Junshien International Photographers | San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photography » portraits

fashion photography | Jenette

Junshien — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:02:06 +0000

I first met Jenette in 2008, when she needed pictures for her modeling portfolio. She was at the start of her own journey, and I had just launched the business 6 months prior. 3 1/2 years later: I’ve managed to learn a thing or two about photography, and she’s somehow become even more beautiful. Here are some of the pictures from our most recent shoot in LA.

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Current travel schedule

Los Angeles/San Diego: November or December ?, 2011
Los Angeles: February 15-18, 2012
Las Vegas: February 19-23
New Zealand: March 1-7
Melbourne, Australia: March 8-13
Cairns, Australia: March 14-17
Sydney, Australia: March 18-21
Philadelphia: April 26-30
Wichita, Kansas: June 21-25
New York City, NY: June 26 – July 2

For booking inquiries worldwide, or for more information about wedding photography in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, get in touch with us via our contact form. Special rates for destination wedding collections are also available!

Spring editorial photography | Anya

Junshien — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:43:57 +0000

Makeup/hair/wardrobe stylist: Joli de Jackie
Model: Anya Katanski

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Current travel schedule
NYC: May 12-17
LA: June (not yet set)
Boston: August 19-22
LA: September 16-19
Mexico, Europe, Hawaii, etc: dates pending

For booking inquiries worldwide, or for more information about wedding photography in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, get in touch with us via our contact form.

editorial photography | NYC | Christina Chung

Junshien — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:23:19 +0000

I’m generally a planner. I like to more or less know where I’m going, who’s doing what, where we’re going for dinner, etc. But this year, I find myself setting out on trips with only half the itinerary planned out. While this tends to result in some fair amount of last-minute scrambling, I love the flexibility it provides, and the freedom to go with the flow.

So the evening I touched down in New York City, I texted Christina: “Hey I’m in town, wanna shoot tomorrow?” She was busy, but how about the day after? Perfect. Wardrobe? Location? No idea, but meh, we’ll figure something out!

We did.

As some of you may remember, this is actually my 2nd time working with Christina. Blast from the past: here’s my shoot with her two years ago. Can you see the gradual evolution of my style? Also, the tracks playing in the slideshow are her songs.

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MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE: Details for my FREE photography workshop are up! Spaces are limited, RSVP required. Spread the word. http://bit.ly/gkt1BV

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Current travel schedule
Sabah and Kuching, Malaysia: December 21-27
Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: December 28- January 5 (approx)
Singapore: January 6-11 (approx)
LA: February 15-19 (tentative)
Las Vegas: February 20-24
Mexico: dates pending
NYC: dates pending
India: dates pending

For booking inquiries worldwide, or for more information about wedding photography in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, feel free to get in touch with us via our contact form.

editorial photography | New York City

Junshien — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 13:57:00 +0000

It was a gloomy day, a miserable day. The rain drizzled down, and left the city wet and lonely. It was exactly what we needed. Agnes fell into her role perfectly, even sitting barefoot on the banks of the Hudson River while the cold rain kept falling. So here is this photoshoot, long time in coming, but here finally.

Model: Agnes Brenson
Stylist: Kate Wang

And now … for some outtakes, the happy kind. Agnes actually has quite a beautiful smile. =)

Kate at work behind the scenes!

It was quite the pleasure shooting with Agnes. As a person, she has a kind soul. As a model, she’s willing to do what it takes to get the shot.

And Kate… this is shoot #4 I’ve done with her. Or is it #5? I’ve collaborated on more personal shoots with her than I have with anybody else. Always fun. :)

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By the way, if you sent us an email between 6pm on Tuesday, and 3pm on Wednesday, it did not make it into our inbox as our email system broke. Please resend! Thank you.

Current travel schedule
Lake Tahoe: December 3-6
Sabah and Sarawk, Malaysia: December 21-27
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: December 28- January 3 (approx)
Singapore: January 4-11 (approx)
LA: February 15-19 (tentative)
Las Vegas: February 20-24
Mexico: dates pending
NYC: dates pending
India: dates pending

For booking inquiries worldwide, or for more information about wedding photography in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, feel free to get in touch with us via our contact form.

