MYU Photography | Blog

I have moved and new website!

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:15:00 +0000

I have moved my blog over to a new website, so check out my portfolio there.
See you at the new site! =)

WPPI in Vegas 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:45:00 +0000

WPPI, Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, is a huge convention where nearly 16,000 photographers attend every year in Vegas. This year was my first year in attendance and I must say that I was glad that I did. I attended some amazing platforms to hear top-notch photographers speak and came out more inspired than ever. I've also met some amazing new friends as well as reconnect with old friends from all over.

The only tiny complaint I had was the weather in Vegas around February and boy was it cold! I might as well have been on the East Coast where mornings were in the 50's and nights in the 40's. I've always love coming to Vegas almost every year, but never experienced winter in Vegas and was a bit disappointed that it wasn't as warm as I hoped! Next year's WPPI will be held in February as well, but at least now I know and will be more prepared if I do decide to go again. Also the convention was held at MGM and fyi, the reception stinks there! I could barely get any reception while attending the platform classes, which made it quite hard to tweet. =P

The days were pretty busy with classes and workshops, so we had one day to really explore Vegas. I didn't want to carry too much stuff so only used my 35mm 1.4 lens for the following pics.

Last time I was in Vegas was in May 2009 when there was still construction of the City Center. It's awesome to see how much has been built since then - more hotels mean more shopping! =P

When I'm in Vegas, I love to head over to Bellagio for the buffets. I've been to the Wynn before and still prefer Bellagio over Wynn. I also love the Bellagio's garden, which changes according to seasons and since February was Lunar New Year "Year of the Rabbit"; the garden was decorated just so.

After we were stuffed from the buffet, Stefani, Peter and I headed over to Serendipity 3 to try out the frozen hot chocolate made popular by the movie. There's also one in NYC, which I haven't been yet. The decor was so cute inside and the frozen hot chocolate was yum. I may need to put NYC's Serendipity on my list-to-do when I'm in the city again. =)

Gotta stop by M&M's store for fun, of course. =)

That's it. I also took more photos with my iPhone when I didn't have my camera, but will probably post that on my FB page. Hope you all enjoyed the photos! I can't wait to see what WPPI 2012 will have in store for us next year. =)

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Ling & David | Willow Grove | Maternity

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:43:00 +0000

I am currently in Vegas for the week for WPPI Convention, but I just couldn't wait to blog this maternity session. This was definitely a last minute shoot and thank goodness for the weather being gorgeous that day. We couldn't have picked a better day, since Baby M decided to deliver a week early - two days after the session. Ling and David are high school sweethearts and you can still see the love oozing from every photo - just love it!

After doing Ling's hair and makeup, we started the session first in the bedroom, then moved over to the baby's room.

Afterwards, we headed to Willow Grove mall, which apparently is a historical site, to grab some indoor shots of the carousel and the fountain.

The day seriously could not have been a nicer day. It was definitely warm enough to head out and still be surrounded with the snow. Just gorgeous! Even Sweetie, Ling's & David's dog, came out to play a little. =)

Ling and David, thank you for having me come and share the day with you. Congratulations on the new arrival!
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Macy & Dave | Smithsonian Washington D.C. | Couples

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Finally, the last installment of the DC Safari photo shoot back in November and featuring our sexy couple, Macy and Dave. You can instantly see such chemistry between the two and what a cute couple indeed. Many thanks to you two for coming out and hanging with a bunch of photographers. Hopefully, there'll be plenty more in the future. =)

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Reem & Naser | Washinton D.C. Smithsonian | Couples

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 04:11:00 +0000

As blogged earlier, it was great to have met up with fellow photographers for the DC Safari and hope there'll be plenty more of them. Reem and Naser were one of the couples that had volunteered their time for the safari and are actually set to be married next March. They both compliment each other so well and soon enough they'll be husband and wife, so an early congrats to Reem & Naser! Thank you for taking your time out to "model" for us. =)

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Amy S. | Rio Gaithersburg | Fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:15:00 +0000

Few weeks ago, I went out in the blistering cold to do a fashion shoot. Amy had three outfits she wanted to do for that day, so I did her hair and makeup according to the outfits she'd chosen. Props to Amy for standing out there while the wind was just whipping us left and right.

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Celeste M | Old Town Alexandria | Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:04:00 +0000

I met Celeste who contacted me through Lily Bee to get some portraits done before the Fall leaves died down. We went down to the waterfront in Alexandria and the day turned out to be such a gorgeous one. I never knew the waterfront existed and definitely need to make a point to return when weather gets warmer. I love exploring new places around MD/VA/DC area; it's like seeing the area for the first time again.

