Months ago, Wendy emailed me from London to ask if I was available to shoot her wedding in Malaysia. After a looong conversation over email, Wendy decided to make a booking, which eventually lead to another booking for her pre-wedding shoot. I really enjoy getting to know my clients before their wedding day, and even before I met Wendy in person, I felt as if I already knew her.
She is a really chatty and easy going person. On Laughton & Wendy’s pre-wedding shoot day, I discovered that Wendy’s a Peranakan, just like me! From Malacca! That describes the talkativeness and the fun nature! My brother jokingly reminds me all the time that Peranakan women are noisy, fun, love to dance and are full of drama!
And consistent with the nature of most Peranakan families, there was a little drama on Wendy’s wedding day.
Wendy’s lovely bouquet (featured below) was accidentally left behind at the Seapark Brickhouse prior to the church ceremony.
It was quite an upsetting moment, especially when Wendy had to walk down the aisle with ‘replacement’ flowers. But after all that drama, everything turned out well… the church ceremony went ahead beautifully, the friends were excited for Laughton & Wendy over their marriage, the dinner was scrumptious, and the families were happy.
I recently did another boudoir photography shoot, this time completely in the studio. It challenged my creativity because I had to constantly think of new poses for my client. You wouldn’t have thought that the background to this shot was anything but black in real life right? In fact, the background was grey. I used two flashes to create the look and to reduce all ambient light around my subject.
In the past, I used to shun away from using flash for my photography work. It is a scary thing that is hard to control. But once you begin to understand it, light is a fun thing to play around with. I am still learning and improving my skills over time. I know that there are flaws to this image, but overall, I am rather pleased with it.
Jason and Krystal have their hands full. Their first two boys, Ryan & Jaden are energetic enough to bring the house down. And now, comes Damien. When I stepped into Krystal’s family home for our photo shoot, both Ryan and Jaden were running around the house with their cousins. The Decibel level was pretty high. :) It makes me wonder how did parents in the generation before manage with 10 or 13 children in the house.
Boys will be boys and so Ryan and Jaden promptly ignored us while we started our photo shoot with Damien. He turned one month recently. Isn’t he adorable? I love the giraffe blanket and basket that Krystal prepared for the shoot.
I’m in one of those reflective moods again. Every now and then, I ponder about life, the meaning of it, and what is my purpose in this world. In the past, I’ve blogged about issues like these on my personal blog, but never on the Stories blog before. It’s always difficult to be open and vulnerable to others, but I do believe in being authentic.
I’m constantly busy. This year was a really hectic year for me, with the launch of Stories as a brand (wow, I can’t believe it’s been 8 months already!). In the midst of running a business, selling my house, traveling, buying a new house, renovating the new house… I hardly had time to breathe. But today, I had to take a moment to reflect. What am I working so hard for?
People say that it’s either one of these things that motivate you in life – money, fame, or a cause greater than yourself. If I am being completely honest with myself, I think I’d like to be well-known. I’d like to know that I am successful in my business. I want to shoot more, be excited about new projects, be a photographer in demand…
But all for… ? What?
What is the level of success?
What am I building?
It brings me great satisfaction to know that the work I produce brings so much joy to others. Part of my job satisfaction comes from knowing that I am building a legacy of images – records of people’s lives and a moment in history. Photography connects people. And I’m so amazed that I have been given this blessed opportunity to bring people together.
I guess I am reminded today that my purpose in life should never be solely about myself. In this quest for success, I must never lose my soul.
Children sharing a meal in Myanmar, taken during my travels in 2007.
What’s new and brewing? Every now and then, I get requests to conduct photography training sessions, most of the time, basic photography workshops for those who just purchased their DSLRs. It’s one thing to buy a DSLR, it’s quite another to master those teensy-little buttons! I remember when I first purchased my Canon 300D (my first ever Digital SLR), I read the manual back to front diligently. And still didn’t quite understand what it was talking about.
I learn better through experience and through other people, and so I know how frustrating it can be at times to ‘try’ to get an effect but never quite understanding how to! And so, for all you photography enthusiasts, amateurs, soon-to-turn-professionals out there… here’s a workshop to quench your thirst for photography! This is not a basic photography workshop – you will be expected to know things like aperture, shutter speeds, ISO, white balance, etc.
Organized by Models Inc., this exclusive workshop gives you the opportunity to work with models one on one. If you are looking to expand your portfolio, experience, learn how to ‘see’ the light, and network with other photographers, PLUS get an opportunity to go on live shoots after the training, this event is for you! If you are an aspiring model, this is also an event for you! I am excited to share my experiences with all of you during this workshop.
Day 1, learn how to make a good portrait even better by learning different lighting & posing techniques. You will be utilizing different lighting techniques from available light to off camera flash and also video light to create your portraits. From theory, we will move on to a practical on-location shoot as the photographers will have the opportunity to photograph the different models. Each photographer will be assigned to one model so you have maximum control, and the ability to build your own personal portfolio!
For models, an up and coming stylist will coach you on hair and make-up application and will be giving tips on how to spruce up and keep looking fresh even on a hot day out on set.
Day 2, learn about how to create a good workflow after your shoot. You will be learning some cool post processing skills using Lightroom and Photoshop. A panel of renowned photographers will be invited to review the images so that you can maximize your learning experience. After the review, one photographer will be chosen to go through an apprenticeship period with myself (T&C apply) – to learn from live shoots! Models will be given a professional portfolio worth RM 200 within two weeks of the end of the workshop, including a fashion show line up in October.
Limited to only 10 photographers and 10 models – you are guaranteed a personalized experience.
If you wish to sign up, please email [email protected] with the following subject and body.
Subject : Re: Visual Depiction
Body : Full name, contact number, alternate contact number (if any), e-mail address, IC number/ passport number, photographer/model.
I look forward to seeing you there at this workshop! Hope you’re having an awesome day today!
