Journey of a Love Photographer

I love this picture of Jean's dress

 

Jonathan & Claire's wedding was a really kept simple. There was no teary gate-crashing nor any hassle of coordinating a grand banquet. The pair really wanted to keep their wedding intimate and casual, and truly their big day was graced with the warmth of their friends, family, love and laughter <3

This is my personal favorite picture from their wedding


The morning started at a real comfortable timing, which is good for me ^^




The beautiful Claire getting dolled up




Claire's only bridesmaid helping clean the mirror for cleaner pictures lol










Claire showing off her radiant smile








Cubism.. I like how many rectangles make up this picture when Claire's make up is all done =)


Claire helping Zhi Qi with her sash




The love between Claire's parents is amazingly strong




Their really vintage car <3


Their really vintage car again =P






The awaiting crowd, anxious to get a picture of the bride






Some final touch up before the great march in =)


The lil page boy had the honors of marching in with Zhi Qi






















Claire was really amazed when she sees her ring flower pillow for the very first time =)












The bond of a family




The newly weds...


The end~

I love this photo taken recently. I have another version in Black and White, but thought its interesting to see the night lights dancing around in unison for this picture. It is as if they are celebrating the love of the two <3

Some pictures that I really like from shooting Kelvin and his Family

I really love this moment here


Kelvin + Beth + Kyra + Nessya


Sweet Kyra... It's already been 1.5 years since I joined Lightedpixels and now Kyra really talks a lot


Playtime with your loved ones will always be a tender moment to remember


I can jump so high! Oops I almost hit my eye!

Taken from http://photodino.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/advice/

What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know

These are my thoughts, nothing more and nothing less.

I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here’s my answer.

- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don’t look outward for your style; look inward.

- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It’s like money; you only have it when you don’t need it.

- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a concensus.

- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don’t fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you’re stressed and anxious.

- Learn to say “I’m a photographer” out loud with a straight face. If you can’t say it and believe it, you can’t expect anyone else to, either.

- You cannot specialize in everything.

- You don’t have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don’t have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.

- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don’t, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that’s tough.

- Accept critique, but don’t apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn’t not make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.

- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business “Precious Chubby Tootsies”….but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?

- Remember that if your work looks like everyone else’s, there’s no reason for a client to book you instead of someone else. Unless you’re cheaper. And nobody wants to be known as “the cheaper photographer”.

- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.

- It’s easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you’ve got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don’t spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you’ve outgrown your current equipment and you’re being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.

- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.

- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.

- Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive”. No one ever does.

- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacency.

- CJ

Just completed a wedding day shoot for Samuel & Sophia, a totally chill couple. Samuel is from the creative industry and take amazingly great pictures (Much years of designing talent must have spilled into photography I believe), and Sophia an air stewardess will be off flying again 2 days later!

Anyways here is a portrait of Sam that I really like =)

Hope you have enjoyed yourselves as much as I did

by Frank Sinatra

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To be better far than you are
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To be willing to give when there's no more to give
To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live
And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

Beautiful pictures are made by negatives in a darkroom. So if you see darkness in your life, assume GOD is making a beautiful picture for you ♥

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”

~ Ashley Smith

Hi friends, this is perhaps my last wedding post in this blog. We at Lightedpixels have decided to pool our blogs together so we will have a common channel for readers so that just in case bloggers like me are lazy, our valued readers can still be entertained lol. =) Anyways from future on, my wedding blogs will be posted at www.lightedpixelsblog.com. This blog will still remian so that I can post my nonsensical junk (pictures I take other than weddings) hee...

Anyways here are a set of pictures from a really lovely wedding. =) BTW there will be more pics in the new blog, cause halfway I got lazy converting 2 picture sizes...

Christabel showing us some of her kung fu moves




Here comes the Groom in his Vroom Vroom














So what do you waannnntttt!!!!








Okay before I go further with the gate-crashing part... kids please do not grow up to be like this










These 2 are always so sweet to each other






Favorite subject of the day.. erm and GOLI too of course hehe


I like this like preparing a manaquin =)


I shot this before the guests take their seats in the church. It is as if the show of the century is about to start.


Some of the choir guys peeping out from  behind the curtains


I love the gaze here (ok.. not from the guy behind) between Gene,


and Olivia <3
















I like this picture of the in-laws consoling each other




Olivia and her train of well wishes






Dinner is served




Gene was touched by Olivia's surprise song

Yayy the ad is finally out in Her World Brides, so now I can post =p

A picture of David & Wendy from this morning's session that I really like. I think their actual day was more like 1/2 actual day and half bridal shoot lol. Not that I'm complaining though cause I really enjoyed the bridal sessions with them as they are such a warm loving couple <3



Another version in vintage colors

Hahah got this from my friend Sarah in facebook! It's super hilarious...

The team will going to Bali this Sunday for our retreat. We will be exploring the mountains and waters of the island for our "endurance training" program lol. This will be my third time there within a year and this time Kelvin will be showing us the places he usually shoot and there will be like a 3 -4 photographer tag team shooting a bridal there =)

Before that here is a little more of what I shot the last time I was there =)

I love this picture taken yesterday at Gene & Olivia's Wedding. Gene was touched to tears by Olivia's surprise song

Version 1: Clean and classy



Version 2: retained part of the background while cloning away distracting lights and champagne glasses. Added glow and film grain to give out the classic feel.

Some pictures of a pair of wonderful friends

Just to share a link I got from my friend Nelly =)