HELLO + WELCOME!

I'm Eileen, so nice to meet you! I am a Los Angeles based photographer, passionate about people and a huge fan of love. I truly believe photography is God's gift to me; through it I am able to share life with some of the most amazing people. What a privilege and joy it has been!

Click on the next page for more on me or take a peek at my own wedding day here.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Blessings!

photo by Shelley Paulson Photography

RANDOM FACTS

I use way too many exclamation marks, but I'm really just that excited!!!! I want to know what moves your heart. I say "that's so funny" quite a bit, but it can mean a number of things. I am a lover of donuts and tea. I floss every night before bed! I love the idea of being spontaneous, but rarely do things unplanned. I am the youngest of four girls, but I'm taller than all my sisters. I would love to open a cafe someday. I am fascinated by the bridegroom God and his ravished heart for all of humanity

photo by Shelley Paulson Photography

Mini Sessions start at $495, Full Sessions start at $700, Newborn sessions start at $800
eileenliu@eileenliuphotography.com

    THANK YOU!

    Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

    WHAT DO YOU WEAR TO A PHOTOSHOOT?!

    I am wondering the same thing! In exactly one week I’ll be getting my portraits taken by Shelley Paulson. I’ve been going out so much in the last two weeks looking for the perfect outfit and I realized one thing: I suck at shopping! For the past few times I went out I spent hours looking around, tried a few things on, decided to get them, then put them all back on the rack before I left the store. Not productive at all!

    I did pick up a pair of cowboy boots, though… still haven’t decided if I’m going to wear them for my session yet.

    I was talking to my wonderful girlfriend Janet about my dilema and she was SO helpful. She got so excited for me she started looking up different outfits for me to consider. This is what she came up with…

    1. i think the color mint would look nice with a light brown cowboy boot. mint is very in :)
    http://www.polyvore.com/romantic_date_set-requested/set?id=36253494

    2. a striped dress would add some texture to the landscape you’re photographing in and would draw more attn to the subject: you!! :) maybe pair it with a jean jacket.
    http://www.yesstyle.com/en/info.html/pid.1024051677

    3. i particularly like the denim look with cowboy boots. its more laidback, yet chic! very “in”.
    http://www.refinery29.com/l-a-street-style-walk-the-line

    4. red would be a good color with neutral brown boots too. and it would look very nice against a yellow or green nature background. think color blocking!
    http://lookbook.nu/look/896125-Tonight-Imma-Let-You-Be-the-Captain
    http://lookbook.nu/look/2107715-SUPERWOMAN
    http://lookbook.nu/look/880657-These-boots-are-made-for-walking

    I put together everything she suggested on Polyvore and tadaaaa! (Thanks for all your help Jan!)

    What do you guys think? If you have any suggestions, please share..I’d love to hear from you : ) And to all my clients- I’M SORRY! I had no idea it was this hard choosing an outfit!

     

     

    Hannah and Jeremiah MARRIED!

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    Since I posted on Jeremiah and Hannah’s sweet proposal in February and fun engagement session in March, I’m sure everyone was looking forward to seeing pictures from their wedding day. Well, I am happy to say that I have some to share with you today! : )

    Jeremiah and Hannah, also known as Hannamiah (one of our friends mentioned Hannahmiah sounds like it could be a book in the Bible… SO TRUE! hahaha), became Mr. and Mrs. Choi last month. Because I was part of the wedding party I was only able to capture moments before and after the wedding, and even then, not as much as I had wanted. Oh believe me, I was TORN between getting the perfect shots and helping Hannah with whatever she needed.

    Hannah and Jeremiah’s wedding was such a unique one. They both value community so much that they decided to have their big day up in Big Bear where family and friends could stay the whole weekend. There was so much love going around and seeing everyone help out with putting the wedding together (literally) brought so much joy! Everything was so beautiful…

    and now, the big day! We were blessed with many, many, talented family and friends to take care of all our needs- thank you so much….us girls felt pampered! : )

    Hannah, you look beautiful..so so so beautiful (Great job on the hair and make-up Cherry Le!). So here we are, off for Hannah and Jeremiah’s first look!

    Following the wedding ceremony, which was SO BEAUTIFUL (I think everyone was in tears from beginning to end), was the banquet. Jeremiah’s cousin Deborah did most of the planning and everything was just so perfect. 

    Hannamiah, along with their family members, served the guests dinner. What a powerful act of love. 

