Hello! I’m back from a wonderful wonderful time in Mexico. Winnie and Jing’s wedding was simply lovely, and their Day After session (several days after, actually) was so much more than I ever expected. We stretched our time out to a week for some much needed R&R, but I’m refreshed and ready to start pumping out more imagery. =)

Here are some teasers from Jen and Vinh’s wedding.

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Hello! I will be on assignment in Mexico until the 15th. Internet access will be sporadic, so emails and calls might possibly not be returned until I get back. Have a great week guys!

edit: I’m back from Mexico! Regular blog posts will resume on Monday.  =)

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Last night I went to bed around 10, hoping to sleep all the way through the night. That obviously didn’t work out, so instead, here I am spending the last few hours on some much needed reflection time. 

First off, I really need to thank all of you. 2008 has been a phenomenal year for me, and–I don’t say this glibly–I really couldn’t have done it without you guys! Your love, support, and patience have not only helped bring me to where I am today, but it has motivated and spurred me to continue reaching for this crazy dream. 2008 has been the first complete calender year since I have quit my biotech job and plunged into photography full time, but never did I expect to come so far in such a short period of time! This year alone, I booked over 20 weddings, did even more photoshoots, traveled to places like NYC, Houston, Vegas, Atlanta, Washington DC, etc on assignment, not to mention up and down California, from Mendocino to Napa to San Diego and everything in between. And that’s only for photography! 2008 also meant a new place to live with 3 great guys, countless new friends that I have made along the way, a few old friendships that have been renewed, and a crazy spiritual journey of discovery.

Yet in all the doing and running around, I have become sidetracked from the bigger vision I had been chasing. Somewhere along the way, my focus switched from this dream of somehow changing the world, to “I really need to edit these pictures, and meet up with this other client, and answer all those emails, and respond to my album designer, and … “   Life has become an ever-growing series of To Do lists that I am always struggling to whittle down. I still have unfinished weddings from 2008 (they weigh heavily on my mind most days), and yet I’ve already had to hit the ground running. A few days ago, I shot my first wedding of 2009, as well as my first engagement session, and tomorrow, I will be flying to the beautiful Riviera Maya for another assignment. (Not complaining there! heh)

It is true that the more you grow and mature, the more you realize how much farther you still have to go. So often I want to be able to tell people, “Yes! I am living my dream–and so can you!” I have somehow stumbled upon a life that is so much more fulfilling than the existence many are living through, and I want to be able to share that with others, and help them find it too! Yet at the same time, I intently recognize that mine is an incomplete dream. For all the success I have been experiencing, I am still deeply human, deeply flawed, often impatient with my weaknesses and shortcomings. Never a day goes by that I’m not consciously aware that many clients are still waiting for their images, and I struggle with making time to do things like going to the gym, and one of the most important pillars in my life–my friendships–have been neglected for far too long. Today, one of the first clients I ever had called me up to catch up and see how I was doing. I had been meaning to visit them since they had their baby half a year ago (I’ve only been able to follow their pictures on facebook), yet each month I kept pushing it off. And so I finally decided–enough is enough! I probably don’t have the time, but my friendship with them is more important, so I’m just going to schedule dinner and everything else will have to give!

In a recent newsletter, life coach Jim Rohn wrote, “Take time to be quiet. This is something that we don’t do enough in this busy world of ours. We rush, rush, rush, and we are constantly listening to noise all around us. The human heart was meant for times of quiet, to peer deep within.” President Elect Barak Obama also recently shared an advice someone gave him: In order to be successful, “the most important thing you need to do is to have big chunks of time during the day when all you’re doing is thinking.” Otherwise, he said, you start to lose the big picture.

And that is exactly what has been happening to me! As my workload started to pile higher, I switched into a short-term “doing” mentality and neglected the disciplines that had brought me to where I am. Life quickly became unbalanced, and my ability to finish tasks effectively was compromised–it’s a vicious cycle! But reflection time is simply one of those non-negotiables that we need in our lives if we are to succeed at whatever we’re striving to do. That’s why personal development coaches recommend to “finish each day before you begin,” to spend the beginning of each day, each week, each month, each year reflecting and planning.

With that in mind, my resolutions for this year will be much simpler than last year’s 30–I will spend time to build relationships and to reflect. Specifically,
1) Every week, I will have a meal or hangout with at least one person with whom I don’t see often enough.
2) Every Sunday night, I will spend my time reflecting, meditating, reading, and working on personal development material.

And so if you’re reading this, I invite you to hold me accountable. Anytime you see me, you have the right to ask me how I am doing on those two commitments. Because you know what? If I’m ever going to reach that big dream of mine to change the world (or maybe just to change one person!)–I first need to change me. And I can’t do that by myself. So perhaps by this time next year, if someone asks me, I can say without any hesitation, “Yes, I am living my dream! It was a tough road getting here, and I have still much to conquer–but here’s how you can find your dream too!”

(By the way, what about you? Have you taken time to reflect on 2009? Where do you want to go this year? Who do you want to be?)

Once again, a big THANK YOU to everybody. Thank you for believing in me, especially those of you who have been around even before I plunged into this. Thank you for giving me the chance to do the things that I love. Thank you to my friends and family who have been patient with me for this past year. Thank you to my faithful readers and your ever helpful feedback. Thank you to my clients who took a chance on me even when I was/am still inexperienced. You guys have all been a great blessing!

much love,
Junshien

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Christmas Day.

