DwikoArie

[Pre-wed] Marisha & Rizki

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:03:00 +0000

A month before a wedding is an ideal time to try and arrange a final meeting with my clients to run through schedules and see if there's anything we need to go through so everything will run smoothly on the day.

This is also a great chance to tie in a pre-wedding photo session, which is an opportunity for me to work with the couple in a less stressful environment. It's a great benefit for the couple as most of them are not familiar with posing and sharing a moment in front of the camera. Also it's an occasion where they see how I work my portrait sessions, so when it comes to do it on the day a mutual understanding is already built therefore we can create a fabulous session on the wedding day, even though we probably have a shorter time to play with.

The location of the shoot may vary. It can be a place where it's convenient for both parties, a location that I have seen before, which I think would be ideal or even somewhere that has a special place for the clients. A place they first met, their first date etc.

On this occasion Rizki wanted to shoot in London but avoiding the postcard places, which is the commercial places that the majority see "London" - this means avoiding Big Ben, London Eye and Tower Bridge. - JUMPING FOR JOY - as a photographer I always want to create something new, similar to a blank canvas, shoot in places where I have never been before.

I carry out my research on the internet to see if any other photographers have been there, NOT to copy what they've done but to scout the location without having the need to go there. Check out the scenery, the lighting, potential places. But the last thing I want to do is go to the same place, take a shot with the same pose, the same angle. That is one big NO-NO.

Anyway, both the couple and myself know that the deeper we go into London, the better it is. There are some hidden treasures for location shooting around the city, you wouldn't believe it. All you need to do is walk through the back streets, turn a corner which you have never turned before because you will uncover "somewhere only we know" type of places.

Having lived in East London for the last year, Rizki and Marisha thought it would be the perfect area to start exploring. Rizki is an architect, he knows wonderful places to recommend for me, and his decisions were amazing. To me, the shoot was like a chocoholic in Charlie's Factory. There were many lines to play out, different angles to experiment, truly was a fab day.

If you fancy a session around London or any other places you're in love with, please feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you have in mind. It doesn't have to be a pre-wedding shoot, if you're already married, maybe you want to surprise the other half. You don't have to be a professional model to strike up these poses. Even the best actors needs a lot of takes to create the perfect scene.

You can contact me via e-mail info@dwikoarie.com - or keep in touch via the wonderful world of social media by "LIKE" our Facebook page.

[Pre-wed] Jennie & Dave

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:21:00 +0000

This particular session took place in Chilston Park Hotel, Kent, a beautiful Grade 1 listed property set within 22 acres of rural parkland. We took advantage of the beautiful 17th century manor house, which had amazing interior and a grand staircase.

It was such an immense location to shoot in. Every room had a different feel to play around with, I kinda got carried away. Big thanks to Dave's mum for coming along and looking after the twins whilst the session was taking place.

Dave & Donia

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:38:00 +0000

Around a year ago Dave & Donia made a formal enquiry about having me as their wedding photographer. Both are currently living in Reunion Island, just off Madagascar. They were getting married here in the UK, a beautiful little place called Cripps Barn in Gloucestershire.

The doubts are always there about having an outdoor wedding in the UK. "Hopefully it won't rain" is the key phrase leading up to the big day. And I would bet any money that both Dave & Donia were constantly checking the weather forecast a week leading up to the big day!

I was looking forward to this wedding for a couple of reasons.

1. The whole month of July was full of bookings in standard hotels, so this location was a breath of fresh air. To be honest, this place had everything a wedding photographer could ask for. Lovely scenery with lots of natural daylight - HEAVEN!

2. I have never covered a Persian wedding before - this is one of the perks about working as a wedding photographer, I get to learn and experience other cultures.

A week before the wedding I had a meeting with the bride and groom to go though all of the details, to make sure I knew what was going to happen on the day. Pre-wedding meetings are crucial because turning up to a wedding with no knowledge about the day can be a disaster.

Check out my stunning bride and her bridesmaids!!!

