Since we’re all still in Chinese New Year mood, I thought I’d share some tips (from a photographer’s perspective) regarding the tea ceremony that happens at every Chinese wedding. Hope it helps you plan for your tea ceremony!

1. Please prepare  a list so you are well organized during the ceremony. You don’t want to accidentally miss that aunt who travelled all the way from Ipoh to attend your wedding. It also enables the ceremony to run smoothly as the next person can prepare their gifts and ang pow before it is their turn.

2. In the past, we’ve photographed a tea ceremony with a large group of about 100 people. And that was only one side of the family! Instead of taking 2 hours for the session, you could speed things up by preparing additional seats – while one couple is being served tea, the next couple is already seated on the 2nd set of chairs, waiting for their turn! One couple we photographed actually created a semi-circle of about 10 seats. Everyone was seated, and the couple made their rounds in an orderly manner.

3. Find a spacious area for the tea ceremony where we can move around easily for multiple angles. Try not to place the seats against a wall. Give at least a 3 feet gap so the photographer can roam behind the seats for a different perspective.

4. As for the arrangement of the chairs… it’s quite normal for the 2 chairs to be placed side by side in a straight row. But when we take a side angle shot, the person in front usually blocks the person at the back. So we do sometimes request permission to adjust the position of the chairs a little, if the elders are ok with it. Do prompt them about this so they won’t feel upset that the chairs may be arranged for better photography.

5. Ask the person collecting ang pows or preparing tea to stand across on the other side, away from the photographers. That way, they would not be blocking the bride & groom and also, they would appear more often in the images!

6. Lastly, when you serve the tea, try to hold the cup in a way that your hand doesn’t cover it completely.

Hope these tips help! Enjoy the moment and remember to laugh a lot!

Chairs were positioned one slightly behind the other so that everyone is visible from the photographer’s perspective. Unfortunately we can’t really see the tea cup in this shot. 

 Having space behind the chairs is great because it enables us to move around easily!

Lots of space to move around! And of course, if your home has lots of big windows with natural light, that’s an even bigger bonus for us!

You will need:

1. A camera. (Any kind of camera will work, really! Doesn’t have to be an expensive and bulky DSLR. Your point-and-shoot will work well!)
2. Your group of happy relatives.

Tip #1:

Leave no gaps, unless it’s intentional.

As you can see the picture above, the gap has created a kind of awkwardness. As if Weiming (right) does not want to have anything to do with the group. So remember to ask your subjects to go closer.

Tip #2

Handbags, lose ‘em!

Ladies, I know it’s pretty hard to get your hands off your new Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton bag that you’ve just purchased for the New Year.  Holding them while taking a group photo looks like you’re about to head off somewhere.

There. Much better. :)

Tip #3

Connection

Show the world you love each other! Ask your loved ones to put their arms over each other’s shoulders. Cuddle, if they like. If there are young children, tickle them and make them laugh. Tell a joke, make your loved ones laugh and smile. Your pictures will turn out more natural that way.

Tip #4

Working it for the Camera

If you are taking group pictures of a group of ladies, always tell them to stand sideways and rest their weight on one side of their hips and bend their knees a little. This will accentuate on their curves and will make them look slimmer.  Alternately, they can cross their legs and rest their hands on their hips. Your aunties, female cousins and their spouses will appreciate you for that. You’re welcome.

Guys, standing straight will make you look like you’re about to sing the national anthem. So look cool- put your hands in your pocket or cross your arms. Remember to smile. 

*Extra: You may also want to tell your relatives not to lift their hands as this may cover other people’s faces. Here is a very good example not to do that:

(Picture source: Huffington Post)

Follow these steps and you will be on your way to feel like this kid:

Have fun!

xoxo,
Diane

What matters most is that I get to know the brides and grooms that I photograph. I want to know what kind of people they are. I want to know what they like and what they dislike. Do they like to pose or do they prefer candids? Out the many many weddings I’ve photographed, in my entire wedding photography career, I’ve only been asked twice “Do you shoot with Nikon or Canon?”. And both conversations ended up being a fun conversation anyway. Hehe.

I love Nikon and I love Canon in different ways. But when the tyres hit the road, my aim is to have a great time capturing your wedding no matter what the camera tool you put in my hand. It’s my job to figure out which tool works better in which situation and it’s my bride and groom’s job to have fun and have an amazing wedding day. That’s really all there is to it.

Here is a list of things that will help us get to know you better:-

1) We’d like to meet you over a quick coffee a week or two before your wedding day

2) Do tell us what are the important details that you want photographed eg you’ve stuck “I Do” stickers under both your shoes, etc

3) Keep us updated if there are any last minute changes to the flow of events

(and if a longer checklist makes you more comfortable, just ask us and we’d only be too glad to furnish you with one) Hehe.

Explore and Enjoy!

Johan Sopiee

A great moment captured by Johan! PS: Without looking at the exif data, can you tell which image was taken with a Nikon or Canon?

