AUCKLAND ENGAGEMENT ::: JOSHUA AND MELISSA
I’d like to randomly express my thankfulness to those who continously show support to my blog and my photography work, to my old friends, readers, fellow photographers, and particularly to new visitors and clients who emailed me recently with kind words and gave recognition towards my photography. Seriously, your appreciations serve a great encouragement to me so I can better use my ongoing passion to help and benefit more people.
It is all exciting and happy to come home, but really, it is much harder to depart again. Perhaps I‘ve really been away for too long that I have almost forgotten how it was like to say goodbye. With a blink of an eye, my four week vacation has almost come to an end, leaving me with only less than a week before going back to New Zealand. Dear Time, why rush? I am gonna miss this place.
Joshua and Melissa are good friends of mine. And because I got to know Melissa through Josh, so Josh is my good good friend. Josh and I met because of gears. Yes, gears. Camera gears and various gadgets, so GEARS in one word. Josh has no interest in anything else but talking about gears, monitoring gear prices, buying and selling gears on trademe and ebay, collecting gears, storing gears in his car and garage…sydrome that can only be described as “gear obsession”. Joking aside, how I really met Josh was because we were both shooting a wedding on a boat (in 2009?). I was the photographer and he was one of the videographer then. And he lied to me that he was a Malaysian. About a year or two later I figured out that it wasn’t a pure lie, because Joshua Fang proved that he actually had a special interest in Malaysian by going out with Melissa, now also known as Mrs Fang. :)
Josh and I often exchange links and information about gears range from camera, tripods to as tiny products as memory cards…to the extend that we nearly greet each other everyday we log on our Messengers from work. There was one week when Josh bought two prime lenses under my influence so we nearly saw each other everyday without Melissa being present. I almost smelled something called jealousy from Melissa afar. Josh blamed me.
Time has always been rolling fast. When Josh asked me to do an engagement session for him and Melissa I was very excited. The photoshoot took place on 4th December 2011 but releasing the following images prior to their wedding day was strictly forbitten. No blogging after my photoshoot totally contradicts my style! But out of respect I agreed with his terms anyways. So for this time around, I blamed Josh. 
After a long long time waiting, after their 10th March 2012 wedding day, I could finally show everyone their engagement photos. So let me present the truly kind, cute and fun couple…Joshua and Melissa! = ]
The two can have fun in just about anywhere.
After dinner we went for a quick night shoot as well
Salute and good bye!
AUCKLAND PRE-WEDDING ::: ANDREW AND WINNIE
I hate to admit that the fours year gap has alienated me from everything I used to know about my hometown, but home is home. And home is great. I really feel like a short four weeks period is way too short for me to practically accomplish anything meaningful. Probably next time I should come back for 6 months at least. Hahaha!
Currently I am living in a new place with my parents, and this place feels a little remote. My elder cousin said to me this arrangement must have been intentional because this way I got nowhere to go but to spend more time at home with my parents. Funny. I really enjoy catching up with family and chat about the silly things we did in the past, and all those things mentioned became part of the memories which defined my life in the past; formed part of my personality that is influencial to my future. They became me! : )
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out my blog updates are getting a bit erratic. In fact every time when I’ve got so many updates to post it becomes like this. Dislike. Since when did I realise I’ve never had enough time to spare and spend? But one thing I did realise - was that I have a strange flair for overseas clients. Haha! So here I proudly introduce this Melbourne couple Andrew and Winnie. In our initial contact Andrew and Winnie orginally had the craziest idea to engage 50 photographers over a few different countires to shoot their pre-wedding photos and put them together in one album. They even emailed me their profile, photoshoot porposal along with many of their cute photos. However I bet the amount of energy and budget each photoshoot requires must have forced this Melbourne couple to give it a second thought. In the end they’ve decided to simplify the whole process to a few shoots and guess what…I am so proud that I wasn’t sacked! : P
Our entire day was filled with interesting events. To start with we felt so lucky to have some super nice gentlemen who allowed us to use their boats for photoshoot and even offered us to go on a free cruise. How amazing! It felt just as amazing as Kobe Bryant would allow me to borrow his basketball shoes. If we went then the photoshoot would have officially end there as it might take hours. Politely declined on the cruise offer. We’ve then headed to the beautiful Northern Steamship for shooting our second outfit. And that sunday happened to be some kind of sports sunday or whatever that the downtown part of Queen Street was blocked. Pedestrians were allowed to walk, stand, sit, lie down or even play tennis in the middle of the road. This country really opened my our eyes. And we were given balloons. After a quick dress change and supermarket shopping, we headed to the park to have picnics, followed by the amazing sunset on Mt Eden and the evening cityscape. By memory that was the single most tiring weekend ever since I’ve been a photographer. The night prior to their photoshoot on Sunday I just finished Jack and KC’s wedding photoshoot on a Saturday evening. Then I headed to Sky City hotel to had a quick face to face intorudction with Andrew and Winnie. After a few hours sleep then I was back in their hotel again…and it lasted another whole day… I was so glad that EVERYONE OF MY PHOTOSHOOT IS DIFFERENT!!