Lifestyle photography | North Shore, Hawaii | Whitney

Junshien — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:01:04 +0000

This lifestyle session was shot at the world famous North Shore of Oahu. Whitney’s beautiful, and so easy to work with. We actually had to wake up at 5 in the morning for this photoshoot to happen!–she had work in the afternoon, I didn’t have any more availabilities during the rest of my time in Hawaii, and it was quite a drive from the south side of the island. Good times though, and I’m quite happy with the results. :D

Makeup artist: Brenda Van Valkenburg

It was raining barely 15 minutes before this shot took place.

It started raining again, and so we ran …. outside the car! Into the rain! Much fun. =D

It was windy, my gear was getting wet, we were cold, I was having a hard time getting the camera to focus with all the rain falling down … I absolutely love these shots. ;)

I sometimes forget to tell my clients that on any given shoot, there’s a high chance I’m going to make them do something they’re not used to doing … like running in the rain. =P

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Current travel schedule
LA: October 25-29
Sabah and Sarawk, Malaysia: December 21-27
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: December 28- January 3 (approx)
Singapore: January 4-11 (approx)
LA: February 15-19 (tentative)
Las Vegas: February 20-24
Mexico: dates pending
NYC: dates pending
India: dates pending

For booking inquiries worldwide, or for more information about wedding photography in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, feel free to get in touch with us via our contact form.

Hawaii couples photography | Honolulu | Vanessa and Sathi

Junshien — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:02:19 +0000

When Vanessa found out we were going to be in Oahu, she immediately contacted us to schedule a couples session for her and her boyfriend. I had originally planned on shooting our usual style, but when we met up, I decided to switch gears towards something a bit more editorial, with more of a GUESS ad vibe. Well, for at least part of it. For one of the sections, I think I was trying to channel some Calvin Klein. (Okay, in case you missed it, that was your hawtness warning right there. lol)

Thanks to David for assisting on this shoot, especially with the lights at the end!

{ Check out their slideshow! }

At this point, it was like… Alright guys, let’s show a little love here. We’re supposed to be doing a couples shoot after all. lol!

Give me fierce!

Down, boy!

By this point, the sun had already set and I couldn’t even shoot with my primes. But she had brought her sari and we had our lights …. so we kept going. :D

{ Many more pictures in the slideshow. Check it out! }

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Current travel schedule
LA: October 22-28
Malaysia, Singapore: December 21 – January 11
Mexico: dates pending
NYC: dates pending
India: dates pending

For booking inquiries worldwide, or for more information about wedding photography in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, feel free to get in touch with us via our contact form.

San Francisco Bay Area lifestyle photographer | Tina Hui

Junshien — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:20:34 +0000

When clients contact us for a portrait session or wedding, they usually book within a few days or weeks. With Tina, it took her more than 3 years! She first contacted us back in early 2007 for a portrait session, and then we didn’t hear anything from her until 2008. That was followed by another long silence … until a few months ago. This time, it was for reals. =P

Anyway, pictures below! Tina is fun to hang out with, and intelligent, and successful, multi-talented, and cute, and overall pretty cool. :)

Lifestyle portrait sessions … for fun, for memories, for life.

Makeup artist: Chris Scott, Makeup Gourmet

{ Check out the slideshow from this lifestyle session! }

{ Missed the slideshow? Check it out here! }

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Current travel schedule
NYC: August 19-24
Honolulu, Hawaii: September 7-12
NYC: September 13-17
LA: October 22-28
Mexico (various cities): October 28 – November 2
Malaysia, Singapore: December 21 – January 11

For booking inquiries worldwide, or for more information about wedding photography in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, feel free to get in touch with us via our contact form.

San Jose lifestyle photographer | portrait session | Jessica

Junshien — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:45:44 +0000

When Jessica hired me for a portrait session, she told me she wasn’t photogenic and absolutely hated having her pictures taken. I though, “Oh great, I’m in trouble!” I checked out her facebook profile after she said she hardly has any pictures of herself–she wasn’t exaggerating.

Then we went out and created these images together. Isn’t she beautiful? :)

Makeup/hair: Ann Ho, A-List Makeup
Styling: Jessica

[ Check out her slideshow! There are so many more pictures I wasn't able to include in this blog post. ]

I love her Gothic Lolita dress!

Supercute outfit!

Boots on a girl–always hot.

