Happy New Year!

Okay so my New Year's post is 10 days late but wow, what a year it's been! I've been so lucky this year to photograph my clients in beautiful and cool places such as Blue Mountain, Prince Edward County, the Beaches, the Old Mill, the Distillery District, Evergreen Brickworks and the list goes on. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who have trusted me to bring their vision to life, let me play creatively, supported me with compliments, praises and referrals and allowed me to share in your life moments. This year would have been nothing without you guys!

Wow, sorry for the 'academy-like' speech, must be from watching the Critic's Choice Awards. Speaking of, Jennifer Lawrence's speech was so sweet, didn't you think?

Anyway I hope that this year brings many good things to everyone, whatever your goals and aspirations may be. I'm looking forward to another fun filled year and can't wait to share with you all the projects that I have in store for 2013.

I'll leave you with this attempted family photo of me, Alvin and the cats. The cats wouldn't join us for the portrait so we tempted them with food but they wouldn't stop sniffing our hands for more food! Oh well. Here's to wonderful new beginnings - Happy New Year everyone.

Nate the Great and Other Studio Stories

I always get excited when it's time to present final products to my clients. Just watching the looks on their faces as they flip through the pages of their photo book, smiling as they relive the moments from their session, make it all worth it. You may remember the newborn and family session we did with Nathan not too long ago. If you missed it, you can read about it here. Because I love my clients so much, I also like to put together a bonus highlights video for them as a little surprise when they receive their images. You can watch the video from Nathan's newborn session here.

When Nathan was born, his mommy told me they also called him Nate which immediately reminded me of a favourite childhood book series of mine, Nate the Great. Of course, I had to make sure this book made it to Nathan's bedtime story list. If there is one thing I love more than making beautiful images for families, it is sharing a favourite book with them.

Here is a picture of the collection that was made just for mommy and daddy.


I spend a lot of time thinking about how my photography collections are presented so that I can share who I am as an artist and what photography means to me. My goal was something that was meaningful and pretty to look at, with an overall modern-rustic aesthetic to it. I wanted something for my clients that was just as delightful to open as the contents awaiting them inside.




I hope this gives you a little insight on a part of my creative process!

Want to know more about the different kinds of products and collections our studio can create for you? Start by sharing your vision of the perfect family portrait session with me at vivian@vivianhui.com.

Blue Mountain Engagement and Workation

Hello from Blue Mountain! This weekend will be a workation for me and that's where I'll be staying. Enjoying some time and company with my friends and doing a winter-themed engagement shoot in the Blue Mountain area later today. Yeena got right into the planning of the engagement session with me and even scored some cool props. Yeena and I came up with this inspiration board for their shoot:



I'm really looking forward to doing this. Yeena and Peter are a totally cool couple and I can't wait to try out different shots with the pretty-esque Blue Mountain and Village areas as backdrop. I'm also going to be trying out for the first time, a live behind the scenes coverage of the engagement shoot via Instagram. Find me @vivianspics or look for the tag #backstagewithviv and follow along on our outdoor adventure as it takes place.

Off to do some location scouting now! Happy weekend everyone.

Why I Have So Many Photos of My Cats

Welcome back everyone! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and got to spend some time with loved ones and people you care about. I had the most lovely family gathering but wish I wasn't so busy hosting and had more time to take some photos of everyone!

Before we get back into some full session posts for the sneak peeks I left you with before the holidays, I just wanted to share with you something that happened yesterday when I got my camera out to do some work. This happens to me quite often but now I realize that this is why I end up with so many darn cat pictures! I don't know - is this normal?

A (True) Cat Story:



Okay, so I may have fudged the times just a little tiny bit so it doesn't reflect how long I really spent distracted with the cats. Or not. I guess you could consider this my guilty pleasure. Anyone else have a problem taking a million pictures of their pets? What are some of your guilty pleasures?

The Cat Scan Fail

Okay, so the other day I came across this neat Tumblr site, The Cat Scan that posts pictures of cats on scanners. I thought I would give it a try too but it turns out Dennis Jerry is scared of the white light from the scanner going across the glass screen. Funny, because he loves to investigate the printer by stepping all over the paper tray when I'm trying to print something! But nope, he tip toes around that white light zipping across the scanner like someone avoiding the cracks along the sidewalk. All I managed to get were these two shots. Not quite as cool as the pictures found on that site. Sort of fail?

Catching the Rain | Cornell Family Picnic | Orange Bag Zimele Event

As promised, I am delighted to present to you the following two events that will be happening over the next two weekends. Find me at either of these events to ask any questions you have about photography, find out how to plan a session or just to hang out and chat about how fast your little munchkins are growing up. I will have a free kid's photo booth for dressing up and posing fun; a photography session giveaway; plus you'll be one of the first to see my new products and collections and get exclusive introductory pricing - available at these two events only.

