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JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART V ::: THE REAL, THE SWEET , THE SPONTANEOUS

One thing about effort is that it has a tendency to lead you to spend more of it, and I guess when that happens, it’s a good thing. Today at our V48 screening session we got a chance to watch the final version of our short film AT A PROPER CINEMA SCREEN! That was arguably the scariest cinema experience for me. I was nervous because I had no idea of who we were competing against with in our heat. But V48 wasn’t just about competition; it was more about people sharing passion and their creative talents. We had a super professional production team in our group who won previous years awards and everyone in the theater was just stunned by how polished their idea and camera skills were, and these were further perfected by their sound effects and colour grading. Ours on the other hand revealed some glitches and rawness in some areas, but overall I was quite proud of what we’ve achieved. Not to say that I was satisfied with the final film produced, I just have very high expectation videos and films, especially on the photography side of things. Next year, it’s got to be much much better!

I reckon I would have failed miserably with Jack and Kc’s wedding day series if the “less is more” rule was to apply, because this is unbelievably the 5th episode and more are yet to come! It really seems like updating blogs can just be another full-time jobs. How about to create a position called Blogger? : )

Documentary wedding photography is about capturing real moments…which by the way we care the most. Hence in this episode I will focus more on reaction shots, moments that were real, sweet and spontaneous…For those who were present and the absentees, now it’s a good time to relive the moments!

Previous episodes :

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART I

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART II

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART III

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART IV

In case anyone is wondering where this wedding took place, it’s at Bridgewater Country Estate, a good 40 minute drive away from Auckland City towards Northwest. I found this venue to be very lovely, offering ample beautiful wedding details. More photos to come later.

Minutes before the start of ceremony, Jack kept on checking if the bride had arrived.

There they are!

Kc carefully walking down with her father

Everyone had their eyes on the bride, and she hnd Jack’s full attention.

The Bride and her proud father

The happy Jack, I bet every single cell inside his body was happy.

The happy expression on their faces needs no hiding. And when words were verbalized through their vows, sweetness was overflowing.

Family and guests’ reactions

An intimate eye contact

Sometimes only by looking at the way they both laugh you could almost tell they’ll make a good couple together.

They walked into the ceremony individually and walked out as happy husband and wife.

Since we were trying to nail real emotions, how about this one as today’s last photo? ; )

TO BE CONTINUED…

Posted by FELIX WU | May 27, 2012 | Categories: Wedding | Tags: photography, auckland, new zealand, wedding day, summer, venue, outdoor, ceremony, NZ, documentary, hot, ring, movie, February, bride and groom, vow, expression, emotion, real, true, authentic, v48, film, short film, production, lightbender, lensfare, spontaneous, video, competition, moments, bridgewater country estate | Leave A Comment »

JACK AND KC WEDDING PART IV ::: THE FINAL MOMENT

Finally, after a busy month I now welcomed a cosy weekend full of cosy activities. Picking up a guitar to have a few strums despite the strings have already gone rusted; sitting in a boutique cafe for a few hours just to read books; editing photos on my laptop while surrounded by the delicious smell of roast coffee beans; popping down the gym although it’s probably my least priority; attending screening for our V48 film work; going to friend’s place for housewarming party…but before I am about to do all these, I am committed to release the 4th Episode of Jack and Kc’s wedding day photos.

Here we go, this was the final bridal preparation moment before Kc walking down aisle. This was the moment when I get to spend quality time shooting the girls as they were more relaxed and least interrupted. And I was quite amazed by the amount of details the venue offers so there were just so much I could photograph. Above all, surrounded by all girls? Sure, I love it!

Previous episodes :

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART I

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART II

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART III

Posted by FELIX WU | May 26, 2012 | Categories: Wedding | Tags: auckland wedding, bridal, bride, bridesmaid, decorations, details, flowers, new zealand, photographer, photography, props, Wedding | 2 Comments »

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART III ::: THE BRIDE, THE BOYS AND THE BEASTS

Today at work it was a little bit different from usual. Instead of focusing on our daily tasks we started to look at our future. So we spent most of our day away from the Kingsland office and headed for our quarterly planning meeting in town. Meetings set goals for a business and synergize people so things will get pushed forwarded and get done. I think the busier we get the more likely we tend to get sucked into our jobs and neglect the bigger picture. So having some prime thinking moments to me is just as gold. Although currently my photography is still just a one-man team, I realized I could still spend the 10% of time thinking about how I can improve my skills, knowledge, marketing, workflow and business networking etc, which translates into delivering better photos and higher quality and services.

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART I

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART II

Now, since I have been doing quite well in updating my blog for the last two to three days, I will try my best to keep this momentum going. So here comes the 3rd episode of Jack and Kc’s wedding day, PART III – the Bride, the Boys and the Beasts!

