First of all, both my fiance and I are awkward people. This meant finding a wedding photographer who could work with a socially awkward couple would be...difficult. Of course, we wanted perfect pictures...but we also wanted to feel comfortable with our photographer on our big day. After viewing many websites and contacting many photographers, we chose Siang and Lightphoria because of Siang's personality and his love for photography. Siang is easy to work with and listens to all your concerns and needs. We started off with a couple's session (aka engagement session) where we went around Seattle, taking pictures and breaking the ice. We turned these pictures into a guestbook, which ALL our guests adored and could not stop talking about!! Siang not only made sure he had good shots, but he took the time to develop a photographer/client connection (being socially awkward and all, boy did we take up a lot of his time). Seriously though, many photographers can take perfect pictures by working with lighting and the basic rules of photography 101. But only great photographers can capture those indescribable moments where one glance from the bride or that look in the groom's eyes captures feelings from that day. Siang has captured some of these "moments." When I look at my photos, I don't see just family and friends - instead, I see love, happiness, nervousness and joy. It is these intangible moments that Siang captures so beautifully. You won't be disappointed with Lightphoria or Siang if you ask him to freeze frame important moments in your life. We love him so much that we plan to have him at other special occasions in our life such as anniversaries, the start of our family and our children's birthday. Hopefully, our children won't be as socially awkward around cameras as Mommy and Daddy. P.S. Tell Siang that "DOMO" says hi! read more

Siang is amazing. On behalf of one of my best friends, whose wedding I was in as a bridesmaid, I cannot begin to thank him for the moments he captured on her special day. Both the bride and groom love photographs, but were apprehensive of double chins, awkward faces and poses, as well as their first glance being captured on film. Siang knew just what to say, when to say it, and how to make everyone involved feel special and at ease. Siang was probably the only one who knew how to handle the devious flower girls and apprehensive ring bearers in the hot August sun. No double chins any where either! I've also had the pleasure of attending another wedding that Siang photographed. In both weddings the bride and groom felt like the photographs made their weddings seem that much more beautiful and fun! Nothing but rave reviews on his genuine, comfortable approach to wedding photography, not to mention the gorgeous shots. He also put together (possibly as part of the package, I'm not sure), slideshows and picked music for each one. This was truly a blessing as the wedding that I was in, the pictures came after the new groom was already deployed in Afghanistan. The pictures are beautiful reminder of their wedding and lifetime to come. read more

All I can say is Siang is an absolutely amazing and talented photographer!!!! We used him for both our engagement and wedding photos and I couldn't be happier, I only have positive things to say. Engagement pics: My husband and I were nervous as first because we don't like the typical gaze into each other's eyes pictures, we wanted something more real that caught our personalities. Siang did all that and more. He made us feel really comfortable infront of the camera and we had so much fun during the shoot. He picked the most gorgeous locations in Seattle and caught the perfect lighting in each place. We had friends say that our pictures made them want to move to Seattle :) Wedding pics: Stunning!! I didn't even noticed Siang was there, following us around, catching all the sweetest moments of the day. All our friends, family, and wedding party already told us they wanted to use Siang as their photographer. We had the wedding in San Francisco and Siang and his team scouted locations ahead of time to ensure the perfect lighting and scenery. At the Ferry Building, we even had pictures with the famous Trumpet Boy, truly magical! The wedding day goes by so quickly that I can't thank Siang enough for photographing every moment for us to look back on and remember forever. In summary, we picked Siang because of his creativity and precision with his shoots, catching the best emotions, lighting, and style. He can make everything look gorgeous, from the smallest wedding detail to the biggest city skyline photo. He was extremely organized, on time, and prepared, scouting locations and lighting ahead of the shoot so make sure its perfect. I could go on about how wonderful he is but his work speaks for itself. You will not be disappointed!! read more

We originally saw photos from a friend's wedding and they were so beautiful, they made me want to cry. I asked her who the photographer was and she referred me to Lightphoria. We interviewed others, but Siang's work is incomparable to anyone else. Our wedding day would not have been the same without Siang. He knew what to say to evoke the emotions so we didn't have purely posed images. He learned our wedding party's names and was able to make everyone relaxed. Siang has an incredible gift with his visions, making us look great with different angles and using light and emotions to create great photos. Siang spent all day long with us, with no cap on hours and was there with his assistants, capturing all sorts of moments when we least expected it. We can't say enough great things about him and his work. We are so lucky and grateful to have met Siang and cannot wait to see our photos! read more