Oh by the way, I later found out that Andrew and Winnie were from Hope Melbourne church. What a coincidence! 
))
A different experience at Westhaven
The magical Northern Steamship Brewbar
I believe there must be magical power behind the super tall book shelves and the reversed hanging lamps…a reality of the Harry Potter world.
After having wine/beer at the bar, coffee at the outdoor cafe, we are now having a picnic at Cornwall Park.
Then we had to catch the sunset on Mt Eden.
The night was a little sexy in Auckland. ; )
SOUTH ISLAND PRE-WEDDING ::: FREDDY AND PRISCILIA’S LOVE JOURNEY PART II
I am updating my blog from China. And the internet filters in China have made this internet surfing experience particularly inconvenient. I am living in the world with no Facebook, no YouTube and no WordPress. Thanks to the profound wisdom of Chinese Government, I had to “climb the wall” every time I wish to access the dashboard to update my blog. No joy!
Having been away from home for the past four years, I finally got to spend some quality time with my parents. Even with my last trip back home I could only stay for as long as two weeks due to work commitment, so this time I feel the need to make it up for my absence over these few years. I’ve grown up much, and so have my parents, except the older they grow the more they need to be taken care of. My hometown has gone through drastic transformations over the years. Having been so used to the cosy New Zealand life I’ve found the city had become a little too big for me. In the midst of new surroundings and busy traffics, my brain would occasionally be tempted to switch off. Despite all the craziness, somethings never changed – my sentiment for this city, my past memories and my parents love for me. And that is an understatement, because I could sense they have become stronger.
Perhaps distance really makes heart grow fonder, just as most of my overseas clients have all been involved in a long distance relationship one way or the other. Freddy and Priscilia attended the same high school together. He was her senior, and they hung out in separate groups. But I believe an opportunity not arising doesn’t mean it did not exist, it’s just patiently brewing and waiting for its timing. In 2009, he finished his studies and returned from Sydney back to Indonesia, where they met again. Their unique experience and situations have never made building a close friendship easy. In January 2010, their relationship was put to a test when she had made her career move to become a stewardess in Singapore. Flying cross different time zones constantly means that when she is having a morning in LA he would be just about to sleep in Indonesia. They met once a month for only two days when she had day-off. They were facing tough challenges physically, mentally and emotionally. A fairytale ending belongs to those believe in faith and persist with it. He proposed in 2011 and asked her to move back with him to Indonesia. After serious considerations (thinking x1000) she finally decided to let go of her dream job and move back to the country. They engaged on 13 Nov 2011, and are now preparing for the big day.
SOUTH ISLAND PRE-WEDDING ::: FREDDY AND PRISCILIA’S LOVE JOURNEY PART I
Steamboat, increditable!
That’s me.
TO BE CONTINUED…
AUCKLAND HONEYMOON ::: JANE AND NICKMAN
With the first ray of sunshine on my face and the lighthearted blue sky outside of my bedroom window, I could feel the presence of Autumn. And I couldn’t be amazed enough how quickly the clock spins. Naturally Autumn reminds me the busy wedding season will soon to come passed; and it alarms me that there are plenty of post-production work needs to be done. Recovering from a cold, a new blog post is due… ; )
Pre-wedding photos, engagement photos or post-wedding photos…due to timing and different conventions I sometimes don’t even know how to define thothem myself. But it really doesn’t matter how we call them, what really matters is how the bond of love connects between two people in a magnetic and divine way. When two people are in love, their true emotions emanate. Be it in Bali, Korea or New Zealand…at that moment location simply doesn’t matter. And you don’t have to be at present to sense the love and happiness.
