“A photograph should not only capture the soul of the subject, but also the soul of the photographer.”

                                                      - the Storyteller

Two new and exciting events to announce:

Firstly, starting next week we’re going to add a new feature to theBlog, “Gallery”.  The Gallery will showcase photographs capture by the Storyteller that he wants to share with us and he hopes you’ll be as drawn to them as he is.  I’ve seen some of them and they do evoke emotions and memories.

I thought about introducing the photos Sister Wendy style, but decided to let the photos speak for themselves and let the reviewers leave their comments instead.

Second, we’re still working out the details, but next month we’re going to announce our first contest.  It’s definitely photography related, so get your cameras and photos ready.  As soon as we have the details all sorted out, we’re going to publicize it.

Stay tuned!

The final broadcast email announcing the new website was sent out yesterday. We have been overwhelmed by your email responses and praises.

We apologize if we are taking longer than usual to respond to your inquiries.

We know how some of you do not like to receive “spam” mail, therefore we’ll limit our mass emails and use theBlog to post our future announcements, therefore you should visit theBlog for news, updates and contests where you can win a free portrait session.

Thank you for all your feedback and continuing support.

Finally!  After almost six months of hard work Willi’s new and improved website is live today.

It’s BIGGER and BETTER.  You will no longer need a magnifying glass to see all the photographs.

There’s a juke box that you can turn on & off.  You can even adjust the volume and skip a song.   Instead of reading all about it from here, why don’t you just go there now and see for yourself.  http://www.williwongphotography.com/

We would like to thank our family and friends for all their support, suggestions and patience.  Hope it is up to your expectations.  And please don’t be shy to let us know how we can improve it further.

This is will be an ongoing project.  We will continue to improve the website, so be sure to visit frequently to catch all of our changes.

LivingAction [at] yahoo [dot] com - - - I would think Willi would’ve used WilliWongPhotography@yahoo.com or WilliWong@yahoo.com or something to that extent as his email address. Nowadays, emails are the preferred way of communication and the wrong email address can be costly.

I was surprised when his email address was made known to me. Before meeting Willi and before I knew about theknot.com; it was impossible to do any research on him. Who would’ve thought he would use the German spelling of Willi - - - without the “E” and an “I” instead of a “Y”.

Before becoming Willi’s assistant, I was an assistant to a videographers. When friends asked me about Willi Wong, I had to remain silent. Sure I had heard of him, but I have yet to meet him. I couldn’t even Google him. Was he even a photographer?

At first I was too embarrassed to ask Willi about his email address. How does it relate to WilliWongPhotography.com? Then one day during an engagement session it hit me. His pictures are not two dimensional or flat; with every picture he tries to capture not just the image, but also the action and emotions of his subjects. Thus, his pictures represent action on print and nothing like your ordinary still life. It was in that instant that it become clear to me why Willi uses LivingAction [at] yahoo [dot] com. How appropriate!

Since 1997 the sound of firecrackers is seldom heard during the Chinese New Year Parade, but that doesn’t mean the parade will not go on. This past Sunday was the 9th Annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival. Confetti was cleverly used to replace the firecrackers.

Everyone is trying their best to get the best view of the parade.

A Lunar New Year Parade will not be the same without the God of Fortune wishing everyone a prosperous new year.

The Chinese year 4706 begins on Thursday, February 7, 2008. This year children will not only get “lucky money” in red envelopes, they will also get a fresh new children’s animated program based on Chinese-American culture. “Ni hao, Kai-Lan” (”nihao” means hello in Mandarin) will premiere on Chinese New Year at 11 a.m. on Nick Jr.

Kai-Lan reminds me of another little girl…
“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. They left the house at half-past nine in two straight lines, in rain or shine. The smallest one was Madeline.”

Just as with Madeline; children will learn about a new culture, a second language, and valuable skills they can use in every day life.

Celebrate the Year of the Rat with friends, family and Kai-Lan tomorrow!

Zai jian, au revoir, goodbye for now!

Willi have received numerous emails and phone calls when WilliWongPortraits.com went live. Thank you for all of your support and feed-backs.

Some of you have asked if it is possible to turn the music off and enjoy the photographs in silence. Yes, it can be easily done. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

To turn off the music: Click on the “Record” (see picture below)

It has been almost 2 months since his last blog. What’s keeping Willi from blogging?

On the top of the list is his new Modern Lifestyle Weddings website. Willi has heard and will finally take action. Hopefully, by the end of this month the updated website will go live.

Willi is also busy with the launch of his new albums. He’s sure working hard to get the beautiful samples ready to show you.

And last but not least are the weddings and portrait sessions. All this happening over the holiday season may be a little overwhelming, especially with Chinese New Year just a few days away, but he has promised to do his best be on schedule.

The wisest thing he did was delegating theBlog duties to me. Let me now briefly introduce myself: My name is Yim and this is my third season as Willi’s assistant. I’m sure you’ll get to know me more with each new Blog post.

The content of theBlog is still to be determined, but it will be photography related and connected with WilliWongPortraits.com and WilliWongPhotography.com.  Since this is a pro bono service, I made sure that I have full editorial privileges and will do my best to keep theBlog updated on a regular basis. 

Please free feel to contribute to theBlog and help me expand the services and viewer ship of theBlog.

Regards,

Yim, the Assistant

Portraits are a lifetime investment, but a portrait session can be boring and tiresome for children. From my experience, parents who are good sports and understand the importance of having fun not only enjoy the portrait session, but are also rewarded with the best images.

Forcing children to pose is not something I recommend, but well meaning parents often try to help during a photo session by telling their children to sit or stand still and look at the camera. But that often leads to rebellious behavior or at best a cheesy smile. Children are at their best when they are deeply absorbed in doing something that interest them. Simple as it sounds, but it works.

The best way to capture children is to let them be. Let my camera document the many faces of your children as they reveal them freely without inhibition. Trust them and let them lead the way. You will not be disappointed by the outcome.

Parents wanting to get the best pictures tend to supervise their children during the photo session more often than not end up frustrated and unhappy; therefore, you should simply sit back, relax, enjoy, and play with them. When you look at the photos afterward you’ll recall a memorable experience which you want to relive over and over again; now that’s a lifetime investment!