Posts in May, 2010

Rachel: the same pink-donning, super-active, pretty little girl…now with a new little sister!

May 25th, 2010

Back in 2008, I photographed Rachel on a cold fall afternoon. I had just decided to go professional with my photography, and was looking for any/every opportunity to shoot anyone who was a willing subject. If you have a pulse, I’ll shoot you. Rachel’s mom, Linda, was a colleague of mine back when I was [...]

 

Back in 2008, I photographed Rachel on a cold fall afternoon. I had just decided to go professional with my photography, and was looking for any/every opportunity to shoot anyone who was a willing subject. If you have a pulse, I’ll shoot you.

Rachel’s mom, Linda, was a colleague of mine back when I was still working a 9-5 office job. When she found out that I was going into professional photography, she quickly offered her oh-so-cute baby girl for me to photograph.

Now, almost two years later, Rachel is much taller, has twice the energy, and is totally having conversations (yeah, I knew her back when she was just mumbling words!) Some things never changed though — she still loves pink, her unforgettable chubby cheeks are still chubby as ever, her beautiful curly brown hair, and her rambunctious personality that never ceases to surprise you.

Also, I’m convinced Linda fed her at least two bottles of Red Bull before I got there. Where does all that energy come from??

Oh, and something else that is new — Rachel now has a little sister! Welcome to the world, Maddie!


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The “Con Job” That Turned Into a Love Story

May 19th, 2010

“So, how comfortable are you guys with the cameras?”, I asked Lynn and Sung. “Oh, not at all,” the both of them said in unison. “We’re probably gonna be one of your worst couples.” I think I might have blurted out a nervous laughter when I heard that. =) Sung was pretty clear to me [...]

 

“So, how comfortable are you guys with the cameras?”, I asked Lynn and Sung. “Oh, not at all,” the both of them said in unison. “We’re probably gonna be one of your worst couples.” I think I might have blurted out a nervous laughter when I heard that. =) Sung was pretty clear to me at the start that they were going to challenge me that day.

Lynn and Sung, if you’re reading this, I just want to tell you, that you were NOT difficult at all. So, no, you don’t get the “Most Difficult People To Shoot” prize!

It’s really about being comfortable with each other, even if you’re really uncomfortable with the camera. The crazy-camera-totting me may be following your every step, but that’s easily forgotten once you get into the groove of things. A little bit of awkwardness at the start is very typical for everyone. But with my stay-back, laid-back, shoot-from-afar style, people tend to just ignore me after the first 20 minutes or so, and instead, focus on each other. THAT’S when I start shooting.

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I’m a fan of the cupid. There’s a cupid in every relationship — be it a co-worker, a family member, a waitress, a book, or even a cab driver. The cupid in Lynn and Sung’s story was Sung’s sister, who was determined to set them up.

Lynn called it the “set up,” while Sung called it the “con job.”

It all started one evening while planning for her Halloween party, when Lynn decided to ignore Sung’s sister’s phone call, knowing that she was going to bug her about introducing Sung to Lynn at the party. By missing this call, Lynn never heard the end of it for the entire week after that. Out of guilt, Lynn decided to finally let her set up a meeting with Sung over dinner and a movie, having been promised that it was going to be “totally casual, its soo not going to be a date!”.

Of course, once the non-date evening started, Sung’s sister felt conveniently tired, and proceeded to excuse herself to go home early, leaving Lynn and Sung to spend the rest of the night alone.

“But we were ok with that anyway, because we liked each other even from the start,” Lynn said shyly with a smile as Sung rubbed her arms and held her close to keep her warm as the temperature dropped with the setting sun.

Years later, Lynn was telling this story to a friend, when Sung exclaimed, “What Halloween party??” The “con job,” as they now call it, is that his sister never invited him to the Halloween party. The guilt trip that Lynn got for the entire week after the missed call was just a con job to get Lynn to agree to a date with Sung!

And, my friends, they lived happily ever after. The end.

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The Night Cupid Struck

May 6th, 2010

One fateful night, Robert was standing outside Hangge Uppe on Elm and Rush in downtown Chicago, about to call it a night, until a cab pulled up in front of him. Then he saw her. Robert described that moment to me: “…and then, Noly walked out of the cab, dressed all in black, and alofasu’n [...]

 

One fateful night, Robert was standing outside Hangge Uppe on Elm and Rush in downtown Chicago, about to call it a night, until a cab pulled up in front of him.

Then he saw her.

Robert described that moment to me: “…and then, Noly walked out of the cab, dressed all in black, and alofasu’n I started gett’n the pitter-pat…….right here….” he said as he patted his palm on his chest. “…she took my breath away.”

“He reached out, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into Hangge Uppe,” Noly said, with her oh-so-cute Spanish accent.

Needless to say, they hit it off, and “technically” had their first date that night! “And then I snuck a kiss at the end of the night,” Noly gave me a little wink as he told me that.

“And ever since, we’ve been together.”


Contact me (wen@wenphotos.com / 312.436.2221) | Follow Me on Twitter | Visit My Facebook Page! | View My Portfolio