And the handsome (nervous) groom...

The Persian Ceremony

The ceremony takes place in a specially decorated room with flowers and a beautiful and elaborately decorated spread on the floor called "Sofreh-ye Aghd". Traditionally Sofreh-ye Aghd is set on the floor facing east, the direction of sunrise (light). The spread that is used on the floor as the backdrop for Sofreh-ye Aghd was traditionally passed from mother to daughter (or occasionally son). The spread is made of a luxurious fabric such as "Termeh" (Cashmere: A rich gold embroidered fabric originally made in Cashmere from the soft wool found beneath the hair of the goats of Cashmere, Tibet, and the Himalayas), "Atlas" (Gold embroidered satin) or "Abrisham" (Silk).

There is also a mirror representing the bride and groom and brightness in their future. The tray of seven multi-coloured herbs and spices or "Sini-ye Aatel-O-Baatel" is to guard the couple and their lives together against the evil eye, witchcraft and to drive away evil spirits.

A specially decorated flatbread with the couple's initials symbolises prosperity for the feasts and for the couple's life thereafter. A basket of decorated eggs symbolises fertility and a bowl of crystalised sugar to sweeten life for the newly wed.

A brazier "Manghal" holding burning coals sprinkled with wild rue is used to to keep the evil eye away and bring plenty of health.

A fabric is held over the bride and groom's head throughout the ceremony by happily married female relatives, mostly from the bride's side.

Immediately after the couple is married they each dip one pinky finger in the cup of honey and feed it to one another to sweeten their married life.

KISS KISS KISS!!

I had a brief conversation with Dave's grandpa in the morning. Whilst Donia was getting into her wedding dress I saw him in the courtyard having a relaxing cigarette. Dave's family are from Mauritius but of an Indian origin, so I asked grandpa why didn't Dave get married in that beautiful island. He looked at me and smirked. I guess he can read me like a book, YES, I wanted to go to Mauritius! :)

After the Persian ceremony, Dave's grandpa gave the simplest of speech, yet very funny. From my own experience of photographing Asian weddings for the last 3 years, the culture can be really hectic. So it was quite a highlight when Dave's grandpa mentioned about this simple Indian wedding by just exchanging flower garlands - no need for 7 days or 7 swamis - and no need for a TomTom to guide them through life when they had each other.

We did a couple shoot session just after the Persian Ceremony, but with a location like this the lighting has to be just right. I told Dave & Donia that I would grab them again later in the evening when the sun is golden. I wanted to take them out to the field, just to give the photo shoot more colour and romance. Donia braved her way through the hay, not the most comfortable places to look glamorous but it was worth it.

So much went on in the evening. Some funny games, slideshows, knife dancing, cake cutting, family band performances and of course.... partying!

Massive thank you to both sides of the family and friends who had so much fun on the day which made photographing the day a lot more easy for us!

Canon 5D Mark III Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:35:00 +0000

Please note: This is not an official Canon commercial. It's actually a school project...

Best Wedding Proposal

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:16:00 +0000

I don't usually post videos on my blog - but this video deserves a place for its wedding theme. A guy plans one of the best marriage proposal ever! The scale is out of this world. OK it had help from an American TV Show MOBBED, but the way it was executed deserved an ovation.

It's quite a long video - but worth it. If your man have not proposed to you, make sure you watch this with him. It will leave him sweating to impress!

This video came to a close second! You might disagree, well, you can decide yourself...

Jam & Jerk - Wedding Planning by Sally Dawes

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:45:00 +0000

I covered a very cool wedding a few weeks ago in Parley Manor, Bournemouth. The venue kindly given the Bride and Groom a blank canvas - basically they can decorate the gardens and the marquee the way they want it to be. We took a lot of detail shots at the wedding, and I asked Sally, the bride, the story behind many of her items. She kindly told me the whole story of her wedding planning, from the venue finding down to small details of their wedding. Some bride-to-be may find it useful and inspirational.

