A Timeless Style of Photography
Friends of thirteen years, husband and wife at last. Today, Anselm & Rina held their Registry of Marriage in the presence of family, relatives and close friends.
Almost everyone said ‘finally’. To me, merely, I said to Anselm, good friend of mine of twelve years, ‘it’s time’.
Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy
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They danced on their biggest night on 26.02.2011. Sivert & Amanda completed their wedding day with a dance that represents their love and passion for each other, and I was fortunate to be there to capture it.
Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy
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It’s a routine for any wedding but a moment shared only by the couple themselves.
The groom will lift the veil and follow with a kiss. It must have been a magical feeling. I’ll let this image speak for itself.
Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy
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Is Elwyn running to catch his bride?
Haha! No, he doesn’t need to. His bride is already waiting for him. I just caught him running back from the hotel room to the ballroom after he forgot to put on the flowers to his suit as the couple prepares for their second march-in.
It was a long day but Elwyn was still so energetic. Thumbs up to the man!
Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy
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Did I mention magic in the last post? I did right? So here you are, a vision brought to life, at 8:45.
Before the banquet began, I was roaming about the ballroom looking for perspectives and angles to frame shots with. And when the time came for the first march-in, Michel and I discussed the areas we would be covering. With him shooting from the front as Elwyn and Serene marched in, I was free to be creative.
Michel would first get the shots he needed from the front while I waited out of sight at the rear. As the couple approached the stage, Michel and Samuel (videographer) from Simplemotion would have cleared to the side and I took the chance to snap this shot. I’m happy that it worked out although it still took a bit of saving in post-processing as I had forgotten to compensate for exposure. With the two glaring spotlights shining in my direction, the initial result was an underexposed image. Thank goodness for the technology of the digital darkroom.
6 years in the army as a specialist/instructor isn’t for nothing. Scouting, planning, tasking and communication are important when there are more than one person on the job. Here it felt like we had just executed a tactical ambush with a flanking maneuver, only that we were shooting with Canons and not M16s. Trip flares and smoke grenades were present too but just not in the military sense. Could you identify them in the picture?
Do pardon me for reminiscing about my army days. I do sometimes miss my days in green and especially the pals who endured the training and hardship beside me. Elwyn and Serene are not my enemies. They are my dear friends. I had long swapped war raging rifles for the romanticism of the camera. While this isn’t the most romantic image, I do think it is in a way quite captivating.
Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy
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I started the day of November 4, 2010, very early. After making a stop at McDonald’s to pick up some breakfast, I was over at Michel’s place to pick him up before making our way to Serene’s place. We reached at 6.00am. Sending a sms to Elwyn to greet him a good morning, his reply to me was, “Morning! It’s going to be a long day. Hahaha!” And indeed it was.
The day was very eventful and there were many auspicious timings to meet. It all started with Elwyn’s wedding gate-crash, followed by a tea ceremony and a stopover at the couple’s new residence before another tea ceremony back at Serene’s place in the morning. There was a buffet lunch before everyone gathered at Goodwood Park Hotel for the couple’s matrimony solemnization. Thereafter was a break in the mid-afternoon before the dinner banquet later in the evening.
Michel and I took the opportunity before the dinner to head home for a breather. When it was time to pick him up again to head back to the hotel, I realized something and said this to him, “You know what’s funny? 12 hours ago I was here at exactly 5:30 to pick you up and here we are again at 5:30.” He looked at me and said, “Yes, I know. It’s scary. The day hasn’t end.” It was irony and we both laughed.
Michel and I took quite a lot of pictures throughout the day. Whenever possible, I’ll remind him and myself not to take too many and look out only for those that count. In this digital age it’s quite easy to get carried away. “Less is more,” I’ll say.
Of course there will be some moments that you’ll need to squeeze a few more frames to ensure you get the shot. A photojournalist in the film age would term such an occasion as “letting it rip!” Sometimes there just isn’t time to frame and wait. A roll of good old 36 would fire away just like a magazine from a machine gun in seconds and it’s time to reload. Isn’t it a blessing that an 8GB CF card can store more than 200 RAW on a Canon 5D Mark II without much of a worry these days? I’m grateful to digital photography.
To be honest, it took a few frames to get this shot of Elwyn and Serene. I anticipated the laughter but there were still elements out of my control. It usually do not look too flattering when we laugh too heartily and I have some shots of those. They are the ones I’ll never show! Elwyn’s sister and brother-in-law were the ones in the background. In some shots they were expressionless. This one here though is just right. I’m glad that I persisted and waited for the magic to happen. In the words of a National Geographic photographer, “You cannot force the magic.”
It was a long day but magic happened. Here is one on November 4, 2010 at 9:40pm. Keep those happy smiles, Elwyn and Serene, let magic happen again and again. Your life together has only just begun. Bless the two of you.
Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy
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Unlike Shan, William’s room do not get the best of natural lighting from the sun as it is shielded by neighbouring flats and had only a small corner window. The only available light before the sunrise comes from the ceiling florescent. As light bounce off the walls and take with it their colours, there is a tint of cool cast in the images caused by the blue and green walls. In post-processing, however, I was able to make the colours warmer.
The day began early and I started at William’s place with a cup of coffee. Michel, my associate photographer was assigned to be at Shan’s. Kenneth came in at about 0630am to style William’s hair before making his way to Shan’s to do hers. Thank goodness the couple stay near each other. At about a quarter past 7am, William begins his preparation as I click away.
Looking back now, it somehow dawn on me that the images look a little like a Gatsby commercial. Perhaps I’ve subconsciously been impressed from watching too many Gatsby commercials on YouTube featuring Takuya Kimura. In case you’re wondering why, it is because William, Shan and I once had a discussion about that corny yet funny Gatsby facial wash commercial so I went on YouTube to look up more Gatsby ads as I recalled how wacky and entertaining they were.
I just love singing along to that catchy tune of
“I~~~ will give you Gatsby~ Gatsby~~ Gatsby~~~”
{Hair styled by Kenneth Ong +65 9147 8321}
(Photography by Andy / Post-processed by Andy / Text by Andy)
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Here’s a first look of what happened on William+Shan’s special day. Hope you’ll like the images.
It’s another long title (what is it with me on long titles this week?) but I feel it appropriate for this image. The words are from an Elvis Presley song. Can you recall which one? And can you feel this magic too?
{Gown by Silhouette The Atelier}
{Hair styled by Kenneth Ong +65 9147 8321}
(Art direction by Michel Tay)
(Photography by Andy / Post-processed by Andy / Text by Andy)