Find the Right One, not the Best One

One thing I’m grateful about my work is getting to hear people’s life stories. What’s the big deal with stories, you ask? Well, stories are what make people unique. Knowing their stories mean I get to create more personalised contents based on what they tell me. Also, another huge advantage is the lessons I gain from listening to them.

I recently spent the day with high school sweethearts Agnes & Colin wandering around the outskirts of Victoria. At one point we sat down to have a chat and I was so intrigued with their stories. Particularly on their thoughts about how to find the best partner among the endless possibilities in the world. I think this is something that could apply to anyone and anything in this world.

Listen the their story in the video below.

Also some photos of their day out together

5 Guaranteed Secrets to Look Amazing on Your Engagement Shoot

Engagement photoshoot is a great way to get that couples photos you’ve always wanted. It’s also an excuse to do all the PDA you want, that is if you’re doing a shoot in a public place. Now that you’ve decided you want to do it, where should you start?

Here are some secrets that’s guaranteed to make you look amazing on your engagement shoot.

1. Set a Theme

When I say themes, I’m not talking about full-on themes with matching outfits and props, such as having a Star Wars-themed shoot with Han Solo’s vest and Princess Leia’s buns … and hairdo. As tempting as that sounds, I’m talking about simple scenarios you can set for your shoot. Some examples would be a chilled day out to the countryside, a casual day out in the woods, a cruisy night at the carnival, or even an intimate breakfast with your partner at home.

What’s great about setting themed scenarios is that your photos will consist of a collection of images that tell a story of your activities, from start to finish. By going with a scenario, you’re actually going to experience real activities and interactions with your partner while getting your photos taken. This will create a more authentic and natural look in your photos. 

2. Pick the Unlikeliest Location

We all know a location can really make or break your engagement shoot. But, a perfect location does not always mean getting your photos taken in front of an epic waterfall deep inside an Asian jungle. Start somewhere local, and see if anything caught your eye. A traditional market, a seemingly dull part of your neighbourhood, or that forgotten alleyway around your place. Now I’m not saying pick the most run-down spots for your shoot, but just keep an eye out for those hidden gems.

The truth is, there are so many factors that make photos look great, and location is just one of them. Other than location, your interactions and chemistry with your partner are the biggest factors that can affect the photos. However, choosing an unlikely spot for your photos can give you a sense of excitement because you don’t know what to expect, and give you a one of a kind photos that nobody else has. Have a chat with your photographer for ideas and input. They will also be excited.

3. Embrace Contrasts

By now you would have put some consideration on your outfit. You should always start with something you’re comfortable with and go well with the theme and location you’ve chosen. Now you just need to spice it up with a bit of contrast.

Contrast is an easy way to make something stand out because as humans we’re naturally drawn to notice if something is out of place or don’t follow pattern. When done right, contrasts can produce a beautiful harmony that is pleasing to look at. Contrasts can happen in many ways, such as in brightness, colours, or textures.

For the ladies, accessories are a good way to add that extra sauce into your whole ensemble. If you’re a minimalist and like to go with mostly neutral colours, throw in some vibrant accessories such as a floral bandana or sunglasses with vibrant-colored frames such as red or yellow. Gold-coloured accessories such as bracelets and necklaces can also add subtle but meaningful contrasts to your outfit.

Ever wondered why a guy who combine a full suit with a pair of sneakers can look really good? If you guessed contrast that means you’re sipping my soupe, Guadalupe. That outfit is appealing because visually we enjoy that broken pattern of a full suit - where instead of paired with dress shoes, we’re seeing sneakers.

If you’re going for an editorial look, another idea would be to dress yourself up while doing the shoot in an alleyway or out in nature such as the forest. These themes work really well because immediately they create contrast between your outfit and the location, giving the sense of being ‘out of place’.

Once you get the formula for contrasts, you’ll realise how the possibilities are endless.

4. Don’t Pose

Now this might sound counter-intuitive but hear me out.

Whenever you see a couple’s photo that makes you go ‘naww ain’t that cute’, chances are that photo shows the couple enjoying a genuine moment together. Not posed. Not rehearsed. They just happen naturally.

Did I tell you that your interactions and chemistry with your partner are the biggest factors that can affect your photos? Well, they are. An engagement shoot should be fun and relaxed. The best approach to nailing those warm moments is to really enjoy and be yourself during the shoot. Be free, be silly, be spontaneous.

Don’t worry about looking funny in the photos. This happens to everyone and your photographer will only keep and deliver the best looking photos. Those split second glance and sudden burst of laughter are way more valuable than any posed shots.

