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…
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
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…
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…
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!
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.
Westhaven, and the truly beautiful Auckland city skyline.
CBD, where you get a glimpse of the inner Auckland flavor.
Lastly, Muriwai beach with its killer sunset!
Kc has shown her charm throughout the day without fail.
NORTH ISLAND WEDDING ::: CHRIS AND GRACE
Strange maybe, the internet back home would only allow onc computer access at a time. So for the past few weeks I’ve been surfing the internet via my dad’s computer, his Asus laptop. Using a non-calibrated monitor once again reminded me of what a world of difference photos can look on other people’s computer! Therefore WARNING: if you are not a Mac user and you’ve never had your monitor calibrated before, the photos below may exhibit somewhat lifeless skin tone and poor contrast. That’s because you are totally missing the real dynamic and glow! Which means if you are an Apple Mac user, you are safe. This is how it is, you don’t pay more for nothing. ; )
Each physical aspect of a beautiful wedding is attributed to its venue choice, planning, details and tons of planning and details. Selecting the right venue not only would save your wallet but also means better time management and what’s more, a special experience for you and all of your guests. Chris and Grace picked this beautiful venue with an elevated view overlooking the entire Pakiri beach and a large expanse of ocean and also the Goat Island. But good venue sometimes come with a sacrifice: the videographers and I and also people who helped put this wedding together had to travel for about 90mins from Auckland City. And in my initial visit I even felt carsick. So the photographer me insisted to drive my own car on the actual wedding day.
Enough said, I hope you all enjoy this images! Have a wonderful Thursday!! = ]
There are so many nice spots in this house to allow you frame your shots.
The wind was incredibly strong that morning that it tipped over almost everything!
There comes the sacred moment!
Let’s end today’s post with a happy bridal party shot. : D
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.
SOUTH ISLAND PRE-WEDDING ::: FREDDY AND PRISCILIA’S LOVE JOURNEY PART I
If 2011 was busy, 2012 is doomed to be a busier year. On the first day of 2012, few hours after the New Year Countdown, I had to dash to the airport for a pre-wedding photoshoot in South Island. And the next thing I realised, I found myself landed in the beautiful Queenstown.What a good way to kick off the New Year!
The photoshoot didn’t start until later in the afternoon so I had some quality time to enjoy my brunch, relax and to scout around for new photoshoot locations. The beautiful golden fields got me lost in this beautiful season. If it wasn’t the blazing sunlight at noon I would have forgotten we were in Summer. The colour was beautifully gold. And just like in autumn, it’s windy, very windy and a little bit cold.
It was Freddy and Prescilia’s first time visiting New Zealand. With their family they drove a campervan all the way down from Auckland to Queenstown, where we first met. Prior to the trip I’ve been communicating with Prescilia via email and on facebook so they got to Queenstown with everything well prepared – dresses, gowns, makeup kits, accessories, magazine photos and so on. I was so impressed!
We say a journey broadens our horizon, so what more could a Love Journey bring to us? In this journey we will be exploring Franklin, Queenstown, Arrortown, Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo together and of course the photographs taken and the stories told during the trip…Please stay tuned!
Shooting bridal portrait in strong wind can be extremely challenging as any kind of hair style cannot escape the fate of getting messed up. However if you are able to hold your hair as much as possible and attach a veil to it, you will see magical results!
Pris looked so gorgeous in this one.
and this one!
Freddy’s just proven he could do the same.
TO BE CONTINUED…
TRADITIONAL CHINESE WEDDING ::: GORDON AND POOILENG
Happy Chinese New Year! I wish everyone a prosperous and successful New Year of Dragon! May all your dreams come true and may this Dragon Year bring you joy, peace and good health!
