to shoot it against this artistic blue wall.

While shooting this one, I could hear the bridesmaids behind me saying that they loved this shot.

The girls were such a great group to work with.

Details of the wedding dress.

The entire wedding party.

I loved the colors of the cake.

The bride and her father had a classic dance while the groom and his mother performed an entertaining number that cracked everyone up.

Florist
Weddings by Melia

DJ
Anthony Barthel

Coordinator
Dayna Lewis of Occasions at Laguna Village

Click here to view Jackie and Roy's engagement session

Yummy Chillz Yogurt

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:30:00 +0000

We went to visit our friends Jaime and Ace again at Chillz frozen yogurt in Rancho Santa Margarita to get a few more shots of their delicious yogurt. I love going there just to chit-chat with them, but getting to eat the sample fro-yo's is a nice bonus.

Here is the location:
31431 Santa Margarita Pkwy
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

Strawberry, with gummies and sprinkles.

Mango circled with raspberry and blackberry.

And the best part of this gig? Free yogurt!

Jaime hand-made us a super cute Christmas ornament. Check out the guy on the right, he has a camera hanging on his heck... that's me!

OC Metro Business

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:09:00 +0000

I was waiting for my take-out dinner and grabbed a copy of the OC Metro magazine to read. I like dark yellow, so my eyes were drawn to the cover. As I flipped through it, I saw a photo of Darin and Jessica Erstad. I told Sen, "Hey! That's my shot!" when I realized it was my photo that I took of them at the Athletes and Aces Casino Night for the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center. It was just so random and fun to see.

The pretty yellow cover.

And the original photo of the cute couple.