Christina and Julian: Engagement

There is apparently a proverbial myth that has been said of a certain kind of encounter at weddings. You know, the kind that involves meeting potential courtship prospects at these events that revolve around nuptial unions. Of course, myself, while a hardcore closet romantic at heart, a side of me that tends to protect myself from hurt and all the disappointment that life and love can often bring lets Mr Realistic take the reigns over my brain and how much I will actually allow myself to believe.

So while I adore and love the idea of love at first sight, or meeting that 'perfect soulmate', or stumbling into that 'one special someone' at a used bookstore in New York, or especially falling in love with someone you meet at a wedding. My head screams no. No WAY. But then there are days where you meet couples like Christina and Julian. And they prove that sometimes amidst all the weeds that overgrow in all the imaginative love-centered stories that circulate our world nowadays, Some actually ring true. Christina and Julian, whist they did not first meet at a wedding, they certainly caught each other's attention at one. In fact, the wedding they first lit sparks was my very first Malaysian wedding all the way back in 2007 (okay, so thats not that long ago, but hey! It's my blog! :p) so to see these two again, and this time as life long partners was such a delight!

When asked of her first impression of Julian, Christina with a grin smiled and said something along the lines of arrogant and annoying? I told her, and I tell all of you, that I think the best ones start off like that ;) Please feel free to refute :)

Anyhow, while I shot their wedding just this past Saturday. I did their engagement a couple of months back, and here are my favourite images from their session! Which included their entire bridal party entourage - minus one who joined us in the last 5 mins. You know who you are! hahaha :)

To those who have commented and said my pictures only have that golden glow and look nice because I shoot in Australia - these following images (shot in KL, Malaysia) are just my way of saying that's completely and utterly untrue :) (the 6 year old inside of me that refuses to mature loves to prove people wrong hehe :p) If God smiles upon us that day, and you take my advice on when during the day we do our shoot, here's what you can get!




I did NOT orchestrate this shot. This is them 'hanging out' and 'goofing around' :)




I just ADORE the next two shots. They were my favourite in the whole session! Plus, I had fun trying out a new way of editing my pictures. Mmmm :D




Gorrrgeous! Christina thinks its all makeup, but I somehow don't think its entirely true ;)


Woohoo, here is that new editing style again. I like! :p


Hanging with the girls!


I love this group shot. Its been something I've been wanting to try for months and months, and finally found the right group size, and location for it!


We do this alot, but I just love Christina's expression. It's always so fun!


Moody loveliness :)








Lastly, a shot on the beach before the weather got way too hot for comfort :)


Thanks Christina and Julian, and the rest of your bridal party! We had a very fun morning! :)

To the rest of you, we have had an enormous amount of emails come in during our holiday closure. Since being back in the office this monday morning, I am attempting to start tackling this email mountain. I intend to conquer it as soon as possible, so hang tight and be patient ok!! :)

Have a beautiful monday!

Fievel and Claudia: Wedding

Love is a splendidly beautiful thing. I am constantly, over and over, fascinated, amazed, and intrigued by how differently it manifests out with each couple I cross paths with. Some are quirky and shy. Others are unabashedly affectionate and romantic. There are those who resonate out an aura of maturity beyond their young years. Then there are others whose united persona shout out such sweetness and kindness, it floors you just to be allowed witness of it. I could go on...and on.

For Fievel and Claudia, their love seemed to possess all the qualities above, and more. It was a love myself and Vincy felt to be a privilege to be a part of for just a day. Not just because it was so multi-faceted. But more so, because it was a love that seemed to care deeply for the other person more than themselves, and then not just trickled but overflowed to all those around them. It really is such a beautiful thing to watch. You only need to be there to understand what I mean. This other-person centered love is my favourite kind. Its selfless, and so endearing. It moves you, it inspires you, and you leave wanting to love those dear to you the same way.

So, on a blistering hot summer day, where the Sun blazed its piercing rays across the land below, Fievel and Claudia were united as one before God, friends and family. A multitude of laughter bubbled across the crowd, tears were shed, and I have no doubt that many left inspired and encouraged to love, the way I was.

Thank you Fievel and Claudia for letting me be part of your big day. I only have the sweetest and fondest memories of you both. You were so kind and treated myself & vincy not just as vendors but as people to share in your big day. We had lots of fun, and are praying that God will continue to abundantly bless your union for the rest of your days. Thank you for rocking out my 'default' pose! haha ;)

Here are my favourite snaps from their wedding!

The girls making sure Claudia is ready. I loved how they were getting ready in a bright white room. It made all the photos look sooooo good! :) Remember brides, rooms with white walls and big open windows are a photographer's dream!! :D


Fievel and Claudia were married at All Saints Anglican Church, Parramatta. I can't say just how much I love shooting at this church. Its beautiful, and its always bright which is perfect for photos of the ceremony. I love it!














Fievel and Claudia chose the Rocks for their shoot. However, instead of the typical places in the Rocks, we went around to some of the slightly more unknown areas to get something a little different for this pair :)








Then just some quick snaps at Observatory Hill under the canopy of trees, and the warm speckled light of the afternoon that was descending upon us.


Here are some of my other fave portraits of the bride and groom from the day :)








Just a little touch of vintage.


Followed by a tea ceremony, which was simple and full of laughter.






Fievel and Claudia's reception was held at Curzon Hall. I LOVE the old grandeur of this place. Did I ever mention that I almost chose this place for my wedding reception? ;)


This has gotta be hands down one of my favourite cake shots of 08. I just love the light... mmm :D





Speeches are always gold for bursts of laughter and emotion :)


There was a comment made about Fievel's muscles during the evening, and here he is trying his best to prove he has the strength :p


Fievel's speech, followed by his song was a really touching moment during the evening. He sang, I Will Be Here By Steven Curtis Chapman. Now if I hadn't used that song for another couple previously, I would have definitely used it for their slideshow as it is such a great song!