I had the privilege of witnessing and recording the marriage proposal of my friends Ivan and Mi Ghent a few days ago. I’ve known the both of them for years – individually and then together as a couple. I am so glad they’ve taken the plunge into this whole realm of trusting each other’s hearts with full commitment to one another.

Ivan had this ingenious idea of creating ‘additional’ Monopoly Deal cards for the proposal. It’s one of Mi Ghent’s favourite game and the idea was so apt! After a few rounds, Ivan played his “Marry Me” card, followed by the “Just Say Yes” card, specially designed by our friend Monica.

She was stunned for a while, and then asked, “Are you on your knees?”

Needless to say, she said YES!

It was especially meaningful too that the engagement ring was a family heirloom handed down by Ivan’s mum. I am so happy for the both of you! Thank you for inviting Alex and I to be part of this beautiful occasion. And of course, thanks for the yummy Ipoh food too! Now, on to wedding planning!

A week ago, I posted some photos from Aaron & Chrystin’s pre-wedding shoot. It was such an elaborate set up that I knew we had to document it with a video. What you don’t really see in this image below is the many piles of cow dung that we had to avoid stepping on in that field. The shoot was done at UPM, where cows graze freely at certain times of the day. Thankfully, I managed to find a cow-dung-less spot to set up our little picnic mat. So hope you enjoy the video and do leave a comment behind!

So I am glad that we managed to complete this edit, thanks to the ever hardworking Weiming. He shot and edited this video entirely on his own. Amazing work! Thanks Weiming for making me look good in video (though I cringe when I hear my own laughter).

To view the photos from Alvin & Melissa’s shoot at Carcosa, click on this link!

Do let me know what you think of our little video!

1. Make sure your child has enough rest the night before / afternoon before the shoot. If I don’t get enough sleep, I’d be grumpy too.

2. If your child has never been to the park before and you want to do a shoot in the park, I really don’t know how he/she’ll react once he sees grass. Might be a good idea to visit the park as a family a few weeks before the shoot so that you can introduce the little one to grass. (and possibly bugs too!)

3. Bring some snacks in case your child gets hungry. (or if the parents get hungry!)

4. Expect to sweat. Malaysian weather can be unforgiving at times… so dress comfortably!

5. Just play with your child during the photo session. Don’t get upset if things don’t go the way you expect it to. You can never force kids to look into the camera when they don’t feel like it, or haven’t warmed up to the photographer. The more flustered you get, the more likely you won’t get the type of photos you’ve been hoping for.

Have a great mid-week!

By the way, the little round date on the top right corner is like a pop up button. Kinda cool.

I said yes.

I don’t claim to be a wedding expert. I can only share from my experiences – whether it was from planning my own wedding or from going through many weddings as a photographer. (by the way, the article said I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings… just to let you know that the numbers are more modest than that, maybe a hundred plus?).

If you are interested in getting a copy of this magazine, you can buy it from any normal bookstore. It’s the July / August 2011 issue.

Do let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment here and maybe you can share some tips of yours as well.

There isn’t any photographer credit mentioned for my wedding images featured below. I’d like to thank to Andy Lim, Joseph Siew and Yean Tai for these photos here!

Left image below: This is how the cover of the magazine looks like, in case you are wondering!
Right image below: In the magazine, there are other images photographed by the Stories team which are featured too. Bottom right corner images are photos taken during Kevin & Michelle’s wedding. The Bentley on page 106 was also photographed by us.

Image below: David & Risa’s wedding is also featured in this issue:

At weddings, it’s normal for the couple to request for group photographs. Most times, the group size ranges from 5-20 people. However, if you are like Ben and Angela here, you might request for ALL your guests to be in the same image. While it’s a cool idea, there are some challenges a photographer faces when shooting such a large group. How do you even organize the people? How do you see everyone in one image? How do you even light everyone properly, especially if it’s an indoor venue?

Unless you have a huge, multi step platform with about 15 steps that can comfortably fit 10 people per row without one person blocking another, there’s no way to properly achieve this shot.

Tip: So, if you plan to do a large group image like this (anything beyond 50 people)… please make sure there is a way for the photographer to be elevated above the guests.

I wish I had a behind the scenes shot to show you how we achieved this shot. The photo was taken at Zion Lutheran Church in Brickfields, and it didn’t have a 2nd floor where I could be elevated. So Ben organized a tall ladder for me, Johan placed 3 speedlights behind me and held the ladder steady while I climbed it to get this shot.

Ideally I would have liked to see everyone’s faces better without any distortion, but given the space constraints, I could not use any other lens other than a wide angle lens.

Having said that, I am quite happy with the results and I think it’s a pretty cool and unique group photo!

So, it is possible to take large group shots and also make it interesting. Hope that helps! Over time, I hope to share more tips on planning for your wedding, especially from a photographer’s point of view.