The only thing to do is keep taking pictures in the snow. And that's why we shot during nightfall for the fourth installment to the h2o series, night and snow. We'll get to the rain, I promise. When this snow finally lets up.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
H2o series : Night and Snow
Snowed in! Still!
The only thing to do is keep taking pictures in the snow. And that's why we shot during nightfall for the fourth installment to the h2o series, night and snow. We'll get to the rain, I promise. When this snow finally lets up.
The only thing to do is keep taking pictures in the snow. And that's why we shot during nightfall for the fourth installment to the h2o series, night and snow. We'll get to the rain, I promise. When this snow finally lets up.
Monday, December 22, 2008
The H2o series : Sun and Snow
Seattle has, in the past several days, experienced the most snowfall it's seen in over ten years. Wanting to take advantage of this rare situation, I went out again to photograph in the snow, but this time on a sunny snow day. This third installment to the H2o series is henceforth entitled, Sun and Snow.
With the bright, piercing sun comes lots of shadows to play with. And to my delight, silhouettes, which I love to pair with beautiful forms. This shoot brings a whole new meaning to the breakdancing term, "freeze".
Bravo to Tim Chips for being my muse once again and bear with my "icy cold" antics. Now that we've combatted the snowy days, we're ready to take on what Seattle's best know for - rain!
With the bright, piercing sun comes lots of shadows to play with. And to my delight, silhouettes, which I love to pair with beautiful forms. This shoot brings a whole new meaning to the breakdancing term, "freeze".
Bravo to Tim Chips for being my muse once again and bear with my "icy cold" antics. Now that we've combatted the snowy days, we're ready to take on what Seattle's best know for - rain!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
The H2o series : Snowfall
The second installment to the H2o series came about with the icy temperatures of December. It was all people would chat about during small talk - that the weather forecast was predicting snow. Lots and lots of snow.
This session was photographed during blizzard-like snowfall. Not only was the snow coming down at a fast tempo, but it was also being blown about by the incessant wind. Fun as it was being in this winter wonderland, I was also freezing my toes off while getting these shots. Difficulties for Tim were that it was very slippery, as you can imagine. The snow also gets everywhere. And yes, I mean, everywhere!
But the fruits of our labor are very satisfying. The snow has such a quiet beauty like none other. Therefore, the dance enshrouded by snow seems to be of a peaceful and poetic co-existence.
snowfall
This session was photographed during blizzard-like snowfall. Not only was the snow coming down at a fast tempo, but it was also being blown about by the incessant wind. Fun as it was being in this winter wonderland, I was also freezing my toes off while getting these shots. Difficulties for Tim were that it was very slippery, as you can imagine. The snow also gets everywhere. And yes, I mean, everywhere!
But the fruits of our labor are very satisfying. The snow has such a quiet beauty like none other. Therefore, the dance enshrouded by snow seems to be of a peaceful and poetic co-existence.
snowfall
Monday, December 8, 2008
Downtown Deattle
The holidays sparkle in Seattle with bright lights and the twinkle in childrens' eyes. There were many firsts for me this holiday season, including photographing the unveiling of the amazing gingerbread houses at the Sheraton hotel, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade march down Fourth Avenue, seeing the brilliant lights illuminated at the tree lighting ceremony in Westlake Center (and being one of only two photographers allowed to photograph the beauty from the third floor balcony), and dancing in the enchanting 'snow' in the evening at Pacific Place.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The H2o Series : Submerged
Another conceptual project to add to my repertoire is a collection of water-related photos which I have titled, The H2o Series. The first to be added to this collection is "submerged," an underwater shot of my subject, bboy Tim Chips.
The challenge of this series is that water itself is a difficult subject to photograph. There are tons of technical complications that require diligent planning, plus lots and lots of takes of each pose. Wardrobe was another detail we took particular note of, choosing a blazer that would flow with the water, and a vibrant red shirt that would set a sharp contrast against the blue.