First up, a red double-R logo on the white and silver mags.

Check ou the red and white strape in the reflection…I simply think Canon and Rolls Royce make a good match. A Rolls Royce in the photography world?

Jack and Kc really look good together. Can you see their matching expressions? Going through the entire photo set I think I’ve got a lot of photos to prove this truth.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Posted by FELIX WU | May 25, 2012 | Categories: Wedding | Tags: Wedding, auckland, new zealand, wedding day, bride, groom, rain, NZ, planning, Best Man, groomsmen, boys, guys, wedding car, rolls royce, car, group photo, cool poses, future | 4 Comments »

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART II

“Talents and gifts do not reduce or diminish when shared; they expand and increase like the widening ripples from a pebble dropped in still water.” This was one of the quotes I came across today, and it reminded me of the good weekend I had spent with friends for the V48 competition despite the already busy schedule I had. I have photoshoot on weekends on top of my regular 9-5 job; I have editing timeline and still squeeze frequent social agendas in between. Now, I have ventured into video and film production and discovered endless joy and interest in them. Who does that? Only the man who has an explicit and ever-evolving vision I must humbly confess. I can’t tell you how much I love what I do!

To be honest I really don’t know where I am going with this and how many “episodes” there will be for Jack and Kc’s wedding. I just follow my heart to share these photos with everyone here, and hopefully, you will like it too.

In case anyone missed my previous blog post, JACK AND KC WEDDING PART I is here. In PART II, let’s focus a bit more on the guys. : )

On a wedding day, a photographer needs to plan ahead, shoot and capture as swift as possible. PLAN means your will need to know the wedding day schedule by heart in order to prioritise your shots. This is especially true when travelling between two to three different locations is required. After I finished shooting bridal makeup and getting ready, I quickly dashed from Quay Street to Jack’s new apartment at Viaduct…at 6ish. AM!!!

McDonald’s breakfast for the guys, keeping them strong and healthy for the long day ahead.

Tie, burger and speech.

SHOOT includes planned shots, so the photographer will need to know exactly what to photograph. Here comes the Groom – Jack!

Over the other side, waiting for a final touch, Kc was nearly all ready. Here CAPTURE involves taking a lot of candid shots from everything important to everything interesting, all in a very fast pace.

There were so much stories on the day and I was glad to be there all to tell.

For a traditional Chinese wedding it’s not that easy for the groom to see the bride straight away. He needs patience, strategies, money, good communication skills and lots of help from the groomsmen.

If you have a strong friendship with the groomsmen, they would probably lay their life down for you.

Quiz by quiz, penalty by penalty, the Prince will eventually hold the hands of Princess.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Posted by FELIX WU | May 24, 2012 | Categories: Wedding | Tags: apartment, auckland, Best Man, bridal, bridal preparation, chinese, gown, groom, groomsman, harbour, indoor, morning, new zealand, photographer, photography, viaduct, Wedding | 5 Comments »

JACK AND KC WEDDING DAY PART I

Rolling in bed, I remembered I could hardly fall asleep that night. If there was a syndrome it would be called “pre-wedding insomnia”. I was excited, because in a few hours I would be photographing my friend Jack’s wedding. I was nervous, because I was afraid I had to get up REALLY early would miss the alarm. That wedding required me to get up at 4ish in the morning and I’ve never in my life started my day this early.

It was pitch dark outside my bedroom window, perhaps the only thing bright was the soft glowing distant city light. In an early morning like this, even summer time would still be lingering some winter chill. But when I reached Kc’s building in downtown Auckland and opened the apartment door, I saw a completely different scenery right in front of me. Kelly and her RensFx team were already in position busy transforming the living room into a makeup studio. For me, I was just delighted that I wasn’t alone! : )

For those of you who follow my blog and photos, you could probably remember I have posted Jack and Kc’s Auckland Pre-wedding photos. Well, in fact their pre-wedding wasn’t pre-wedding at all, as this Big Day took place even a week before their pre-wedding photoshoot.

I had been too busy for the past few months, so coming to an off-season I finally get a chance to sort out the photos and blog about those awesome weddings, pre-weddings, portraits and other interesting photoshoots! And just be cause I can, I will probably divide the entire wedding set into a few different episodes. Really, rushing into posting photos without the company of a meaningful blog is the last thing I want to do. So here we go, hope you will enjoy Part I.

hmm…I insist the last photo belongs to this set! Stay tuned for what’s to come!

Posted by FELIX WU | May 23, 2012 | Categories: Wedding | Tags: photography, auckland, photoshoot, photographer, Studio, new zealand, pre-wedding, wedding day, big day, ceremony, NZ, bridal, makeup artist, preparation, morning, early wedding, February, makeup, stylists, rensfx, kelly ren | 5 Comments »

SUCH JOY IN PHOTOGRAPHY, SUCH JOY TO SHARE!

