It's another 4 hours+ before I board the plane to one of my all time favourite holiday destinations---Bali. This time, my wife and daughter will be going, together with 2 other couples, who are my best buddies.

We'll be staying at a 3-bedroom villa and just plan to rest, relax and recharge for the coming weeks. As some of you might have already known, i have started quoting a new price for new enquiries. To me, this is a landmark decision because ever since I have been a member of the prestigious Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) for (i think) 2 years already, and now having been accepted into Singapore's very own Wedding Photographers Network (www.wpn.sg), I feel that I really have to buck up and deliver my best (be it service and final product) to my clients.

Hence, Greymatter Photography is determined to offer the best that money can buy. Our albums are world-class (internationally sought-after) and I seek to capture more telling and stunning images. There will be lots of preparation and marketing to be done, in preparation of this new focus on superior quality.

But before that....need to R&R...:)

Hopefully when I'm back in May 2, I can have lots of fun pictures to share with you.

I am a big fan of Australian photographer, Trent Parke, who is a member of the prestigious Magnum Photo Agency. I have a signed copy of his book, and have been looking at his photos regularly on the net.

Subconsciously, I might have been influenced by him.....like sometimes I see situations in weddings that I see in his photos. This is one I took recently at a wedding. It might not be popular with the clients, but hell, it sure thrills me once in a while when I shoot something out of the ordinary, albeit not so original. Still, I wish I can do it more often.




I have also inserted a link to a picture taken by Parke.
http://www.magnumphotos.com/CoreXDoc/MAG/Media/TR3/F/W/J/F/LON38356.jpg

In the end, I would still like to end today's entry with another heartwarming picture of Jia Jia and Zuowei, who had their solemnisation ceremony held recently.
Cheerful and chirpy bride, shy and soft-spoken groom. Yin and yang. A perfect match.

Lately, I am encouraged by the increasing number of engagements I get from clients who want to do baby/family portraits. They represent an alternative creative avenue and keeps my mind constantly working......and not just restrict myself to just weddings.








I have been freelancing for a local newspaper and some magazines as well, not for the money but for the same reason listed above. In addition, by taking on such assignments, I get to go to places I would normally not have the chance to go, or shoot somebody I don't have chance to shoot. I think that's a good eye-opener too.

These are some photos I took for food magazine Wine & Dine. It's a small change, from shooting people to shooting things that don't move. It's not any easier for that matter.

Don't you just love it when two people, who are deeply in love, do not care the world around them because they only have eyes for each other? I'd love to do that somedays, you know, like kissing my wife in a busy street, but hey, I am too shy, traditional, and my wife is definitely too old for that.

 

 

 

Maybe some of you would have known by now that I love kids a lot, and I also love to photograph kids.
Be it the meditative look of Kimberly;

 

or the peace with which Jake enjoys at his baptism;

 

or the playful way in which Julian tried to scoop my fish out;

 

or the sunshine smile of Xinying....


I love them all.

 

If only she understands what she's reading.....I would have retired from professional photography early and just blog about her on a daily basis.

A hungry bride is an angry bride, and certainly won't be a happy bride. Anywhere, anytime, will do.

To me, it's rather rare to see a bride dressed in Vera Wang and not hesitate to step into the water.....


....for the sake of this picture. Sporting bride and bridesmaids.

I like the way the faces of Trish's and Thomas' faces get lit by the sunlight yet amongst the shadows. They look serious but in actual fact they are one of the wackiest and fun-loving persons around.

I was there to cover a wedding banquet, but met up with a group of juvenile daredevils with a taste for extreme sport.

Either she is a nurse/doctor who can't kick her habit after many many years or a vigilant citizen on constant lookout for a relapse of the dreaded SARS, I thought that was an unusual way to greet the bride. :)

Sometimes, an unintentional picture can cause the more imaginative viewer some embarassment. in retrospect, I think this picture is pretty nice.....albeit a bit...eerr....you know.....

well, other than wedding photoshoot, the botanic gardens is a nice place to bring family to, especially on a sunday when the setting sun emits a very warm golden hue.
it's my 1st time there with my family, and hopefully there will be many more. (it's a dilemma really. if i can afford to go there with my family regularly on a sunday, it means that i don't have shoots on those days, and that certainly doesn't augur well for my family, financially. Hmm...)

 

 

i'm sure many of you (especially photographers) who have been to The China Club, atop Capital Tower, agree with me that it's a very photogenic place, in the day. great daylight, and colourful decor. and if you have matching outfit to boot, man, it's a dream place to shoot.

the thing about being cute is that on some days, you wish the adults would just stop rummaging their hands through your hair and pinch your cheeks. "sigh!" the perils of being cute...

One thing happened a couple of weeks ago at a wedding that made me very happy.
It's this picture of 3 kids running downstairs to open the car door for the groom.
From what i observed, these three are the bride's nephews and grand-nephews and she dotes on them very much.

this particular picture was shot on our way down, everything happened very fast as I had to run to catch up with them. one of the younger ones had his shoe slipped off his foot. objectively, it is an ok picture that shows the innocence, and "clumsiness" of children. however, when i showed it to the bride, she practically cracked up and laughed out loudly. "He's so cute!" that's what i remembered her saying.

actually, was i surprised by her reaction? well, no, really. but her more than zealous reaction encouraged me. it just reinforced my conviction that every wedding is different, and i have to shoot each wedding as unique as i can, and i can only do that when i have a certain level of understanding of the mechanics inside the couple's family and social circle, through sheer observation.

a picture might mean nothing to person A, but if it means something to the bride/groom, it means the whole world to me.

All eyes on you Eugene!


How could something that started so brightly end up so messy? Keep it up, Boon! You are doing fine.

Just trying out some panoramic cropping from a recent wedding.

I quite like the feel, and perhaps will try out more in future.

At a recent pre-wedding shoot, I brought Thomas and Tricia to a railway track near my studio. I was in the mood already and busy clicking away when Thomas shouted to me that he thought he heard something.

Within seconds, a train came roaring by (still a distance from us lah), sounding the horn. We quickly jumped off the track to give way, obviously.

Although it was no close shave, I think Thomas and Tricia have never been so close to a running train in their lives. (I have, incidentally, at Manila).

But luckily, they could still smile about it. Phew!