Lawrence Ha Photography

Jennifer and Eric’s Engagement Photos

Law — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:29:01 +0000

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 definitely has been a crazy year and I found myself busier than I ever have been. Now I’m trying to catch up and post pictures of all the beautiful brides and handsome grooms that I’ve had the honor to take :). Let’s start with Jennifer and Eric. They were such a fun and exciting couple to take photos of. Also, they chose a location that I’ve never taken photos at before which made it even more fun!

Michelle and Ron’s Wedding

Law — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:40:20 +0000

As the wedding season is starting to wind down this year (still a couple more to go), I now have more time to update my site… I apologize for being so bad at it! When you’re shooting about 4-5 weddings a month, it’s hard to find any time to do anything else. My girlfriend definitely knows that!

I shot Michelle and Ron’s wedding back in April and found it to be (and still is) one of my most favorite weddings. They’re the reason I love shooting weddings. They’re such an awesome couple, their bridal party was fun to work with, and their families were so friendly and made sure I was well taken care of. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - chemistry is very very important between the photographer and the clients. If it’s not there, the photos turn out bland and uninspiring, and that is unacceptable. So, as a couple that is out looking for a photographer, I urge you to interview as many photographers as you can and don’t settle on one right away. There might be a gem that you may overlook. What’s important is that you take the time to find a photographer that you can really get along with. The quality of the photos will always be better.

I LOVE her bird’s nest veil!

She is such a beautiful bride!

During the reception, they had Kawayan Folk Arts come and perform some awesome dances.

This is my favorite shot of the night.

Kathy and David’s Engagement Photos

Law — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:43:42 +0000

These were shot in the beautiful Napa Valley at the Castillo Di Amarosa Winery, downtown St. Helena, and downtown Yountville. I have to say, lighting was definitely on my side this time!

These last four are my absolute favorites!

Phuong and Matt’s Wedding

Law — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:12:42 +0000

Some days were just meant for you. These are the days where everything is perfect and there shouldn’t be anything in the world that will prevent you from getting some nice shots. I believe Phuong and Matt’s day was one of those days. On top of having such awesome (and gorgeous) people to photograph, I was given the perfect day and the perfect location to shoot a wedding and I couldn’t have asked for more. The lighting outdoors was great. The lighting indoors was amazing. I just wish I have more days like this. Congratulations guys! It was an honor and a privilege to be able to shoot your wedding :).

Phuong was definitely rocking the Jimmy Choos

Yup, you guessed it, Sprinkles Cupcakes.. Red Velvet I believe :).

My FAVORITE shot of the day :).

She was definitely smiling throughout the day

Aileen and David’s Engagement Photos

Law — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:02:40 +0000

Aileen and David were such a fun couple to take photos of. I always love meeting great people because not only do the photos come out a lot better, I end up with a great new set of friends. You can really tell that they love each other by looking at the photos, and that’s the kind of love that many people out there are constantly searching for. Best of luck to you guys in your future together, and see you at the Sake Lounge sometime soon :).

Jane and The’s Wedding Portraits

Law — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:43:46 +0000

I always love it when clients do something out of the norm. In this case, Jane opted to rock a beige colored wedding gown instead of a off-white/white gown. I thought it looked fantastic on her! As a word of advice to all people planning their weddings - don’t be afraid to do something different! You’ve most likely been to quite a few weddings to see the similarities. Try something out of the box! Try a bridesmaid dress that’s not red, blue, green or yellow; try something other than flowers for centerpieces! You only have one chance to really make this day yours, so go with it and do something that you’ll remember forever!

Mary and Minh’s Engagement Photos

Law — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:06:32 +0000

Most of you can agree with me that being in front of a camera is not easy. You want to look good in your photos but at the same time, you’re constantly worrying that you’ll have a funny face or that you’re going to smile funny. The only way you’re going to have a good photo of yourself is to let go of all inhibitions and just have fun! This is where it’s so important for the photographer to make their subjects feel really comfortable with you. No matter how nervous they are in the beginning, it’s your job as a photographer to warm them up and just have fun with you. If that doesn’t happen, then it’ll be really hard to get good photos.

This cute couple is Minh and Mary, whom I’ll be shooting their wedding this May. When I first met up with them, they were a bit nervous because like most people out there, they have never had photos taken of them “professionally” (I still have a problem saying that word, as I don’t consider myself a professional photographer at all). After a bit of just getting to know each other and a few test shots, they really broke out of their shell and had fun. I’m totally looking forward to shooting their wedding!

Melissa and Brian’s Wedding

Law — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:52:02 +0000

This was one of the first weddings I’ve ever had to shoot in the rain. Thankfully with modern technology, the photos don’t look as gloomy as the day was! I used a warming filter to spruce up the day. It also added a nice tone to Melissa’s skin and also the bouquets!

Also, I think I’ll be investing more into prime lenses. After shooting with the 50mm f/1.4 for so long now, I’ve found hat the images are tack sharp in comparison to any zoom lens I’ve ever used, such as the 24-70mm f/2.8L. The 70-200mm f/2.8L IS is the sharpest zoom lens I’ve ever used but even that doesn’t really compare when I shoot similar photos. I think I will be investing in a 24mm f/1.4L II. I will keep you all posted on the results!

Emily and Erik’s Engagement Photos

Law — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:47:17 +0000

A lot of my clients have mentioned to me in the past and present that they are really nervous when it comes to getting photos taken. They say that they just don’t know how to pose, how to smile, and even don’t know what to wear. My advice is - be yourself! I strongly encourage getting engagement photos done for a very important reason - you get to see how I work. You’ll learn more about me and I’ll learn more about you as a couple (subtle nuances… you know… those little things like kissing him on his nose makes him crinkle his face). I’ll be your guide as to how to pose, where to look, and how to smile… even what to wear if you’re not sure! As we take more photos, you’ll relax more and things get a lot more fun and you become more daring as to where to take photos! This in turn will let you know what to expect when your wedding day comes around! Not to mention that if you do take engagement photos, you’ll have some cool pictures to use as “save-the-dates” or for your slide show!

I loved taking photos of Emily and Erik! They were very free spirited and just knew how to have fun. I think they had an idea of what they wanted in their photos so they just did what they did best - love each other, and they left the rest to me.

I tried using the 50mm f/1.2 L for this shoot. I’m very mixed about this lens. At times the backfocus was killing me, and at other times, the photos were tack sharp, even wide open. But seriously, I don’t really think there’s a huge enough benefit over the 50mm f/1.4 to justify spending an extra 1000 dollars to get the 50mm f/1.2 L. For those that don’t have either lens, I highly recommend that you pick up the 50mm f/1.4. I beleive right now it’s about 300 dollars and it’s seriously the greatest bang for your buck lens that Canon makes. For those beginning in photography, this is the perfect lens if you just want to focus on a subject and blur everything else out.

Nancy and Vu’s Wedding

Law — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:31:14 +0000

It’s interesting how small this world really is. Nancy went to the same University I went to. Nancy was studying engineering, as was I, and at the same time. Yet we never met or knew that the other existed. Now here I am, posting photos of her wedding. I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason and I’m glad it worked out this way. Nancy and Vu have since become good friends of mine and I’m very thankful and blessed that I had the opportunity to shoot their wedding!

Yes, that is indeed a big bottle of vodka