Vanessa Lam Photography

Phan Photography

Vanessa — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:45:57 +0000

As of today, I’ll be blogging on our new blog site: Phan Photography Blog. Thanks for visiting and see you on the new blog!

Coming Out Of Hiatus

Vanessa — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:04:19 +0000

I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since I last blogged! A lot has happened this past year - but the biggest event was the arrival of my second baby, Kyle. It was a crazy year, to say the least. But Kyle is now 3 months old and i’ve returned to work, so things have slightly returned to normal. The most asked question this year has got to be “how’s Kareena with the little one?”. We have been so blessed with Kareena - not only is she not jealous of Kyle, she is so eager to care for him and help out with baby duties. She would help out with things like bringing me diapers and wipes during diaper changes, hold the baby bottle for me while I burp Kyle, throw Kyle’s dirty clothes and burp cloths into the hamper, and occasionally discipline our two dogs for barking when Kyle is sleeping. Like Kenny and I, she fell in love with Kyle the moment she met him. When I was pregnant last year, people would ask me if she knew the concept of me being pregnant and her having a little brother soon. I’d always answer with, “yea! she’s really excited and she wants a little brother!”. People found it hard to believe - after all, she wasn’t even two years old at the time. It’s really quite amazing. From the time I got pregnant back in May 2009, I had been prepping her for the big day - the day she’d meet her little brother or sister. She’d always excitedly tell me that she wants a little brother and how she would play doll with him and cook mac & cheese for him. So I guess that’s why Kyle came as no surprise to her. Plus when I was pregnant, she would sing and talk to my belly. How cute was that? Now those two are totally inseparable. Some of my favorite photos of them:

Kyle

Kareena and Kyle
(shot with my point and shoot)

Another piece of exciting news is that Kenny and I have decided to combine our photography business to become Phan Photography! We’re working on the new logo and branding, so check back often to find out when we’ll be launching the new web site and blog! Also, there are a couple of Boudoir sessions that I will be posting soon. Thanks for visiting! :)

Lori and Brent | Anniversary

Vanessa — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:19:57 +0000

Kenny and I had been looking forward to Lori and Brent’s anniversary session for months! Lori and Brent met in high school at a basketball game and have been together ever since. The day finally came and it couldn’t have been more fun. As though the anniversary celebration wasn’t special enough, we got news days before the session that Brent had gotten an acceptance letter to USC! Lori is a Trojan herself, so it was easy to finalize on a location. We started out at the Rose Garden by the California Science Center and had the most amazing backdrop. All the roses were in bloom and the day was just beautiful. Add to it a beautiful, cute and sweet couple and you’ve got yourself an awesome session. That is exactly what Lori and Brent’s personalities exude. I’m so happy and excited for them that they’ll be attending college together! Some of my favs from the session:

In one of the gazebos at the Rose Garden.

They are so cute together!

I caught this cute, unscripted moment of them from the other side of the wall. This is how they were whenever they had a moment alone or when they thought we weren’t looking - and I think it’s SO cute.

After a stroll in the Rose Garden, we headed back to the campus of USC. We loved the Philosophy building - everything about it was so dreamy!

Another unscripted moment as I was getting my shot ready. These two lovebirds were way too easy to photograph.

It’s too bad there were a lot of construction going on around the Tommy Trojan area, but that didn’t stop us!

Up until this shot, I had no idea they were lugging around some pretty heavy books!

Please visit Kenny’s site for more photos. Lori and Brent, thank you for having us help celebrate your upcoming anniversary! We had so much fun getting to know the two of you and exploring the campus with you guys!