Jane and Nickman are a couple from Malaysia. Having known each other back in University since 2004, they have been through almost six years of friendship, and a challenging two years of long distance relationship before finally getting married on 12 January 2012. Right after that this newly married couple travelled to the pure land of NZ to spend their honeymoon and of course to have a photoshoot session with an Auckland based photographer such as me. ( ;
Photographing them was particularly smooth and easy because of how easy going and comfortable they are with each other. I feel so honored and blessed to have so many overseas couples who enjoy my photography style and put their trusts in my hands. All I hope is that my photographs will be the true reflection of their love and happy lives together. Happy marriage Jane and Nickman. Thanks Mayling for the beautiful makeup.
LOVE JOURNEY ::: KEVIN AND R-DEE’S ENGAGEMENT PORTRAITS
Time is the one thing in universe that makes no apologies for its passing. It slips through fingers; it outruns its keeper…we can’t catch time, but we can catch the moments, leaving us the most beautiful memories.
If a photograph is to catch a moment and a blog is to share stories, then I am proud to say that I am doing both. Although often enough I feel I needed more energy and time to do them, some events are far too important to let pass unrecorded; and some memories are far to precious to leave behind forgotten.
For the past few weeks, this is the Auckland engagement post that I have been dying to blog about: the stories took place between two wonderful friends I know.
I’ve known Kevin since the start of the Second Semester of my first year in University, which was…2004. It feels like a long time by now. In church, people often call a good christian a man(or woman) of God, a man of integrity, accountability and faith and so on. For Kevin…he not embraces it all, he’s also a man of real interesting characters. Whether you have been friends with him for a long time or only just met him for one day, you will be able to gather what I am trying to say here. For the fact that he was trying to make reference to the parables of the master seed while we were photoshooting under the big tree, you would know he’s special. HILARIOUS! And he has always been so.
R-Dee is special too. Whenever I think of R-Dee the image of her doesn’t pop up without her gigglings and laughters in a clear audio form. She’s the creative brain of the PR & Promotion team in church that I’ve always found joy to work with. Being R-Dee, she’s extremely proactive, driven and fast, making my jobs butter smooth not matter how fat they were. Say if she’s starting something up tomorrow then you’d better watch out, because whether it’s singing, dancing or brainstorming, she just has the talent for them all. At the end of the day, I am still absolutely grateful that when it comes to photography, I still have my say in this regard.
Enough the overheated introductions. This post is not about how I met them, but a few sets of their photos represnting a series of events took place between them, taking them from where they were to how far they have come.
Starbucks, Symonds Street, Early 2009
The slightly faded memory brought us back to her first year in university (2006): It looks like a freshman was looking for a fresh start. Wondering around the quad, set to look for a Christian club and a church, she saw many club stalls, but one in particular, stood out from the rest – the dynamic, friendly and rightfully the best Christian club at the time - ”CCM”. That’s also because all helpers at the CCM stall are well-organised and professionally trained, and we always made the best effort to talk to people with curious looks. As we all say, the first impression is important. The start of a chapter all began with him at the stall approaching her with a detailed intorduction, friendly eye contact and a ready smile…
Several years later, she was already the one standing in that same stall as the club president and he became the club adviser, They were working and serving God together as a good team. On a hot summer weekday in 2009, the bond between them grew stronger at that very one-on-one meeting at Starbucks on Symonds Street, without any meeting agendas, notes or plannings…It’s just to get to know each other BETTER. Starbucks coffee had never tasted so good before.
Parnell, November 2009
In a cosy sunday afternoon, on a street filled with boutique shops, resturants, bars and cafes, even the air feels a little vintage. At this beautiful place of Parnell, they had their first talk over the possibility of courtship. It was their first time bringing such matter on the table, together with something else – a chart. Yes, a flowchart from R-Dee with bulletpoints outlining expectations and how things are supposed to “flow”. When a project manager gets involved, you’d know you are up to a some kind of project.