In this particular photo, we had already been shooting for about an hour before we landed this shot. The water is about 12 feet deep, thus being quite the workout for Tim. There was also a great deal for him to think about and remember, as I guided him along where, when, and how to move. I, myself, being not the strongest swimmer and frankly quite afraid of the water at times, must give him the utmost respect and admiration for pulling off such a daunting task. Not bad for our first attempt!
The challenge of this series is that water itself is a difficult subject to photograph. There are tons of technical complications that require diligent planning, plus lots and lots of takes of each pose. Wardrobe was another detail we took particular note of, choosing a blazer that would flow with the water, and a vibrant red shirt that would set a sharp contrast against the blue.
In this particular photo, we had already been shooting for about an hour before we landed this shot. The water is about 12 feet deep, thus being quite the workout for Tim. There was also a great deal for him to think about and remember, as I guided him along where, when, and how to move. I, myself, being not the strongest swimmer and frankly quite afraid of the water at times, must give him the utmost respect and admiration for pulling off such a daunting task. Not bad for our first attempt!
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Making of a Couture Gown
An art form that I've enjoyed from a very young age, before I fell in love with photography, is fashion design. I learned to sew around age 8 by watching my mother hem our hand-me-down pants. All through the years (until very recently) I made clothes for my barbies, skirts and dresses for myself, all painstakingly by hand.
Fast forward to the present, and I'm revisiting my first love of making clothes, this time with an old singer 237 sewing machine. The project? A fabulous gown for the upcoming O'Christmas Trees Auction/Gala on December 3rd. Follow my photographic journey through this couture process, and cross your fingers for me that this will turn out a success!
day 1:
the sketch
my trusty fashion mate
I love my dress form
filling the bobbin
the first pinnings
ironing down the pleats
the needle is threaded
the neckline
made with love
it gets pinned before i sew
voila! a zipper
fitting #1, still kind of lumpy
*** This silk dupioni fabric was purchased in New York city at Mood Fabrics, made popular by the tv show Project Runway. I knew I wanted a bright jewel tone gown, and this blue is hard to find in fabric stores in Seattle.
day 2:
made in studio V
the back
fitting #2, looking more like a dress
*** I've already started to make minor mistakes in this process, thus owing much respect to the couturiers who do this for a living.
day 3:
starting to make a mess with all these scraps
unstitching a mistake
making straps
strike while the iron is hot
voila! straps!
godet cut out and ready to fit
godet stitching
*** I’ve been working on the dress for 2 hours a day, mostly during the day when there’s a broad amount of ambient light filling the room. So a total of about 6 hours has been spent on it so far. There’s still tons of finishing touches that need to be made, such as delicate beading that I will hand sew onto the straps.
day 4 and 5:
added the hook and eye
beads to be hand sewn onto the straps
timely sewing of beads by hand
more beads on the back of dress
finished straps
finished back
finished hemline
*** I did deviate a bit from my original sketch, adding the beading and altering the straps a bit. However, there's nothing wrong with improvising, as I let my creativity decide each new step.
There's a huge sense of pride in making one's own clothing. Every choice that I made for this dress came from my heart, so just knowing that it's one of a kind is the greatest accomplishment.
I'll finally get to wear it tonight, December 3rd. More photos and another blog of the finished gown to come!
Fast forward to the present, and I'm revisiting my first love of making clothes, this time with an old singer 237 sewing machine. The project? A fabulous gown for the upcoming O'Christmas Trees Auction/Gala on December 3rd. Follow my photographic journey through this couture process, and cross your fingers for me that this will turn out a success!
day 1:
the sketch
my trusty fashion mate
I love my dress form
filling the bobbin
the first pinnings
ironing down the pleats
the needle is threaded
the neckline
made with love
it gets pinned before i sew
voila! a zipper
fitting #1, still kind of lumpy
*** This silk dupioni fabric was purchased in New York city at Mood Fabrics, made popular by the tv show Project Runway. I knew I wanted a bright jewel tone gown, and this blue is hard to find in fabric stores in Seattle.