Many people have said that I am callus when it comes to emotions, but when I previewed some of Siang's work - I cried. It was the first time a photo had ever made me cry. Siang had photographed my brother's wedding in 2011. I cried at their ceremony and when I saw their photos a few weeks later, I cried just as hard. Siang captures raw emotions and feelings so beautifully. His eye for detail, composition, and lighting is reflected in every single photo. We spent over a year preparing for our wedding. When the big day came and went, the experience was surreal. When we received our slideshow and pictures from Siang, it really helped solidify the memories for us. Although, I did not cry on our wedding day, I did cry when I watched our slideshow. Siang's ability to orchestrate emotional photos with instrumental notes is astounding. It really really is. Siang is extremely professional and a very hard worker. He photographed our welcome party, sunset cruise, wedding, and after party. He and his assistant took more photos then we expected, but in the end, we love each and every photo that we received. He exceeded all of our expectations and is truly passionate about his art. We were honored to have Siang be our wedding photographer, and now friend and family member. Thank you Siang. We can't wait to see more of your amazing talent. read more

I'm only writing this review because I wanted to put Lightphoria on my nuptial list review and you obviously have to have a review before you can make a list... I feel like I can't really be objective about this because Siang is our personal friend and I really can't say anything nasty because he would give me heck. But thankfully, there are enough reviews already giving him 5 stars that mine won't look fictionalized or out of place. In short, Siang took pictures often whenever we went out. That's how I know how good he is. The pictures we would see of the flowers, dewdrops caught in the morning light or snow glistening from mountain tops from our camping trips or just of us goofing around were so, what would you call it? so creatively framed and photogenic, even when the objects actually were not, (by that I mean us, not the flowers or dewdrops!) is what puts him a cut above the rest. The guy's got an eye. He offered to do an engagement shoot for us (I didn't even think to ask) and they turned out stunningly. The guy's got skill. We hired a photographer for our wedding instead of asking Siang because we didn't want him to have double duty of best man and official photographer. We wished we did after. Enough said. read more

Siang is an amazing photographer and one of the best choices we made for our wedding. There are tons of small details that Siang thought about to not just make our photographs better, but to make our wedding day more special. It's that attention to detail and thoughtfulness that makes Siang the best photographer. In addition, he just worked his butt off to capture the best photographs. For my wife and I when we were picking a photographer, the biggest concern we had was that our pictures wouldn't look as great as the sample portfolio's we saw. That should have been the least of our concerns. Siang created a set of photographs that was unique to us and captured our wedding perfectly. I would have no hesitation recommending Siang to anyone. read more

Siang is amazing. We had our engagement session a few weeks ago and I was nervous that we would come across as fake or staged. That was my biggest concern. I love the camera, we are both very comfortable taking photos, it's just that I wanted the expressions and love to shine through and not look staged. Siang took care of that immediately! He asked us tons of questions about ourselves, some sweet, some funny. He made us laugh, he made us relaxed and I can't wait to see how they turn out. read more

Siang flew out to our wedding, and did a simply amazing job recording that special day for us. He is not cheap, but worth every penny. His work combines perspiration---he was hard at work every minute---snapping pictures, looking for angles, capturing poignant moments--- with inspiration---he found beautiful shots, saw things that the untrained eye would miss. He is uniquely creative and incredibly talented. The final pictures and album are a priceless memento of a once-in-a-life-time event. read more

Lightphoria went beyond our expectations! Siang and his team are amazing. They not only were the photogrpahers for our wedding this past September but they also did an amazing job for two of our other friend's weddings. We have recommended them to many other newly engaged couples. Siang is not only creatively brilliant but he also is great with capturing the moments with children. We love our engagement and wedding photos and appreciate the time he spent with us and also the amazing wedding album he made. We love Lightphoria's work and recommend it to everyone! read more