Josie | Bridal Shower

Vanessa — Sat, 09 May 2009 00:14:03 +0000

I was invited to photograph Josie’s bridal shower last Sunday in Eagle Rock by Catherine, Josie’s sister. Catherine is also a good friend of Kenny’s from high school and she is one of the sweetest gals I know. When I arrived at the location, I was blown away by the beautiful set up. There were a lot of vintage tea sets, beautiful flowers, great music to set the mood, and lots of delicious and beautiful looking tea sandwiches and desserts. The cutest thing about the shower was that it had a lingerie/tea party theme. From the moment I got there, all the girls were so welcoming and sweet which made everything so wonderful! Catherine and Josie’s bridal party did a fabulous job that day. Josie arrived shortly after and she looked so happy with how everything turned out! She was so sweet and friendly! She’s definitely going to make one beautiful bride on her wedding day. I had so much fun! Here are some of my favorite photos of the fabulous details:

The beautiful sisters: Josie and Catherine

The details!

I just have to say here that the water was SO good. Gotta get the recipe from Catherine!

Some of the girls gave me a piece of these and it was delicious! So good.

I loved every single tea set!! Aren’t they the cutest ever?

The girls!

Thank you girls for having me at the shower! It was so much fun! Josie, congratulations again to you and your fiance on your upcoming wedding!! You are going to be a gorgeous bride! :)

Jasmine and Estevan | Wedding

Vanessa — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:07:43 +0000

Date: April 25, 2009
Ceremony: Church Of The Blessed Sacrament - Hollywood, CA
Reception: Castaway - Burbank, CA

Kenny and I had a wonderful opportunity to assist and second shoot for Henry of Henry Chen Photography at a beautiful wedding in Hollywood/Burbank this past Saturday. We met Jasmine and Estevan for the first time and they were both so welcoming, friendly and sweet. They made such a beautiful couple on their wedding day! Some of my favorites from Jasmine’s getting ready photos:

The gorgeous gown.

Jasmine’s shoes were SO cute I had to take 2 different shots.

She also had a cute china cabinet that looked really vintage and had pretty hand painted flowers and a butterfly on it. How could I resist?

After getting a few shots of Jasmine’s getting ready details, I headed over to the hotel where Estevan was getting ready.

Estevan getting ready.

I loved the simple yet elegant look of the mini orange Calla Lily that was used for Estevan’s boutonniere. And how cute is that pin?

The church was absolutely beautiful!

The lovely couple.

Details from the beautiful and romantic reception at Castaway.

The flowers were so pretty!

A fierce portrait of the boys.

and then a goofy one.

The beautiful couple once again.

Thank you, Jasmine and Estevan for allowing us to be a part of your special day! And a huge thanks to Henry for giving us this wonderful opportunity to second shoot and learn from him. Opportunities like these are priceless. We had a blast!

Star Struck

Vanessa — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:37:24 +0000

This past Sunday we had a little family trip out to Hollywood to meet and take pictures with a super popular celebrity. He’s red, furry, kids love him and he was much taller in person. Did you guess Elmo? That’s right people. We met Elmo! The event (called Sesame Street Presents : The Body) is put together by the people of Sesame Street and is an interactive exhibition that teaches children how their bodies work and how to keep them healthy.

It was also a great opportunity for my friend Amie and I to make a play date out of this event for Kareena and her son Riley. We got there early so Kareena had a chance to run around and have a little snack while waiting for her buddy to arrive.

Kareena saw the giant posters of Elmo and the rest of the Sesame Street gang and got so excited! Seeing her and growing up watching Sesame Street - I was a bit too excited as well. I remember wanting to visit Sesame Street. So to be honest, I had some high expectations coming into this exhibition. I was dissapointed when we finally got in because it was so small! I was envisioning a much bigger place (like the actual set of Sesame Street?) and being able to run around and chase Kareena around…

It was still fun though. At least it had the iconic front porch with the green door and the black steps. I thought it was so funny that Kareena was pretending she knew how to read the program!

The kids spent some time wandering around and playing while we waited for Elmo’s appearance.

