Happy Holidays!

Hope y'all are enjoying the holidays.  This one is a longer blog, because I had a lot to reflect upon over Christmas.  Photos are at the bottom. :)

Christmas came and went really fast this year.  I kept telling myself that this year I'm not going to focus on all the wrong things like gift swapping, holiday parties, etc.  But I ended up being guilt tripped to do all this last minute shopping.  The shopping frenzy was a bit overwhelming for me.  I don't remember the traffic being so terrible until this year. 

Although, giving gifts is probably my biggest love language, I'm not much of a fan of it during holidays like Christmas and V-day.  I like giving gifts just because, not because I'm obligated to.  I think the perfect gift comes to fruition when a lot of thought is put into it.  You get really lucky when you come across something that reminds me of a certain person.  If the greatest gift of all is love, I guess gifts can also look very different for different people.

Maybe for next Christmas, I may have to make it a year long process if I'm going to do this right.  That way I'm not strapped for time and giving people stuff that they might or might not want and most definitely do not need.

At first, all I could talk about was how much I really wanted this ferragamo bag, which I knew I couldn't afford (WAY WAY out of my budget).  I'm not even much of a bag person, and it's pretty rare when I find something that I absolutely must have.  This one just happened to be that hot item!  I really had to remind myself that I really really really did not need it. 

I am more than blessed with what I already have, and it's quite probable that I'd find very little fulfillment in it after I actually own it.  I was reminded of this past year during dts, where we were living more simply and relied on God for everything.  He always did provide for what I needed, and sometimes surprised me with little things that He knew I wanted.  The real joy came from knowing that in Him we live and move and have our being.  Why's it so easy to forget all that He's done.

Also wanted to share some Christmas-related photos.  Thought it would be very fitting. :)  Meet Kira.  She was full of energy and spunk.







She wanted to give us some sass.  Just being her model self.





The outfit was too adorable!

Tara and Jamie Photobooth!

We are very happy to announce that we are officially offering some new services and products: photobooths, custom photobooks, and flip books. 

It seems like photobooths are getting more and more popular at weddings.  And for good reason.  They keep guests entertained.  They leave the couple with a little something extra to remember of their wedding day.  PLUS, they're a ton of fun to shoot!  If you have an upcoming wedding, I would consider having one.

I debated going to party city to buy a handful of props (i.e. crazy wigs, etc), but then I felt like I've seen the same types of props overused in a lot of the photobooths.  I talked it over with Jacob, knowing that I wanted them to be unique to each wedding, so we decided that we would bring only one prop and then get creative with what we could find on-site.  It's amazing what you can find to use as props.

The guests at Tara and Jamie's wedding were definitely not camera shy.  We told them to get wild and crazy for the photobooth, and that's what they gave us.  It was even our first time getting mooned!  I'm keeping the blog PG, but if you were a guest at the wedding and would like to view the rest or purchase any of the images from the photobooth, you can go to www.estherjulee.com and under the clients tab, type in the bride's maiden name as the password.  If you have any trouble with ordering, please email us at jacob@estherjulee.com





















Jacob did a fantastic job with all the photos and definitely knew how to work the crowd.  Hope everyone is having an amazing start to their week!  As for me, I had a pretty rough night of editing, so I'm gonna go catch some zzZz's.

Tara and Jamie Wedding (Teasers)

These were a few things I loved about Tara and Jamie's wedding.

1.  Catholic ceremonies are always beautiful to photograph.  Christ the King Cathedral.



And guess what I found there for some sweet ring shots!



2. Al of 2000 AD Inc. did a wonderful job putting together the details at the wedding, and I had a ton of fun shooting them.



3.  Photography was very important to Tara and Jamie, so they set plenty of time aside for photos in between the ceremony and reception.  They even had a trolley take the wedding party around for a few hours to different locations.  It made a world of a difference.





4.  I love fall and all the beautiful colors that come with the season.  These were taken at Piedmont Park.





5.  Never hurts having a good looking wedding party.  Loved this shot of them.



6.  All the photobooth fun!  They didn't even need to be liquored up to get crazy in front of the camera.  This photo is just a preview for the next post.

Back from Indonesia!

We're back from Indonesia!  Unfortunately, I didn't have much internet access during the trip, so I wasn't able to blog update along the way.  Now, it's time to play catch-up on here.

Yesterday was probably one of my most unpleasant ways to end an amazing trip with 22 hours of flight + 7 hours of layover + delays.  Being sick, I had to run to the bathroom on the plane every ten minutes.  Not fun.  It's good to be back though and to get back to the grind.  And at least I had wall-e to accompany me the entire time. ;)



Best seat on the plane.  The loudest one, and you can't see a thing.  haha



New updates coming in the next few weeks on the blog:

• Tara and Jamie's photobooth
• Tara and Jamie's wedding teasers
• Thanksgiving in Boston
• Places to eat around Boston
  
• Charlie and Jacqueline's wedding (Jakarta)
• Bali trip

Melissa and Paul Wedding Slideshow.