I am standing by the ocean, watching as rows after rows of monstrous waves toss themselves upon the jagged rocks. The sea swells again like some angry prehistoric monster from the deep, with white breakers cresting on the top of a lurching ink-blue body. The wind is biting, and my ears are cold. For a moment, the rain falls sharply on the skin, driven sideways by the western wind. I wish I had brought the hood for my jacket, but it had long been left at home. We head back for the car.

Another spot along the coast. It is a mere ten minutes later, but the rain has decided to stop its relentless pounding, and the wind has lost some of its furor. Still, drama fills the heavens, and to the left, the setting sun breaks through dark clouds. A golden orange spreads through the skies like some giant egg yolk cracked across an eternal canvas. My sisters and I splash through a small puddle of water and run down to the beach. To the right, a sandy hilltop of seagrass. In front, the waves still pound upon a shore scattered with driftwood. And all around, an infinitely wide expanse of sea and sky, meeting at a horizon with no end. It is a perfect moment, and I want to be here forever.

Part of me wishes I have my camera with me. Yet another part of me knows that it is better this way, for even if I am to one day become ten times the photographer I am today, how can I possibly capture such a perfect moment in a single frame? Sometimes as a photographer, when I come upon a beautiful subject, a precious moment, my first instinct is to capture it so that I can share with others.

Yet I am reminded of that scene in The Great Divorce, when a famous painter arrives in Heaven, and looking in amazement at the landscape around him, immediately wishes he had his brushes and paints with him. But what for? he is asked by a spirit. A painting is but a glimpse of the real thing, and while on earth, he was successful because he was able to help others see those glimpses too. But in heaven, he now had the real thing itself. Why would he put down on canvas what the others can already see and experience for themselves? He doesn’t quite understand.

And so I stand on the sandy beach, with the wind blowing all around and the waves crashing upon the shore and the sun melting into the horizon, and breathe it all in. I am happy, content, and glad that I do not have my camera with me. For perhaps now, I have captured the moment far better than I could if I was experiencing it through a viewfinder.

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Not too long ago, I was at an Asian supermarket when I came across a packet of 8 bao zi (a meat and/or vegetable filled bun) for the ridiculous price of $3.15. Curious, I picked it up to take a closer look when I saw the “ingredients” …

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Hi guys! I am looking to add one or two more freelance album designers to the team. Check out the sample layout down below. If that’s a style you can duplicate, message me (email.me@junshien.com) with a link to your online portfolio and a summary of your design experience. Thanks!

p.s. My apologies ahead of time for not being able to respond to everybody!

RSS feed readers: Click here if you can’t see the slideshow above.

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Kim and Joe were featured on Weddingbee today. Congrats you two! It was such a beautiful wedding, and the fact that you were able to pull it off on a budget like that is nothing short of amazing! Everybody else, check out the post here.

Also a disclaimer: Kim and Joe signed their contract back in ’07 and took a chance with me when I was relatively new to the industry. I’m eternally grateful! Don’t mean to dash anybody’s expectations, but many things have changed since then, including rates which have almost doubled what was quoted in the article. So … although I no longer offer the rates I did when I first started out, I still promise to keep improving on my art and to always deliver kickass photography. =P

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This was probably one of my favorite weddings of the year. After having a blast shooting *two* engagement sessions with Jenna and Charles, and going over with them their plans for the wedding, I knew there was no way the wedding would be anything but wonderful! Jenna thought through everything, and it definitely shows. The venues they chose were gorgeous, the details were perfect, the flowers were lovely, their dances were a treat to watch. Special thanks to my assistants Sarah and Hana for all their hard work!

There are many other photos much higher on the hawtness scale that we won’t be posting up. =P

I love love love her dress. If you know Jenna, you’d agree that it’s totally her. Sarah set up this shot.

The Reveal. Charles looks so happy.

Major props to Jenna and Charles for this series of photos. It was hot, we were running very short on time, the light wasn’t cooperating, I wasn’t really “feeling” the place. But still, they managed to look really good. =D

Cuteness.

Cuteness part two.

Fairy wings. How can you top that??

Love this shot of Jenna and Dad entering the church.

Hana’s fish-eye.

The details for the reception were just fabulous. I first saw the room in the morning before everything was completely set up, and I was already blown away.

The trees really added an extra touch of elegance to the decor. Jenna has a handful left and is trying to sell them. Any brides interested?

Isn’t she beautiful?

heh. Great shot of Charles.

This was actually Jenna’s brother’s idea.

Okay, before we go on to the next few images, I have to say that their first (and 2nd and 3rd) dance was hands down THE BEST I have ever seen. It was totally unexpected, elaborate, and crazyfun. Have you watched that scene in Enchanted where everybody in the park all of a sudden break into dance? It. was. just. like. that. This is probably the only time I have ever wished I was a videographer instead of a photographer so I can capture all that motion and music and laughter and twirling around!

Yup, their dance was hawt.

We managed to slip out during the reception to catch the setting sun. It was crazy because by the time we got out, the sun was already fading behind the hills and we had maybe less than 5 minutes left!

Missed the slideshow above? Click here!

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