I'm a caffeine-addicted, magazine hoarding mother of two who used to be in a rock band and studied film photography in college. I've lived all over the world including Iowa, Georgia, Los Angeles and Singapore - where I chewed gum with impunity. My life is madness, but I love it, and I've taken pictures all along the way. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my craft, but I embrace the kookiness in my subjects. So trust me when I say that a session with Lily Chan Photography will be unlike any other photography experience you've ever had.
There is something so special about photographing people, especially children. I think it has to do with the fact that children change so darned fast. Those chubby cheeks and gummy smiles are there so briefly, soon to be replaced by skinned knees and gangly limbs, which then metamorphose into broken curfews, cheap Wet 'n' Wild kohl eyeliner, and a bad attitude.
I am what you call a lifestyle photographer. I strive to take pictures that capture unscripted, honest moments. Though I may give you some direction during your session, you won’t catch me forcing you into stiffly posed shots that could have been taken of anyone. It is my goal to create portraits that will reflect your true personality. I consider each session to be an opportunity to capture what it is that makes you and your family so unique.
About Lily
I have always loved photography. It started with a cheap plastic camera my mother had purchased for me from K-Mart. I was 11 years old, and as soon as I felt the sensation of that first shutter click, I was hooked. Years later, I chose to focus in photography as an art student at UCLA. I won't tell you what decade it was that I was in college, but let's just say that it was long enough ago that digital cameras were barely on the scene, which meant that I shot film. Why is that so important? Shooting with film instead of with one of them hyper-automated, digital gizmos makes you think. It forces you to slow down and ponder every shot. There is no such thing as autofocus, auto-white balance, auto-anything. Though I have now slipped over to the Dark-- I mean, digital side, I carry wit me that same thought and prescence of mind from the earlier years of film shooting. When you work with a digital photographer with roots in film, you're working with a photographer whose mission it is to make every shot count.
When I'm not behind the camera, I'm busy picking up after my three kids Benjamin (7), Calliope (5), and Vince (44).
What's in Lily's Bag?
I like to travel light, so this the gear that goes into my bag for every shoot:
Canon 6D
Canon 5D Mark II (my backiup)
Canon 24-70mm f2.8L
Canon 70-200mm f2.8
Canon 100mm f1.4
I love natural light photography, but when the situation demands it, I will pack my Speedlites and softboxes.