Cornwall Park, Mid-2010
That first talk at Parnell has kindled countless prayers and meaningful conversations. Much effort was made to ensure they both share the same values and goals, he passed her a book to read before her going away for her overseas holiday. That’s the exact same book we’ve used as props during the engagement session. Trust and honesty could only bring two already-opened hearts even closer. With the right foundation, relationship was able to grow deep and strong, just like a big tree rooted deeply into the ground. Around two months into their courtship, they enjoyed their first picnic at Cornwall Park…
Devonport, March 2011
A guy kneeling in front of a girl, with a diamond ring in this hands, and with eyes looking right into her eyes, also with quivering lips and pronouncing some touching words…Perhaps one could probably imagine such familiar scene from a TV show or from the movies; perhaps a proposal already wasn’t the most difficult thing to prepare for, but before a relationship could even reach this far everything had to be in line with God’s timing. Eleven months into their courtship, in front of the stunning Auckland City view from the Devonport marina, marked another beautiful chapter of their lives.
17 December, 2011
They day we’ve all been waiting for… : )
…TO BE CONTINUED
AUCKLAND PRE-WEDDING ::: ALPHA AND SUKI
Just as we thought Summer was here, Auckland welcomed another rainy day. Gentle breeze enters my room through the window gaps. Cool and comfy. What can be better than lying in bed reading your favourite novel, editing photos while listening music and blogging? Luxury time.
Ever since the Rugby World Cup, the cityscape of Auckland has changed a lot. Revising downtown Auckland would always mean new discoveries and new surprises for me. Today’s blog features the latest photoshoot from last weekend Alpha and Suki’s Auckland Pre-wedding.
Alpha and Suki met each other back in university, about 4-5 years ago. They spotted each other at the campus and the invisible bond was immediately formed. She was always cheerful, lovable; his easy going personality was perfectly reflected on his big smile that he carries anywhere he went. It wasn’t a coincidence that they both ended up in the same accounting class, giving them the opportunity to get to know each other further… and deeper. On their first dinner date, they knew they were meant for each other. And now several years later, they are now engaged to each other, excitedly looking for their big day in March next year, where they will hold each others hands, sharing life together as husband and wife.
BRITOMART
VIADUCT
AUCKLAND MUSEUM
IN THE WOODS
The sweet couple, in such beautiful light
MURIWAI BEACH
I was particularly moved by this shot as I was reviewing the photos I took from that day. I feel so happy for you.
LOVE JOURNEY ::: JERRY AND MIMI (PART III)
As portrait and wedding photographers, our eyes were trained to multitask. We need to see and consider many things at one go – compositions, lightings, colours, DOF, emotions, poses, clothings and the list just goes on…and as our eyes become more and more sensitive, the supposedly easier job could sometimes take longer than expected. Well then, I think we will just have to trust in our own artistic instinct.
If you are a loyal blog reader you would have read about Jerry and Mimi’s Love Journey – their engagement photoshoot in South Island. You can find the previous episdoes here:
LOVE JOURNEY ::: JERRY AND MIMI’S SOUTH ISLAND ENGAGEMENT PHOTOSHOOT (PART I)
LOVE JOURNEY ::: JERRY AND MIMI (PART II)
LOVE JOURNEY ::: JERRY AND MIMI (A BEAUTIFUL INTERLUDE)
Now when I reflect back on destination photoshoot journey, a lot seems to really have happened. We stood in front of Mt Remarkables; we sat by the reflective Lake Wakatipu; we explored the beautiful Queenstown; we walked along of the bushes of Arrowtown; we not only tasted the infamous kiwi fish-n-chips, but also had delicious Japanese Kohan Bendon box for dinner; and to conclude the day, we had a tour at the Mt John obervatory to see the amazing sourthern night sky. A lot of happenings, but most importantly, we had fun. These are our priceless memories, all in DAY ONE!
Jerry and Mimi will be doing their pre-wedding photos in Auckland in September, but anyhow, on the sunny DAY TWO we’ve decided to bring in some pre-wedding flavour into our photoshoot. Mimi put on a white dress she prepared in advance matched with a veil while Jerry was in suit and looking smart. They have put in a lot of thoughts and efforts into their photoshoots which made me think it is such an hornor be able to photograph their enagement photos.
So here continues their love story…
Well, even though they began their relationship, it was not an easy ride and Jerry did put in lots of effort to make it work. There was a day when she was studying hard at home and someone knocked at the door. And to her surprise, it was a delivery man with flowers from Jerry. It was really sweet and unexpected.
