Ms. Melissa Moua

Meet Ms. Melissa Moua. I've known this gal ever since my frosh year in high school. I have to admit that when I first saw her, I was a little intimidated because I just was. Over the years I've come to know her much better as a person, a woman and a true friend. I am truly appreciative to have grown up with a lively and lovely individual such as her.

Although I have many portraits of her to choose from, this has got to be one of my all time favorites. To me, this portrait shows fierceness and strength. Perhaps that was what intimidated me the first time I met her? The fierceness comes from the direct full frontal eye contact with the camera, as well as the unruly hair at the top left corner and helping all that along would be the asymmetrical opening of her shirt. I would have to say that, if not for the hair detail, this portrait would have a totally different mood.

Secondly, it may just be me, but the "strength" I see is all held within that one eyebrow. It stands alone without its other, yet it's there bold and strong. When looking at the whole portrait, it's the most unique detail of all. It's like a painter brushed the eyebrow on there and it became the star of the show.

It may or may not be a surprise to you, but this was actually an accidental shot. I had asked her to come over and be my model for the day because I was shooting a spread for the HmongArtists.Net magazine. After a good 4 to 5 hours of shooting we decided to wrap things up. She started to wipe her make-up off and I quickly yelled at her to halt what she was doing. (I certainly startled her) At that moment, I had an immediate idea that I just had to do.

We were in my tiny room. I used my sliding closet door as the background and luckily the window was straight across from her, so I was able to use soft available light to light her. The even lighting from the window highlighted her key attributes such as her cheek bones and her eyes. After goofing around with her half made up face, we called it a day. It's amazing what you get when you actually don't plan on it. It's like a little chocolate surprise and Mel is certainly just as sweet.

Ms. Chong Ali Moua

Chong Ali Moua:
A rare being indeed. I've known her since about the second or third grade and we have shared many special moments. She was there for me when I had my point and shoot, when I was spending tons and tons of $$ buying and developing film, and even through the hardest seperation of all...college. As adults (we like to believe that we are), we get caught up in life, but make the effort to keep in touch. If you want to know what a true friend is then you would want to know Chong.

At her most recent trip home (Feb) she came and spent a day with me. We had planned on a shoot but wanted to keep it light, fun and casual. I spent about 45 minutes doing her make-up and about another 45 minutes doing her hair. While I was doing all that we were watching the movie "Persuasion" an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. After some gushing and aaahhing of the romance that may or may not exist in today's world, we finally started shooting.

This portrait is one of my favorites because it's simple but strong. Althought there are bold shapes and high contrast of tone, it doesn't take away from her face. We used to joke about how her eyes close when she laughs, but they are truly the center of attention in this portrait. It draws you right in.

I told her that her face is so expressive (and it IS) and that's why I love to shoot her. Her face shows confidence, maturity, strength and yet it's elegant and soft. We had a conversation about this and she said that perhaps I see that in her portraits because I know her personally. I understand her understandings and project this intimate connection onto the image that I capture. If you can sense her personality, characteristics, and uniqueness then perhaps I'm doing something right.

Dedicated to My Art

Wow. Who would have thought I would and could come this far with photography (although some would say I technically haven't really gone anywhere). This is certainly a personal accomplishment for me.

It has been about 6 years since my initial pursuit and interest in photography began. I am learning more each and every time I do a shoot. It's a never ending learning process (which is the best part of all, right?). Of course it is. Well, let's get to the more important point here.

After all these years, I finally decided to blog about my photography. I will dedicate this site to reflecting, commenting, deconstructing, and detailing some of my personal favorite photos. Alas, this will not be the place to find me explaining what and how all the technicalities of a camera work. I feel that there are already a lot more people who are willing, able and have the expertise to do that already. Google is a power tool for learning. Let's get this rolling shall we?