It was certainly great pleasure to be part of Leon & Gwen’s wedding, got to love it.
I’d like to thank Leon & Gwen, for celebrating your love with us, and allowing me to capture these precious moments!

I’d pray to shoot another wedding like this again, anytime!
Many more beautiful pictures from their wedding day on facebook!     //jerald

I thought we hit it off pretty well….and not surprisingly, we also found out we were Hwa Chong alumni. It’s funy how after all these years, we still tend to gravitate towards the “same type” unconsciously. We had a great time shooting and exploring Lombok, as it’s all our first time there. The couple also invited their friends and Xin Min’s sister along for the shoot. Some of them would later hike up Mount Rinjani (one of the highest volcanoes in Indonesia), something which I must do before I lose my joints to arthritis.

Even though the pre-wedding package was sponsored by Tinydot in the name of publicity, I was very pleased with the shoot as I took the opportunity to explore a new destination and try some new ways to shoot. I took it as money well spent, judging from the set of pictures I got from this trip. (you can view some of the Lombok pictures here)

So you can imagine my joy when the couple also decided to book me for their wedding day! It was really a BIG bonus, and needless to say, I was honoured to be part of their big day.

What’s the lesson learned?

In future, one giveaway will do. Two is stretching it a bit thin.

But a blog is supposed to reveal the blogger’s inner thoughts, especially if it’s a photography or wedding blog, or worse still, a wedding photography blog! Sometimes, I am tired of reading generic blogs that only says the politically correct stuff, or whatever that sells (guilty as charged). “Recently, I had the honour to photograph ABC’s & XYZ’s beautiful wedding. I was touched by their love for each other and fortunately, I have those precious memories all documented with my camera”  blah blah. Either it’s cut & pasted from a template, or from another photographer’s blog.

When I was managing my own Greymatter blog (which has since been dormant and feared dead), I could write anything I wanted, be it happy or sad, good or bad. Now that I am part of the Tinydot team, I thought I should show a bit of restrain because whatever I say might have repercussions on my team members. However, me being me, it’s quite difficult to gag me for long because the cynic in me sometimes just has to break free and speak.

There are a lot of myths in the wedding photography industry. One of them is the myth that there must be chemistry between the couple and the photographer. I don’t quite agree to this. Hello? If there’s chemistry, the bride would have called off the wedding and elope with the wedding photographer! That’s a joke, obviously, because nothing like that ever happened….to me…..yet.

I don’t know what chemistry is. When I order my dinner at a restaurant, I don’t need to have a reaction with the chef (now the pretty waitress is another story). I chomp on the food, my stomach digests it, and I happily pay the bill and leave. If I like it, I’ll return to the restaurant. I don’t have to know the chef’s first name, or what kind of equipment he uses to cook the food. If I am really impressed, I’d then probably ask who the chef is and thank him/her either personally or via a message.

It’s a different story when it comes to the photographer. We need to be on the same frequency as him/her, share the same sense of humour and better still share the same hairdresser. It doesn’t help that many photographers buy into this idea of selling an image or a personality and try to play up the idea of having “chemistry between the couple and the photographer”. When the food is mediocre, focus on the restaurant’s decor, the ambience, the wine list, or the good looks of the chef. Many couples don’t really know much about pictures or photography. They think they do, but most don’t. So don’t talk about how clever the composition of the pictures is, or how well they are timed. Talk chemistry, man.

Which brings me to the story of Faith and James. I like this type of clients because they don’t talk much. Like me.

I don’t have to put on a game face to impress them. They did their homework, knew what they wanted, and short listed some photographers.  When they came to my office, they just sat down and talked a bit about their wedding, and we went on to watch a few wedding slide shows, quietly. They are a couple of few words, but  eventually what they said really encouraged me:” We’ve been looking around and so far, none of the photographers’ works stood out. But we felt that your pictures are what we were looking for” (not exact words…I might have exaggerated it a bit to sound better).

At the end of it, I still don’t know much about them, and likewise they about me. Did it matter? I felt that there was something happening between us. It’s not a friendship bridge. I don’t think it’s chemistry either. Like what Robert De Niro said in “Meet The Parents”, it’s what I think a “circle of trust”.

I don’t need to be your friend. Just trust me. That’s easier said than done. So, back to chemistry lesson.

More photos can be seen on facebook HERE.

Ever so often,  many wedding couples do not understand that beautiful images can only be the result of good natural light (and of course, a photographer that is able to harness that light!). There have been so many occasions where I’m photographing the preparation in the bride’s room, where there’s beautiful sunlight waiting to be streamed into the room, and the curtains are fully closed. In Singapore, where good weather with nice lighting is rare, it would be a sin to waste such opportunities!

Good light generally manifests itself in the early hours of the day, and later towards the evening. Whilst it may be hot in our Singaporean weather, it will also provide a backdrop for some extremely well-light images, bathed with beautiful golden sunlight and nice shadows. Some of these timings may be impossible for portraitures or bridal party photographs though, given the hectic schedule of the wedding day. In cases like that, it would be better to bring the photography into a shaded area, or indoors near large windows to take advantage of the softer light. If you are going to be holding a solemnization right a mid-day outdoors, use cloth canopies or the like to diffuse the light so that your wedding images will turn out to be the beautiful memory they so deserve.

What about artificial lighting? Not all banquet venue lightings are made the same. What a casual observer sees as nice lighting at a banquet venue may not necessarily translate to the same in photographs. Ballroom lights are generally flat and uninteresting, so if possible, use spotlights to light up march-ins, speeches, dances etc. The contrast that these lights provide will definitely add to the reception images. For outdoor venues, it would be best to engage a lighting consultant, not just so that you will get awesome images, but also that your guests can see the food they are eating.

So when it comes to planning for your wedding photography, remember this little thing called light. It may just make the difference between excitement and disappointment!

Here are some images to give you an idea of what photographing in good light can achieve. All of them were photographed in Singapore.     //yu hsin

Photographs created with beautiful light at the golden hours are worth the sweat!

Light creates interesting shadows. Believe it or not, this was photographed at a void deck with an ordinary coloured wall!

Using window light helps to create a soft diffused portraiture. But make sure that there’s a big window
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Here’s an example of a photograph created in shade provided by a huge tree. In a no-choice situation where harsh lighting reigns, this is the next best alternative. Shot at 10am on a hot, sunny day.

Again, shadows add an interesting element into an otherwise “ordinary” groomsmen portrait.

Artificial lighting, when placed correctly in an indoor venue creates the perfect mood for your documentary wedding photography.

And oh, if you’re going to have a first dance or after party, don’t stinge on the lights. At least get the venue to provide you with directional or spotlights!

// yu hsin

It’s an unbelievable feeling to be in the good company of some of the top wedding photographers in the world that I look up to till today. Congrats to our other photographer friends like Matt Adcock, Apertura and RedCo for being placed!

//yu hsin

From Thomas and Eva’s Wedding Day – 1st Place Reception

From Johannes and Ayline’s Wedding Day – 1st Place Framing the Subject

From Kaixiang and Jan’s Wedding Day – 2nd Place Decisive Moment

From Thomas and Eva’s Wedding Day – 3rd Place Movement and Motion

From Kaixiang and Jan’s Wedding Day – 5th Place Movement and Motion

From Simonn and Estelle’s Wedding Day – 8th Place Framing the Subject

From Kaixiang and Jan’s Wedding Day – 13th Place Ceremony

From Paul and Sarah’s Wedding Day – 14th Place Ceremony

From Thomas and Eva’s Wedding Day – 18th Place Bridal Party Portrait