The first time they met in real life as a couple was really hilarious. He travelled all the way from Auckland to Singapore just to spend a memorable few days with her on Bintan island in Indonesia. He bought her a bracelet from Auckland and surprisingly, that was the very same bracelet that she had been looking for but was sold out in Singapore. Perhaps this is destined.
They are a blessed couple. When they both thought that long distance relationship was hard to maintain, miracles just happened. The faithful God opened doors for Mimi to successfully take up a job here in Auckland, and that lead to the beginning of a brand new journey for them…
by THE CHURCH OF GOOD SHERPHERD
LAKE TEKAPO
MT JOHN OBSERVATORY
All the best for Jerry and Mimi. THE END
LOVE JOURNEY ::: JERRY AND MIMI (A BEAUTIFUL INTERLUDE)
When you are looking at a camera, you do not automatically think about who produced it.
When you are looking at an amazing photo, you do not automatically think about the photographer behind the camera.
But when you are looking at the stars, it would make you wonder…Who was their creator?
Previously, in PART I and PART II of Jerry and Mimi’s Love Journey I have posted some of their beautiful engagement photos taken in Jacks Point, Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown and Arrowtown. After approximately 3 hour drive we’ve finally arrived safely at Peppers Bluewater Resort at Lake Tekapo (Thanks to Jerry for being our awesome driver!). So much for Day One’s photoshoot, and I was glad that they both had a good time being in front of the camera! It’s been an awesome day so far and we just wished we could maximise our South Island experience a little more. And we did!
As we were driving towards our hotel, I told Jerry and Mimi about this Earth and Sky observatory tour at Lake Tekapo and how badly I always had been wanting to go up but never succeeded due to cloudy skies at night. We decided to give it another try since the weather was looking fairly promising this time. We were told how lucky we were because it was the first night in the week to have clear sky at Lake Tekapo! There we go! We wrapped ourselves up with loads of clothes and joined the tour departing at 10pm.
Here’s a photo I took for them in the van going up to Mt John. Thanks to modern DSLR’s amazing high ISO capability, I took this photo in complete darkness! Canon 5D Mark2 + 35mm F1.4L just rocks at night, I mean, in really really dark night! : )
Here’s another photo taken with max ISO, F1.4 at 1/15 second.
It was already fascinating listening to the tour guide telling us about stars and skies, and bits and pieces about astronomy that I had not much clue about. But when I learned that photographer Frazer was there with some special equipments to assist us take astronomy photographs he suddenly became my best friend. Frazer had this interesting tripod that was set to rotate at the same speed as the sky’s rotational speed to allow capture some long exposure photos without us worrying about getting the star trails. Frazer and his assistant help me mount my camera on the tripod and exposed it for 233 seconds! After a few trails and errors here’s what I’ve got. An amazing milky way with a fine details of stars! At that very moment all I thought everything was worth it!
Really thank God for this little extra experience, I was really inspired to put more effort into landscape photography. Because it’s truly satisfying!
The stars are part of the beautiful creation. And so are we. Although we both look small.
Coming up in Jerry and Mimi’s South Island engagement photoshoot, we will see some nice change. : )
TO BE CONTINUED…
LOVE JOURNEY ::: JERRY AND MIMI (PART II)
It was an utter excitement to review this entire set of South Island photos. I mean literally. It felt like a dream. “Unreal” was probably the most common vocabulary I used during the two day South Island destination photoshoot because it was just soo PPERFECTTT! I understand sometimes we think that it’s the location, or the lighting, the techniques, the glamour, the outfit, the poses, the props or the photographer etc, but it wasn’t. While having all these elements combined can probably yield some stunning portrait photos, it wasn’t about them. It was about the true, genuine love between the couple being photographed. Love is the heart and soul of photographs in such nature.
When you are out and about you are always restricted by something called schedule. The sun can be your best friend or it can be your worst enemy, depending on how your relationship goes. I approached this set by allowing the two of them freely interact with each other. By doing so not only saved us a lot of precious time (for the delicious local fish & chips in Queenstown) but also brought us more natural looking sweet photos.