day 2:
made in studio V
the back
fitting #2, looking more like a dress
*** I've already started to make minor mistakes in this process, thus owing much respect to the couturiers who do this for a living.
day 3:
starting to make a mess with all these scraps
unstitching a mistake
making straps
strike while the iron is hot
voila! straps!
godet cut out and ready to fit
godet stitching
*** I’ve been working on the dress for 2 hours a day, mostly during the day when there’s a broad amount of ambient light filling the room. So a total of about 6 hours has been spent on it so far. There’s still tons of finishing touches that need to be made, such as delicate beading that I will hand sew onto the straps.
day 4 and 5:
added the hook and eye
beads to be hand sewn onto the straps
timely sewing of beads by hand
more beads on the back of dress
finished straps
finished back
finished hemline
*** I did deviate a bit from my original sketch, adding the beading and altering the straps a bit. However, there's nothing wrong with improvising, as I let my creativity decide each new step.
There's a huge sense of pride in making one's own clothing. Every choice that I made for this dress came from my heart, so just knowing that it's one of a kind is the greatest accomplishment.
I'll finally get to wear it tonight, December 3rd. More photos and another blog of the finished gown to come!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Junebug Weddings
Every once in a while, I have the privilege of experiencing the other side of the camera as a model. In these photos, I modeled the classic bride look for Junebug Weddings. I love having these opportunities of being the subject because I feel that it helps make me a better photographer. I had a blast working with the crew of photographers and the make-up team, headed by Erin Skipley of Bellatrix Studios. She is one of my favorite make-up artists and comes highly recommended by me for all your make-up artistry needs. Please visit www.junebugweddings.com for more.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Coosh Crash Test, Hosted by Massive Monkees
An evening in Seattle of local and nationwide performing artists were joined with a 2 on 2 bboy battle the first evening of November. I was excited for the event, held at the majestic Paramount Theater for many reasons. One of them being that not only was there a huge $10,000 prize for the winning crew in the battle, but because this event meant something big for the hip-hop community in Seattle.
The Massive Monkees were able to bring together not only the bboys and bgirls, but people of all ages and backgrounds who care about culture and arts. The show opened with a speech by Mayor Greg Nickels, who has been a strong supportor of the Massive Monkees and all performing arts in Seattle for many years.
Tt was a delight for me to be backstage in the hallways of the Paramount, joking and laughing in the camaraderie of the talent. It was a gathering of not only some of the most talented individuals in the business, but definitely some of the funnest! I had a blast, on and off stage, before, during, and after taking pictures.
Photos can be viewed at:
http://www.vivianhsuphotography.photoreflect.com
http://flickr.com/photos/vivianhsuphotography
The Massive Monkees were able to bring together not only the bboys and bgirls, but people of all ages and backgrounds who care about culture and arts. The show opened with a speech by Mayor Greg Nickels, who has been a strong supportor of the Massive Monkees and all performing arts in Seattle for many years.
Tt was a delight for me to be backstage in the hallways of the Paramount, joking and laughing in the camaraderie of the talent. It was a gathering of not only some of the most talented individuals in the business, but definitely some of the funnest! I had a blast, on and off stage, before, during, and after taking pictures.
Photos can be viewed at:
http://www.vivianhsuphotography.photoreflect.com
http://flickr.com/photos/vivianhsuphotography
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Nordstrom 2008 Runway Shows
They're always fun to photograph, with some of the best models in Seattle and Los Angeles. Enjoy these photos from fall fashion weeks.
Runway to Rooftop, Portland
Fall Fashion Show, Bellevue Fashion Week
Nordstrom Designer Preview, Portland
Nordstrom Designer Preview, Seattle
Runway to Rooftop, Portland
Fall Fashion Show, Bellevue Fashion Week
Nordstrom Designer Preview, Portland
Nordstrom Designer Preview, Seattle
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