Sandy and Ronnie: Engagement

The sun softly trickled through the willowing leaves, which moved in graceful pendulating fashion as the cool breeze danced its way in between the suspended green foliage. Floating through the air, in warm echoes was the lilting sound of giggles, doting hugs, and gazes laced with sweet spoonfuls of love.

One may throw down the silly card, and say it's impossible to hear hugs and loving gazes, but I believe love fills and permeates all the senses. So much so, that at times, you cannot tell one sense from another. And its beautiful. Perhaps that's why they say love is so magical.

One gorgeous afternoon, where the golden rays lent themselves to us for a brief moment, Sandy and Ronnie let me document their love and I couldn't be more excited and honored to photograph these two. They were sweet, carefree, cute, relaxed, and most importantly - in love, and not afraid to let it show in their down to earth and fun way! :)

Thank you so much for such an awesome time you two! Words cannot express how happy you made me and my camera with your loveliness!! I can't wait to shoot your wedding!! :)

Here are my favourites from their session! (warning: monster post ahead!)

We started with something a little more dressed up to begin with :)



Sandy's laugh is so infectious!! i laugh everytime i see these photos! :D






Gorgeous.




Then a change of attire and style. I LOVE sandy!! She and I were in conversation before the shoot, and she was telling me she wanted a roman holiday kind of feel to her images. We couldn't get a scooter, but she managed to find this AWESOME vintage bike instead. My clients bring the best stuff to the shoot!! :D I tell you brides, styling (clothes, props, and hair/makeup) in the right way is sooooo important to a shoot! As important as nice light and location. So do talk with me about your shoot! I love styling as much as shooting so lets work together and make your session that much more fabulous!! :D The results are worth it!!





















I do, and will always always love close up shots :)


A burst of AMAZING light, in the nice light we already had.


I love the feel of the below photo :)


This is them, in their element. So cute and funny!!






I don't know if you noticed, but Sandy wore the loveliest lace vintage scarf... it added the perfect touch to the style of her shoot! :D
























A little detail :)




One of my faves to end with :)


And because I haven't posted a slideshow in a while, check this out below to see a lot more images from this set. It features one of my FAAAAAVOURITE tracks by one of my now favourite artists, Shannon Curtis. Her music is just gorgeous, so have a listen!! :D
For those on RSS feed, you can check out the slideshow with this link: HERE

Our Wedding Photos

Alot of people have asked, where is the wedding photographer's wedding photos?!?! haha... well, they were actually published quite a while back on this blog. But in the spirit of remembering good times and the like, here they are again!

The below is an excerpt I wrote about the day from the original post, followed by the slideshow of images featuring one of my favourite EVER songs. I hope you enjoy looking back at our wedding as much as we did! :D

The alarm shook and then poured out its cacophony of noise pollution, guaranteed to shovel out anyone from the deepest of sleep. Anyone but myself that is. I had slept at 2 that morning, and the clock had begun its audio display at close to 5. My thoughts at that present were only to grasp whatever left of sleep I could before it faded before my eyes. I think God had other plans though, because despite my rather anti-morning persona, I couldn't stay in a state of slumber any further. The buzzing of activity downstairs, chatter, and laughter had floated its way up to my room, and by then I knew... it was time.

The day was glorious to wake up to though. We had perfect weather. After a stretch of wet Saturdays for almost 2 months, the sun handsomely displayed himself across the blue expanse in an almost royal form, while gently radiating only the most gentle rays of warmth to trim off the rest of the picturesque setting before our eyes. Thank God.

I was nervous though, excited, and at the same time just thrilled that after 8 years of courtship, we were closing the chapter on one part of our life, and opening another. Corny? Yes. True? Even more so. People, events, sounds, tastes, and sights sprinted past our minds so fast that day, I felt that even if the wind had carried us on the tails of a shooting star, we would only have paled in the distance to where everything was. And before we knew it, it hit 7pm and the day was over. We were able to cast off our shoes onto the sand coloured carpet, and just look out the window over looking circular quay as dusk was settling in. Lights began flickering on, and shades of purple, pink, and blue were being stirred in with the black that was trickling itself over the scene before our eyes.

The below photo was probably one of my favourite shots throughout the whole entire day :)



To those on RSS feed, you can view the slideshow below by clicking here: [LINK]


Happy Monday!! :D

Words of Encouragement

This past week, has been one of considerable trials.

At times, it has been tempting to feel discouraged, let down by others, or made to feel like I am less of a photographer. Words to do hurt, and I hope people realize that.