    Wow, what a magical weekend it was. The newlyweds have since then been visiting family and will be leaving for Korea tomorrow. I am going to miss them SO much, but know that there is nothing but GREAT things ahead of them. Korea, you better take good care of these two! : ) Hannah and Jeremiah, love you two so so much. Bless you as you go!

    Family Session with the Shiehs

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    When my childhood friend Ingrina told me this would be the first time her entire family will be together in years, my heart broke. I am so spoiled with so much family around me it’s hard to imagine being apart from them for that long of a time. I am so glad I was able to have a session with the Shiehs, a family I grew up with, and to really bless them with photographs to remember this season of their lives.

    Daddy and Mommy Shieh are so cute! A few photos down, you’ll see Mommy Shieh asking Daddy to sing her some songs. Love is sweet : )

    Siblings! : ) Ingrina got married a week before our shoot and would be heading out to the UK just a few days after. I love that her brother suggested some pictures with mommy and daddy.

    and now, bring in the rest of the family! 

    To Jeff now in Japan, Ingrina and Alan in the UK, and to Jonathan and Mr. and Mrs. Shieh in the states, bless you! Thank you for such a wonderful session. I’m excited for the next time you will all be together again! : )

    YUMMY BOK CHOY SALAD!

    I’m so excited to share with you my new favorite summer salad! It’s called the YUMMY BOK CHOY SALAD! Yes, yummy is part of its name : ) I was first introduced to this salad at a bridal shower. My friend Annie (I owe you big time!) brought this dish and told me upfront that I would really enjoy it (I LOVE anything with vinegar in it!). Indeed, I fell in love with the salad, and because she made so much, Annie let me keep the leftovers after the shower. Today I made it for my sister Eunice, who is staying over with her daughter Shiloh. Eunie didn’t like the idea of eating raw Bok Choy, but ended up liking the salad a lot. So, give it a try everyone! : )

    Tadaaa!

    and while I was putting this together, this little one was watching me…

    I’m sorry Shi, but you can’t have any. I promise to make you some when you’re older! : )

    enjoy!

    Natalia + Davi

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    You are going to love this story, I promise!

    Natalia left Brazil two and a half years ago to study here in America. I know it was hard for her to be away from family and friends, so it must have been such a treat to have her parents come for her graduation this summer. And since they were going to be in town, Natalia contacted me to book a session for her parents- they will be celebrating their 25th anniversary this year!

    The day after the session was booked, I get another email from Daniela, Natalia’s mom! In the email she explains that the photoshoot is actually for Natalia, not for them- she only needed to pretend it was for them so that she could get in contact with me. Natalia had originally wanted to have a photoshoot with her boyfriend Davi, but since he was still in Brazil, things wouldn’t have worked out. Little did she know that Davi was flying in to surprise her! : )

    For this shoot, Davi wanted to go to a place where Natalia spent a lot of time during her two and a half years in LA. Here we are in third street promenade where Natalia escaped to when she felt stressed with school.

    As the sun was beginning to set, we hurried over to Santa Monica Beach for some great shots. Both Natalia and Davi love the beach, but the beaches here are so different from the ones in Brazil, they explained to me. The ones in Brazil seem a lot more exciting by the way they described it- little stands along the sand selling handmade goods and yummy food. I would love to visit someday! 

    And because Davi and Natalia went to watch Toy Story 3 for their first date, here they are with a lovely kite to remind them of their first time together as a couple : )

    (hehe, a little boy took stole Natalia’s flowers and I thought it was so cute I just had to take a picture!)

    Oh, what a pleasure it was to be a part of this whole surprise! I was so blessed by meeting you guys. Natalia, I hope your transition back to Brazil is going smoothly. Best of luck with everything! : )

     

    HOWDY!

    Hello from Texas (or should I say Howdy?!)! It’s my first real day
    here in Dallas and I’m already loving it (or maybe just because I have such good hosts! I’m staying with my cousin Dave, his wife Stephany, and their two kiddies Ella and E. Bryce)! It’s so nice to take a break from life and spend it in another city with family I don’t get to see often- what a treat! : )
    And as you can imagine, it is HOT here in Texas! Today was 100 degrees outside and I feel like I got a tan from just standing inside the garage, getting into the car..it’s crazy! So when Ella came home from school today, guess what we did?! We went swimming! What better way to spend the afternoon?! Plus, it’s been FOREVER since I’ve gone swimming..it totally brought back fun childhood memories (shout-out to you, Jobanna! I was thinking about how we used to swim in your pool all the time, that HUGE slide we’d have to pour water down, picking plums, and your mom’s delicious meals..so fun!). : )