I had such a fun time shooting Celeste after doing hair and makeup on her. She has the prettiest caramel-brown eyes that I've ever seen and I'm so glad to have caught that on camera. =)

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The Parliament | Rockville | Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:11:00 +0000

It's not often that I get to take guy portraits, so this was definitely a treat. =) For one, I didn't have to put makeup on the guys, so that cuts my time significantly. Second, I didn't need to worry about dressing them since both Philip and Dongwoo have great style. The duo make up the group "The Parliament" and I love their music, so definitely check them out whenever you get a chance.

For the shoot, I just gave the boys one instruction and that's to look laid back and cool. I think they did a pretty great job overall. What do you think? =)

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Lucy | Alexandria | Bridal Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:40:00 +0000

When Lucy mentioned to me that she wanted to get some bridal portraits done in her wedding dress, I was more than happy to oblige. Her dress was gorgeous and she didn't get a chance to have many photos that showcased the whole dress. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and there was a park nearby that was Fall-perfect.

You rocked this shoot, Lucy! So gorgeous! =)
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Reem and Naser | Washington, D.C. | One Look

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 05:28:00 +0000

I have to thank Leah Hewitt for putting together this DC safari where a bunch of photographers gather to shoot and also Stefani Chung for inviting me out last weekend. We had two couples to shoot that day and I couldn't wait to post this one look from Reem and Naser.

This photo just takes my breath away! =)

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Amy S. | Silver Spring | Bridal Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 05:14:00 +0000

It's always a shame to wear a wedding dress just for one day, so when I found out that Amy still kept few of hers, it was a great opportunity to put them to good use again in this bridal portrait session. I did a soft bridal makeup on Amy and pulled her hair up to the side into an updo and dress it with a beautiful cream floral accessory. The day was a bit chilly but the sun helped warm up a bit throughout the day.

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Baby "I" | Virginia Baby Portraits | One Look

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:42:00 +0000

Few weeks ago, I had met up with one of my college friends to take photos of their one month newborn. Baby "I" was just the most adorable baby you've ever seen and for sake of privacy, I am not allowed to post the photos. However, I did get permission to post one look from the session. =)

I'm still working on the rest of the photos bu can't wait to show the parents the rest! =)

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Aubrey | Virginia | Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 01:44:00 +0000

Most people know Aubrey as Fafinettex3 on Youtube. Another beauty guru session that only required me to show up and shoot and if I'm not careful, I could get used to that. =P We started off at a nearby park and just worked our way around the area. I must say the place was gorgeous and definitely need to make a mental note to head back there with hubby.

The day was gorgeous albeit a bit windy, but Aubrey handled it like a pro. Hoped you all enjoyed the photos! =)

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Christina & Josh | DC-Virginia | Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Thanks once again to Peter Bang for asking me to second shoot with him! I had an awesome time documenting Christina & Josh's wedding around DC & Virginia. They were so down-to-earth and made us feel welcomed. It felt as if we've known them for a long time in a short amount of time. =)

Congrats to Christina & Josh! Hoped you both had a fantastic honeymoon and got some R&R before tackling your busy schedule again. =)

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Holly Ann-AeRee | Connecticut | Portrait

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:28:00 +0000

During my trip up to see my sister in Connecticutt, I also stopped by and visited Holly a little north of there to do a portrait session. If you don't know Holly by now, she's a blogger/beauty guru youtuber. The best thing from photographing beauty gurus is that they typically know how to do their makeup and hair, so all I had to do was show up and shoot. =) As a special request to Holly, I've been asked to jumbo-size my logo, since there have been numerous occasions where people have taken her photos and falsely advertised them.

I love the fall foliage during the time of October so we definitely took advantage of that in the first portion of the session.

Next up, we headed to a nearby lake that was just too gorgeous to pass up.

Thanks for being such a trooper with lying in the leaves, Holly! Hope you all enjoyed the photos. =)

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Melany & Jun | Georgetown | Engagement

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:31:00 +0000

Melany & Jun are just the cutest couple you could meet. They both met at a martial arts class and instantly connected. Jun loves to be silly and make others laugh while Melany loves to laugh, so it's a win-win! =) Their quirky personality just instantly meshed and when I heard that Jun proposed in a parking garage with balloons, signs and all, it was just too perfect that we had to re-enact it. So first stop was the parking lot right outside Melany's place where the proposal unfolded.