Elmo finally came out and it was really funny because all the kids got so scared! First of all, Elmo was way too big - I think the lil munchkins are used to a much smaller and dare I say, cuter Elmo? I think another thing was they should have had Elmo talk. Is it me or did Elmo look like he was out of it? Maybe i’m just being biased because I didn’t get to see the entire set of Sesame Street, so I’ll let you be the judge of this:

Nonetheless, I still think it was cute. I’m saying this because everytime I pull up these pictures, it just makes me smile - BIG. =D
Riley was scared of Elmo so we didn’t get to take a photo of him here, but Kareena seems to be star struck - just like her mama. I think we stayed with Elmo a little too long because we started hearing lil kids scream in line - so off we went.

We ended the trip with another snack - Kareena and Riley’s favorite, hawaiian bread! She loved feeding Riley and it was the cutest sight ever!

Riley with his beautiful mama:

Kenny and Benny were there too. =P

Lea and Sean’s Wedding : Chapter Three - Party Time! (aka Reception)

Vanessa — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:12:15 +0000

Continued from Lea and Sean’s Wedding : Chapter Two - I Do

Date: April 12, 2009
Location: Dad Miller Golf Course (Green Side Cafe) - Anaheim, CA

Following the ceremony was a beautiful, loving and wild reception. Some of my favorite photos of the details:

I’ve been to quite a few weddings before getting into the wedding photography business and never before have I seen so much love, excitement and enthusiasm on the dance floor. The wedding party kicked off the night with some wild dance routines for the grand entrance. The bride and groom had their own little hot routine followed by their first dance.

Then some sweet moments from the father and daughter dance - I thought it was so awesome and sweet when Lea’s brothers and sisters all came out to the dance floor to join them.

Sean and his mom had the cutest Irish dance ever for their mother and son dance!

After a series of fun and wild dances, it was dinner time! Below are some photos of the yummy food! I was drooling when I saw the bowl of fruit and the roasted pig. The pork went fast!

While all the guests were enjoying their dinner, Lea and Sean had a few moments to enjoy a special gift together. There must have been some really good photos of their childhood in there. Just look at those smiles!

What better way to work off a great dinner than to dance the night away? Let the party begin!

See the empty tables? Not one single person hesitated to get on the dance floor! Awesome, awesome guests.

Can you see and feel the love in the next photo? Lea and Sean are no doubt surrounded by tons of family and friends who love them.

The money dance was a huge success. I think they collected enough to go on a really nice honeymoon because the lines never ended. I think the DJ had to stop people from lining up! Of all the beautiful ladies that lined up to dance with Sean, this little girl was my favorite!

It was so cute that Sean had to pin money on Lea in order to steal her away from the long line of men. Can you tell who was more in demand? Don’t let the greater number of bills that are on Sean fool you - Lea had a bunch of large bills!

A couple more photos of the wild dance floor:

Last but not least, two of Lea and Sean’s many nephew and nieces:

So so so cute!

Lea and Sean, thanks for letting us be a part of your special day and for making us feel so welcomed! We had a blast!

Lea and Sean’s Wedding : Chapter Two - I Do

Vanessa — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:29:08 +0000

Continued from Lea and Sean’s Wedding : Chapter One - Getting Ready

Date: April 12, 2009
Location: Dad Miller Golf Course - Anaheim, CA

Lea and Sean’s ceremony was an intimate one, with a lot of family and friends present to share in and witness their special day. Some of my favorite images from the ceremony:

Here comes the bride!

The Veil and Cord Ceremony - with the veil signifying union and oneness…

and the cord signifying strength. This photo makes me smile every time because of Lea’s infectious smile. And Sean’s!

The Coin Ceremony - signifying prosperity and wealth.

I love this photo (taken by Kenny)!

Mr. and Mrs. Ford!

After the ceremony we took the bride and groom, their family and friends and headed out for some portraits. Then I caught some really cute moments of Lea and her father-in-law…

and then of Lea and her father. They were both were so sweet!