Here their Love Journey continues…
So after a few years of working at two different places, they somehow got back in touch and that was when she found out that he had moved to Melbourne. Towards the end of 2009, she and her good friend were planning a visit to Melbourne and contacted him to meet up. But thing was, he was moving back to Auckland around that same time.
Fast forward another month, they finally met each other in an ex-classmate’s wedding in Kuala Lumpur where they enjoyed chatting and cherished each other’s company. Since then, they started sharing more even though there was 4 – 5 hours time difference between Singapore and New Zealand. He always appeared on MSN at 11pm Singapore time, which was actually around 4am NZ time. And of course, he kept coming up with ridiculous excuses on why he needed to wake up so early.
Despite being thousand miles apart, they felt connected to each other. He sent her a song that was close to her heart, just in time to encourage her when she was feeling down. They supported each other and sharing their part of the world became a daily habit in their life. They were attracted to each other. One day, he told her how he felt about her. That’s how their relationship officially started.
Things happen when you least expect it. After a big detour, who would have known that the person they were searching for would be someone whom they used to go to the same class with…
(TO BE CONTINUED…)
QUEENSTOWN
It’s Queenstown, it will be beautiful anyway!
I think the Starbucks background works for this photo.
Work it out Mimi. ; )
ARROWTOWN
Did I tell you Arrowtown is one of my all time favourite shooting spot? This is 200% true in Autumn!
Unreal! Unreal!
So sweet ; )
Ahhh…isn’t it beautiful?
This concludes our Day 1 of the South Island engagement photoshoot, and the Jerry and Mimi’s Love Journey continued to carry on.
Coming up next…something totally unexpected. Stay tuned!
TO BE CONTINUED…
LOVE JOURNEY ::: JERRY AND MIMI’S SOUTH ISLAND ENGAGEMENT PHOTOSHOOT (PART I)
Remember in one of my previous recent blog entries I mentioned about a perspective client found my portfolio on the internet and miraculously turned out to be someone that I could have possibly met? That’s Mimi.
It all happened really fast. Literally. Mimi approached me to find out details about having an engagement shoot in Auckland, but I was very busy then. Mimi insisted me to be their photographer so therefore she tactically posted blog comments, sent emails, text messages and then followed up by phone calls. So she caught me! The next thing I knew, we were drinking coffee in St Lukes mall and discussing about their engagement shoot in Auckland.
It’s always nice to talk about photoshoot and the possibly of getting some unique photographs and we had a good time there I must say. Few hours after our first appointment I received a message. Mimi asked about the possibility of having their photoshoot down South Island. I was like ARE YOU SERIOUS? The next thing I knew was that we had our flights, accommodation and rental car all booked, and we were on our flight to the amazing Queenstown, in the beautiful Autumn. It’s worth to mention that we managed to board the Air New Zealand All Blacks plane. There are only 2 of this kind in NZ. I know, it’s all very exciting and happening so quickly!
They were classmates back in year 1999 and 2000, and he was her class monitor. He was a really nice and responsible person, but sometimes he did misused his powers. Once he took the attendancec for the whole class when only a few people actually turned up. Funny thing was, the teacher actually believed him…
They were not closed friends back in high school. They seldom talked to each other, maybe he was too nerdy for her liking. Jerry strongly denies this till these days….
After high school, they then went separate paths with literally no contacts at all. He went to Auckland for his tertiary studies while she had hers in Malaysia…
(TO BE CONTINUED…)
While this is a good back lit shot, it fails miserably as a story telling photo beacause nobody could tell this is the All Blacks version. Hehe..
Let’s heck out the crew…as you see, we don’t have a fancy team. Mimi was responsible for her own makeup and hair, Jerry did 90% of driving
I had two camera bags, one for lenses and one for camera, strobe and wireless flash triggers. Flash stays on tripod, camera bag stays in the car.
Mimi suggested I should give my assistant a name, so I have been called him Trusty. ^^
THE JACKS POINT
Mt Remarkable as a back drop, love it!
Then we discovered a spot with all the long grass. O my favourite long grass!
LAKE WAKATIPU
Beautiful reflection…
Mr Remarkable in the mirror 
Together, Jerry and Mimi started their Love Journey…and I was honoured to be the one who can document this.
Coming up next…more photos in Queenstown and in the ever beautiful Arrowtown…stay tuned ; )
TO BE CONTINUED…