Then we headed over to Georgetown to finish up the rest of the e-session.

There was a mural that really caught Melany's eyes when walking to school nearby so we headed over there to check it out.

Next up, took some shots at Melany's school. Legend has it, at the university, that if any students step on university emblem right near the entrance of the school, they would not be able to graduate. Even though I wasn't a student, I still avoided stepping on the sign when shooting. =P

Next changing into more casual outfits to head out to streets of Georgetown.

I love it when couples bring props for their shoots! It just makes the shoot more unique and so them! =)

Since it was such a nice day out, we stopped by this place called Sweet Green for
some yummy yogurt! The place is also known for their awesome salads too.

That's it! Congrats to Melany & Jun on their engagement and can't wait for your wedding next year! =)

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Becky & Brian | Clarksburg | Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:44:00 +0000

I had an awesome opportunity to second shoot with Peter Bang early October. When he had told me that the wedding would be on Becky's uncle's farm, I was already excited and couldn't wait to start!

Both Brian & Becky were so sweet and down-to-earth and you definitely see the love just oozing out between the two. They did not need much direction at all for the photos and in fact, I don't think they even realized there were photographers around them shooting. They were so engrossed with each other - haha - just love that. =D

Big congrats to Brian & Becky!! Also huge thanks to Peter for having me there to second shoot with him! =)

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Karen & Craig | Brookeville | Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:05:00 +0000

I had met Karen & Craig about a year ago when I took their mini e-session for their hometown's newspaper. About a month ago, Karen reached out to me wanting to do her hair and makeup for the wedding on 10-10-10 after she went through three unsuccessful trials. I was honored, but also a bit hesitant, since I didn't want to ruin the moment if there was a hair-tastrophy on one of the most important day to any bride. However, after doing a hair trial few weeks before the wedding, that settled my nerves down a bit. I was also there as guest to document their beautiful day. =)

So glad the bride loved her hair/makeup =) That was the nerve-wrecking part of the day. The rest was easy-peasy =)

Isn't her dress gorgeous??

The wedding was held outdoors at the Inn at Brookeville Farm and indoors for the reception and cocktail hours. It was definitely the perfect setting for a wedding, not to mention, the food was quite awesome. =)

I have to give props to Karen for hand-making those cookie favors - each personalized with a guest's name!

Whew, that's everything! Hope you all enjoyed the pics and big congrats to Karen & Craig! =)

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2010 Halloween Baby Costume Party

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 02:23:00 +0000

My sister held her 1st baby halloween costume party for few friends in the area and it was the cutest thing ever seeing all the babies out there; youngest being just one month.

These were too cute that I couldn't wait to process them so here they are. =)

I had so much fun with all these little babies - they are the cutest things in the world! Hope you enjoyed these pics as much as I had enjoyed taking them. =)

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Amy | Gaithersburg | Fashion Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:48:00 +0000

I like to leave 10% of my photography work in doing something that involves creativity at its best and this shoot was one of them. It makes me think outside of the box and really test my makeup and hair skills. I don't do alot of indoor shoots and I definitely wanted to challenge myself this time, so I've chosen the one place that I frequent often and that would be iRockTV in Gaithersburg. It was the perfect setting and the owners there were so kind enough to allow us to run amuck there. =P

Now for the results from the day:

I had my friend David come out to shoot with me as well and he was trying to convert me to strobist by letting me try out his lights a bit. Result below. =P

However, after seeing some of his gear though kinda scared me away, considering he didn't even bring all of them to the shoot. I'm not sure I will convert anytime soon. I'm just a simple girl who like to bring what I can carry to any shoot. =P

That's all! I wanted to thank the ppl at iRock for letting us hang out for the entire afternoon to evening. Hoped you enjoy the photos! =)

Leena & Gill | Georgetown DC | Engagement

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:07:00 +0000

I've known Leena for quite some time now and I was more than happy to take her engagement photos when she had asked me. It took some time to coordinate and finally we were able to get together end of September. The weather was so beautiful and summer didn't want to leave us just yet since it was in the high 80's. Leena and Gill were such troopers tracking along Georgetown DC and took some time getting used to the camera, but I'd say they warmed up pretty nicely. =) Fair warning though, pic overload ahead! =P

I have to thank Georgetown Cupcakes for allowing us to quickly use their seating area for photos. If you haven't had their cupcakes before, they are a definite must-try. Even before 10am, there was already a line forming outside the door. Good thing I had bought some cupcakes the day before! =)

After the little picnic session, it was time to change into the second outfit so we stopped by a library to borrow the restroom. While I was waiting, I figured why not take some photos while we're at the library too. I asked the librarian if we could first and we proceeded along. =D

Next up, we headed out to streets of Georgetown and just walked around having fun.