The month of May has been very fulfilling and eventful so far, with the first weekend spent hiking over Tongariro Crossing with ex-South Island couple/and now good friends Jerry and Mimi and many others, and now the 2nd weekend with Jason and Eva for their beautiful wedding photos in South Island.

Knowing by heart how beautiful South Island is I decided to throw into it a bit more. So I dashed to the camera shop the night before the photoshoot and purchased Cannon’s stunner zoom lens 70-200mm F2.8 IS II. Be it a bad habit, that’s me. Everytime I crave for something I really would want to get it right away, especially for photography equipments. T.T And I really wish I had bought it sooner, because after this South Island trip I felt it has all already been paid off!! The convenience of being able to zoom in and out and its capability of delivering razor sharp image really made my location shooting job so much easier!

Besides, sometimes life gives us a little bit more. Today I had the single most amazing flight experience ever! Managed to swap to a window seat and thanks to this new lens addition, I was able to capture some aerial shots over Mt Cook national park. Seriously, how much would you pay for to see such amazing views at such perfect time!? The gentleman sitting on the other side of the plane was so jealous that he literally came over to take photos from my window. “You are luck to be sitting on the right side”, he said. LOL..When the golden sunset struck the submit of the snow mountains I felt my heart was lifted. Maybe it’s just me but I am truly amazed by how much WOW factor our world’s creations bring us. Its beauty is everchanging; its glory is everylasting. Such joy in photography, such joy to share! Thank you New Zealand. Thank you God.

Posted by FELIX WU | May 13, 2012 | Categories: General Photography, Landscape | Tags: 70-200mm, 70-200mm F2.8 IS II, aerial, air, air new zealand, bird view, canon, clouds, flight, fox glacier, franz Josef, glacier, lake pukkaki, lake wanaka, Landscape, lens, mountains, mt cook, mt remarkables, new zealand, NZ, plane, scenary, south island, sunset, zoom | Leave A Comment »

TONGARIRO ALPINE CROSS TRAMP

It looks like another update is due. Because I know if don’t update this one NOW I will never will. The month of May looks as full on as it can be, jamming with photoshoots, v48, appointments and tramping at the world famous Tongariro Alpine Cross! What an awesome way to kick of the month by some physical exercise? During this 8hr walking, climbing and sliding I’ve learnt that no matter how heavy your backpack is, there’s always allowance for a camera.

Below are the stunning view from our accommodation during different times of the day.

Not very often I could actually get up and see sunrise.

Now let the tramp begin.

Group photo after the climbing up the Soda Springs steps.

Mt Ngauruhoe (also known as Mt Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies)

Mud, mud, mud…the last easy walk before the “Devils Steps”.

Top of the Red Crater.

Looking at the summit from the top.

Trampers.

Sliding downwards is really fun. – by Emerald Lakes

Autumn in NZ is amazing. The beauty says it all.

It’s an 8 hour walk so we ended up walking with torch light in the dark!

Posted by FELIX WU | May 6, 2012 | Categories: General Photography, Landscape, Personal | Tags: autumn, challenge, climbing, devel's steps, gold, hiking, holiday, Landscape, milkyway, mt doom, mt ngauruhoe, mt ruapehu, mt tongariro, mud, new zealand, night sky, NZ, one day, sand, scenery, sky, stars, the lord of the rings, tongariro cross, tracking, tramp, tramping, travel, trip, walk, world famous, yellow grass | Leave A Comment »

AUCKLAND PRE-WEDDING ::: JACK AND KC

It isn’t true. This Auckland set isn’t part of Jack and Kc’s pre-weddiing photos; it was intended to be. However, when you fly over from Melbourne to have a wedding in New Zealand, you know you’ve got to work around some tight schedules. Jack and Kc really wanted to spend more quality time with their family and guests on their actual wedding day, so they decided to have a separate set of photos done on a completely different day. Then looking at our Calendar, I suggested we should have it the week after because that way I would know what kind of photo style would be required and what could best enhance their wedding experience. So this made it a “post-wedding” photoshoot really. With the first ray of sunshine entered my bedroom window on that Saturday morning, I knew it’s going to be a perfect day.

Our human eyes are susceptible to bright light. Especially under the blazing sunlight, a 1200w strobe and in front of a large silver reflector (which effectively creates another blazing sunlight), most couple would have a hard time opening their eyes. So getting the couple frowning in front of the camera isn’t anything less typical. A second reason could well be that their faces were showing concern on how the photographer could manage to hold so many things at one time – support the reflector with one knee, hold and toss the end of the bride’s veil with one hand while operating his camera and flash with the remaining hand. Or perhaps, they were even wondering why the photographer was frowning like them. It’s simple: yes, Felix was the one facing and looking directly into the sun! I am so considering shooting with my sunglasses on in the next Summer.