Siang is incredible. There is a reason all his reviews (on yelp and elsewhere) are unanimously and overwhelmingly positive.After comparing dozens of portfolios of the best photographers throughout the country, we ultimately decided on Siang because of his creativity and style. Us being in NY and he being in Seattle, it was a risk that we were so happy we took. He is a talented artist, a genuinely good person and now a good friend. The best characteristic of Siang that we noticed right away, was his willingness to go above and beyond. On our big day, he was fast, alert, and helpful. Not only did he and his assistant do an INCREDIBLE job of being prepared early in the morning until the very end and being 100% dedicated to their job as photographers but they were so dedicated in helping us keep our heads on straight, organized, and level headed throughout the chaos. I kept asking them if they were hungry or tired, they always replied, 'its your day, you guys come first - don't worry about us'. It's one thing for people to say that, but to really show it is what set them apart from all the other vendors we hired. and we are so thankful to them (and my wife for picking them). We were so in love with the results of the engagement shots that we hired him for our post-wedding shots the next day and honeymoon in Hawaii. I can't say enough good things about Siang, but if I had to sum it up in once sentence it would be "He is must-have for your wedding and you won't be disappointed" read more

Siang was the only photographer we contacted for our wedding, though we researched many. My husband is picky about wedding photographers (he's been in a number of weddings) and was referred by a friend. We were both impressed by his online work. After meeting him, we felt confident that he had just the right energy, philosophy, and style to make things go smoothly on the day of. He went above and beyond for our engagement shoot, traveling to Spokane and back with us in a single day. It was a long day, but Siang was unflappable and good humored the whole time. Frankly, he's just fun to hang out with! The photos from our engagement shoot became a beautiful guest book for our wedding--and is such a meaningful keepsake for us now. On the day of our wedding, Siang was totally focused on the work, but was unobtrusive. We had a morning wedding, so there wasn't a lot of time to get extra shots. Still, the results were beautiful and we are totally happy with them. We are amazed at how little of Siang we saw during the reception--but the photos that came out of it were numerous and fantastic. Our reception featured a photo booth with props--which was great fun for our guests and which made for some memorable shorts. Siang again went above and beyond, making the photo booth happen for us. We are grateful to have had his eye and talent on our day. I've had friends comment that they are the best wedding photos they've ever seen. I can't recommend Siang highly enough. He is easy to be around, and his authentic approach to capturing emotions and special moments is unequaled. Of course, the end result is of exceptional quality. Now that my husband and I are expecting our first baby, we are already anticipating asking Siang to capture our first family photos. read more

Selecting Lightphoria to photograph our August (2012) destination wedding in Lanai, Hawaii, was the best and easiest decision of our wedding planning process. If you're reading this, you likely already have an idea of Siang's photography style and know that it suits the type of wedding you have in mind. We were fortunate to have stumbled upon Lightphoria's website early on and were instantly mesmerized by the amazing backdrops in some photos, but more importantly, Siang's ability to capture moments of love, happiness, and laughter. This is exactly how we wanted to remember our wedding day for years to come. During our first Skype conference with Siang, he took the time to get to know us and hear our story, and that left a lasting impression. He understood why we felt Lightphoria was a good fit and his excitement to photograph our wedding made it apparent that he is passionate about his work. It felt like a good conversation amongst friends. In the months leading up to the big day, Siang always provided timely responses, gave us great advice along the way, and instilled comfort in us to quell our wedding jitters. Siang and his assistant, Susan, arrived to the island a day prior to our wedding events in order to prepare and scout the island for photograph opportunities. They hiked to areas of the island that we didn't have the chance to see, and captured beautiful shots of the island's landscape for us. When it comes to work ethic, Siang sets the bar at the top. On our big day, his preparation and guidance gave us comfort amidst the distractions of worrying about everything going according to plan and looking our best. We consider ourselves to be somewhat camera shy, but Siang provided lots of direction and was super patient with us. As an added plus, Siang speaks Mandarin which was extremely helpful for communicating with our elderly guests that did not speak English well. Siang manages to meet the physical demands and sharp focus that his work requires, all the while doing it with finesse. The end result was an amazing and unique collection of photographs that brings back the memories and emotions from an unforgettable milestone in our lives. Our first viewing of the slideshow that Siang put together filled our hearts with happiness and gratitude. It was so exciting to finally see our wedding day as Siang had captured it. A thoughtfully selected set of pictures with a tasteful soundtrack that included "Rainbow Connection", our wedding song, couldn't have been more perfect! Our one regret is not remembering to take a picture with Siang. With Lightphoria, you will not just be getting one of the best in the industry, but someone that wants your wedding day to be as special and memorable as you do. He is truly an artist, a master of his craft, and all around a great guy. We trust him completely and look forward to working with him again for future special occasions. read more