    Ella is SO fun to be around. She is full of JOY and excitement…like all the time. Oh, we had tons of fun splashing around and doing funky dances under the water. Isn’t she so cute?! Tomorrow I’ll be meeting her boyfriend officially (I saw him briefly when we picked her up from school) and taking some photos of them together- I can’t wait! : ) haha

    Portrait Session with Loretta Wang

    Being a photographer can be sort of lonely at times. I spend hours and hours of my day sitting in front of the computer replying to emails, editing photos, posting on facebook, blogging…it’s kind of intense, you know what I mean? And so it’s always nice to have other photographers around to bounce off ideas and to chat with, while replying to emails, editing photos, posting on facebook, blogging..! Loretta is a dear friend of mine AND a fellow photographer (check out her stuff here!) and I get so excited every time we get to meet up to catch-up or to work together at a nearby cafe. Lor, you’re just that refreshing! : )
    Loretta might look familiar to some of you and that’s because she practically knows the whole world! It’s true! hehe. Our group of friends joke about this a lot, because she knows at least one person at every restaurant/hang-out place we go to. Loretta just graduated from Fullerton and will be officially launching her photography business this year (can i get a woot woot?!). She wanted to get some pictures with her graduation gown and some headshots for her website…and of course, a few with Jade.
    Everyone say hello to Jade, Loretta’s dog! I usually don’t like animals (I know, I knoooow..I have cold heart!), but I do like Jade! She was so cute during our shoot and SO shy! Every time I had the camera up she’d look away, haha.
    After we wore Jade out we busted out the cap and gown!…Loretta graduated a year later than the rest of her class because she took a year off to go on missions in Africa. How cool is that? So proud of you Lor! : )
    Now, a change of clothes and a change of location! Loretta, you look SO GOOD!
    Gosh, Lor…you’re glowing!
    and now some with her camera! I love love LOVE these next shots…
    Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, Lor! Whoever you end up with will be a lucky man indeed : ) I’m super excited for all the exciting things ahead of you…I am rooting for you all the way, girl!
    I’ll be shooting a wedding for my high school friend this Saturday and Loretta will be coming with me! Check back for a sneak peek! : )

    HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

    HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all you hardworking mothers out there!

    my beautiful mommy! : )

    Shelley Paulson’s Portraiture From the Heart Workshop

    I can’t believe it’s been over a week since Shelley Paulson’s Portraiture From the Heart workshop. What a blessing and privilege it was to be there! Shelley is an amazing woman with such valuable insight- I learned so much from the time we spent together.
    Thinking the workshop started at 12pm, I showed up at 11:55am, apologizing for being a little early as Shelley and Susie (who hosted the event at her beautiful home) welcomed me in. I wondered why I was the only one there when there were seven others registered for the workshop. I didn’t realize until 12:55pm that the workshop started at 1pm! I was SO embarrassed for coming in an hour early, but Shelley and Susie were so kind and didn’t say anything! haha. I did, however, enjoy the extra hour with Shelley. We talked about my work and her work, some of the amazing weddings she captured, and even some things to look out for as I start photographing weddings this year. I learned so much in that hour alone!
    As other photographers trickled in we introduced ourselves over veggies and dip and all sorts of yummy snacks. Shelley had us sit around a large screen where she began teaching and sharing her experiences. We went over the different types of light, basic posing, composition, and what spoke to me most- the heart behind photography.
    I love the way Shelley talks about photography. She was so passionate and so sincere; During out time together I think she cried at least three different times while sharing about the heart behind photography. Hearing her speak really changed my view of photography and it made me value what I do that much more. Shelley shared how photography needs to be rooted in caring for people, valuing them, and seeing the true beauty within each individual. She also spoke on how photography is a form of healing for us as photographers and for the people we photograph. Wow, what a beautiful thing! All those who attended the workshop got to see Shelley work firsthand and her values definitely showed through the way she interacted with the people she photographed.
    For the last two hours of our workshop we were able to put what we learned into action. We were provided with models and got the chance to direct and photograph them as Shelley came around to give us advice and feedback. Here are some of my favorite images from that day…
    Thank you Shelley Paulson for such a wonderful workshop! You inspire us all! : )
    for more photos from this workshop check out my facebook album here!