5. Find the Right Photographer

A photographer’s job goes beyond taking great photos. They are there to help bring you the most enjoyable photo experience. Your photographer can give inputs for your theme, location, styling, and most importantly they love to help make you feel comfortable during the shoot. For these reasons, be sure to pick the photographer that gets you.

To help with your search, I’ve written a piece on how to find your perfect photographer HERE.

Hopefully these tips can give you more insight on how to prepare for your shoot. You can choose to apply individual tips, or a combination/all of them. Either way I guarantee you can up your engagement photo game by applying these strategies for your upcoming shoot.

Freshly Brewed Stories

I used to avoid calling myself a visual storyteller. Not because I hated it. But on the contrary, I love that term. I just feel it has much deeper meaning than most people think. 

I love great stories and I feel being a visual storyteller means much more than having great visuals. As I continue to learn, being one requires a fair chunk of empathy & listening skills. I’d even argue that camera skills would come second to those.

That’s why I’m always excited whenever I get a chance to work on narrative videos. They let me soak up tons of new information to come up with creative ways to share the stories.

We recently created a series of videos for Kopikalyan. These videos shares real stories from inspiring people who decided the actions they do can positively impact other people’s lives, and I feel their stories deserve to be heard.

I hope the stories bring you as much inspiration as they did me.

4 Steps to Find Your Perfect Wedding Photographer

So you're about to get married. You have many vendors on your wedding checklist to sort out and nothing puts a bigger grin on your face like ticking off a vendor, knowing you've done your due diligence and made the best decision. One of your major vendors would be the wedding photographer.

To help guide you on getting that dream wedding photos that you've always wanted, I've compiled these steps that runs you through some secrets to get you the photos that would be the talk of your friends and family - in a good way of course.

1. Find Your Style Preference

Some people may already have an idea on how they'd like their photos to look like. If you haven't, try looking at more wedding photos online. Take note of what styles speak to you, and what don't. Normally each photographer has their distinct style - be it fine art, folky, vibrant, or vintage. Those are some of the trending wedding photography styles at the moment. Your preference could be based on composition, colours, or a combination of factors. You don't even have to know the name of the style you like, you just need to know what you like visually. Many photographers label their work a certain style just because it's popular and so their profile would come up in web search results, making style names irrelevant. Once you visually know which styles speak to you the most, you're now ready to move on to the next step.

2. Weed Out the Candidates

Most probably there’s an endless list of photographers in your city. Heck, there might even be 50 photographers on your street alone, not even counting ones that proudly wear that #iphoneonly badge. Case in point, you won't have time to check out every photographer in the city. Instead, armed with your style preference, go online to look for photographers you like. Photo sharing platforms like Pinterest or Instagram let you put search parameters that includes style and location of photos, letting you zoom in directly into the images you want. When you find photos you really like, go through the photographer's social page and website for their past wedding works. Also look for reviews of them on the web if available. If you see consistency in their quality of work, then put them in your short list. Once you have around 3 - 5 photographers on your list, you'll move on to the next step.

3. It's (not) All About the Money

It’s always tempting to pick the photographer with a low price, but you should always consider more than just price. We're not saying expensive is always better or cheap is always bad, but you should only go with the photographer whose work resonates with you most. Every good photographer price their services based on the work they put in and the output they produce, and ultimately, the value they bring for their clients.

Great photographers can make average subjects look extra special. Did we say photographers price themselves based on their quality of work? We can't stress this enough. Do keep in mind that creating wedding photos have costs. These include production costs such as crew & equipment, and the creative costs which covers the creative sauce they've perfected over time so they can produce quality work. All these factors greatly affect the photos they produce.

There are also many activities that photographers do behind the scenes to bring you your dream wedding photos. These include their location scouting, file backup method, their sorting through thousands of photos to find the keepers, and their magical photo editing process. When you see a photographer offering a low price, ask yourself what tools or processes they might be cutting down on, or even skip entirely.

4. Chemistry is Key

For every photographer you have in your list, arrange a meeting with them. Make sure to ask for a face-to-face meeting, or at least a video call if you're in a different city. You may cringe at the idea of face-to-face meeting and prefer text communication. But, meeting a photographer in person will show if you can truly gel with them. 

Look for obvious and not-so-obvious clues about your chemistry with the photographer. How do they answer your questions? Do they offer any valuable insights about their work? Do you feel comfortable talking to them? Do they laugh at your jokes? Do you at theirs? Your photographer is the person who'll be around you the most during your wedding. They'll be in your face when you get ready. They'll be in your face when you exchange vows. They'll STILL be in your face well into the reception when you decide to take off your shoes to get your boogie on.