Siang was absolutely one of the 2 most critical decisions we made regarding our wedding (the other being the venue.) After all, it'd have been such a shame to fly friends and family from all over the world to a clifftop in Bali if the right photographer wasn't there to do the whole adventure justice. My wife and I were looking for a specific type of photographer. Beyond one who could make things pretty. We needed one who could tell a story. Perhaps one who'd be just as comfortable in a director's chair on a film production. More Time magazine, a little less Martha Stewart Living (with no offense to the latter!). What I mean is, with the proper lighting and the proper equipment, it's not difficult to take photos of the wedding party standing all in a row, or the wedding cake, or the catered food. But it does take a fair amount of hustle, and the keen eye of an artist/poet to know how to convey stories through imagery, to capture not just moments...but the right moment. Those that disappear in a blink, but when deftly captured, hold the key to the story. Siang's that guy, in spades. He will tenaciously, tirelessly shadow all your precious moments, and tell your story, via sweeping, epic, intimate imagery. Just as important, Siang always made us feel as if we were his only client. As if we were good friends...From the first conference call, he asked us about the things we liked to do on the weekends, about our plans for the wedding. But not in the manner of a professional or consultant, but as if he were a friend or a brother. Siang is just genuinely one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of meeting, let alone working with. Siang loves his work, and he works HARD. By the end of the night, Siang's shirt was soaked through (albeit the Balinese humidity did contribute some). And friends and family commented on how Siang was EVERYWHERE. Even now, as my wife and I look through our album, we marvel "Where was he when he took that shot? In a tree? Under my foot??" And yet, he seemed invisible the entire time....I'd just notice him, from time to time, scaling a low wall or crouching on the ground, peeking from around the corner. He was able to penetrate the moment, without intruding, and that takes a lot of finesse. Moreover, Siang's eye brings elements and angles into an image that create meaning and beauty where, otherwise, we might see something pedestrian. Siang's photos of our wedding are literally more beautiful than how I remember the actual wedding! He did more than just capture moments...he enhanced them. That's art. So thanks, Siang. For your passion, your hustle, and your poetry. You are a rare talent. read more

I knew who I wanted to photograph my wedding before I knew who the groom would be. Not that I was one of those people who sat around folding down corners in wedding magazines and fantasizing through Pinterest boards...I wasn't. Siang and his team had photographed my best friend's wedding years before my own love came along, and from the moment I saw their pictures, I found myself instantly transported back to their wedding day reliving every moment of the day. Every laugh, every tear, every whisper of emotion that flutters in and out on such a day. Moving beyond the level of beautiful images, Siang's talent and artistry had managed to capture the story behind the images with a richness of detail and emotion that I had never before encountered. When my turn finally came around, I immediately called Siang. Throughout the whole process, he made us feel as though we were the only clients he had (not true), and he took the time to get to know our story, who we are as a couple, and what we value. He was genuinely present in all of our interactions, focused, caring, helpful, and accommodating. From our engagement photoshoot to the day of the wedding, he and his team of magical assistants somehow managed to be everywhere all at once capturing precious, fleeting moments without being intrusive. My goodness, the man was by far the hardest working person at the whole wedding! His painstaking attention to detail in carefully editing our images and handcrafting our album with longevity in mind resulted in a collection that still makes me tear up and fall in love with my husband all over again. I can relive each facet of the days' story with the same force of emotion as the first time. We consider it our best decision and greatest privilege to have been able to work with such a master craftsman as Siang throughout our wedding. He is an incredible talent, a gifted artist, a pure soul, and a dear friend. read more

