Third Time Lucky

This pre-wedding shoot has been postponed twice over two months due to bad weather. Bad weather, as in thunderstorm and dark skies. No matter how creative I want to be, there was just no way to shoot under such circumstances.

On the third attempt, my heart almost sank when I went to pick up CJ and Eunice. Tiny raindrops started appearing on my windscreen with rain clouds forming overhead. There were a few destinations in my mind, and where we go depended on the weather.

Based on instincts and visual inspection, I headed west, away from the rain clouds, and to our relief, the sky held up well.

Bowled Over

You know how parents always think their children are the best, and their children seem to be blessed with all kinds of talents?

He takes a swing at Grandpa's head-----oh! He can be the next Tiger Woods!
He just mixes his porridge with the dog's canned beef-----aha! My junior Jamie Olivier!
She manages to repaint her white wall with her ink-soaked fingers-----hmmm....it has a bit of Monet and Caravaggio, or is it Warhol?

And unashamedly, I am one of these parents as well.
Last weekend saw the emergence of a likely queen of the lanes, something not seen since the days of Grace Young.

Poised, elegant and graceful with the bowling ball, and even her celebration jig after a strike was a photographer's delight!

Man...I am already thinking of which endorsement deals best suit her image.

Details

I always tell my clients-to-be upfront that I won't spend a lot of time taking pictures of details because even though I understand those details probably cost them a lot of money, I don't want to spend too much time capturing them, at the expense of losing some spontaneous or "humanistic" moments, thereby costing my clients more "expensive" memories.

What I'll do is probably spend 15-20 minutes before the start of the event to document the most unique and impressive details that define the theme of the wedding; or better still incorporate the details in the visual narrative, instead of shooting them a la "product photography".

Well, the details in this wedding are certainly impressive, thanks to the work done by Hannah & her team from Heaven's Gift. I'd say it's 20 minutes well spent.




Tourists flocking to Japan to admire at the cherry blossoms....NOT.


I was told that this is THE first ice bar in Singapore that is constructed with crystal ice....whatever the difference it has from coffeeshop ice I don't know, but it sure is "cool"!

Weekend Blues

This coming weekend will mark the first weekend for the next three months without any English Premiere League matches. Some of you might know that I am a football fan. Being a wedding photographer puts a lot of strain on my relationship with football because that means I'd miss a lot of matches over the working weekends.

If I don't have a shoot over a certain weekend, it's a mixed feeling....you know, no job, no money, but can watch Liverpool....kind of like when you realise your mother-in-law just drives off the cliff in your sports coupe?

Jokes aside, here's a slideshow of a May wedding:
Click here

Dances With Blooms

I am never a big sucker for dazzling, colourful shots but this one justs sucks me right in.

Group Photos, anyone?

Who says taking group photos is boring?
Personally, I love to look at group photos myself. First, I try to suss out myself (don't we all) to see how handsome I look, then i look at all the familiar faces, recall their names, and the stories they share with me. It's a very interesting memory trip, that I enjoy very often.

That's why I do not mind taking group photos, but just watch the frequency, that's all.


"Yes, group photo! Now! Come!"


"Come come come come come.....take group photo!"


And the pranksters who go all out to spice up a group photo.

Singapore Un-uniquely

Linda & KC are two very busy people. At first they wanted to do an overseas pre-wedding shoot, but they have such a small window of opportunity that it was difficult coordinating the dates for all three of us. In the end, we had it in sunny Singapore. Just one thing: they want the pictures to look very "un-singapore".

It's a challenge. I tried my best.

Slideshow Trailers

I've been asked by someone how come I haven't been posting wedding slide shows?
That's because some of the prospective clients, during the "interview", commented that they have seen them on my blog, just when I was about to "impress" them with a multimedia experience (if you count playing a DVD amidst shouts of ONE CAFE LATTE much of an experience).

Well, since I personally love to do slide shows as it allows me to re-immerse in the experience of that wedding, I've decided to do trailers...highly summarised versions, IF I have the time and inspiration.

Here's one to share....(I think you have to point somewhere in the centre and click)

It's the bridal CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!

It's pretty common in China and Las Vegas for sure, but this is still the first time I actually get to sit inside a stretched limousine. It was meant to be a surprise for the bride, but it took (the mountain tortoise in) me by surprise too.

I Fear Tears

To shoot an emotional wedding is the closest thing to covering a journalistic event for the press. You arrive, you observe, you learn, you feel, you immerse, and you document. The last thing a documentary photographer can do is to get too overwhelmed by the occasion and in the process allow the moment to come and go.

I can cry at some silly parts of a movie, but on the job, I've learned to be more hardened.

Veil You Marry Me?

Traditional Chinese brides used to have those red veils that are opaque. No one is allowed to see bride's face---groom included---only until the evening when the couple are ready to consummate the marriage (I know this from movies lah).

Nowadays, the modern veils are see through, and do not offer much concealment. I don't know the purpose of it, other than the starring role it plays in photography. The long ones, especially, make for very good photo opportunities and they add softness to the pictures.

Generation Gap

Wan Sheng posted a link to a very nice song by Sun Yanzi. I find the lyrics really touching and refined. When I was younger, the tune of the song is what attracts me. However, as I age, I begin to look more into lyrics of a song and I always find that lyrics is the real soul of a song that makes me fall in love over and over again.



Why the title generation gap? You can roughly tell the age of a person by the songs they like. Even though I look arguably younger than Wan Sheng, there's no hiding my age when one of my favourite moviesis written and directed by Sylvia Chang. The sound track happens to be one of my fav too. No matter the age, I think wedding photographers ought to be romantics and a sentimental lot in order to capture those parts in a wedding.



My favourite scene (the part when Sylvia is on the plane) happens to be the closing as well.

Heads I win, Tail you lose.

Light & Shadows

I love light & shadows. To me, photography is simple. Without light, there's no shadow: it's like the yin & yang, black & white.

Without light, we won't be able to see anything.

To me, photography is about seeing things in light & shadows; it is about seeing the things that are dear to me, and about presenting those things to an audience. Beautiful moments, emotional moments, endearing moments.

Love At First Sight

Who believe in love at first sight?
Well, I still do, and that's because Kwong Weng & Rachael made me so.
You see, my encounter with them was quite by chance. As many of you know, I work from home, and I meet prospective clients and clients outside, often at cafes/clubs/their homes etc.

I was showing my stuff to a couple at Bakerzine Millennia Walk and Kwong Weng & Rachael were seated near us. I don't know what caught their eyes, but they approached me afterwards to ask for my contact. I wasn't expecting much because I didn't believe in love at first sight.

One day, Rachael emailed me and like all cliches of cliches, the rest is history. So, that was a good day. I sold my service to the first couple, and in the process, Rachael and Kwong Weng were sold too. I was so honoured that they believed in my abilities based on that chance encounter. Thanks Kwong Weng & Rachael for making me believe in myself.

Hmm....is this another justification for not having an office?