Shang Chen Photography, jetsetting wedding photographer of dynamic couples » Harvard

Lisa and Dan, Engaged! | A Harvard Love Story

Shang — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:36:36 +0000

It began with a letter. He was the outgoing president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association, and she was his successor. She was not to open it until she was on the plane for winter break. “All I really want for Christmas is you,” he wrote, and thus begins their love story. Lisa and Dan, one of my youngest clients for 2012, are full of energy, laughter, and natural love for each other. Sure, it doesn’t hurt that I know Lisa through a sisterhood we both belonged to in college, or that Dan actually had attended my high school as well (but we just missed each other). We all met up in Boston – they came up from New York, and I was in town for a wedding. We explored Harvard, where it all began.

These two seemed a little sleepy at first (it was an early morning shoot)

But they got cute. Very cute

Man, I love the trees at Harvard

Just outside of Winthrop House – where Dan lived his upperclass years

Red door + ivy = perfect

Paying homage to the organization that brought them together

This is a new spot I discovered (I know, you’d think after so many years I’d know my college campus inside out)… love the lighting, the background, everything

I can’t wait for their wedding next summer! Gracie Lou Events has been super awesome in making sure the planning of it has been stress-free so far for this busy New York power couple. I can’t recommend them enough

Oct 22 – 28 – Barcelona, Spain
November 4 – 6 – Boston
Winter holidays – Indiana
January 12 – 15 – Boston

Shang is a wedding photographer known for imagery that pops with color, personality, and energy. Shang’s guilty late-night snack binge during her undergrad years was an order of crab rangoon and scallion pancakes from The Kong
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Lisa and Seth, engaged! | Harvard Engagement Photography

Shang — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:00:37 +0000

Lisa and Seth took a vacation for themselves and came up to Boston to continue wedding planning, and we were able to fit in their engagement session as well! I’ve known Lisa since we were undergrads at Harvard. I’d never met Seth until this session – Lisa started dating him after I graduated. After years of long distance, they finally were together in New York City. Lisa and Seth are huge foodies – and you’ll see that influence in their shoot. On the night of their engagement, they were lucky enough to get a dinner spot at Per Se, arguably one of the best restaurants in the city, if not the country.

We took a trip down memory lane and began photographs in Harvard Yard. Lisa’s hair and makeup were beautifully done by Carolina of From Hair to Eternity

We originally wanted to go to a farmer’s market as well, but the forecast said possible chance of thunderstorms

Literally seconds after the above photo was taken, I heard a rumble. It was so overcast and humid, I shouted, “open those umbrellas!” The sky opened up right afterwards, so we ran inside to hide from the rain

Looks like we got some lipstick on Seth =)

As the rain was slowing down, we thought it’d be fun to do some photos in the rain while the sun shone behind it

Trying out some reflection shots in puddles!

For some other props, Lisa and Seth brought cooking magazines. I also am head-over-heels in love with Lisa’s sparkly Badgley Mischka pumps

My favorite! It’s no secret I’m a big fan of colored doors. These photographs are taken in the yard of Lisa’s undergrad dorm

We aimlessly walked a little bit. I really like this hug

To think that only an hour before this photo it was pouring buckets. New England weather – super strange =)

I feel so calm looking at this photograph

One… more… reflection! Than you Amy Bao for being on the lookout for these awesome shots

Afterwards, Lisa and Seth treated us to a delicious dinner at Henrietta’s Table, one of my favorite restaurants in Cambridge for locally sourced, wholesome and hearty American meals. Thank you two so much! I really look forward to capturing all the wonderful memories and food you have planned for your Boston Public Library wedding next year!

August 19 – 22 – Jamaica
August 23 – 24 – NYC
August 31 – Return to Chicago
Sept 8 – 12 – Boston
Sept 23 – 25 – Boston
Oct 8 – 10 – San Francisco / Bay Area
Oct 22 – 28 – Barcelona, Spain

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Britt and Aaron, Married at Harvard! | Boston wedding photography

Shang — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:05:19 +0000

The chilly air nipped at my fingers as I flew back to my alma mater for Britt and Aaron’s whimsical, handcrafted, DIY, fall-inspired wedding at the Harvard Faculty Club. They were the last of my 2010 weddings, and I’d mentioned before, I could not imagine closing out this year with a better couple than them. I know that many of their family and friends have been super-excited to see them come together, and through the laughter, the smiles, the moments large and intimate, I’ve been very blessed to capture it all. Thank you two and your families for making me feel so incredibly welcome as part of your special day and to be the one to shoot your wedding photos! There were so many favorites I wanted to share… so, this is one giant blog post!

