• Hello!

    I'm a professional wedding photographer based in Los Angeles, California.  I employ a true unobtrusive photojournalistic approach with an emphasis on natural and genuine emotions.  I love taking pictures and treasure every opportunity to preserve precious memories.

    This is where you'll find my latest work and and see what I'm up to.  Follow my footsteps in turning my life long hobby into a career I love. Feel free to leave a comment or just to say hi!  Thanks for visiting, and check back often!
    Be sure to check out my portfolio site too!

Wedding: Mike & Tiffany @ Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at CSULB

Remember Tiffany and Mike who had part of their engagement session at LACMA?  They finally tied the knot back in June at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden!  Not only do they look gorgeous together, they sure are a treat to photograph as well…  After our fun engagement session they got real comfortable in front of the camera and allowed me to really apply my photojournalism style to their wedding.  Instead of interacting with them, I could simply let them be themselves in their wedding and that allowed me to capture those tears of joy.  You will see what I mean as you continue on looking at the pictures below.

The Earl Burns Miller Japanese is quickly becoming one of my favorite wedding ceremony location to photograph.  The garden is just so serene, and the ceremony held on the charming little bridge really makes it special.  I’m definitely looking forward to my next assignment there (note to self: do not drop the camera again! thanks wooden bridge)

Tiffany went as far as decorating her room nicely  for me to photograph her and her dress.  We started real early that day and I struggled with getting enough light through the window, and with a little help with a wireless remote flash I think it worked out pretty nicely.

It took Mike quite a while to get through with his door games to earn his beautiful bride, but it sure is a memorable part of the day.

chinese tea ceremony in black and whitechinese tea ceremony teapot and tea cup set

This is Tiffany getting ready for the first look at the Japanese Garden

Even I had a little fun walking over to the koi pond to take pictures of the koi swarming over to feed.

These are some of my favorite moments to capture.  Mike and Tiffany decided to show appreciate to their parents by presenting them with roses.  Mike hugs his mother while Tiffany watches…

and then Tiffany holds her mother in-law in her arms with a tear in her eye.

and Mike is sure enjoying himself getting the crowd into their wedding

I never really coach my brides and grooms on their first dance to give them the room and personal space to really enjoy and get into their dance.  It’s harder to get my shot especially when I’m always trying to get out of sight, but I think it’s well worth it.

Huge thanks to Jack Hou doing another awesome job with his lighting and DJ work; Ray, Joyce, and Desmond from Rayjoyce Studios on their unobtrusive and stunning work and their awesome same-day edit, and of course my lovely wife Shirley and her brother Henry assisting me for the day.  Don’t ask me about the shades I have no idea why I had them on my head that night and how they stayed on… =)

by Herman

show hide 10 comments

09/08/2010 - 12:35 pm

Nikole - What a great wedding!

09/08/2010 - 5:45 am

Alvina - Lovely! The dress and gold shoes shots were lovely! And the garden is pretty! Except I kinda feel sorry for the people sitting in the back… seemed kinda hard to see the action from there!

09/08/2010 - 5:12 am

Brad Ross Photography - great mix of emotion and details. Wonderful storytelling as well.

09/08/2010 - 1:27 am

Mark - +1 Ryan. you rocked a tough situation!! Love the Koi shot too!

09/07/2010 - 11:27 pm

Kyle - Tons of emotions in this these pictures, nice work!

09/07/2010 - 8:58 pm

Cathy and David - Yup. Jealous as hell. :D

09/07/2010 - 8:50 pm

Ryan Brenizer - Very nice! Good storytelling, and good job dealing with harsh daylight.

09/07/2010 - 7:00 pm

Keith Daigle - Gorgeous wedding! Really diggin’ the ridiculous colors.

09/07/2010 - 6:14 pm

Vida Carson - Wow.. just wow. The Japanese Garden is gorgeous and you really rocked this wedding.

09/07/2010 - 5:56 pm

Ariana W. - Wow! I LOVE the way you captured this breathtaking venue!