By this time, the wind was picking up and the weather was getting quite chilly–I was shivering a bit even with my sweater on. “Don’t look like you’re cold!” I told her. She did a damn good job.

[ Check out her slideshow to see the rest! ]

International fashion photographer – Balloons and Reen

Junshien — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:59:05 +0000

Here’s a fashion shoot I did a while back. Variations on a theme: balloons.

Model: Reen
Makeup/Hair: Corene Lim
Photography/Art Direction: Junshien

To my Singapore readers: if you ever need a makeup artist or hair stylist for your wedding, dinner and dance events, prom, or fashion shoot, I *highly* recommend Corene Lim. This girl is damn good at her art.

[ Check out the slideshow of this fashion shoot ]

[ Check out the slideshow of this fashion shoot. Many more pictures I didn't include here. ]

Lifestyle photography | Annabelle

Junshien — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:57:32 +0000

Had a great time kicking it with Annabelle. Superfun personality, and incredibly photogenic.

[ Check out the slideshow! Many more pictures. :) ]

[ Check out the slideshow! ]

{ empty. } | editorial photography | Seoul, South Korea | Chloe

Junshien — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:12:34 +0000

Something different? Always. Something dark? Now and then.

Here are a few spreads from an editorial shoot I did with Chloe. (It’s great to be able to meet IRL friends you’ve known for years on Xanga, Facebook, email, etc.)

Watch the slideshow for the entire piece. It’s not very long.

{ Click here for the slideshow }

cosplay photography | Vocaloid – Magnet | Singapore

Junshien — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:36:56 +0000

Time for something a bit … different from my usual. Here is a cosplay shoot I did in Singapore, based on the characters Miku and Luka from Vocaloid. Both costumes were created from scratch by Rina and Mel. It’s really amazing to see the amount of dedication cosplayers will put into their art. This was shot in Channing Park on a ridiculously hot and humid day, and involved climbing up hundreds of steps while lugging heavy costumes and all my camera gear! Props to everybody for not dying. :) We did this photoshoot a few hours before my flight out–barely made it on the plane!

Shooting cosplay was a different experience for me, but definitely fun. Given the right performers, costume sets, and location, I’d love to do another cosplay session. Are there any NorCal cosplayers out there? Holla at me!

[ Slideshow! With the song this storyline was based on. ]

[ Check out the slideshow for the rest of the images ]

San Francisco wedding photographer | Trash the dress | Jessica

Junshien — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:28:30 +0000

You’ve seen a teaser a while back. Here’s the rest of this session with the beautiful Jessica.

Best viewed as a [slideshow]

Slideshow here! Thanks to Maria Chang of Professional Makeup Artistry for the wonderful makeup and hair styling.

Also, check out Jessica and Alex’s wedding pictures!

International lifestyle photographer | Seoul, South Korea | Insun

Junshien — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:47:30 +0000

Best of 2009: Fashion shoots and blog posts recap

Junshien — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:41:26 +0000

Goodbye 2009! Goodbye, this decade-for-which-we-have-no-name! This shall be my last entry of the year. (wipes away happy tear)

It was quite fun reliving a lot of memories while reviewing my blog posts from the last 12 months. I feel like I have grown so much both in my personal life and as a photographer, and am often amazed that I am able to do this for a living. To those I’ve been blessed to cross paths with–thank you, because without you, it would not be possible for me to live this crazy dream.

One of my plans for today is to spend a couple hours reflecting on this year–on where I have come from, and where I am going. I’ve accomplished a decent chunk of my resolutions for 2009, but fell short of the rest. Perhaps more encouragingly, several dreams on my life goals list are now accomplished. What’s next? What does the future hold? I am very much excited.

What about you? Have you had time for some reflection yet? Are you satisfied with the way this year has turned out? If so, major props to you! If not, what do you plan on changing in the next 12 months? What are your resolutions for 2010?

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Here are some highlights from this year’s fashion shoots (At least the ones I’ve gotten around to posting; the rest will have to wait for next year!)

from Porcelain Dolls | Pebble Beach fashion photographer

from Jessica’s Trash the Dress | San Francisco fashion photographer

from Yi-Jen Jong couter line | San Francisco fashion photographer

from Sharlene | Santa Cruz lifestyle photographer

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Here are some of the most popular (written) entries:

“Is the overuse of makeup and Photoshop making beauty unattainable?”
Do we really believe ourselves when we say that true beauty lies within? Or is the visual onslaught of impossibly perfect models affecting our self-image more than we realize? A reflection on what it means when French Elle publishes an issue featuring eight celebrities without makeup or Photoshop of any kind.