Lastly, I’ll leave you with one of the many goofy shots we had of the bride and groom and their wedding party. Fun times!

This photo is actually the perfect ending to part two, because part three is going to be a wild one - party time! To be continued!

Lea and Sean’s Wedding : Chapter One - Getting Ready

Vanessa — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:10:14 +0000

Date: April 12, 2009
Location: Newport Beach, CA

Kenny and I have been looking forward to Lea and Sean’s wedding since the day we met them. The big day finally came and we feel so honored to have had the opportunity to photograph the beautiful couple on their special day, their wonderful family and friends, and to be able to witness the tremendous amount of love that was shown throughout the day. Lea and Sean are truly beautiful people inside and out - and it shows where they got it from.

Lea and Sean has family scattered around LA and some in London - so I will try to post as many photos as I can in this three part blog post. You heard right, three parts - or three chapters! There is so much to share that one single post simply won’t do it justice.

Lea and Sean rented a beautiful home in Newport Beach, CA to house their special guests from London and to use as a place to get ready. Some of my favorite getting ready photos:

If you think the dress is gorgeous, wait until you see it on Lea!

How cute are the rest of the bridal party dresses??

The beautiful bridal bouquets by Linda Vuong of LV Floral Events.

Just wanted to give a fair warning here - the next couple of photos are very sparkly.

A few more detail shots of the shoes, ring pillows, veil, coins and chord.

I was totally thrown off and distracted after Lea’s sisters showed me these custom Converse sneakers! OMG. They are SO cute!

Kim, the beautiful MOH helping Lea get dressed.

Lea looking absolutely gorgeous in her gown.

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about Sean! The next three photos of Sean were taken by Kenny.

Not to be outdone by Lea, Sean is looking cool and stylish - ready for his big day. He even had time to play a tune or two. Or did he?

This is Lea and Sean’s furry baby girl, Cookie! She had her own white gown and was busy all morning walking back and forth from Lea’s room to Sean’s room. All tired out, she found herself the most comfortable spot on the bed and watched as her mama got ready.

Thanks for visiting and stay tuned for Chapter Two - I Do! Please visit Kenny’s blog for more photos.

To be Continued…

Lea and Sean : Engagement Session

Vanessa — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:13:55 +0000

Kenny and I had a blast in Downtown LA shooting Lea and Sean’s engagement photos. We were on a pretty tight schedule because we wanted to hit a few spots and only had 3 hours. In the end, it took us 4 hours to finish but it really only felt like an hour! We started at the Disney Concert Hall and in the beginning, Lea and Sean were kind of nervous and tense. But that all changed really quick. Lea looked amazing in that killer outfit and Sean looked dashing. Plus they knew exactly what to do the moment I pulled out my camera! I love it when my couples are naturals! They were so much fun and so easy to photograph. We totally loved Sean’s British accent especially when he called Lea “darling” or “love”. How sweet and cute is that? They are such a cute and loving couple. A few of my favorites from this session:

What is it with the guys doing cartwheels and hand stands when i’m not looking? Of course I always immediately ask them to redo it so that I can take a photo of it. And what is Lea doing? Rowr!

Next we headed off to the Public Library.

Lea came prepared and I loved her selection of reading material! I feel the need to point out that there is a British boxer and a Filipino boxer on the cover of Sean’s magazine…

Lea has the most beautiful big brown eyes I have ever seen! And you can’t see Sean’s eyes here, but he has really pretty baby blue eyes!

Next stop, Chinatown! It was really fun taking photos here because every wall in sight had a rich, vibrant color. Even the rusted gates looked beautiful.

We couldn’t resist getting one of these Chinese parasols.

We’re having way too much fun here. Come back Sean!

He didn’t drift too far. =)

This is my favorite of the favorites!

Lea and Sean, congratulations on your engagement and we are so happy for you both! Thank you for letting us be a part of this special moment. We can’t wait until the wedding!