December 1st, 2010, written by
Isabella Li
Found in Our Stories
We love the great outdoors, and are huge fans of America’s beautiful national parks. Every year we take a few weekend trips to get up to the mountains and recharge. In 2007 we spent Thanksgiving visiting the Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, and Bodie (this one is interesting, if you are into ghost towns). 2008 took us to Mount Rainier in WA, and 2009 we found ourselves in complete awe, waking up one morning in Yosemite Valley to see the whole park transformed into a winter wonderland by the first snow of the season! Maybe it was because we grew up in the cities and have always lived in warm-weathered places… the fluffy snow, the crisp clean air infused with scents of pine, and the intense blue skies just mesmerized us so much, that we’ve decided to make it a ritual to visit Yosemite every winter. Here are some pictures taken over this Thanksgiving weekend. There are a couple more posted on our Facebook Page, so be sure to check those out as well. Enjoy, and have a happy holiday! :D
Valley View at sunset:
Lucked out with the sun :)
Henry taking a picture of Lucia taking a picture of Isabella ;)
Upper Yosemite Fall:
Henry and his two angels:
Lucia was experimenting with sunbursts:
Snow playtime!
Surface of the moon?
It’s beautiful everywhere you look:
Visitors taking in view of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge:
Tags: Alpine Trees, Half Dome, Landscape Photography, Merced River, Mountain, Sierra Nevada, Snow Frost, Upper Fall, Valley View, Winter Wonderland, Yosemite National Park
Found in Our Stories | Written by Isabella Li |
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May 31st, 2010, written by
Isabella Li
Found in Our Stories
While being down with a cold these past few days, a friend mentioned a homeopathic remedy that is popular in Hong Kong: boiled cola, ginger, and lemon. I sort of remember my mom once making this concoction for us when we were kids. The topic of cola however, reminds me of how much I miss our pet bird, Pepsi, who now lives with my parents (Lucia and I live with two cockatiels, and Pepsi visits here occasionally). I found that looking at pictures of Pepsi brought a lot of joy and comfort during my battle with the miserable cold. He’s simply too cute! Here I am sharing some of his recent pictures. Enjoy and have a Pepsi day! :D
Meet Pepsi, the Orange-faced Lovebird (a mutation of Peach-faced Lovebirds).
It was nearing his bedtime when I took these pictures:
So he was getting really sleepy…
and that’s why his feathers were a bit fluffed up and messy :p
What a cute little bird :)
And here’s why he’s named Pepsi. One day when he was still a young baby, he started climbing on a leather hanging toy we bought (his chewing toy), and was generally in a super happy mood. We we just saying we should come up with a cute name for him… and there in the background was a Pepsi can. I think it’s a fitting name for him, because he’s always so peppy and sweet, yet packs a punch in personality (Lovebirds are actually notorious for having big attitudes…. they can be quite the spoiled little devils!). It may be hard to imagine from this set of pictures since he looks so sleepy and tame… but I will share more pictures later on ;)
Pepsi is pretty particular to where he sleeps at night, and who his “favorite person” is at the moment. Actually, he goes into different phases of liking a particular person or not. So, I could be his favorite person for a few months straight, and then all the sudden he would change his mind and get attached to Lucia instead. He also loves to join in singing every time my dad plays Xiao (Chinese bamboo vertical flute). Pepsi’s singing though… um, is an acquired taste…
Now more on the topic of Pepsi the beverage… I would choose Pepsi over Coke any day, and I think if I were to be involved in a blind test I could tell the difference between the two brands :) Not that I drink sodas on a regular basis (I am more of a TEA addict), but there are certain food that I feel compulsively obliged to pair with a nice cool glass of Pepsi… like Pizza, Teppanyaki, and Korean Tofu. Oh, and there MUST be cucumbers to go with my Korean Tofu…. Yes, I am particular like that :p
Tags: birds, Lovebirds, Orange-faced, Peach-faced, Pepsi, Pet Photography
Found in Our Stories | Written by Isabella Li |
1 Comment »
April 21st, 2010, written by
Henry Liao
Found in Our Stories, Weddings
Hi folks, this is Henry, Lucia’s invisible half. Last month I became a wedding photographer for a day when I stood in for Isabella at the first annual Thirst Relief Benefit Shoot in Las Vegas. I’m sure y’all are stunned to hear that my pictures did not win any award at the following day’s WPPI Conference, but I had an absolute blast at the shoot. Lucia and I met a busload of new friends, learned from some of the best in the biz, and along the way raised money for a wonderful organization called Thirst Relief. I was so impressed with what I had learned that day, I asked to write this post so I can share with you a bit about this charity and the amazing people who make it happen.