If you made it till the end, I applaud you! There were alot of photos that I just had to blog and I hoped you enjoyed this session as much as I did. Congrats to Leena & Gill! =)

Julie Lim | Silver Spring | Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 05:42:00 +0000

When Julie had asked me if I could take her portraits, I could not have been more honored. We had planned to do the portrait that Sunday, the day before WPPI DC Roadtrip were in town Monday, however the weather was not corporating. So we decided to do a quick shoot around Silver Spring during our break in-between workshops. I setup a makeshift makeup area in the back seat of my car and did a smokey-eye on Julie and created a soft tousled look for her hair.

I don't know about you, but I think Julie knows how to work in front of the camera as well as behind it. =P Don't believe me, see for yourself. =)

Happy Mooncake!

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 02:46:00 +0000

Every year around this time, mooncakes are sold like hotcakes to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival otherwise known as Mooncake Festival. There have been many stories that surrounded this festival, but the most famous legend played a possible role in Chinese history. Overrun by the Mongols in the thirteenth century, the Chinese threw off their oppressors in 1368 AD. Mooncakes were the perfect vehicle for hiding and passing along plans for the rebellion. Families were instructed not to eat the mooncakes until the day of the moon festival, which was when the rebellion took place and succeeded.

I don't know about you, but I'm not much into history like my husband is. However, every year I make a point to eat these yummy mooncakes to celebrate. Although the actual date doesn't start until September 22nd, that didn't stop Chinatown Philly from celebrating admidst parades and lion dances.

It also happened to fall on my dad's 50th bday. My dad had bought this while cruising with NCL over Labor Day weekend. I've never seen anything like this, so I had to take a pic.

There's a funny story that happened in FL with my sister's bf, but long story short, don't mess with a kid's favorite fruit. They may come back with their little friends to bully you. =P I've never actually had this particular fruit which is called Sugar Candy Apple, but apparently they taste like mangos. I definitely need to try it one of these days, but until then, a photo to remember by. =)

Last but not least, my favorite person in the whole world right now. My awesome cutie patootie nephew. He's always so happy and giggling and just freaking adorable. I miss him already.

Jenny | Pittsburgh | Boudoir

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 22:11:00 +0000

I'm not sure if many of you know what a boudoir shoot is, but these shoots are normally done before or after a wedding as a gift to hubby. They can be done as hot and revealing as you want like how Tony Yang does it in his "intime" sessions or done as sexy cute as I did with Jenny. I wanted to keep it very light and fun and just show another side of Jenny that her hubby hasn't seen before. As a request, I'm only allow to blog PG stuff; the rest are for her hubby's eyes only. ;P

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but Jenny is a mommy to a sweet little boy. She's definitely one hot momma! I actually did their family shoot couple months back, so check that out. Hoped you enjoy the pics. =)

Around the World: Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 03:40:00 +0000

I'm making a point to blog more, especially when it comes to traveling, which I enjoy immensely second to photography. Summer came and went and I barely had time to breathe, so let me start at the beginning of summer. Hubby and I had planned a two week trip end of May; first heading out to London for few days to visit his childhood friend then few days in Paris. After that, we headed down to Barcelona to pick up a 7 day Mediterranean cruise hitting places like Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Naples, and Palma. I must admit that it was one tiring trip, but I'm glad we were able to go before life got too busy.

First up, London

These elephants were spotted all around London to be auctioned
off to help save Asian Elephants from becoming extinct

Next up, Paris

Lastly, NCL cruise

Apparently, this foot was famous and the tour guide told us
to pose with it, so hubby happily volunteered. =P

Some highlights from the trip, Paris was a must-go again for us especially when the euro dollars were so cheap as well as Rome. Going on a cruise saved us alot on hotel costs and we were able to hit alot of cities within short period of time. However, since we only had a day to visit each city, it wasn't enough for us especially ones as big as Rome. To add to that, we went on a national holiday in Rome, so were not able to go into the Colloseum or had time for the Sistine Chapel - both very important places that I wanted to hit up. Ah well, there's always next time for sure. Hope you enjoyed and I apologize for any photo overload. =)