It’s been almost ten years since I’ve come to New Zealand; it’s been four years since I last visited my family back home; and I’ve already lost count of when was the last time I actually spent Chinese New Year with my family. A long time ago by memory. I’ve spent the most important ten years of my life in a foreign land which I now can call my second home. And it is on the festival occasions when one misses his dear most…especially on this day. I remember the happy days we had when we were kids, when families would gather for Reunion Dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve, when firecrackers and fireworks were still allowed to be play at every cornor of the stairwell and courtyards, when cousins and I would plan fun games in grandparents’ house while our parents were watching the CCTV Spring Festival Gala Evening. Good times, memorable times! I still remember how we thought the programs were only entertainments for our parents and never meant for children, so I’ve never finished watching the whole show for once in my life…until today. Perhaps the more grown up we’ve become, the more we respect our traditions. And the everyday things we took for granted became treasures that we are afraid of losing, when everything formed part of the history became a history.
Traditions are only traditions when people are willing to put in effort to keep them. Although it may not be quite a tradition to have a wedding on Christmas Day, having your house decorated with Double Hapiness stickers, the bride dressed up in Qi-Pao, exchanging red envelopes and hosting a tea ceremony as a sign of showing gradefulness and respect to the elderlys would definitely imply bringing good fortune to the couple and their family. And on this festive day, keeping tradition would mean having your household filled with the element of RED! I experienced just that at Gordon and Pooileng’s Chinese Wedding. Traditions. The joy of celebrating for the marriage of a couple, their families and our own traditions!
One of the most interesting part of a Chinese weding is Picking up the Bride. The groom’s true love for the bride needs to be testified before many difficult challenges.
In many cases, the bride is in a waiting position inside her house…
And waiting comfortably. LOL
Here comes the Groom!
The groom is fully charged, ready for what’s to come.
And Gordon made sure he did not come alone. Every successful groom is accompanied by many warriors who put themselves forward to fight.
Because chinese wedding never goes easy on the boys.
Look at how well-planned the girls are…they are the ones who sets the challenges!
The groom needs to be very careful with his answers when facing challenges, because for every mistep, there would follow consequences! Various kind of conequences! They involve the ones you can imagine, and the ones you can’t.
So in order the pass through the gate, the boys would need to wise up and strategise their moves.
Every stage you pass, the Groom is one step closer to seeing the Bride.
The brave knight who stays put will eventually see the light of dawn! And pass the gift of love to the hands of the bride.
Bride’s mum was filled with happiness.
Congratulations Gordon and Pooileng, you guys are stars! And I can’t wait till your Western style wedding. : )
AUCKLAND PRE-WEDDING ::: ALBERTON HOUSE SPECIAL ::: JAMES AND ZILING
As far as weather in NZ is concerned, Summer is still MIA. Where is sunshine? Where is walking along the beach? Where are heatwaves and ice-cream? Where are volleyballs, surfboards and all the things that are supposed to make me picture a nice Summer? Stop! Let’s not go there. In the reality, I am sitting in front of my computer, editing pictures I took from December and in the middle of blogging. As I was working throughout the Christmas and New Year holidays, I didn’t feel cheated by the upsetting weather. Well I did work on some of the statutory holidays too, but remind me why didn’t I charge double pay for those days? PASSION! That’s the reason. Well I really like what I do. And being responsible for the couples and individuals in front of my camera has always been what drives me forward. And I am so honored to have many of my friends and friends’ friends who trust me in capturing many splendid moments of their lives.
I’ve got to know Ziling from SHOWTIME, an online platform where models, photographers and makeup artists collaboratively work together to achieve certain photoshoot projects (See our previous projects by clicking the links below). She’s fun, smart and willing to sacrifice anything for a good photos. So when I was asked to shoot her and her fiance’s pre-wedding photos I knew this was going to be interesting. And since we’ve set the location on Alberton House and Muriwai Beach, there’s no reason why wouldn’t it be…
SHOWTIME MODEL [ MAY ISSUE ] ::: ZILING
The history of Alberton house can be traced back to as early as 1863. It was latter expanded to 18 different rooms, each decorated with matching Victorian style of furniture and ornaments without compromise. For couple who are interested in some places special to get married or have a photoshoot, you may want to check out this beautiful venue. : )
People are usually not settled for just one location, so we headed to my favourite west coast. BEST BEACHES there!