Some background: Thirst Relief makes clean water available to people without access to any. According to the World Health Organization, 1/5 of the world’s population don’t have clean, disease- and parasite-free water to drink and use. Some 30,000 people die needlessly each week from contaminated water, most of them children. Thirst Relief has been partnering with local organizations across three continents to build and install water filters at a cost of less than $5 per person served. What a beautiful thing! We can do so much with so little.
Wedding photographer Jim Davis-Hicks founded Thirst Relief five years ago, and his “philanthropic photography” has inspired many others in the industry to devote personal time and resources to this noble cause. This year’s benefit shoot was set up as a fund-raising auction where we vie for the chance to go on a mock wedding shoot led by celebrity photographers Mike Colón and the father and son team David and Luke Edmonson. Thanks to Isabella’s astute eBay bidding skills, we landed two of these highly coveted spots and spent a memorable afternoon in Red Rock Canyon. Here are two of our leaders aboard the party bus, Luke in the cap and Mike in the beanie:
Our first volunteer models were Aric and Casey, themselves photographers who were just married last Fall. Casey dragged her own wedding dress through the brambles and kept her smile glowing despite the winter desert cold. And it was bitterly cold! Lucia and I were bundled in ski jackets and I still almost lost my fingers to frostbite. Casey and Aric, I don’t know how you guys survived it, but thank you so much for your sacrifice, and for your patience with my novice attempts at posing.
Nathan and Jessica, our other newlywed couple, have a fascinating story: They booked Jim Davis-Hicks to shoot their wedding last year and were moved by his philanthropic ideals into joining Thirst Relief. According to Jim, they are now indispensable part of the organization, where they work almost full time but receive compensation for only a fraction of those hours. Jessica not only organized this benefit shoot, the two of them modeled for us all afternoon and into the evening. Bravo to you both!
By the way, I took this picture. :D
Lucia and Isabella love this headpiece.
Being a non-profit has its advantages. Luke Edmonson walked into the Gallery at CityCenter and persuaded them to let a dozen photographers and equipment crowd into their hall. What’s the chance that we’ll ever shoot another bride against a backdrop of Dale Chihuly’s glass work? Kudos to the Gallery for supporting our charity!
I particularly like this picture with Mandarin Oriental in the background. I believe Lucia was the only one in the group who thought to shoot at this angle and had the right lens to pull it off:
Another Thirst Relief shoot is featured in the current issue of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, with pictures shot on location in Tanzania by Mike, David, Luke, and many other wedding photographers. Those photographers all donated quite a bit of money and paid their own way to see the charity’s work first hand. Jason Thon, who was at our dinner table, related his experiences from that trip, which he called “life changing”. Makes us proud to be a part of this community!
Join our Facebook fan page to see more behind-the-scenes pictures.
Tags: aric lampert, benefit shoot, bridal headpiece, casey lampert, citycenter, dale chihuly, david edmonson, fashion, gallery, grace ormonde wedding style, jason thon, jessica white, jim davis-hicks, luke edmonson, mandarin oriental, mike colon, nathan white, outdoor, party bus, red rock canyon, thirst relief, vegas, Wedding, wedding dress
Found in Our Stories, Weddings | Written by Henry Liao |
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