Paris has a magical light. Everywhere the camera points, the streets have got a hint of antiquity and a bit of a song.
This is the second leg of Tawi and Sonia’s pre-wedding shoot. (I’m working backwards so the first leg, in London, will be posted later).
The winter this year turned out to be colder than the predictions of previous years and I was rather worried how this would affect us. We were so lucky to have the sun shining that day. Temperature was about 9 degrees though and the wind was a killer. Kudos to Sonia for braving the elements!

Why not make use of the wind who invited itself to our shoot? From foe to friend =)

A sweet song of love…

I’d not envisioned as many black-and-whites but it post-processing decided to ditch some colours to focus on the couple.

Love the details on Sonia’s dress that has a ‘cloudy’ train

For more pictures of Paris, go to Facebook here.
Or, keep watching my wedding site for a full album to be uploaded soon =)

Cheerios!
Mindy

The Clignancourt flea market in Paris was such an amazing experience of furniture. Old airplane parts converted into a bar. Baroque mirrors, Bauhaus, Modernist and Art Noveaus galore, unique pieces and upholstery to be found.
And then there was a stall of Louis Vuitton luggages and cases, in sizes so surreal you see them only in Annie Lebovitz pictures.
Wish I could cart some of those armchairs home, and add them to my already bursting “future apartment” collection.

Wouldn’t it be so lovely to have a studio of high ceilings and timber flooring, that smells of linseed oil and oil paint and glue, with a separate section for a studio and lights hanging from the ceiling, with a cherry-picker so you could shoot from above?
On a Sunday where the streets are empty and shopping is almost non-existent, enter the Eugene Delacriox private collection exhibit and it was packed! Storming! with people.
Staring at his brushstrokes, I suddenly remembered that Cezanne came after him. And then a flood of memories of the movements that came after.

I walked out, feeling mentally refreshed and creative.
More than making photos, I wanted to get my hands dirty and start drawing again.
Start creating. in any medium. in crazy ways that push boundaries.
I am feeling new blood rush through my soul.

A line from a Eugene Delacriox exhibition held in the premises of his former studio and in the room he died.
“My lodgings are indeed charming. The view from my small garden and the cheerfulness of my studio always give me pleasure.”

Shirley and I studied together at River Valley High, being asked to shoot her wedding was a real honour.
The couple’s speeches were beautifully delivered in Mandarin and poetic verses, which made it more so endearing.
I was moved to tears by Shirley’s recollection of her childhood experiences and how her father always made sure they had more than enough to eat even though work was though.
Chek Wei thanked his brother for always giving up the best things for him and his mother for being a strict disciplinarian, and always making sure he gets a full breakfast before school.
The hall was a spread of laughter and tears that overflowed, even from the most stoic of fathers.

Their wedding montage was a slideshow dedicated to their parents with photographs of how they painstakingly brought them up. It was such a wonderful wedding, dedicated to the people who made them who they were.

Thank you Shirley and Chekwei for your insight to love.

All the elements in the ’story’ come together to represent a Singapore heartland wedding unique to the Chinese in South East Asia.

The Scene is set in a HDB block undergoing LUP (Lift Upgrading). Potted plants line narrow corridors, the MRT track is a stone’s throw away. Very Chai Chee, Very Bedok.

The Characters: Daddy’s in a Batik shirt, watching his little girl turn into a bride, many excited relatives gather in the home early in the morning to help out, and waiting for the tea ceremony.

Angela’s home was order in chaos, but oozing, so o0-oo-zing with character, I like!

The visuals coming through were simply the stuff of dreams. Everything was real, honest, unpretentious.

The couple chose a 早安老师 theme for their ’sisters and brothers’, after the popular 1980’s drama serial, “Good morning, teacher!” Which is why the bridesmaids are bespectacled, holding canes and rulers; the groomsmen dressed in Khaki shorts, like the school uniforms of the early 80s.

Congratulations Mike and Angela!

Gown: French Bridal
Banquet: Grand Shanghai

Perhaps the charm lies in that these social enclaves get bulldozed and reconstructed before we get to live our lives completely in them?

I am glad to have clients who share a love for things like that.

Re-hashing some old, and previously unshown pics from Don and Eileen’s pre-wedding shoot.

Photographed two amazing shoots in Hongkong. (One’s confidential for now, the other’s truly a delight). Hopped over to Guangzhou and Macau for some personal snaps, and back to Singapore for 2 back-to-back weddings that I enjoyed sooo much!

Then, received a surprise call from Supei, my dear dear friend who’s back in Singapore to celebrate the Lunar New Year. I am so overjoyed and can’t wait to head to the beach to share the sunset and good bottle of wine in Sentosa.

At the same time, I also have to work doubly hard on picture edits, streamline this year’s family visits to the essential and give up the chance to revise my mahjong.

Guess you can’t have everything all the time. But it’s still good because truth is, I’ve been looking forward to having for the luxury of time to simply sit in front of the computer to edit my takes without any distraction, and that has to be during the holidays.

Sneaks from yesterday’s wedding at The White Rabbit. Shooting inside this former chapel, even before it turned into a restaurant, has always been a wish, and now it’s materialised, with the bonus of two wonderful clients Roy and Serene.

Love’s light shines warm and deep, like melting chocolate lava cake, enjoy ; )

Venues : The White Rabbit, Intercontinental Hotel

Weather: Glowing!

Dresscode: Swank

Band: Jack and Rai

Below are excerpts downloaded from Nikon’s website.
Images can also be viewed on my main website.

I had just received my secondary school posting and was lost yet excited.

Then I met Pauline in front of the school auditorium. She was recruiting for the National Cadet Corps. I remember she had this smiley face and told me I could shoot air rifles if I joined the NCC. So, I signed-up. Pauline became in-charge of our Sec 1 platoon, and apart from shooting air rifles, we also got to shoot the M-16, climb some mountains, attend lots of horror camps and did a lot of push-ups in the scorching sun!

I lost touch with Pauline for years after she graduated. One day, I saw her on a poster at the MRT station and found out she was a fitness instructor at Amore. Then, a few years later, I received an email from her, to shoot her wedding. So, we met again, not in our awkward nurse-like school uniforms, but she as a bride, and me as her photog.

Incidentally, Pauline’s two sisters and her mother were all also from River Valley High. How lovely!

What came out strongly during the wedding was Pauline’s moving speech, thanking her mother, for being first and foremost, her best friend, sharing her joys and supporting her in every little way.

Some pictures to share.