My fiance and I are very grateful to Siang! After a lot of research (3 months) and comparisons and photographer interviews, we felt that Siang was the most personable, genuine and attentive. He was also very reasonable with his prices and what he offers for the price! As neither of us have done any photoshoots before, we were definitely shy and awkward! However, our instincts about Siang were proven right! He was very personable, very sincere and really listens to what you want and what you like. We felt very comfortable and was at ease the entire time and had fun! He really cares about doing a good job for you in the end, no matter what it took! He definitely has a good eye for "moments" and what's better is he captures those moments perfectly! The pictures told the story we wanted to tell... how happy we were :) We were blown away by the results! We've had many many compliments and praises on our engagement photos - we are absolutely thrilled. Example comments we received... "Gosh, you two look so happy! This picture is awesome!", "Amazing! Who's the photographer?", "you guys should model for a living!", "luv luv luv luv this pic" etc... You get the idea. Siang, you've been amazing and we're so happy we found you :) Thank you! We highly recommend Siang! read more

Siang is not only an incredible artist, he is also kind, professional, humorous, and above all concerned with making sure his clients feel taken care of and listened to. Planning a wedding is a stressful and intimidating process, but working with Siang made me feel relaxed and supported. His communications were always prompt and timely, and he made great effort to understand what mood and story we wanted to create. His pictures far exceeded our expectations, and when we sent the slideshow to friends who couldn't make the wedding, they said the photos made them feel that they were there. You can't put a price on Siang's work -- indeed, because of him, we will be able to relive our wedding for years to come. read more

Siang is one of the best decision my husband and I made for our wedding. Its been almost 6 months since my wedding day and we still look back on those pictures with such fondness & joy. They are so timeless, so thoughtful/attentive, and express all the key moments perfectly. His professionalism is unmatched and his work beautiful. Siang worked tirelessly from early morning to night - one of the first and last person we saw on our wedding day. We can not say enough good things about him-- he was like part of our wedding party -- such a joy to be around, very personable, and helpful. He knew when to say 'stop, time for the bride to hide away from all of the group photos', which was just what I needed. Also, we loved how he helped set up time a very intimate first look & the precious time after the ceremony for just us. He captured all the right moments and we're so thankful for that. Thank you Siang, you are always one of the first recommendation I make for any bride. read more

We love Siang! He is so talented, and we simply love his work! We are saying this not because he is our friend. When we checked out his website for the first time, we instantly fell in love with his style and his pictures. We are not professionals, so we had no idea how or why they were so good. It could be because of the lighting, the exposure time, blah blah blah. It doesn't matter. We love his work because we could totally feel the love and joy in his pictures. His pictures were so stunning and touching! We enjoyed browsing through the albums he posted on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=40637428889), even though we didn't know any of the brides and grooms. Browsing through his pictures made me feel like I just attended their weddings and shared their joy! So we had no doubt that we wanted Siang to be OUR photographer on our special day. Siang is a wonderful, nice and friendly guy (we could be biased because he is our friend, haha). Before our engagement session, we were a little worried, cos both of us are not the most photogenic people and do not feel natural in front of the camera, let alone doing all those poses, etc. But Siang made it very easy for us. We just followed his simple instructions, and voila, done! We were very happy with how the pictures turned out!! With his skills, talent, patience and professionalism, even we could be models! Also, he improvises based on the surroundings, and he sees the world with "artistic eyes". He can turn something totally plain and ordinary into something extraordinary with his lens and talent! On our big day, Siang spent the whole day with us, capturing all the "moments". His pictures did not just serve as documentation of our big day, but they are a piece of art. When our friends saw our pictures, everyone commented on how gorgeous the pictures were! This is what one friend said (he is really into photography now that he has a baby boy) -- "BTW your set of wedding photos by Lightphoria on FB is one of the best I have ever seen so far. Gorgeous and stunning!! I say this not because you are my friend. I wish one day I could be close to having that kind of photographing skills... you know the photographer?" He is the best. Don't take our words for it. Check out his website and see for yourself. You would not regret having him be responsible for capturing those precious moments on your special day! read more

Seriously, my wedding would not have been as good without Siang as a part of it. He does not take pictures, he actually captures moments. As the photographer he was their when our family began, and he has become a part of my family's life. I will ask him to be present at other moments in my family's story. Highly recommend Siang as a professional member of your wedding team and as an incredible photographer. read more