Claudia's reaction.






Then comes my favourite part of any reception. The bridal waltz. I don't care if the bride or groom have a fully choreographed dance, or are just simply shuffling to the music - its a beautiful beautiful moment.






Partying til the night ended :)




And last but not least, the slideshow! There's about 3 times as many images in it, so enjoy! :)

ps: I am totally going to admit here that I am, and will be blogging all my shoots from the last 4 months completely out of order! I hope you all don't mind, but it is whatever I so fancy at this point! haha ;)

I'm Still Alive (And youtube goodies!!)

Dear everyone! :)

I've been receiving tonnes of messages and emails asking where I have been, to please update, and if I am ok. Well, the good news is that I am still around. I've just been caught in the whirlwind that we photographers call 'peak season'. So much so, that I swear I've spent more time on planes and behind my camera, than I have at home. It was so busy, that I was telling one of my second shooters that I remember having this thought the other day "if I could get away with not eating, I could save myself the 1 hour every day, to get more work done". And this is coming from someone who loves food! I love eating, so when I start thinking thoughts like that, you KNOW the mr BUSY has been overflowing into all facets of my life.

On top of that, I've seen hints of plagiarism of my work which has made me very very sad indeed, and coupling it with the fact that I've been falling sick (VERY sick - the kind of sick where you need to be dragged to the clinic and receive injections to feel some sort of relief) quite a fair bit in the last month or so. This has meant that any spare time I have has been spent in bed, and sleeping. Because I can't really walk properly (the stomach muscles have been rendered so sore/tender that it can't support my movement while walking, laughing, or sneezing). Just the last 2 days, I slept almost 12 hours each night which proved to me that in combination with my frequent bouts of illness, my body is severely overworked and very tired.

So if you are wondering where I have been, that's where I have been. But I promise I will be updating sometime this week again :) Writings on life, love, music, and of course photos are all coming. I've been keeping a journal, listing out all the things I want to write about and this 'list' is already about 2 pages long :)

Get ready. In the meantime, wish me a speedy recovery. I'm still ill! :(

For now, here are some tracks which have kept my ears very very happy over the last few weeks. From these songs, you can tell I've been in much of a contemplative and reflective mood amidst all the work of late. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Too Far Gone (Never Think) By Sam Bradley & Robert Pattinson
I LOVE this song. Rob's version which you can find on the Twilight soundtrack was very pleasant (albeit a little hard to decipher), but I just adore his co-writer's version (Sam's version) so much more. While Rob's has an understated longing and sadness to it, Sam's version is just painted all over with an apparent cry of emotion.

Puddle of Grace - Amy Jo Johnson
I fell in love with this track when I was faithfully following the show "Felicity" (which I still love to this day) of which it was featured on the official soundtrack. The guitar work is just beautiful, and married to a very lovely melody.


Hurricane - By Mindy Smith
I've heard ALOT of breakup songs since I've developed my love for music, and most of them pass my ears with a simple 'meh' that I exhale. Mostly because they are cliched, and don't really wrench the heart as a break up song should. Anyhow, when I heard this one by Mindy Smith. I was enraptured. Her lyrics were different. They were lovely and subtle in a symbolic way. And the simplicity of the acoustics with her earthy melody was just perfect. I loved it :)




I'll Take You On - By Howie Day
Wow, have I just loved this song for years. Its just beautiful. I can't express in words how gorgeous this song is anymore. You just have to listen.


Okay, most of you know I LOVE finding unknown/underground artists. There is just some secret joy that revels inside of me knowing I have stumbled upon something that hasn't yet been plagued by the masses and spoiled by commercialism. Tracks that are either softly acoustic and reflective, or tunes that are laced with heavily bassy bass lines, additive drum rhythms, or married with a tonne of bluesy goodness are what really grab my ears. This one is no exception. I LOVE youtube! :)

Freeze My Senses - Lionel Neykov


Enjoy!

Hide and Seek

I feel quite awkward, typing these few words onto my almost 2-week untouched blog. It's like my finger are virgins to this keyboard that I am hesitantly tapping away on.

It's been anything but quiet or stagnant on my side. I've been shooting almost every 2 days...YES, every 2nd day! And when I haven't been shooting, I've been learning to take a breath, and attempt at normality of life in this peak season by doing what girls my age should be doing at this time - laughing at silly nothings with her sister, watching movies with friends, eating delicious food, and conquering the crazy task we know as Christmas shopping without burning holes in our pockets, wallets and whatever else carries monetary value :)

Anyhow, I know it seems like I have been playing a very cruel hide and seek game on my blog, but I promise I am still around. It has just been SO busy that I haven't had much of a chance to keep up with it all myself, let alone let the world know what has been zipping and zooming past in my world. I will be back :) With avengence I might add. There is so much happening, will be happening, and has happened, that I FEEL I could write a novel with a visual companion book attached to it (jokes), but you get the idea :) This girl behind the lens just has to wrap up 4 more weddings before this year hits its closing note, then just you wait and see. I've got 4 months of work to unleash onto this humble little corner of the web! :)

For now, here is a photo I took at a wedding recently. It caused little warm fuzzies to migrate to my heart, and it made me happy looking at it :) Hope you enjoy this little piece of a teaser (I know! I hate teasers too, but its better than nothing :p) until I get my breath back long enough to let my itchy fingers back onto this typing pad :)

I'll be back, and soon I might add! :) I'm now off to Phuket for a job! Ciao! :)