But as words can cut, on the flip side of the coin, words can also have an amazing healing effect too. One of my beautiful clients (who I am YET to meet!) emailed me this morning, and told me she had written the below blog post about her wedding photographer. And in an instant, I was flooded by encouragement, and warmth by her complete trust and abounding confidence in a girl whom she is yet to see and know face to face! It just reminds me that I really and truly have THE BEST clients out there. THE BEST. No flipping joke. I don't know how they find me, or why they choose me over the amazing talents that exist out there in our industry, and honestly I sometimes think I don't deserve people as amazing as yourselves, but I am so thankful for the relationship I am lucky enough to have with them.

God continues to amaze me, all the time :)

Elizabeth, if you are reading this - thank you, thank you, thank you :) you have such a beautiful heart and I am just ALL THE MORE excited about our time together in a few months!!

And to my husband, thank you for reminding me last night that I have an abundance of blessings to be thankful for. In my busyness, and lightning speed of a lifestyle, alot gets choked out and I sometimes forget. Thank you for pointing me back.

much love.

xoxo


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ps: We've had alot of requests for our own wedding photos to be put up here on this blog, so wait for the next post because that's where I'll be putting them up :)

Chris and KC: Engagement

I'm addicted to blogging. I really believe I am. It's becoming a chronic illness to the point where I will hyperventilate in waves of anxiety if I feel like my blog has been left standing naked and unfed for periods of more than like....... a day :P

Seriously, I am up to my neck with work, to do lists, and emails at the moment, and here I am, saying to myself, I HAVE to blog. I HAVE TO BLOG. Like I said. A chronic illness. So in the spirit of cleansing the system and getting things out in the air, here is a quickie of a post from me, just so I can continue the rest of my day in peace and sanity :)

Meet Chris and KC. We had the pleasure of having these two in front of our camera one fine overcast day, and look at the little bits of candy they graced us with! Thank you Chris and KC for the total delight of being able to shoot for you :) We hope you are enjoying the wonderful first few stages of marriage together! Blessings :)

Then a change of attire and scenery! :D mmmmm.... Chris was wonderful in finding this location. She knew I loved my colours! I LOVE it when clients pick their own locations. Seriously, it means you get total control over where the shoot happens, and it gives the best opportunity to let the location you pick reflect who YOU are :)


Look at Chris work it!














Off for now to try and cure this blogging disease I have! :)

Joyce and Mike: Wedding

It was an friend-filled affair. Almost every single face that swept past the eyes was recognizable, familiar. They had each been imprinted in the mind at various points in time. And that's rare you know... As a photographer, to step into a wedding, and realize you are completely surrounded by people you know, and know well. It meant that documenting this wedding, felt completely different...comfortable. at home. recognizable. Familiar.

So when one of your closest friends, marries one of the subjects that appeared in your very first weddings ever shot, the sentiment is a blend of joy and humorous irony :) Get ready to meet a whole handful of people that have graced their presence in my life, one way or another!

Joyce. One of the first people I met at university. She later introduced me to her church, which eventually opened up my entire world. I don't believe I would be who I am today without those people in my life.


The bridesmaids. Meet dawn (left) - she was my youth group leader, and then wedding photographer! Her talent, and the incredible model she set with her husband Alby provided the foundations to how I see love, relationships, and marriage. You couldn't meet two more Godly and beautiful people in those two. Meet Hoi Yan (right) - we met at church, but really got to know each other well when we dared each other to fart in front of each other at a church camp! We realized that we're both complete idiots and laugh at the most stupid things. I remember nothing but laughter and really sound advice from her :)






I love the below shot. It has a film feel to it which I just adore!





The flower girl decided it was cool to go against tradition and run up the isle the other way! :)




Elvin. The very first pastor I heard preach in my life. He is really a wise wise man :)






We then went to the street that Joyce and Mike spent their college days together. It was so cute, quaint and old! :D













Drinks after the shoot. You won't believe this, but the day was seriously INSANELY HOT! my jeans felt like they were going to melt off my legs!


Then at the reception it was nothing but laughs and good old hugs :)








End of the night toasting :)


A different take on the rings :)


Joyce and Mike, it was an honor to document your wedding day. It's an even greater honor being your friends. I can't wait til our next catch up when we eat your yummy roasts again and teach each other how to make chinese soups for our husbands :)

xoxo

Balance and Looking In

There's something enigmatically therapeutic about pencilling down one's thoughts in the wee hours of the morning. The house settles into a state of quiet listlessness that gives birth to the perfect environment for bringing forth what has been sitting on the edge of the mind during the day.