Pick the one who connects with you the most, in terms of personality, work ethics,  and photo quality. The more you feel comfortable with the photographer, the better your photos will be.

Now that you've found your photographer, you can cross off yet another major item from your wedding checklist and expect great photos to come out of your wedding. Most good photographers will check back with you to follow up on your meeting with them. So when you decide to book in with a photographer, kindly get back to the rest that you've found your dream photographer. They will appreciate it.

Love is Love

Sometime last year I had the privilege of shooting my first ever same-sex wedding. It was amazing.

Personally, I approached Alvin & Brian’s wedding as I would any other - a celebration of love between two individuals. At the end of my first meeting with them I let them know that it was my first same-sex clients and asked if there’s anything I should take note of. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ask that question. I didn’t want to seem I was making a big deal out of the same-sex marriage, but I didn’t want to be ignorant either.

In the end I decided to ask the question for the sole reason of wanting to give them the best photo experience they could have. To which they replied and made the point that they’re just like any other couple who love each other and wanting to get married. They were right, that’s just the answer I was hoping for.

The wedding happened at Skyhigh Mount Dandenong and needless to say, it went really well. Here’s a highlight of the day.

Hiding in Plain Sight

It was a winter’s day in the town of Buninyong, around 1.5hr out of Melbourne.

Alex & John invited their family & friends for an engagement dinner. But, surprised them with a wedding instead. As the guests arrived, they were greeted by the couple, along with everything you’d expect at an engagement dinner - food, live music, lots of smiling faces. They hid their wedding in plain sight and it was the perfect cover for what’s about to unfold.

I was there and here’s how it went.

Arrive as Strangers, Leave as Whānau

Recently I returned to New Zealand with Nadine Chandrawinata and Dimas Anggara to create promotional contents for Tourism New Zealand. The goal was to create contents that showcase the country’s beauty and encourage couples to visit New Zealand.

As much as I like looking at photos and videos of New Zealand through my phone screen, there’s always something missing. They show you the beautiful colours of the lakes, the majestic size of the landscapes. But, what they don’t show you is the fresh scent of morning snow at the top of the Glenorchy, the warm ray of sun against your face as you stand by Lake Hayes, and the random chats you share with the locals. That’s why New Zealanders have a saying that goes ‘Arrive as strangers, leave as Whānau (family)’.

Kia Ora.

New Year, New Perspective

2018 has been my most productive year yet, we’re now looking to even bigger things to happen in 2019!

For every new work that comes in, one of the things I enjoy most is coming up with new perspective to a seemingly routine task, such as for Suci & Maulana’s engagement shoot in Jakarta. The concept I had was simple - I wanted to include a well known but uninteresting surroundings of Jakarta in the photos. The hope was to breathe new perspective of the spot, and ultimately the city.

To do this, we went to Glodok at first light and here’s what we came back with.

Take Nothing but Pictures, Leave Nothing but Footprints

Recently I did a couple portrait session with Annie & Timur in Gorontalo, Indonesia. This trip was special both for them and myself.

Although having born and grew up in Indonesia, I've never set foot in Gorontalo before. So this trip felt like a personal journey in getting in touch with my homeland. As for the couple, well Annie's family is from Gorontalo, which made the trip even more personal to them.

I wanted to the photos to feel natural, and to speak about Gorontalo as much as it was about the couple. We didn't have particular locations in mind for the shoot when arriving in the city, but I felt the closer we get to the locals the better. So we did.

Within two and a half days we explored the city and surrounding regions, stopping at random places that caught our eyes - from a yellow suspension bridge that's only wide enough for one motorcycle to pass at one time, to a dried-out corn-field where we took photos under the pouring rain.

Thank you, Gorontalo.

Summery Winter Wedding

Jasmine & Daniel's wedding happened on a winter's day that was missing some defining winter features. There was warm sun, fresh garden and a rather cool breeze. They couldn't have picked a better wedding day.

Having shot many weddings and engagements, I've witnessed so many emotions and vow exchanges. I can say that I kind of got used to those moments. After all it's all part of the job.

This time however, was a bit different. Throughout the video editing process, every now and then I find myself taking a breather, as I felt really touched looking back at the recorded footages. I started noticing the emotions and word exchanges from the day that I didn't realise was happening. It was just beautiful.

It's at times like these I'm reminded on why I do what I do - To let couples re-live their special day through my work and be reminded of all the emotions they share that day.

Anyway, here's the video of their wedding at Werribee Mansion Hotel, Australia.