The Tamura Family

Torrance • Los Angeles • California

Stephanie Ip Photography

Posted on July 5, 2021

The Tamura Family wanted to come together to get some studio portraits done. There were eleven of them, so coordination and teamwork were key to making this session a successful one!

Since I don’t operate under a studio, I allow my clients to pick and choose a space that works for them. We organized the session at one of the family member’s townhome clubhouse, which was well suited to transform into a mini photo studio, with its air conditioning, great lighting, and changing and seating areas, and bathroom. I brought in studio lighting and a classic white backdrop to complement their vibrant personalities.

Their Japanese-Hawaiian heritage had inspired the cousins to dress in Hawaiian shirts and dresses, styled with beautiful handmade leis put together by the talented family member Kevin. I was honored to receive one of the leis as a gift after shooting their session. Meanwhile, the three sisters and the mother all wore these precious Niihau shell jewelries to honor and maintain ties to their family roots.

The family was a joy to work with, they were not shy to show their silly and funny sides, shining with bright and beautiful smiles, which glow right through my camera lens. Here are a handful of my favorites, enjoy!

"I found Stephanie through Yelp while browsing for photographers for our family portrait. We had not taken one in MANY years, and this one was going to be a birthday gift to our 92 year old mom, so everything needed to be ON POINT. The job of finding "the perfect photographer" was sort of thrown into my lap at the last minute, as we had one person leaving for college, a few others going on vacation, plus a holiday weekend coming up, and Mom's birthday was 2 & 1/2 weeks away. This was also during COVID! I requested quotes from five different photographers; only THREE responded. TWO of them told me FLAT OUT they were NOT accepting any reservations. Stephanie responded immediately via e:mail, and included her pricing and package options, as well as a link to her website so I could review some of her past shoots. From the start, I already felt a sense of warmth & genuine openness. Since it had been years since we had done any type of group portraits, I had a million silly questions! Stephanie, however, was ever patient and understanding, and NEVER made me feel uncomfortable (or dumb), and always took the time to explain everything in detail to me so I understood what I was paying for & what we were doing. The day of our photo shoot, Stephanie and her amazing assistant arrived early enough to set up and start shooting at our designated time. There were 11 of us, so you can imagine how difficult it was to get us all lined up, postured, etc., but in spite of her sweet, soft voice, Stephanie managed to get it done, and our pictures look fabulous! I would absolutely consider soliciting Stephanie again the next time I need a photographer to capture a special memory (provided she hasn't retired from all her success!), and I am more than pleased to recommend her to the community to capture YOUR memories as well!"