Sara is a close friend of my sister’s, and I’ve known her for many years (since I was still wearing school pinafores). My initial impression of her as I was growing up was that she came across as a pretty ‘garang’ or fierce person, but once you get to know her, she’s really friendly. Sara has since moved from Malaysia to Beijing and has been living there for many years now. Charles is a really warm person too, and I’m glad to have been able to photograph their family while they were back for a holiday during the Chinese New Year season.
Kayne is super duper cute. He has this way of weaving into your heart and leaving you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
Gee, that nose biting thing looks scary!
Luckily Charles’ nose still looks pretty good after that good biting session.
After all that excitement, we settled down for some reading time.
But Kayne would not sit still. Sara kept ‘bribing’ him with ideas of “A good roti canai breakfast if you behave!” phrases.
Lastly, I discovered that Kayne is a pretty good actor too. We told him to look ‘cool’ and this was the look he gave us…
He cracks a joke, and she laughs. And when Elsa laughs, the whole world smiles along with her. Mak & Elsa are a pretty laid back couple. They are willing to try anything and are pretty sporting even when I told them to sit in a cracked bath tub on the roof top of the Heritage Hotel!
It was a hot, humid day when we did this shoot but Mak was a sport. He willingly stepped out into the hot sun in his suit and smiled away. I sometimes wonder how is it that we’ve come to adopt this ‘style’ of dressing in Asia. The weather is HOT near the equator. Suits were made for cooler countries! Mak doesn’t really look like he’s sweating buckets here, but I am sure he was hoping for an air-conditioned room!
Elsa’s gorgeous gown is from Pretty in White, one of our recommended gown partners.
The lace details on this gown is intricate and beautiful.
A change of gown, location & flowers…
Another gorgeous gown from Pretty in White. I love gowns with bits of colour in them.
Shooting from sunset till night gives you lots of opportunity to play with lighting…
You’ve surely seen the hilarious viral wedding entrance clip called JK Wedding Entrance Dance that amassed 46 million views worldwide and heaps of blog and press coverage. Now, there’s the sequel to it, called the JK Divorce Entrance Dance, which also leaves you laughing and gasping for air. I love the ending – so stay and watch right till they start squabbling.
JK Divorce Entrance Dance
Original JK Wedding Entrance Dance (for the benefit of those who haven’t watched it)
Ceremony: Sri Maha Muthu Mariamman Temple, Shah Alam
Dinner Reception: Rumah Puspanita
Photographers: Grace & Mark
It has been 10 years since they started dating in college. The rain, an umbrella, and a ‘mamak‘ session brought Siva & Sumitha together. Their friendship blossomed over time, and soon, they discovered that they truly enjoyed laughing and poking fun at each other.
And now, 10 years later, they are married. I have never met a bride who slept 2 hours the night before her wedding day, woke up at 2am to do her hair and make up (for 4 hours! I admire Indian brides for their tenacity!) and then stayed energetic throughout the whole day till the dinner ended at 10.30pm.
She was still smiling from ear to ear. Way to go, Sumi!
Here are some of my favourite shots from their Hindu temple wedding and dinner. If you’d like to view their engagement portraits that I shot sometime back, click here.
Click to watch the same day slideshow. Press play, then pause for it to load fully before playing again.
First part of the ceremony is for the groom. He has to undergo a series of rituals before he sees his bride.
Then the groom leaves, and the bride comes in for her part of the ceremony.
After these 2 ceremonies take place, the bride and groom see each other for the first time. And another round of ceremonies happen until the highlight of the event – the Thali tying. The thali symbolizes the fact that the bride and groom are finally married! Sumi waiting in anticipation of the tying of the thali.
Siva & Sumi’s dinner location had really funky lighting!
Halfway through dinner, Sumi’s sister gave a wonderful singing performance. She sang about how Siva and Sumi met under the rain. :) You’ll find a similar theme (umbrellas and rain) in their engagement portraits!
Siva & Sumi, I appreciate the both of you, and the fact that we’ve become friends over these past few months. Thank you for giving Mark and myself the opportunity to document this beautiful day.
While I was at WPPI, I blogged about winning a competition where I got a free photo shoot with Dawn McCarthy, a photographer from Jacksonville, Florida. Being in front of the camera makes me realize how tough it is posing for the camera! It’s one thing when you are photographing others, it’s another when you are being photographed. This session puts me in my client’s shoes and helps me think about how I’d like to be treated during a shoot.
I am the kind of person that enjoys being ‘talked’ to. I love it when I am told what to do by the photographer. Most times, when you’re in front of the camera, you feel a little self-conscious and wonder if what you’re doing looks good or silly. So everyone needs a little direction and reassurance now and then.
In my photo shoots with my couples / families, I do constantly yak away… and perhaps this way of working stems from some subconscious need to make others feel comfortable. I usually pose my clients too. I tell them how to sit, stand, where to put their hands etc. Then the most important part of making a photograph happens – I talk to them so that they exude some kind of emotion / expression. That’s when the magic happens – when my shutter clicks at the right moment the chemistry happens.
So here are my photos – photographed and edited by Dawn. It was a chilly day in Las Vegas, but I totally enjoyed myself with Dawn. Thanks for the memorable photo shoot and great images!
