Sometimes I Need Two

Why say "I firmly escort him to the door and bid him goodbye, making sure that he is not to enter the house again" when a simple "I ask him to f*** off!" will do. Same with picture-taking. Concise.

But sometimes, really, a picture might not be enough to tell the whole story (could be due to incompetence). For example, what's making Granny so worked up and what's the finger jabbing about? A single picture asks the question.


It's grandpa's inappropriate footwear, it seems. The second picture provides the answer.

What's In A Picture Then?

When it comes to "Getting Ready" part of the wedding, I do not interpret it in a literal way. I seldom take pictures of the makeup in progress, eg the brushes, the lipstick etc., and even if I take them, I won't post them on the blog because to me, those pictures are not what Greymatter is about.

I love pictures that tell a story. Now, "picture that tells a story" is such an oft-quoted phrase that "Yes, we know, "a picture tells a story!"

But what kind of story? Funny, sad, whimsical, trivial, deep, superficial? There are as many stories as there are many pictures. Each photographer has his/her own story to tell.

I like mine to be more layered, not so straight forward and with subtlety. I can tell you a slap-stick joke and you may laugh out loud, or I can tell you a parable and set you thinking.



I like the above "Getting Ready" shot very much because in a picture, I can see a doting father who is looking at his girl for the last time before she becomes a woman. There is pride, mixed with reluctance, and finally resignation that daddy's girl has another man in her life. The gentle and comforting hands of the relatives seem to recognise the father's pain, but at the same time their smiles say "it's ok. You are not losing a daughter, but gaining a son."

Am I reading too much into the picture? Or is it just a simple case of tapping him on the shoulder:"Mr Ho, wake up! Late already!"

A Story A Picture Tells Not

This is one of the rare shots that I have Sheryl appearing as a demure and shy bride whom she never was. Well, I'm going to stop telling lies with my photos. (For now, you can see the real her here).

The Red Tide

Remember Denise & Chris? The Liverpool football fans who wore the Liverpool jerseys for their pre-wedding shoot?

Well, their wedding happens to fall on a very big night: Manchester City vs Liverpool. Both Chris and I lamented that we would be missing the game but I'm sure it was only in jest because we know where his priority lies.

Thanks goodness when i went for supper near home, there was a live telecast. Better still, Liverpool came from 2-0 down to win the game 3-2 right at the death! i think that was the best thing that happened on their wedding (haha! guys, you agree?)

Family Update

Yu Wen is 3 months away from her 3rd birthday. When I look at Yu Hao (my no. 2 but nicknamed No. 1 because of how his chinese name sounds like), he reminds me so much of Yu Wen when she was younger. And I realised time really flies.

No matter how much time I have tried to spend with her, it never seems to be enough. And in the blink of an eye, she is fast approaching 3, and growing to become more of a headache. Normally, a child would satisfy her curiosity by asking:"Why?" But Yu Wen always try to talk her way out of trouble by asking "Why not?" She's like a mini napalm imploding inside my brain when the frustration and exasperation become too much to contain.



As for Yu Hao, he is more or less trouble-free (not much to ask for from someone who sleeps, eats, poos, sleeps more and eats more and poos hell lot more). He always has this brooding frown and attempts to "kill" with his piercing, intense looks. He's fairly big for a baby his age and carrying him now is part of the repertoire for gym work.




And in case you are still wondering, yes, the yellow patch is his poo/shit/dabian!
Amazing thing is how he managed to land it so high up and in a square shape???

Relax....it's a short week!

From Shanghai with Love

Catherine & Michael both work in Shanghai as entrepreneurs (one of my favourite jobs in one of my favourite cities), how cool is that?

But what made them really stand out is their excitement and enthusiasm shown on their wedding day! Basically, they gave me the impression that they really, really couldn't wait to be married to each other, and their excitement certainly rubbed off on me as I suffered from severe backache, from over-shooting! I don't think I've been so hardworking for a long time :)

Match Made Near Heaven

The love story started in mid-air, aboard a flight, and culminated in an emotional and simple wedding for Han Meng & Gina. Han Meng (the pilot) is the cousin of one of my old-time clients and that was how we hooked up. He came across as a very doting husband and is the only client so far whom I bumped into at a wet market. You see, husbands who go to the market and buy the food can't be that bad, eh? (In case you are wondering, I am talking about myself).