Here are the details:

Sunday, August 14 - 11:00 pm to 3:00 pm
13th Annual Cornell Picnic
Benjamin Marr Park (behind Cornell Village School on Country Glen Rd)
A family event featuring live music, fun games, races, face painting, BBQ, Merchant Alley and more. The kick-off parade starts at 10:30 am at the corner of Cornell Park Ave. & Country Glen Rd. Join the parade with a decorated bicycle, tricycle, stroller or wagon and get a chance to win a prize!

Saturday August 20 - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
The Orange Bag Zimele Event
Onnuri All Nations Community Church
63 Dunblaine Ave, Toronto, ON M5M 2S2
This is an event in support of women in South Africa. There will be women artists and vendors, crafts, food, music, artists, bouncy castles and more. A portion of all sales will go towards Zimele, an organization dedicated to helping South African women be self sufficient.

I hope to see you there!

Aaand, that's a wrap. Since all posts end with an image, here's a few of the rainy view from my front porch.

Movie Inspirations: Blue Valentine

When I started shooting weddings in 2006, one of the first assignments my photography mentor, Kim Lovell, gave me was to watch the movie, Man on Fire. I've seen it and it was a great movie, I replied to her. No, she said, really watch it. Pay attention to the composition in each scene, where they place the characters in relation to the background, close-ups, colours, and shapes. So I did.

It's amazing how you don't notice things until you really look for them. When I was shopping for my first car way back when and researched a few brands and models. It was only then that I noticed those on the road. Before that all cars looked pretty much the same to me.

Fast forward to 2011. I still find myself noticing things like where the characters are placed in the scene, how much or little background is shown and the use of wider angle shots to bring the viewer into the story. It's not something I'm consciously looking for, but when I do come across a film with scenes that really stand out and appeal to me, I appreciate them for their artistic value.

This brings me to my first inspirations post. I've decided to share some of my favourite scenes from the movie, Blue Valentine directed by Derek Cianfrance with director of photography, Andrij Parekh. Without any weight on the dialogue or significance they may have had in the plot, these scenes stand out to me because the composition and posing in each scene tell a story on its own. Have a look:

Now look again and notice how the use of colour makes an impact too. Everything from the background colours to what the characters are wearing all tell one cohesive story. Definitely things to think about when planning the next engagement shoot or family portrait session.

Look for more of my inspirations posts in the future. Whether you are a photographer looking for ideas or a bride or mom planning out a portrait session with your photographer - everyone could use a little visual inspiration.

Seen any movies you thought were visually stunning? I would love to hear your thoughts - leave a comment below!

Sally & Mike Destination Wedding and Second Photographer Perks

As much as I love working with my own clients and being the primary photographer on their wedding day, I also try to fit in some second photography jobs throughout the wedding season. There are many articles out there with tips on how to shine as a second photographer but not many speaking to why you should go through the experience. Here are five personal reasons why I enjoy being a second photographer:

1. I get to play around with settings and different techniques that I normally don't have the luxury of doing on the day of the wedding when nailing that perfect shot takes priority. It's especially great when I work with someone using the same brand since I also get to try out other lenses that I don't normally shoot with like the macro and the 70-200 mm, FUN!

2. Have you ever had couples who are relaxed and laughing one minute but as soon as you raise the camera to your face, they tense up and give you their "I'm-going-to-stop-what-I'm-doing-now-and-pose-for-the-camera" look? Being the second photographer, you hang out behind the scenes so you get a ton of those amazing candid shots that capture the couple's true personality. It's also a great opportunity to work on your photojournalistic technique.

3. The experience you gain from watching the primary photographer interact with their clients and how they run the show is paramount. It is also a great chance to find out about another photographer's creative process (obviously you'll want to time your questions for the down times during the day). I've had many insightful and inspirational conversations with fellow photographers during the car ride to different locations on the wedding day or in between speeches at the reception.

4. It has been said many times and I'll say it again, practice makes perfect. This is never more true than for photography. The confidence I gain and the quality of the images I get with every new wedding I shoot improve exponentially. 99% of the time, you don't want to shoot in the the same spot as the primary photographer so this really forces you to think about your shots and move around in order to find that unique angle and composition. This gets your creative juices flowing and enhances your wedding photography reportoire.

5. The food, the venues, the food. Although this is true for being a wedding photographer in general, you can double the number of venues and resturants you get to visit. As a second photographer, I've had the chance to shoot inside gorgeous and unique locations such as Casa Loma, Canoe, Jump Restaurant, the Bata Shoe Museum, the Eglinton Grand, the Old Mill, Oakview Terrace and the list goes on.

Here are some images from Sally and Mike's wedding in the picturesque Jordan Village, Ontario at Inn on the Twenty. These were shot by me as a second photographer for Lisa of LG Weddings. This wedding was a ton of fun. Riding in Porsches and visiting wine cellars for starters, then getting to meet Sally and Mike who are super cool and friendly! It was a real pleasure working with them on their big day.






Special thanks to Lisa for letting me use these images on my blog. You can also view more images from the special day on her blog.
That's all I have for now so if you are considering going for that second photographer job - go for it!

Until next time...

