Picnic! [Kids Photography]

Models: Casey & Kai @ JE Model Management SF

Makeup & Photography & Prop Styling: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Photography Assistant: Erik Leung
Hair: Erika Taniguchi

Wardrobe Styling: Andrea Schultz Igreja

Yayyyy! This photo shoot finally happened! We had to reschedule twice due to the rain during spring time, and finally finally it came together!  While it's not my first time working with kids, it is my first time coming up with my own ideas, finding the locations, getting the props, shooting the photos, and putting together a team! I've done those tasks before, but not all at once. While there's still room for improvement (like always!! ^^), I am very happy with the results! We were blowing bubbles towards the end, and everyone was having fun!

I want to thank Shannon @ JE for being patient with us with the rescheduling..! And of course, my team members Andrea, Erika & Erik.  Casey & Kai are adorable, and are such troopers!  May-June 2011 has definitely been the craziest ... I need to organize my computer, and keep up with my blogging! I'm also super excited to share more photos from weddings/bridal clients when the photos come back! For now please enjoy super cuties Kai & Casey! :)

Mommy & Me - Andrea [1]

When the world gets too much, isn't it nice to have someone you can always lean on to feel safe and warm? The power of attachment is immeasurable and so beautiful to me!  I've always loved high contrast b/w images~ in the days before digital (as if film was such an ancient thing!!!), I'd put a red or orange filter on and go about achieving it with my roll of b/w film~ oh, nostalgia!

Photography: Liz (Skyla Arts)
Makeup: Michelle Tan (MicheStyle)

I've been working very hard to prepare for my first ever bridal show happening on Tuesday. It's a small one but nonetheless there are some preparation work to be done.  I'm almost done with most of my to-do list for the event~ so...! Fingers crossed! Wish me luck! :) :) :) I hope everyone had a great weekend! My moment of relaxation was..going to watch "Inception" which was a brilliant movie but was not relaxing at all! I do highly recommend it but it's not one of those sit back and relax movies~! 

June & Gary - Lifestyle/Commercial

Models: June (City Models) & Gary

Men's Grooming, Makeup, Hair & Photography: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Wardrobe Styling: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts) & June

Finally an update! The photo above looks so weird resized - it looks like there's something on her cheeks but there really isn't! GrrrRrrr! Please click on the photos to view the full version! After receiving feedback from the agency, I decided to take matters into my own hands (the matter of improving my portfolio!), and called up June to ask if she knew any male models to add to our already planned lifestyle shoot on Saturday, and June also took matters into her hands and found me 2 great candidates, found the location, and then we told Gary what to wear ;) I really don't have a background in fashion, but was really inspired by a yellow umbrella and we were hoping to find one, but we ended up with a yellow hat, and its complementary color, purple - and voila! Spring is here!  Grabbing Peet's Coffee was totally spontaneous (Gary's Idea), and it was a great prop! :) Here is June's before & after photo for hair and makeup! It took me 1 hr - I'm improving my speed, so I was super happy.

I started a new picasa Lifestyle/Commercial Gallery. You can sneak peak my other recent project! ;)

Skyla Arts x Shasha

Client (and Model): Shasha

Makeup, Hair and Photography: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
The Wardrobe was provided by the Model.

I have to say...When I picked up my camera to shoot Shasha, honestly I was a bit nervous, because it's been a while since I was behind the camera.  In the past, I've received inquiries about opportunities to "model for me" for my portfolio in exchange for some "free head shots" but while I am not a top photographer or anything to not 'test' at all, I am open to provide 'testing rates.' instead of going through the motions, since I am passionate about what I do. I haven't done makeup/hair/photography all in one since August or so, so while rusty, I got more energized as the shoot progressed! I am very happy with what we were able to achieve in an afternoon - I like more emotive portraits instead of straight off 'glamorous' looks.  I am happy that Shasha was super excited about the results as well! Enjoy the photos! :)