A SOLJANS WEDDING ::: KEVIN AND R-DEE
December on the Southern hemisphere side, where the stormy days were supposed to be so last season. But when sunshine and blue skies are still feeling a bit camera-shy, the best thing you can do is perhaps to prepare a Plan “B” and hope you will never have to use it. The weather in this early Summer hadn’t been exactly great as it had been raining the entire week leading up to their big day on 17 December. Therefore, raining on the big day would not be a surprise to anyone at all, but the question remained – is the rain going to stop, and when.
It seems like the unwanted rain had invited herself to the ceremony that day. When the bridal and her wedding car arrived at Soljans, just a few minutes before the ceremony start, raindrops started to fall from the sky. Sensing the need for a backup venue, the venue organiser were about to initiate Plan “B” – moving the ceremony indoor. “Can we wait till the rain clears?”, asked the bride. With a degree of confidence in her voice she still seemed to believe the situation will soon change despite the current weather outside.
Sometimes life puts us on a test only to help us find wisdom, strength and confidence to over come it. Other times, we need to realise our limitations and leave things to God, trusting that He is in control. Somewhat within less than five minutes, the weather cleared and the bright sunlight was shining on the beautiful garden of Soljans. Wines were waving in the wind as if they were saying, ”It’s time. Let’s start!”
At the wedding, “the Celebration of Love”, we revisited the testament of faith. While to others it’s a reminder, for some of us it’s reassurance. Absolute reaassruance. Congratulations Kevin and R-Dee. I am so proud of you two. And I hope the Slick will look slick like never before and the Charm will stay charming forever. : )
I took so many photos on a wedding day and it really hurts not being able to post all of them. But here are some of the photos I loved and picked and I hope you enjoy viewing them.
Every wedding is unique, so is this one started off at Braemar. There are heaps of fine details to photograph and I adore places like this.
The bride’s mum was around for the whole bridal preparation sessione, watching her daughter getting make-up and hair done. What could be on the mum’s mind? I guess it must be a complex feeling. But the smile on the mum’s face told us at least that. She’s proud of how beautiful her daughter looked that day.
A few more portrait before the bride heading for the ceremony. GORGEROUS!
Here comes the most anticipated moment: father holding the daughter’s hand in the clear sunshine, slowing marching towards the red carpet. Everybody’s attention was drawn by her. Imposing, elegant, imposingly elegant.
Pastor, celebrant, groom’s father…Uncle Albert plays his triple role pretty well that day.
I have no idea why they smile at the camera like this. Good job boys with the teeth and identical poses.
I have photos to prove how great the weather turned out to be during the ceremony.
It’s NOT the kiss, it’s the moment before…and right after.
If I had to pick one photo to define the wedding day I would choose a wedding recessional shot like this every time. Abundance of happiness and the overflowing of joy and love completely revealed on the couple’s faces. Nothing can cover that.
A simply WOW…
17 December 2011. One big great day to remember!
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.
AUCKLAND PRE-WEDDING ::: NIGEL AND SAMMI
This will be my 150th blog on this website. 150th only? I feel I must have a lot to catch up on. Recently I indirectly heard feedbacks from a Bride who mentioned that there are a lot of non-wedding related work on my blog. It is so TRUE. Because photography currently by far my biggest hobby and will remain to be for a long long time, so I would tend to diversify my portfolio a little bit. Wedding is a big part of most people’s lives, it’s so important that it may affect the rest of our lives. But it’s not an end itself. It sets a new milestone of 2 people’s lives, and their families of course. Wedding photography is not an end in itself either. The true photography passion should exist to document life, with life and through life.
Nigel and Sammi are in fact my current landlord and they are one of those nicest landlord ever. One day they kindly asked if I would be able to do a wedding photoshoot in Auckland and South Island. I looked at my fulled booked October schedule and said “sure”, knowing that they are flexible to listen and follow my directions. So we managed to squeeze in one in for the pre-wedding photoshoot in Auckland. And one day was all it takes.
