When they ask me why I shoot

"Is it because of the money?" I get ask this a lot when people find out I am a freelance photographer. Without going into a long lecture on how much work and sweat goes into capturing the perfect wedding moments, i usually casually quip " It is for the pleasure of being surrounded by happy people, of being overwhelmed by emotional vibes of those around you." 

Those words rang very true recently, when I was commissioned to shoot a wedding cum full moon party for an old high school friend. He had gotten married in China, and with his daughter reaching one month old (dubbed 'full moon' by the chinese), he decided to do a double celebration.

Through the opening speech by the groom's sister, I found out that behind the happy story, there was an underlying sad note : The groom's mother had left the world 99 days before that night, and it was unfortunate that she could not be there to witness her grandchild's one month old celebration. Tears swelled in her eyes as she spoke, and through my lenses i spotted many a teary eye amongst the guests as well. And as she walked down the stage, the live band started singing " Shi shang zi you ma ma hao ", which literally translate into 'our mothers are the best people in the world', a famous chinese song about how great a mother's love is. At that moment, i was forced to stop shooting as my concentration was shifted to fighting back the wetness that was forming in my eyes. 

Throughout all that, I could observe that the groom's father remained solemn, as if he was reminiscing about the moments that he had spent with his departed loved one. The groom was staring at him, concerned, but unsure what he could do. I told myself then that if possible, I would want to capture a picture of this man smiling, as I knew somehow that deep down in spite of the sorrow of his loss, he still had great joy in seeing his youngest son happily married and having a healthy and beautiful grandchild. 

Later on, as they were making their toasting rounds, suddenly the quiet and demure bride pulled me aside and whispered," Alvin, can you please capture a picture of father smiling? He seldom smiles, so......" I simply nodded, without telling her it was already what I was already planning to do.

If you have read this far and still have no clue why is it i love being a wedding photographer so much, well, I can only say you have not been reading hard enough. 

Jerry and Tracy - Fated

When Jerry told me he was a fortune teller, I have to admit i thought he was pulling my leg.

Clean shaven, good looking and easy going, he barely resembled the stereotypical image of a fortune teller i had in my head, which comes complete with white long beard and wrinkled face.

At the end of the shoot, i realized he was not kidding. In fact, Tracy was having her fortune 'calculated' by him when they first met. Their story started from there. Asked if he knew beforehand they would be an item, he merely explained - he knew each of them would meet their soulmate soon, but he did not know it would be in each other. Sweet~~~

May I present Jerry and Tracy, winners of the giveaway by Adorn By Shinny Ong.

Did he knew as well that he would win this photoshoot? Now that's a little secret that this fortune teller would not divulge ... ;)

Sweet like chocolate

Was walking by the Chocolate Lounge in 1 utama when i saw a sign which read " Buy one beverage, FREE one"  With the F word screaming @ me, I was seated in no time for a treat. Ever since the day I could mumble the word ' chocolate', I was hooked to this sweet delicacy. I am sure if i was given a say when i was a baby, i would have asked for chocolate milk. 

So, when my order of one ice blended milk chocolate, one belgian dark hot chocolate and one chocolate ice cream waffle came, I was so excited that I couldn't help but snap a few shots. I'm not one who normally record what goes into my mouth, but taking pictures of things I love is what I love to do, so.......

This post is dedicated to all the chocolate fans out there, may we all never have enough of it !!! :)

PS For those wondering how on earth did I manage to finish all three by myself, I didn't, as much as I wish I could. I had the other love of my life to share it with me. :)

Amy - A stroll in the park

Whenever I get comments on how me and my other siblings look so different ( with them on the better side of the spectrum), I always comment, " Well, my parents were fooling around when they had me. After that, they got serious." ^_^

It's obvious who mum left the good genes to........but instead of being sore and jealous, all i feel is proud. Proud to say hey, that's my sis you are looking at.

This blog is dedicated to Amy who is leaving overseas for her studies soon. May she always be my little sister......

 

David and Violet - When they fell in love :)

It was raining, and it was way before the first click of the shutter. However, as fate would have it, the rain stopped about half an hour before dark, and Violet's gorgeous smile more than made up for the absence of the sun. This fun shoot goes to prove one thing - sunny skies and rainbows do come after the rain. In this case, the rainbow was Violet's sweeeeet smile :) Thanks David and Violet for filling in for the sun when it was not showing itself ! And much appreciation to Adorn by Shinny Ong for providing make up and hairstyling for Violet. 

I requested for a smile. She served it with extra cream. Plenty of it !!! :)

Despite trying for the sultry look, she cannot cut down the sweetness oozing out. :)

Somehow this one endears my heart. Cute!