Hello everyone,

As you might know, I am leaving for Europe for six weeks. If it piques your interest, read the following article for all of the countries I am visiting! I will try to tweet / post here and there, but know that I undergo great lengths to find a cyber cafe to say “hello!”

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Did you know that Tofurious started a WordPress blog in February 2009?

I am not saying that I am an expert blogger, but I’ve learned a thing or two over the years. And most of my knowledge was acquired by observing successful bloggers (especially those within our own photography industry). So the first step toward becoming an effective blogger is to…

Observe Successful Bloggers

I use the word “successful” loosely, but what I really mean is “effective” [bloggers]. Just like photography, we study images that “work” and with time create our own styles. I will be listing a number of blogs that I have learned from, but it does not limit them to only that trait.

Interview Someone

When I think of interviews, I immediately think of Jules Bianchi’s Cafe; interviews by her lovely sister Joy – @joybianchibrown. Using the informality of coffee breaks, Jules interviews various industry leaders at Jules Cafe.

What does this establish?

• It creates a relationship between the interviewer and interviewee
• The interviewee will promote said interview, thus promoting the interviewer
• Creates community

This is a good way for both parties to promote each other. Additionally, the interview will provide good content for readers, which is sort of the point. So…try to get interviewed, or interview someone (like me)! No one has interviewed me yet and it makes me sad.

Twitter

If you do not have twitter, go to www.twitter.com and register for an account. After that, follow @tofurious (that’s me) hehe!

Zack Arias @zarias recently wrote an interesting article about Twitter and “Six Degrees” of separation.

…helped the photography industry build community. Both virtual and real. Twitter is a key to my marketing plans over the next year but beyond that, it keeps me in touch with so many people that I would normally fall out of touch with due to time or distance. Not to mention how many new friends I have thanks to social networking.

In a nutshell, Twitter allows for a number of things, but not limited to what’s listed below:

• Follow activities of people through an instant feed of 140 characters
• You can connect with others
• Others can connect with you
• Spreading of ideas through #, RT, etc.

Less Is More

Jose Villa is the epitome of “less.” I was given the great pleasure of designing his new blog (not public yet) recently and his ideas truly inspired me. As a search engine specialist, I kept pushing for certain elements for his blog, but Jose dimissed them all. And I admire him for that.

So how does this apply to us photographers? Vu Bui once told me over breakfast that he discourages people to post more than 10 images on their blogs.

Vu preached that everyone has the same images over and over again. So rather than creating the same sink hole of bandwidth-sucking blog posts, post only 10 images that would knock the socks off of viewers. After that, post your 100+ images in a slideshow or something.

Jose uses minimalism in his photography artwork. He is, after all, one of the “Top 10 Wedding Photographers” in the world, so he is doing something right.

Transparency

I once asked Aaron Dieppa about something in his personal life, which I read on his website. “It’s something private, but it’s cool that you shared it.”

“Yeah, I believe in transparency. I want my clients to know me for me,” responded Aaron.

I had this similar conversation with [B]ecker and his poker aspirations. He and Jessica Claire are the only two people I know that post publicly their love for poker on their business websites.

Does this help / harm them? It’s relative. However, I believe that it helps them more than anything. By posting about one’s personal life, viewers can get to know the blogger on a personal level.

How does this apply to photographers? Brides have booked me [and the aforementioned] to shoot various weddings without even meeting in person. Great, isn’t it? Brides do this because they already have this informal / personal relationship with us. Before they even email or call us, they already have a good feeling how we operate as professionals and as regular individuals.

Take away the occupational titles, we are just humans. And humans like
to connect with other humans. We build bridges through common grounds, so express them!

Consistency

Have you ever read a blog post by Jasmine Star? She is one of the most eloquent writers I know [of]. (I hope to change “know of” to just “know” because I hear she is a fabulous person). All of Jasmine’s articles are like tiny excerpts of her clients’s lives.

Rather than telling a story only with pictures, Jasmine precedes it with a text-based story. And she consistently delivers every time!