Auckland, known as the City of Sails, is charming at its best in nice weather. And Westhaven is one of the best places for capturing such beauty. We hired a wedding gown from Anyi and headed down to the waterfront to capture the blue sky with Auckland skyline, to Auckland CBD to experience the urban city look, to One Tree Hill to appreciate the romantic cherry blossoms and lastly to Muriwai Beach to see the golden sunset.It was a wonderful day, wonderful couple and we had a wonderful time.
A little bit of adventure is sometimes required during my photoshoot. ; )
HERA BRIDAL 2012 WEDDING COLLECTION PHOTOSHOOT
For me personally, the busy wedding season kicked off a little bit differently this year. You know if you are in the wedding photography business, sometimes all you do is shooting bride and groom in their suit and dresses, or perhaps shooting an engaged couple in a park or doing their pre-wedding photoshoot at the beach. Inevitably you would occasionally think: Would it be nice to shoot something different other than wedding or portrait for a change? Sure! So…Exactly one month ago, I ended up shooting wedding gowns! (Told you it was a LITTLE BIT different this year. : )
Well maybe the job nature was a bit different, but it was definitely an interesting leap for me as I was getting more and more experienced in flash photography than ever before. Luckily enough, we were having everything done indoor at White Studio because of the unstable weather. White Studio has amazing facilities and it’s the place to be for photographers. And it was proven to be a right choice to shoot indoor because it rained throughout the entire day. So we arrived at the studio at about 7:30am and started setting up the equipments etc. Kelly and Sarah from RensFx did an awesome job in doing models’ makeup, and also speedily, constantly changing hair styles for the models Chloe and Sarah. However busy we were, we had blast that day and all the hard work got paid off after seeing the satisfactory faces from Katie and Cliff from Hera Bridal. The photoshoot would have been so successful without the support from Katie, Michael and Kelly’s teams, and of course the two amazing supporters Joshua Fang and Roy Hu. Here is a glimpse of the final work and the beautiful wedding gowns (Hera bridal) and evening dresses (Joli Collection). Click here if you wish to check out more of their dresses.
I really like Chlo’s smiles and her lively poses!
Okay I know nothing beats the behind the scene photos. And I also know the models in these photos just look as cool as those two professional models above! Thanks Roy for capturing these valuable shots.
If I can just live in this studio…I would!
Trust me we are all happy people and we were very happy. It’s just that when we get serious in what we do (and we are!) we look a bit tense!
WEDDING DAY ::: SANDY AND STUART
It’s just a gradually developed convention that I would normally put guy’s name in front of girl’s when I blog about couples wedding or engagement photos. Interestingly for this couple it feels like their names sound better when you put the hers before his – so it’s Sandy and Stuart not the other way around.I think I am not the only person who has agreed to that. : )
When we were told by Sandy that they were getting married in September back in July, we were all excited and had been looking forward to this day. Sandy and Stuart have been knowing each other for over 20 years, and finally had their ceremony at Brigham Cafe in Whenuapai, Auckland. We were still in transition from Winter to Spring, so the rain was still on and off that afternoon. However, unpredictable in some way is also a prediction, so we had the entire ceremony semi-indoor that comfortably accommodated everybody, and everyone could still get to enjoy the beautiful garden around and without getting the rain. If I were to describe their wedding with only one word. “FAMILY” would be it. It was a simple, relaxed, family-surrounded fun wedding that (officially) brought everybody into one big family.
Laughters wereHere it’s quite hard not to laugh when Sandy said to Stuart in front of everyone, “Now let’s get serious!”
After dinner we headed towards a heritage house for the wedding party.