Studio Grand Opening

Just wanted to give you guys an update on what’s been happening. I’ve been totally lagging behing behind on blogging again, and this time for a good reason (at least I think it is…)   We’ve been working very hard lately to meet with the tight wedding schedule during this very hot 2010 summer.  Back in July, we finally decided to take the next step and found ourselves a cozy studio space in Arcadia.  We spent the past month remodeling and furnishing the space, and began meeting our prospective clients there.  Our goal is to create an atmosphere to better represent our services and to make you feel right at home, and I think we have achieved our goals judging from the early feedback that we received from our new clients. =)

This Sunday, 8/29/2010, we’ll be hosting a grand opening at our new studio space at 420 Rolyn Pl #B, Arcadia.  We have invited some of our favorite vendors, past clients, friends, and family to join us celebrate.  Refreshments will be served and we’ll be there from 9 to 3pm.  We’ll also be giving out discount coupons for future bookings that day.  So come by and meet up, or simply stop by and say hi!

Looking forward to meeting you all this Sunday!

Here’s a map to our studio for your convenience:


View Larger Map

Wedding: Lillian & Binh @ The Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego

Black and White Bridal Portrait at the wooden bridge in Balboa Park, San Diego

I remember a many years ago when I first visited Balboa Park in San Diego when I was still experimenting with photography.  I spent a whole day there taking pictures at the San Diego Zoo and I was impressed by the massive size, landscape, and especially fascinated by the beautiful architecture there (note to self: I still need to find a chance to visit the museums there).  I just couldn’t be happier when Lillian and Binh told me they’re getting married at the Prado in Balboa Park!  The Prado is a historical landmark in San Diego and it’s simply a treat to shoot there.

The two of them bursted into tears and they almost made us cry as well.. =)

Pictures like these shows why I love the photojournalism aspect of my job where you simply cannot reproduce anything like this no matter how well you pose.  This is the type of images that I really treasure on my own wedding, and I’m blessed to have the opportunity to help others perserve theirs as well.

Casa del Rey Moro Gardens wedding

The weather that day was simply amazing and this is a view from the Casa del Rey Moro Gardens where the wedding ceremony was held.

wedding ceremony at Casa del Rey Moro Gardens

after the ceremony we took a moment to take a few portraits with them, and we found plenty of beautiful scenery around the Prado

this was taken from the second floor during their cocktail hours at the Fountain Courtyard.
The Grand Ballroom at the Prado, Balboa Park

Wynn and her team did an awesome job putting everything together!

Lillian and Binh wowing the crowd with their first dance

bride and groom's table toastbest man toasting the bride and groom

Father Daughter Dance at the Grand Ballroom

Mother and Son Dance at the Brand BallroomLillian's Bouquet Toss

another view of the very amazing grand ballroom

It’s a great pleasure working with the following vendors who made this special wedding so awesome!

by Herman

show hide 13 comments

08/06/2010 - 1:21 pm

Alvina - Spectacular!

(Your posts still don’t show up on Blogger) :(

07/29/2010 - 3:15 pm

Lillian - Thank you Herman and Andy for capturing the love laughter and emotions of our special day!

07/27/2010 - 8:09 am

gabe aceves - gorgeous work, especially the lighting. really beautiful stuff.

07/27/2010 - 7:40 am

Becky Young - I LOVE the bride and groom shots. You captured the most natural, beautiful expressions! Great job!

07/27/2010 - 5:26 am

Teresa K - These are amazing. The first look image where she’s overcome with emotion is just fantastic. You really did a phenomenal job on this one.

07/26/2010 - 11:34 pm

Gina - You have a truly exquisite body of work here!

07/26/2010 - 5:41 pm

Jen - Herman, these shots are wonderful! Never mind that the couple is perfectly gorgeous. Both of her dresses are beautiful. Standouts include the courtyard shot and one of a dad toasting with the flecks of light. Wow!

07/26/2010 - 3:53 pm

ayesha - both storytelling and portrait images here that will be treasured for years by this couple, i’m sure. absolutely gorgeous work! you’ve captured emotions and moments in such beautiful and technically spot-on pictures… very inspiring. thank you for sharing!

07/26/2010 - 3:46 pm

Heather - Simply LOVE the shot of the bride with her arms around the groom during the ceremony. This post shows what great photojournalism is about. Wonderful!

07/26/2010 - 12:24 pm

Albert Palmer - Wow – you have a new subscriber! The lighting in your work is superb and really makes each photograph stand out in its own right. Beautiful work.