There is so much going on that I want to share, but I'll have to break it down into separate posts.  First of all, I'm blogging from Boston!  I flew into NYC yesterday morning and then took the boltbus straight up to Boston.  I'm really excited about the S.H.E reunion with Sophia and Hsiao, but before I can even think about exploring more of Boston with the girls, I need to finish a ton of work because this friday I am going to Indonesia!!

Finally, I finished editing and putting together the slideshow. :)  I'm very excited to present Melissa and Paul's wedding slideshow.  I am very glad to have been part of their wedding day.  Melissa and Paul, all their friends and family, and even the vendors were a lot of fun to work with.  I want to also thank Eugene for second shooting with me. :)



Here is the list of venues and vendors that contributed to the day:

Ceremony: Immaculate Heart of Mary Church
Reception venue: Villa Christina
Food & Bev: Villa Christina
Cake: Villa Christina
Videography: Wages Video
Florist: Anik Designs
DJ and Coordinator: Lethal Rhythms
Lighting: Party Over Here Productions
Vintage Car: Charisma Coach
Wedding Dress & Bridesmaids dresses: New Natalie's Bridals
Bridesmaids custom jewelry: Bosca Creative Jewelry
Custom handmade veil: Zoica Matei
Cake Topper: Ann Wood Handmade

Ignite 2009.

I guess all the while I've been itching to leave Atlanta, wishing that I'd be sent on a mission to some foreign country, God has been doing a lot here in Atlanta.  The truth is, I've been missing a lot of it because I've been so stubborn and giving myself every excuse not to get plugged in more to the community here.  I don't think I can blame the reverse culture shock anymore (Who knew that 6 months away can really mess a person up that much. :P).

I've been reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.  Such a great book.  I read half of it the first day I opened it.  And trust me it's good, because I am not a book person.  It's been reminding me that there are ordinary radicals everywhere, and they don't just belong in Calcutta.  Maybe one day I'll be sent off somewhere, but I can find my Calcutta right here in Atlanta.

Here are just a few photos from the Ignite Conference.  Check out the stairs at the Georgia Dome.  I've never been down to this part of town.  Not even the CNN center.



I snatched this from behind the screen.  I am always so fascinated with shadows and reflections.



Flare from the spotlights!



One of the speakers, Chris Kim from NPCC.



Rize Up band.



I love this photo.  There's something so calming about it.



Find more photos from the conference here.  And if you wanna check out photos from a previous Ignite, you can see them here.

My first youtube appearance!

I've been finally testing out my video functions on my Mark II, and you'll get to see some of it.  It's been a lot of fun - and adds a completely new dynamic to how I see the world.  I remember one of my best friends in high school writing on her (film major) college app essay, 'if a picture is worth 1000 words, imagine how many a motion picture is worth.'  Although, it's been fun exploring videography and it's something I will dabble in here and there, my passion will remain with photography.  Plus, I'm not ready to spend a thousand dollars on video editing software.

Jacob (my studio manager and good friend) and his brother Josh are in a band called The Fu.  I had the opportunity to be a guest in one their youtube videos... my debut on youtube!  Check out the video and don't be mean.  I'm used to being on the other side of the camera, so I was camera shy and felt super awkward and nervous.



Here are some other videos I took on their rooftop.  You can check them out as well.

• Use Somebody - Kings of Leon (cover)
• Lovesong - The Cure (cover)

Below are some photos of them playing live at different events/venues.  They play shows throughout the year (find their schedule at thefumusic.com), and I might even make a special guest appearance at some of the shows.  Come by and hang out... to see a wedding photographer turned youtube sensation!  haha jk

Tara and Jamie E-session Slideshow.

Tara and Jamie's engagement slideshow:

Playgrounds and Engagements.

I spent all morning trying to figure out what was wrong with the album software and photoshop.  What a way to start the morning getting zero progress.  After I hire another photographer and interns, I'm going to start working on my IT department.  lol :P

At least I found myself a photo I can smile about and the day has not gone to complete waste yet.  I don't know what it is about a playground that brings out the playfulness of people or just makes you want to be a kid again.  ;)

I haven't seen one of these before, but how can you not get on it!  I missed this photo while filtering through the session so I didn't get to post it earlier, but this definitely makes it as my favorite photo of the session.

Tara and Jamie E-session.

When I asked Tara and Jamie what they liked to do.  They told me they were homebodies.  They loved cooking and hanging out at home, which is what we did for part of the session.  I always love how people really become themselves in their most familiar settings.



After I took the photo above, I wanted to do some with feet and cute socks.  Immediately, they were just as excited telling me that's what they do!  (explained below)



Even their screensaver had a photo of their feet from their Cancun trip.  This was the trip that Tara planned out for Jamie where she even packed his bags for him so it'd be a surprise.  Jamie had other plans and managed to sneak THE ring into his bags so he could propose.  She was telling me how she thought she'd have it all together when he proposed, but when he got down on one knee, it was game over.  I wonder how I'd react.  hehe



We also went and took some photos at Christ the King, the church they attend.  Beautiful church. :)















Okay.  Now, that was an acceptable teaser post versus just that one photo.  I'm finishing up packing my bags for Charleston.  I'll be there for three days working from up there. :)  Hopefully, I'll be able to capture some beautiful photos.  I've never been there, but I hear it's nice!

<3 Esther