Pet Photography

I've never had a pet until June of 2009, and my friends are probably tired of me sending them photos of Skyla, the naughty kitten. So I've been practicing my pet photography skill on this bad girl! It requires timing, patience, and fast shutters! I took the one above just 20 minutes ago~! That photo requires no post-processing. I was playing fetch with her - the stuffy, Leeloo, is the only thing Skyla would fetch these days, because it suits her mouth shape perfectly and it's fun to bounce around! I just thought she looked too cute hugging Leeloo possessively! Below is Skyla posing with a souvenir we bought in Korea - a hanbok for animals! I tried using some flash since it was night time, although it's hard to get one with the eyes open since the flash makes her blink and wink her eyes! I used a bit of photo shop (for the first time...) on Skyla, to bring her out from the messy background! You gotta forgive my mess! We are moving!! :) I think Skyla is such a great model! Now, would anyone please just hire me to photograph their pet??

Princess Skyla

I also would love to photograph pet and their owners - (especially photographing my pet - Skyla - yes I did name my business after her!) I adopted her from the Pasadena Humane Society, and a vet that I took her to told me that she is most likely a Bengal Cat mix from the markings on her belly. The only thing is she's not a HUGE fan of water like some other Bengal Cats, diving into the shower. These days, she doesn't like to cuddle much anymore :( - but I still love her lots! She really grew a lot~!

Enjoy some photos of my kitten Skyla and her high fashion poses =P

Simi's Before & After + Portraits

Simi wanted a makeup look inspired by Aishwarya Rai for her photo session. I also did her hair too - we agreed that she would do her own her but then I arrived earlier than expected (my bad! I thought it would be much further+traffic!) so I did her hair...which took much longer than I anticipated~ ^^||....Simi was stressed out from exams and was breaking out. She requested that I photo shop out her scars~ it was a time investment and a challenge. As a result I learned new techniques~ ^^v yay for me.

Simi says:

"It was an absolute pleasure working with Liz. She is very charismatic and I felt extremely comfortable shooting with her. I had a clear idea of the types of moods and poses I wanted her to capture, and Liz found my best angles and captured everything artistically.

She is also a very skilled makeup artist, and used exclusive products purchased from Japan. She was patient and responsive to my makeup requests, and gave me better advice about my acne-prone skin than my dermatologist. She was punctual and never complained.

I love the finished products! Her touch ups and color schemes make me look like a character from a fairytale.

-Simi

Simi has such gorgeous eyes~ and with her hair length, it reminded me of the gal in Boticelli's "Birth of Venus"~! Enjoy three of my favorite from the set, and you can see a few more in my Portraits gallery!

Kelly's Before & After + Portraits

This makeup & photography session with Kelly happened right after K & J's couple's shoot! So..I got backed up and couldn't work on it until recently! So sorry Kelly!~! Kelly chose the "Single basic natural head shots and portraits Option B with Makeup Application"~ we were going for the pretty Korean celebrity look!

She says:

"Skyla Arts made me feel "comfortable" with the occasion. Liz was great with her brushes. I almost fell sleep! She was accommodating and made sure she understood the look I was going after, and that it was "right". And she did! I had a great time at the party that evening, and loved the more "natural" feel to the job she did! I also loved talking to her. She was really sweet, and seemed to have a genuine interest in simply talking to me. =)

Thank you Liz!"

- Kelly

=) Enjoy two of my favorite shots from the set, and feel free to look at the other ones in my Portraits gallery!

Dolly Beauty shot with Kat* at LBC Studios!

Skyla Arts (aka: Liz) was fortunate enough for Jeff to lend her his studio space for these shots to happen! =) Model is Kat* (confidentiality is a must for Skyla Arts!) Her skin was nearly flawless to begin with! *jealous!* but of course, spending more time on the makeup means less time for retouching (I only really had to fix a tiny eyelash that fell on her cheek during the shoot~ ^^) Thanks again Kat* and Jeff! ^_~

Before Makeup (tungsten lights):

From Kat* Dolly Beauty Shots

After Makeup (tungsten lights..sorry I was in a hurry=blurry):

From Kat* Dolly Beauty Shots

With Flash (+tungsten lighting...)

From Kat* Dolly Beauty Shots

On Set:

From Kat* Dolly Beauty Shots

From Kat* Dolly Beauty Shots

From Kat* Dolly Beauty Shots