When Life Gives You Dark Clouds and Rain, Play a Happy Song

Last week I ended up cancelling my shoot because the rain just would not go away. Yes, it was a little disappointing but it turns out good things (like sales) happen to those who wait. I held off buying the dress I planned to wear only to find that the price was reduced when I went to get it the day after. Bonus!

Maybe this whole shoot thing is just an excuse to buy more dresses and perhaps a new pair of shoes. Or two. Anyhow, the shoot has been re-scheduled for sometime in June, so please check back soon for some pics of moi.

Moving on. Here's my happy song (more so the melody, never mind the lyrics)

And here's the new dress!


Coming up soon, an Oakville baby shoot and Vicki and Mark's full wedding post.
Goodbye, Thursday. I'll see you soon, Friday!

First Dance Songs and an Engagement Teaser Part II

Happy Friday!!

Although I've photographed a few weddings where the couple has chosen not to do a first dance, I've always loved the first dance moments. For some couples, this is the first and only chance that they get to spend time together, alone. One of my brides told me that during her first dance, her new hubby whispered to her, "It's just you and me," and she fell in love with him all over again.

Just wanted to share this very sweet song that my brother passed along to me. Thought it would be perfect to use for a first dance song at a wedding. Her voice gives me the goosebumps, in a good way :)



What song will you be playing for your first dance?

To conclude this post, I just had to show you this gorgeous solo pic of the bride-to-be from an engagement session I've been working on. I normally don't post a second sneak peek since I posted the first ones recently here but she looks so cute that I just couldn't help myself!

Always the Photographer, Never the Photographed

Photographed, photographee? I don't think that's a word, but you know what I mean.

As photographers, it's not unusual to go through thousands of photos in one day, especially for a full day wedding coverage. Even when I'm not working, I'm usually carrying a camera so I really don't have that many photos of myself. Well everyone, this is about to change! I'm very excited to announce that I'll be getting my very own photoshoot done this coming week by Chan-Ra, a fellow wedding photographer!

Since updating my website this year, I have been wanting to add some photos of myself so that potential clients who visit the site have a face they can identify the work with. Easier said than done of course. I've been delaying this and delaying this until finally one day, I mustered up the guts to ask someone AND set a date so that I didn't have any excuse to back out. Wish me good luck, I'm sure I'll need it since it also makes me extremely nervous just thinking about it!

Here's a photo of me at work taken by Richard Tang. I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank Richard (the one on the right) who was one of the amazing second photographers working with me at our very first wedding of the season this year. Thank you for helping to make sure the day went smoothly and being there for me!

Sleeping habits and the Toronto Ombudsman Annual Report

I consider myself to be the queen of "night owl-ism" shuddering at the thought any early morning activity that is, until this morning when I woke up at 6:00. Well actually my alarm was set to 6 and I snoozed 'til 7. Of course I went to bed way too early to admit, but I had really wanted to get a bunch of things on my to-do list crossed off before driving over to Niagara-on-the-Lake to second shoot a wedding. Verdict? I can't believe how productive a morning it has been. Got in some more edits with Amy and Andrew's wedding, had breakfast and tea and now am writing this way overdue update to my blog. It's actually very quiet and peaceful in the morning at my house so quite conducive to being productive.

Anyhow, just getting ready to pack up my stuff for today's wedding shoot. I wanted to leave you with these shots of the Toronto Ombudsman 2010 Annual Report. I was commissioned by them late last year to compile a series of images of Toronto - crowd shots, shots depicting life in the City, and scenery of all the unique neighbourhoods in Toronto for use in the report as well as for future publications. In the process I fell in love with Toronto all over and had the opportunity to meet the wonderful team of people working in the Office of the Ombudsman. Design of this report was done by Campbell Symons Design. Check out the online report (and my images in the title pages! hehe) here.

One of my favourite images taken inside the Eaton Centre. Loving how the designers put it all together.

Until next time...

Quebec City Photography - Road Tripping

When I'm busy with weddings and portraits during the year, vacation and personal photos unfortunately tend to take a backseat. I have a ton of photos from birthdays, parties, and trips that are just hanging out on my hard drive. This year I'm pushing myself to post some of more of those up. Here are just a few from a road trip I took to Quebec City with Alvin back in July last year. Or you can watch the vid for the hyperspeed tour version (ie. 100 photos crammed into two and half minutes).

For those who are into travel, the shots from the video include views from Hôtel Pur in the St. Roch Neighbourhood, Canyon Ste-Anne, street views of Rue Saint-Joseph (where you will find a ton of great restaurants and cafe hangouts) and surrounding areas, scenery from Ile d'Orléans, a Cirque du Soleil street show and of course Old Quebec City.

Okay, this last photo is not exactly scenery, but I thought I'd include it since they had cute french accents, plus, they were trying to make enough money to go to circus school so how could I not?

How quickly time flies! Going back through the photos reminded just how gorgeous the scenery was in Quebec City - so full of texture and history. If I get the opportunity, I would absolutely looove to shoot a destination wedding there.

Until next time...