J, my classmate from eons ago, referred the couple to me.
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S + V
20-Nov-08E + F
19-Nov-08I worked with the bride at the photo desk. She’s a very good photographer, of course. You should see some of the wedding photos she shot in London.
I still find this photo amusing, just that now I think it deserves to be shown rather than remain hidden.
This one too. On the wall is the bride’s winning entry at the Life is Great competition.
The groom doesn’t actually play. He’s helping to do the sound-check.
Not to worry, the pro’s violin remained playable thereafter.
T + V
19-Nov-08The couple’s pre-wedding photographer wasn’t available for their actual day ceremonies. The photographer suggested to them to look for someone with a photojournalistic background. I guessed I fit the bill then. Nowadays, I wouldn’t want to label myself photojournalistic anymore. I just photograph.
It’s neat to be posting up these pics from my archives. It’s like doing a bit of time-traveling.
C + F
19-Nov-08Well, the bride and the groom are my ex-colleagues at the newsroom. All of us no longer work at that newsroom. However we are all still doing media-related work!
Retro-cool eh? Well, there’s lots more to see inside her room. Besides books (she used to review books for Life!), there was a ChungKing Express movie poster, a pencil-sketch of a goth-girl, and many ukiyo-e prints. If I were to shoot the wedding now those objects would get the close-up treatment :)
Two photographers divert their attention from the couple.
The bride was always showing the peace sign :)
The groom was happy that the day session was ending :)
J + K
19-Nov-08This was one wedding where I was mistaken for another wedding photographer. The groom’s friend approached me during a free moment and offered a handshake. He didn’t know the couple had engaged another photographer (ie me) because the original photographer eventually could not make the date.
Anyhow, here’s some pics:
Sorry, but I like the natural expression and natural light :)
The couple had many friends with DSLRs. Still, I like this moment as it is.
Again, unorchestrated moments are better I feel!
The official videographer. We were invited to sit at the VIP table.
D + M
19-Nov-08Recently I have managed to catch up with the groom and passed him a duplicate of the coffeetable book I created for him. As my book layout style has changed, I thought I would give him the book which I had been keeping for portfolio.
Going through the photos again I have surprised myself. These are the picks I like:
This shot was made with a medium format camera. This kid went “YO!” whenever he saw me. Save for this moment when he’s blowing bubbles at me, instead of showing off his rapper’s hand-gestures.
The kid is in a blur - and that was how he appeared to me, a little ball of energy. I’d not have shown such a photo in my portfolio before.
A + L
24-Jun-08One of the first good thing about photographing this wedding was that I didn’t have to wake up before sunrise. The couple did have day ceremonies but still I didn’t have to go to work at 6am; 9:30am was fine.
Their friend helped out as the photographer for group shots, so I had more freedom to capture the non-posed moments. Overall I liked the resulting feeling of mobility, as well as being able to remain in the background.
Another thing I liked was the ambience created by the rain. Granted, people would have to be chauffeured under umbrella then, but the rain would be something memorable too isn’t it?
This would be the kind of mood shot that I should capture more regularly outside of weddings.
Well, maybe if I am at home I would personally prefer to just watch the rain when it falls. But when it’s a wedding, I guess I can’t resist making the shot!
Why Make My Day
16-Jun-08How did the name come about?
- It’s a change from the old name Mindful Weddings. Just to make things a bit lighter.
- The wedding day is also commonly referred to as The Big Day. With this in the back of my mind Make My Day popped out. It could have been “My Big Day”, but I never considered that, and Make My Day sounds better.
- A lot of things are created and made specially for the wedding day, and things make themselves too on the day itself. Hence Make. My as in the possessive pronoun.
- I didn’t think about this before, but Make has a nice presence tense feel to it. Without the new-ageness of Mindful.
It’s true that Make My Day obviously already has its place in many movies and songs. For some Dirty Harry comes to mind first. (I didn’t specifically have that reference in mind…) I’m going for a more innocuous feel. Quite literally the day makes itself as it goes along.
A quick survey of names given to wedding photography (or wedding-related) businesses would reveal that they are named after the personality or have some romantic ring to it. Some names are more related to photographic matters rather than weddings, which also reflects the business’ involvement in other professional photographic services.
It wouldn’t be very often you come across a wedding photographer whose business is named “Blue Cheese Photography” (though Cheese or Cheeze would have its own photographic ring to it. 1-2-3 Smile! Say Blue Cheese! Hi, I am from Blu Cheez Pix!) Or say a wedding planner whose business is named Pineapple.
Make My Day is my way to get around sounding too wedding-ish and yet still give hints the business is related to weddings. And I like the idea of the day in the making. And I am secretly feisty.
Anyway, have fun surveying names of wedding businesses!
Hello!
16-Jun-08Finally the day has come… the day this blog says hello to readers whoever you are.
Just earlier today I had been chatting online with my girlfriend’s friend about the wedding photography for her wedding (the her in this context not related to mine). It would be the first wedding I will be covering after returning to Singapore.
While I haven’t been shooting weddings in Japan, the experiences gained living overseas would surely help change the way I look at things, in real life or through the camera’s viewfinder. Thus myself am looking forward to seeing how the photos will turn out.
In a way then this blog marks the new beginning of my second journey as a wedding photographer.
Once again, hello! And hope you enjoy this blog.