So how does this apply? If you are consistent with a certain style, readers will expect it over time. However, I am not saying that you should not try new things. Just imagine cooking… Always bake your delicious cookies at the same temperature, but try throwing in raisins or chocolate chips to spice things up!

Cheers,

Lawrence

P.S. Transparency: I tried getting a pedicure for the first time on Wednesday. I liked it! I even got my eyebrows waxed. I liked that too! I think I will be visiting this one salon quite often now. By chance, you might bump into me

Honey Nail Spa – they ROCK

626-844-7299

563 S. Lake Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101

Greetings,

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Thank you everyone who could make it out! We had local photographers from Orange County to super cool ones from far away – San Francisco, San Jose, San Antonio(Texas).

Due to overwhelming interest, the beginner’s workshop sold out in a few hours. Intermediate and advanced ones coming in the near future. They will be much smaller than this one because of the technical aspects of learning creative lighting.

Beginners – 3 hours

• Understand what equipment to use
• Get a feel of the difference between studio strobes and mobile lighting kits
• Locate sources of ambient light and how to angle / compensate for them

Goal: Student will be able to setup a 2-3 point lighting scenario and properly calibrate for subjects

Intermediate – 5 hours

• Learn how to frame an image effectively
• Use of harsh / creative shadows
• Understand how to reflect or deflect light
• Play with ring lights, barn doors, honeycombs, grids, etc.

Goal: Student will be able to use creative lighting setups and calibrate for virtually any scenario in a matter of a few minutes

Advanced – 5 hours

• Must have strong grasp of lighting
• Use of snoots for pin-point lighting
• Advanced level post production
• Learn how to fashionably pose subjects

Goal: Student will be able to book badass gigs based on flippin’ sweet lighting setups

Models Information

Need a model or makeup artist? In fact, they can even do their own makeup and hair so it saves you the trouble!

Tracie Cotta – model / makeup artist

http://traciecotta.com

http://modelmayhem.com/ivebeenshot

traciecotta@gmail.com
@traciecotta

Kyuri – model

http://www.modelmayhem.com/880296

headcase.kyur@gmail.com

Some Student Work

The first image (my fave) is by Jenny Liu Photography (Orange County photographer)

All images taken at Ritz Carlton (Laguna Niguel) after marketing workshop

Cheers,

Lawrence

P.S. You all ROCKED! Just too bad, I did not take any pictures myself boo…

Howdy,

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If you are a BRIDE, please visit Furious Photographers [dot] com Thanks!

Wednesday – June 3rd, 2009

What a day so far. I cannot even begin to explain. First off, @lanbui, @vubui and @DFurious photographed @iJustine. As much as I wanted to participate in the photo shoot, I had to prepare my notes for the wedding photography workshop the next day.

Anyway, just wanted to share with everyone the spectacular view from our suite at Ritz carlton (Laguna Niguel).

The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel
One Ritz-Carlton Drive
Dana Point, CA 92629
(949) 240-2000

Thursday – June 4th, 2009

Butterflies fluttering, cold sweat, nervous shivers, you name it, I got it. The only thing that got me through the private workshop were the smiles from familiar faces – thank you for your support. Prior to everyone’s arrival, I recited my lecture notes over and over in my head. Upon opening my mouth, my scripted speech turned into a series of barely cohesive words meshed into a ball of thoughts.

Why the anxiety?

1. The attendees included some of the world’s top weddings photographers
2. Even without the titles, I still had an insurmountable adulation for them
3. I copied one of the photographer’s pricing sheet when I first immersed myself into this industry

I do not remember the exact words, but it went something like this:

Me: Sara [France], I did not mean to copy your pricing sheet, but it looked so pretty.

Sara: It’s okay, when I was starting out, I copied (name).

A wave of relief swelled inside of me as I am reminded by @bullysaurus’s words that “they are regular people too, so don’t worry so much.” It’s funny because this same scenario happened in San Francisco’s private workshop.