I’ll start out with my favorite photo of the day – it was 40 degrees but Britt and Aaron toughed it out!

I arrived during getting ready. Britt already had all her details laid out for me to photograph – thank you! My favorite part about her gorgeous Melissa Sweet dress from Priscilla of Boston are the ruffles. When Britt wore the dress it floated around her as if she was an angel

There were so many gorgeous DIY details in this wedding! Aaron is a designer and designed all the paper goodies that went into this wedding, including their letterpressed invitation suite – they were printed at Albertine Press. *swoon* I loove letterpress

In reviewing this photo I realized that the rings and the initials spell out Obama. Haha!

Britt and Aaron had their first look (excellent choice) and all their photos mostly done prior to the ceremony to take advantage of the existing late fall sunlight. I just LOVED this moment of when Britt kissed Aaron

And we went out in the cold! I cracked as many jokes as I could to keep people’s minds off the cold

Having pashminas helped

BAM!

I can’t get over the gorgeous leaves that still stuck around. So of course we’re going to have fun with them

I love all the bright colors in the flowers! Compliments of Nellie’s Wildflowers

One of my favorite things about photographing this couple is the way Britt and Aaron interact with and smile at one another. Did I mention that they are smartypants? yep yep they are!

We got back to the church for some rest and conversation with grandma prior to the ceremony

Aaron and one of his brothers waiting

The leaf designs from the invitations carried into the ceremony programs

This is one of my favorite moments from the ceremony – Aaron’s mother was very emotional walking down the aisle and gave him this most touching hug

Britt’s smile as she walked down the aisle seeing all her family and friends: priceless

Britt’s uncle was the minister for the ceremony and shared about the day she was born. I think I see a tear…

Oh, SUPER surprise, when we exited the church for the group photos, what did we find but the Harvard University Band practicing on the church steps?? Of course we asked them to stay behind and play a tune or two for the lucky couple!

This is the second wedding I’ve shot at the Harvard Faculty Club. I love the staff here – they are extremely professional, detail oriented, and provide top notch service

I think many guests will agree with me that one of the highlights of Britt and Aaron’s wedding was this AMAZING dessert spread… all lovingly baked by Britt’s mom!

Some more of the fall inspired details:

Row 1: Pumpkin centerpiece, escort cards, Britt’s bouquet
Row 2: Pies, centerpiece, a bunch of wheat – LOVE it!
Row 3: More pie. mmm

Britt’s mom’s friend Sue made all the pumpkin centerpieces – they make me so happy!

One of the funniest moments during the speeches – Aaron’s brother showed them his “to-do list” during the wedding

These are some of my favorite dancing photos because it features 3 generations of the family: Britt and Aaron, Britt with her grandfather, Aaron’s parents, and Britt’s mother with her father (Britt’s grandfather)

Can you guess which song was playing that caused everyone to raise their hands? Two hints: Bostonians love it, and often play it in conjunction with the Red Sox

Love you two! Thank you thank you thank you, look at my goofy smile, I’m so happy just to be here!

Shang Chen’s assistant: Karman Lee Photography
Ceremony: Harvard Memorial Church, Cambridge, MA
Reception and catering: Harvard Faculty Club, Cambridge, MA
Dress: Melissa Sweet, Priscilla of Boston
Rings: Anderson’s Jewelers, Wellesley, MA
On Aaron: Tie from Pink, Cufflinks from Anderson’s, Vest and shirt are custom-made by 9Tailors. Jacket and pants from Men’s Wearhouse
Flowers: Bouquets and bouts – Nellie’s Wildflowers, Centerpieces – DIY
Make-up: Melt Spa, Boston, MA
Hair: The Hairdressers, Needham, MA
DJ: Scott Benowicz
Paper: Design is DIY / CUBE Design Research, printed by Albertine Press in Somerville, MA

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2010 weddings: it’s a wrap

Shang — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 05:18:29 +0000

One wedding photo from my last 2010 wedding – Britt and Aaron got married at Harvard, my alma mater! I wrote on my personal Facebook profile: “Britt and Aaron. Harvard. Autumn. Love. Closing out 2010 Shang Chen Photography weddings. You have rocked my world in infinite ways”.