07/26/2010 - 7:21 am

Rae Marie - Fantastic! I love the romantic portraits.. just gorgeous! x

07/25/2010 - 11:19 pm

matt shumate - So very cool Herman! I love every photo you’ve posted here. Nicely done!

07/25/2010 - 8:16 pm

Drew Gregory - Great set of images, from the beautiful simplicity of the shoe shot to the well light dance images your couple will be very happy with these!

Wedding: Mary & Mike @ Mountain Gate Country Club, Los Angeles

When I first met up with Mary on our consultation session, I was dumb enough to pick Super Bowl Sunday to meet up with them… =)  Obviously I’m not football fan and Mike logically made the choice every guy would – watch football instead of meeting the wedding photographer.  Mary shared with me briefly of their wedding plans and a few of their special arrangements on their wedding day.  For starters, both her and Mike aren’t very fond of cakes and so they decided to do an ice-cream bar that they enjoy; then it is their wine ceremony – instead of the now popular sand ceremony, they decided to pour a glass of white wine and a glass of red wine together which I think is both beautiful and brilliant; then there’s Mike’s parents who turn out to be videographers!  Turns out they Mike’s dad managed to dedicate some of the cameras to a few volunteers while he continues to document the day and  enjoying himself. =)

We started off the day at the Lux Sunset Boulevard Hotel where they’re getting ready in the morning:

Mary and Mike decided to do a first look at the hotel.  Their flower girl was confused about what they’re doing, and started telling Mike that Mary’s coming and asked him to turn around.. cute haha =)

and their elegant and beautiful bouquets

Here’s the red and white wine they’re using for their wine ceremony

And the very lucky Cooper accompanied with two pretty flower girls


It’s a gorgeous day and a beautiful ceremonywedding wine ceremony

we took the entire bridal party along, including the flower girls and Cooper the ring bearer to the golf course for some pictures.  =)Bridal Portrait at Mountain Gate Country Club

hmmm….. ice-cream bar that everybody looked forward to.  It’s a huge hit that night!

In the reflection, the boy couldn’t wait until Mary and Mike could finish so that he could get his ice-cream; and Mike’s dad working hard in the background.

and they crowd urged them to hurry up ’cause they were so anxious to get their ice-cream! =)

and on the first dance, Mike’s dad also was working hard making sure he captures the moment! 

The entire wedding has been a blast and simply a treat to photograph.

And of course, huge thanks to all the vendors who made the wedding a awesome success!

  • Jill Cuarto
    Makeup by Jillz: http://www.makeupbyjillz.com
  • DJ Steve Martinez: http://www.djstevemartinez.com/
  • Mountain Gate Country Club Los Angeles: http://www.mtngatecc.com/

by Herman

show hide 11 comments

07/20/2010 - 1:29 pm

Amanda Lamb - Beautiful! Love the colors, love the reception shots w/ the OCL! So pretty. :)

07/15/2010 - 9:45 am

Crystal - Great job working in the bright sunlight! That’s a challenge, and you worked it fabulously! I love your whole set!

07/15/2010 - 4:33 am

Alicia Kennison - Lovely storytelling here. What a great wedding.

07/15/2010 - 4:24 am

Phill - A fantastic document of a beautiful day. Superb work Herman! I love the idea of an ice-cream bar at a wedding; hope it takes off in my part of the world!

07/15/2010 - 2:14 am

Mark - Wow. I really love your style. This whole set is ridiculously good!!

07/14/2010 - 9:02 pm

Cliff Marck - You did an awesome job man. Such great light for the formals too.

07/14/2010 - 5:43 pm

M. D. Lee - Beautiful shots. I love that shot of the fans!

07/14/2010 - 1:43 pm

Eliza - What a beautiful wedding! So elegant, and beautifully captured. I LOVE the ice cream bar idea.

07/14/2010 - 1:38 pm

Dave Chuidian - Mmm. Ice cream bar. I hope you got to partake! Great shot of the bridal party backlit and framed by the trees.

07/14/2010 - 1:37 pm

Jessica Horton - Love all the expressions you captured!

07/14/2010 - 9:51 am

Alvina - Loooove the pic of the bride and groom in front of the tree in that light!