Attendees:

• Gene Higa
• Ann Hamilton
• Douglas Chan
• Aaron Dieppa
• The Boudoir Divas – Kimberlee & Marissa
• Lauren Hillary
• Sara France
• Dane Sanders
• Jules Bianchi
• [B]ecker
• Keats Elliott
• Victor Sizemore

Special thanks to:

• Anton Lorimer
• Vu Bui
• Lan Bui

Some cool OC peeps:

• Bridal Mode – http://www.bridalmode.com/
• Design Visage – http://www.designvisage.com
• Jeffrey Neal Photography – http://jnpstudiosblog.com
• Jenny Liu Photography – http://www.jennyliublog.com

I am particularly proud of Victor Sizemore being able to implement the strategies taught in the workshop virtually immediately! At first, I thought Victor was chatting or writing an email instead of listening. He later shared with me what he was up to.

While you were talking, I Google’d one of my previous wedding shoots and it was on page 3 of search results. [not so good] While listening to you, I made a number of changes to that blog post. Upon return from giving my testimonial to Anton, I Google’d the same thing and I am #1. [WOW]

It made me proud to see that I was able to deliver complex concepts over effectively.

TwitPic – @bonny and @lanbui enjoying breakfast at one of the three patios while @Dfurious played server

TwitPic – @genehiga soaking in some Vitamin D outside the suite on our last day

Looking forward to the next one,

Lawrence

P.S. I am entertaining the idea of hosting my first public workshop on a yacht (in Orange County). Special perks for coming to this first one include

• wine / champagne
• get to be in a high production music video (still planning)
• boat ride – yay!

Add yourself to the mailing list if you want more information in the coming months – subscribe

Hello everyone,

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If you are a BRIDE, please check out some of the top San Francisco / Napa Valley wedding photographers [in the world].

Did I ever mention that I normally live under a rock? Coming to San Francisco to do a talk to some of the world’s top wedding photographers was quite frightening. I had to prepare all week for this private workshop. I will elaborate more on this, but here were the attendees! A special thanks to San Francisco wedding photographer Gene Higa for graciously lending his beautiful home for us to use.

Overall, it was a pleasure to be working with these San Francisco based wedding photographers. Please check out their wedding photography websites as they are inspirational!

Everyone got one of of these cool leather portfolios! After a five hour workshop, I am beat.

Images courtesy of Lan Bui

Here is a little plug for some other San Francisco based wedding photographers:

Kameron Olds – http://shootinggalleryphoto.com/blog

Ashley Summer – http://ashleysummer.com

Sara Goetz – http://saragoetzphotography.com

Outtie,

Lawrence

P.S. Gene’s house is really really really nice. It is very cozy. I could fall asleep here.

Hello everyone!

If you are a bride, please visit my website at www.lawrencechanphotography.com, but feel free to check out our 5-day adventure in Cancun, Mexico.

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What a fun weekend! Although I must admit, shooting two weddings and a day after session consecutively was pretty exhausting.

Resuming – yes what a trip! I am so happy that the Bui Brothers came along and graced us with their good humor and awesome footages.

Day 1 – Arrive in Cancun

Day 2 – Isla Mujeres Wedding – Colleen and Hector

We photographed a beautiful wedding at Isla Mujeres – “Island of the Ladies” – nice name! We also hooked up with the island coordinator – Laura – and she was so impressed with our work that she wants us to be the official video/photo people – woot!

Day 3 – Marriott Cancun – Tiffany and Ly

Tiffany and Ly are such lovable people! We photographed their engagement in New York a couple of times and always enjoyed their company – session one and session two.

Below is a same day edit fusion video! We placed it in their iPod and Ly watched it all night. He even brought it around with him and showed it to random guests in their hotel lobby, which cracked us up.

Here are some still images from their destination wedding! GIVE US SOME PROPS – seriously! It was SUPER WINDY and we still pulled it off.

My favorite (below)! Mom and daughter walking with gusts of winds blowing made quite a cool picture.