More sneak peeks on my Facebook fan page

It’s really interesting how many more people I meet these days who tell me they knew about me prior to meeting me…. it’s a little creepy, and of course, flattering. Say hello sometime here or communicate on my Facebook fan page! I don’t bite, and I like making new friends! =)

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Yaya and Ben, Engaged! | Boston engagement photographer

Shang — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:17:56 +0000

I’ve been holding… and holding back on posting this session. I know I’m not supposed to play favorites, but I can’t help it, I LOVE this session and I know a lot of you guys have been waiting, WAITING to see it, so I wanna hear it… do you love it as much as I do??? Show your love for this freaking amazing couple! Summer 2010 was about the beaches for me, I’d never really been on beaches much before but I now love them. I don’t think I could ever live in a city that is not on the water.

Yaya and I met first week of school at Harvard freshman year, and somewhere down the line I saw her starting to hang out with this super-cute junior year boy… it wasn’t long before they started dating. So of course we had to start the session on Harvard grounds

This couple is so gorgeous it should be a crime. They’re both currently in law school in Philly and traveled all the way up here to do this session and also came to my birthday! They are so dependable and loyal friends and truly follow their hearts’ callings. If I ever get in trouble one of these days I know who to call!

When we were first planning the session I think somewhere in there we decided that we just wanted something really, really different. Eveleen, our dear sister and friend, let us in on one of her favorite beaches up on the north shore and off we went! We fought a little bit of traffic to get there, but it was SOOOOO worth it. This one just POPS! I think even I want to make a canvas out of this one

Or maybe this one… my faaaav!!!!

Gosh those blue skies…

I also like making people run

This was such a fun idea and perfect for the beach – a kite!

Some individual shots. By the way, Ben got his hair cut at Hair Adventure – the same place where I have my current modern short bob. I highly recommend that place!

Of course, nothing quite like ending a beach session with a jumping shot!

Our awesome friend Eveleen was our location scout, driver, and overall awesome assistant. She took these behind the scenes photos. Sorry for the bad quality, I swiped them off of Facebook

Sigh, I miss my awesome friends so much. Hope to see you guys at some point in the next year!

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Bena and Ruoshi, Engaged! | Harvard Engagement Photos

Shang — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:00:54 +0000

This engagement session is going up early/out of order because Bena and Ruoshi are getting married this weekend! I really look forward to shooting their wedding at the MIT Chapel – one gorgeous piece of architecture (and also where a September client of mine will be married as well – you know who you are!) Though Bena and Ruoshi both hail from Hong Kong, I wanted to make sure that they understood that I did not have the style of typical wedding photography studios based in Asia – which mainly do these elaborate, styled, day-long pre-wedding bridal shoots where the couple are very much posed and photoshopped, and do not actually take photos during the real wedding day. I’m totally not bashing that style at all, I think it’s something that’s really fun and glamorous, but isn’t me =) Bena and Ruoshi were all for what I had in mind, so we opted for the beautiful sun-drenched yards of Harvard University, the Charles River, and Harvard Square for some natural portraits that really captured who they were as a couple!

This one is probably my favorite!

Bena and Ruoshi have this respect for each other that I think runs deep. They are young, but they are very wise!

And they’re also playful at the same time!

When asked what made them work well as a couple, they emphasized simplicity, compatibility, and similar faiths and cultural backgrounds

We also had some portraits by the Charles river, which was where Ruoshi proposed

You guys are just so wonderful and laid-back, I’ll see you very soon!

Thank you Kendra for helping out!