“FAQ: What kind of camera should I buy?”
The answer is not quite what you think!

“Where do all the singles live??”
If you’re single, you’ve had this discussion more times than you can count. Where are all the quality girls? What are all the good men? An interesting look at the statistics, along with a nifty interactive graph.

“So, this is what it’s like to live your dreams? Sweet!”
The title just about sums it up. And yes, it is quite lovely. :)

“Hello from somewhere in Asia …”
A fun rehashing of some of my (mis)adventures during my journey out of Laos. Hint: it involves a baby elephant, a drunk, and chicken eggs.

“What do we really need to be happy?”
We spend our lives chasing after what we think will make us happy. What if we’ve been wrong the whole time?

“10 reasons NOT to become a professional photographer”
Unquestionably THE most explosive post of this blog. This article has been read by almost 4000 people, and has raised a few firestorms around the web. See what the fuss is about.

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Also, if you haven’t had a chance, be sure to check out the highlights from this year’s weddings and engagement sessions!

Alright folks! That’s it from me. Thank you so much for following along for this past year. Dream big, and don’t settle for anything less! I’ll see you on the other side. :)

Porcelain Dolls | Pebble Beach fashion shoot

Junshien — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:44:44 +0000

Hello! I suppose it’s about time I posted the rest of the pictures from this session I did a while back.

Confession. I had to wing it for this one. Prior to this project, I had never done a studio shoot before, much less seen one in person. But that day I had to be: a natural light photographer working with unfamiliar lighting equipment; an on-location photographer (the whole world is my playground!) confined for hours to an area barely 10×10. How many creative images can I actually squeeze out of such limited options? And should I have taken some classes on studio lighting?? But I had no choice–with so many people having devoted time and resources to this project, I simply had to deliver!

And so … here are the results of our Porcelain Dolls project. All things considered, I’m quite pleased, actually. :)

Thanks to everybody who contributed to this project! Over 11+ hours of makeup and setup and shooting and tear-down and travel, along with extensive hours of prelim work by Kate and me.

Models: Kate Wang, Stephanie Janning
Makeup/Hair: Ann Ho, Van Pham of A-List Makeup
Styling/Art Direction: Kate Wang, Junshien
Jewelry: Arteware: Hand-blown Glass and Fine Jewelry
Dress Design (select): Miguel Pimentel
General assistants: David Lok, Christina Liang
Location: Lynn Chen

The dress on the left is designed by Miguel.

Jewelry provided by Arteware: Hand-blown Glass and Fine Jewelry, located in the Valley Fair shopping center.

San Francisco fashion shoot | Yi-Jen Jong couture line

Junshien — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:13:19 +0000

Clothing designer: Yi-Jen Jong
Hair stylist: Samantha Walton
Makeup artist: Christine Rossi
Art direction: Kate Wang
Model: Beth Bokulich

Porcelain Dolls | Pebble Beach studio shoot | teaser

Junshien — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:42:48 +0000

First studio shoot I’ve ever done.

Santa Cruz lifestyle photographer | downtown Santa Cruz | Boardwalk | Sharlene

Junshien — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:02:23 +0000

Model: Sharlene Jackson
Makeup/Hair: Ann Ho
Styling: Kate Wang

Slideshow HERE!

Believe it or not, the vast majority of these images took place within a single block in downtown Santa Cruz!

I may be the photographer, but I couldn’t have done this without a solid team working with me. Thanks to the talented Ann Ho for her makeup and hair styling–her work is fabulous and I’ve been recommending her to all my clients. Kate selected the outfits for this session–Kate and I are working together on at least three shoots this summer, so you’ll be seeing more of her influence in the future. And of course, Sharlene was absolutely easy to work with. I was amazed–this girl is as talented as she is beautiful! She writes songs, works as an accountant, used to race cars, speaks multiple languages, did pre-med, manages a dance group, and I don’t know what else … absolutely multi-talented.

Anyway, do check out the slideshow from this session!