Day 4 – Day After Session at Tulum – Tiffany and Ly

Tiffany and Ly wanted to do a day after session at Tulum. Since we were rejected due to permit issues, we were like screw this! We’re still going to get pictures so we rented boats!

Doesn’t this look like a scene from the “Most Interesting Man in the World” except that the dude is Asian? Stay thirsty, my friends.

Isn’t the water gorgeous? Made me want to get a cup and sip from the ocean.

Here is one of many super duper awesome stills! We used a mobile tripod with a custom built frame that held one Pocket Wizard and two 580EX II. We will be hosting workshops on this soon, so stay tuned.

What was so funny was that a group of Italian tourists saw us taking “professional” pictures you can say and thought Tiffany was a super model. Axiomatically, we are professionals, so no sneering please. Anyway, the tourists all pulled out their cameras and started photographing her and us. We told them not to be shy and to come sit with them. I think this picture adds real character!

Despite the afternoon sun, we still pulled off a perfectly exposed image with two Canon 580EX II flashes. We had one pointing at Tiffany and Ly at 75mm 1/2 power and one for the whole group at 24mm 1/2+0.7 power. Final result = awesomness!

Since the sun was setting and we were all getting burnt, I took one last picture with Tiffany showing off her Fendi sunglasses.

Afterwards, we had tacos at Taco Factory, which was fantastic!

Day 5 – Climbed Coba – Tallest Mayan Ruin in the Yucatan Peninsula

Right before Coba, we decided to explore a cave in a giant cenote (underground river).

Lan has vertigo so I am extremely proud of him for braving his fear.

Vu’s take on Coba below -

Once we were on top of the Mayan Ruin, Doug setup the camera while I callibrated the remote light and ta da!

Day 6 – Go Home While Bui Brothers Played in the Waters

Overall a great trip! Again, thank you SEO for making these weddings happen.

I’m on a boat!

Lawrence

P.S. I love reading the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella.

P.P.S. I think Toblerone chocolate is divine!

UPDATE: PHOTO BOOTH AVAILABLE HERE

First off, thank you everyone for being so patient.  I tried my best to answer everyone’s emails while working full time at my WPPI booth and helping some friends out – the Bui Brothers – on the Epic Hunt (I will making a blog post about them soon so pay attention). If I could clone myself, I would totally do it. There are over 3,000 people using my blog themes right now, so that can give you an idea of the amount of emails I have, so again thanks for being patient

What a week! This was my first time attending WPPI and my first time ever having a booth – what a wicked experience. As much as I would have loved to peruse the convention floor, I had to rely on fellow mates to gather materials for me. For those who did not attend, Tofurious debuted a new photobooth software (created in conjunction with Made By Simple, LLC, which is another company I am partnered with) that had live view and touchscreen! It was encased in a full plexi-glass frame that was completely transparent. Why? We wanted to show how simple it was to create one – three items: camera, computer, [any] printer. We even let our competitor take pictures and video clips because we had nothing to hide.

Hopefully, in the near future I can have the booths mass produced in full sheet metal. The best part is that it will be collapsable. The last thing I want to do is to lug it around on a truck with hydraulics.

Last week’s theme: Digital Awesomeness

So many people came by to take pictures and so many people were ready to purchase a license right there and then! Unfortunately, there are still a few tweaks that need to be done before releasing it. I talked to an old buddy who works for UCLA and he was also interested in getting a few licenses for the university! I was like wow that would be stellar!

Anyway, due to a mountain of emails I am trying to respond to, I will just posting a recap video done by two genuinely cool friends – Aaron Dieppa and Brian Khang. Aaron is attempting to post one video a day for 365 days! It is like a television show that I tune in every night and I suggest you do the same Thanks Aaron for the recap video! Without this, all I have is one picture that Danny took for us.

Aside from that, I had lots of people come by to take pictures, many of which were posted on our clear photobooth. Check them out! I made them all black/white except for one that Doug liked a lot.

Sorry I have to point this one out because it is so funny – hah look at Becker sticking his head in with Danny, Doug and Jasmine Marie!