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Karina and Bryan, Engaged! | Boston engagement photographer

Shang — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:00:17 +0000

On the same beautiful day as Maiko and Dan’s photoshoot, Karina and Bryan traveled up all the way from New Jersey / New York for their engagement session! Karina and Bryan actually were on hand to help me out a couple years ago when I did an engagement session for our friends, Becca and Dean, which I consider one of the first sessions where I seriously thought that maybe I could make something out of this photography passion. (By the way, I know someone out there has been googling for their wedding photos, they’re not on my website, you need to ask them!). I’ve known both Karina and Bryan since college as well and I was so excited to find out they got engaged – the engagement story itself is also really sweet! Bryan proposed using a table scape laid out by the beach – it was a complicated big surprise in making that had twists and turns. It’s so great to see things come full circle!

We began the session at Kirkland / Eliot houses in Harvard – Karina and Bryan lived there in their undergrad years

Since when did hammocks get set up in the courtyard? so cool!

Bryan gives some of the best hugs in the world, and I really like how he’s able to bring about the sweetest smile from Karina

Did I mention these two have really beautiful hearts? I’ve seen them volunteer and help out at many events in my college years with them

Love playing with the sun in this one!

We made our way to the Boston Public Garden for some golden pictures towards the end of the day

Spring is in the air!

Thank you Nithya for helping out!

I can’t wait to photograph their wedding down in New Jersey! Not only do they have one of the most popular wedding dates of 2010, I’m also excited to be seeing many of my college friends again!

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Lena Fashion Shoot | Boston Lifestyle Photographer

Shang — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:44:14 +0000

Lena and I first got to know each other through Harvard’s Identities fashion show. Anytime I get to do photos with Lena, I’m super-excited. She is a beautiful, intelligent, and talented model, and extremely funny to boot. We did some outdoor shots at Harvard to update her portfolio. Extra thanks to my friend Viv for helping out with makeup, and to my assistants Emily and Alex for tagging along!

In reviewing this image I believe I was inspired by a recent shoot by my friend, Anna Wu, check her out for Bay Area photography =)

The first thing that struck me about Lena was her walk. LOVE IT!

Did you know about half of us were pretty much afraid of the height of the bleachers at this point? One of them would be me

We headed across the road to the HBS campus to wrap up the shoot

A great smile!

Hot!

And for your amusement, Emily shot this photo of me in action on the Harvard girls’ photoshoot. As you can see, I have to deal with lots of tourists!

Vicky | Harvard Senior Photography

Shang — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:06:02 +0000

I have to admit, I’ve been Vicky’s s secret admirer for a while… on top of being a full-time Harvard student, she’s a part-time model with Boston’s Tonn Model Management and I’ve always wanted to have a session with her just because she’s too cool for school. Vicky was pivotal in the 2008 production of Harvard’s Identities, an Asian fashion show that I’ve covered. Imagine my glee when she approached me with a senior session request!

Vicky also brought her graduation robe, or rather, just the mortar board. To be honest, Harvard robes (at least for undergrads) are pretty boring – just black. We don’t even get a colored tassle. You figure for a gouging price of $45 (or whatever it is now) you’d get something better than a polyester potato sack! But this photo is really fun. This was right before commencement so they hung all the banners at Widener Library

Deep down inside, we’re all big nerds.

A Harvard Square look

We crossed the busy crosswalk a couple times to get these action shots. Probably got a couple of stares from others. I LOVE them!

Candid. I’ve walked past that green door probably hundreds of times but it finally spoke to me. Okay I sound crazy

This is near Kirkland

It started raining so we went inside for some laundry room fun!

Vicky, good luck in Hong Kong, please come back and visit sometime!

Emma and Chi Li | Boston Wedding Photography

Shang — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:38:58 +0000

I’m excited to present you select photos from Emma and Chi Li’s wedding! The couple held an intimate affair at the First Church of Cambridge, which has a gorgeous tall ceiling.

Images while prepping

The ceremony..

This was when Chi Li said â€œI doâ€ a little early =)

We had about 10 minutes to get some photos outside. It was a GORGEOUS day with temps in the 50s

Gorgeous women!

Champagne at the reception

Thank you Emma and Chi Li for letting me capture such a beautiful day!