Here comes the highlight of the night…The band! The band that Sandy and Stuart are in marched into the room with exotic musical instruments, many of which I have probably never seen or head of. The music was drumming my ears because I was so close to them. We were on the 2nd floor and I could VIVIDLY recall the floor was LITERALLY vibrating PHYSICALLY up and down, plus there were many high-spirited people who were EXCITEDLY jumping around me…so as much as I enjoyed getting the cool band shots, I was SIMULTANEOUSLY worried about the stability of this building. Did I mention it’s a heritage building?? The band TOTALLY rocked it! I was told afterwards only half the band (approx 13 people?) turned out that evening. Pheww…I really wonder what would have happened to us if the whole band was there! HAHA! The band will be performing in Europe next year.
Just to around up today’s blog post here’s the evident of other people calling them “Sandy and Stuart”! Whoever baked this must have a super-sized kitchen because it’s very very HUGE!
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 (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…
DONALD AND KYLIE ::: A ZEN GARDEN WEDDING
You know how sometimes when you look at the weather it makes you feel good and you know that is THE day? That was exactly it – a perfect sunny Saturday morning for Don and Kylie’s wedding. Despite the fact we have now entered into the season of rain and it has been raining throughout the week, this day was so special that even the rain had to take on a one day short holiday.
Don and Kylie not only picked the perfect date, but they’ve also picked the perfect venue for their wedding – The Zen Garden. In our initial pre-wedding consultation I was already excited to hear that they’ve chosen a wedding venue that was new to me. Then when we went out to scout around the venue I was completely blown away by its tranquil surroundings, unique landscapes, character architectures and the defined details with an Orental flavour.
Here comes the beautiful bride Kylie and her father walking towards Don and the guests, with the amazing Zen Garden architecture as a backdrop. This could well be the longest distance grand entrance I have ever seen at a wedding. ^^
The happy couple…
I like how they were looking into each others eyes while exchanging the rings. A sweet moment.
For the grand exit, Don suddenly decided to be spontaneous and headed for a new path “on the water”!
The charming boys and girls : )
The light was just lovely. I call this the shadow shot. It generally works quite well with cool guys.
Beautiful light!
WEDDING STORY ::: DONALD AND KYLIE
Where shall I begin? Sometimes you’ve got to admit that our world is getting smaller and smaller, this is especially true for us who live in Auckland. A friend of mine on the internet turned out to be an old friend of my homestay parents. And thanks to this friend Brian, Tom and Imelda met each other and they became Mr and Mrs Dixon. I believe there’s always some kind of connection between people. It’s like how Vincent and Summer bumped into each other 3 times in a roll and Vincent took the courage to go up to ask for her phone number. I also believe that God has a plan. It’s just like how last week a client was searching for wedding photos online and happened to click on one of the photographs I took in the past. So she found me. In our first meeting, I found out that she has visited my mother church before and we’ve in fact probably already met each other before. How two people could meet each other on this planet is really a miracle. No really. It’s miracle that we know each other. : )
This miracle took place 14 plus years ago when these two had their lives intercepted each other, miraculously through a common friend of theirs. She was a young wild child wanting to experience the world. He was a maturing senior who’s always a few years ahead of the game. They attended the same University together, well technically they did, but no. Because one was in Palmy while the other one was in Welly and in a totally different year. From Palmy, Welly to Auckland, climax after climax the friendship and courtship between Donald and Kylie unfolded as they faced many challenges. A miracle wouldn’t be called miracle unless it had been tested, tested and tested…and will eventually see victory.
On Saturday the 7th of May, together with other 250 guests at Zen Garden, we’ve witnessed the fruit of this relationship, in joy and in happiness.
To be continued…^^
Thanks to Remi and her team. They were so busy that day! Well done!
Some “behind” the scene revealed
Bridesmaid No.2 – Pinny was caught by camera.
The elegant look.
Kylie and her stunning Kay Po.
Busy preparation before the tea ceremony.
The girls…
The cool boys arrived at the waterfront apartment. Don and his “Hing-Dai” (brothers) survived the games!
Despite the “rain throughout the whole day” weather forecast, I think we rocked the weather that day pretty well!.