I think I need more days and nights like this. Most of my calendar is dotted so heavily with meetings after meetings, shoots, and just a plethora of socials, that it comes to a point where my entire body and soul craves for that downtime to be able to breathe and just catch up. Because life can run at warp speed, leaving our souls behind. And what is life, without the essence that makes us who we are right?

The other day, my dad told me to slow down. My driving that is :) I sometimes have a reckless tendency to press a little too hard on the accelerator and crave that unbroken run on the tar. Sometimes :) When he said that, I was editing this photo I had shot recently:

"How beautiful" I thought to myself, as I had my nose pressed against the camera during the session. You see, what actualized in my mind at the time was what an incredible blessing it is to have the time to step out with your loved ones, and go for a walk. To smell the fresh air. To run and play with their little four legged friend. For no reason other than just because. These two had the time to do that, and for a brief glittering moment. I was jealous. Envious. Because they had time. Time for each other. Time to just pause life for an instant and just take it all in. Time for the things that mattered in life. And I realized that I didn't.

It struck me at that point that similar to my dad telling me I should slow down on the road, I needed to slow down in life. Too often, the picture of myself perched in front of the computer screen with my fingers madly editing away, or scrolling my eyes across some website with someone else's pretty photos, or scrambling to reply every single email, was a familiar sight. "Just 5 minutes more" I'd often tell my husband. And by then, he had fallen asleep. There went another night where we couldn't catch up together on the day. To just talk. To recount. I'd often shrug my shoulders in my head with an almost apathetic mention "well, there's always tomorrow". Little did I know that the cycle would start again. And again. And again. And before you realize it, you've lost months (in my case), years (in other people's cases)....or in more drastic scenarios....your marriage? Or your children? And by then, it's too late to ask yourself "Was the success, the fame, the money all worth it?". Because ultimately, the answer is rhetorical and all you can do is slap your head silly for being so slow to realize it.

For myself, it got to a point recently where everything culminated in one big clash. Ju said I had to make a decision because something had to go. I was heading down a road where my pursuit to make our clients happy, and service them, and grow my business 110% was slowly squeezing everything out. I was losing little pieces of my soul along the way. And I didn't even realize it. It took my husband to point it out to me.... and I remember at that point, if I died tomorrow, I would have nothing much to show for my life except that I could take pretty pictures. It was then that I kind of crumbled. I kind of lost it. My hands were shivering, and I was crying. I'm a workaholic, you see. And a perfectionist on top of all that.

A long time ago, before I began this business, I made a promise to myself that I didn't want to be known as just Jenny Sun the photographer. I wanted to be known as Jenny Sun... the friend. The wife. The sister. The daughter. Because these are the roles that made up who I am as a person. These parts of my life, sprinkle themselves in the photos I take. And I realized that I was in danger of losing that.

Now don't get me wrong :) I am not putting down successful people :) I really respect and admire their dedication, hard work, and I know a fair number of successful people who are also wonderful parents, friends, and brothers and sisters. My point is: BALANCE. For what good is it to gain the whole world, if you are the only one there standing to hold it.

I think we as photographers and people need to stop saying "Just 5 minutes more", or "there is always tomorrow". It's so easy to be caught up with the growth of praise, and the pursuit of our dreams that sometimes it can swallow us. And we don't even realize the tide is over our heads til we are flapping our arms and floundering. Or til its too late, and we have lost something that dearly mattered. There is so much more to life than the photographs we capture. More than the latest gadgets and camera gear. More than the flashy car. More than that 6 figure income. So, today, I'd like you to think of someone who matters to you. Put down the mouse, or the phone. Shut that LCD screen. And give that "just 5 minutes more" to them :) I GUARANTEE you, you will be adding spoonfuls of happiness to not only their life, but contentment to yours. G.U.A.R.A.N.T.E.E.D. So much so I'm willing to make bets on it :)

I am thankful for every day I get to do this amazing job, but for now, I am imploring my soul to slow down. Or at least try to. I am very sure I will stumble and make mistakes along the way, but I'll be joyously wrestling with it every day, because I know it will be worth it. It is a higher pursuit that I believe with every fiber of my soul, will not only make me a fuller photographer, but a fuller person. Because I want to have those late night talks just recounting little nothings and big everythings. Because I want to wake up some days with my husband with no plans and nothing to do. Because I want to be able to take those long walks. Because I want to smell the roses. Just, well...because.

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ps: Don't start freaking out on me, I am still happily married! haha :D
Oh! and Picture post up tomorrow! :D