- Wedding scrapbook -

"Originally we wanted to get married in the woods somewhere, but then we realised the legalities of it all, in that you can't just get married outside anywhere and that it has to be a registered structure, so that narrowed things down. We then started to look at venues registered to get married outside. We trooped up and down the country looking at various places and then Lucy, my sister, told us about a wedding she had been to at Parley Manor in Bournemouth.

When we visited the venue, we loved the fact that it was a walled garden and that there was scope to make it our own by being creative. Parley Manor said we were able to pretty much decorate the venue (garden and marquee) however we liked, which was a huge pull for us, seen as I had lots of ideas up my sleeve! Once Parley was agreed we started the 'wedding scrap book'.

I had been collecting lots of ideas from wedding blogs (Once Wed and Style Me Pretty are the main ones) and magazines, we knew that we wanted an English Country Garden style wedding with lots of personal touches and home-made decorations. I always knew I wanted a wedding a little different and that we wanted a day that was personal to us and to our family and friends. It was important to us that the day had an informal, more relaxed style ceremony and wedding breakfast/party. A BBQ was always on the cards, as we love food!

- An English Country Garden themed wedding, but with a Caribbean twist -

There was a million and one things to do! Firstly to collect things and then to make it. Since we got engaged (August 2009) we have been trawling car boot sales, flea markets and charity shops (one of my favourite pass times anyway!) for lace tablecloths, glass sweet jars, old gold frames, vintage bird pictures, silver jam/tea spoons, vintage material/bed sheets for bunting, vintage lace, vintage jugs, vases and tea cups....there was a lot to look for and a lot to get, particularly as our wedding was going to be at least 130 peeps!

I loved every minute of the hunting down the vintage goodies and nothing brought me more pleasure then when I found either a beautiful lace tablecloth or a vase or jug for a bargain price that was perfect for the wedding....how sad is that?!. My mum and sister were completely on the same wave length as me and so also spent time hunting down wedding goodies....we kept collecting it all and piling it up in my parent's spare room, much to my dad's dismay! I had a vision and my wonderful sister and mum helped me to achieve it!

We had decided that as we wanted the wedding to be personal, we would ensure that a mixture of both cultures were evident throughout the day. It was an English Country Garden themed wedding, but with a Caribbean twist, the steel band Panjazz International, Sounds of Steel, played our guests in to the garden and in the ceremony and they were wonderful.

A long time ago that I wanted the table names to be garden birds and I had the idea of collecting vintage bird illustrations to frame for the tables. I have always loved vintage bird illustrations and thought this was the perfect opportunity to incorporate this in the wedding, particularly as it was a garden style affair. It was hard work finding vintage bird illustrations - any other bird pictures were not right, they had to be a vintage style illustration, I was very particular about this, ask my mum! I was struggling to find 17 gold frames of similar size and then much to my delight I came across the frames in the 99p shop in Brixton, London- Buzzing!

So needless to say I brought 20 of them and didn't cost a bomb at all! The bird names were primarily decided on the bird illustrations we had, I knew I wanted the top table as 'Love birds' and also a 'Swift' table (a salute to my family), a 'Kingfisher' (just because I like them visually), a 'tits' table (just for fun!) and the rest were decided by the illustrations we had collected.

My sister, Lucy, created the labels for the bird names and she also made the ‘Happily Ever After’ lettering that hung behind the top table. She decorated cardboard letters with doilies, lace, buttons, ribbons and paints and made a fabulous job of it all, it looked so nice hanging behind us on the top table.

- Jam & Jerk -

When thinking about the favours, the ladies were pretty easy as my lovely Auntie Betty offered to make Jam as she had been growing lots of different berries in her allotment and very kindly said she would love to make jam for the ladies favours. I don’t think she envisaged having to make 70 of the blooming things!!! She did a FANTASTIC job and there were various types, Damson, Strawberry, Apple and Blackberry etc.

We cut out circles of material, from the vintage material collected, and Lucy (my sister) made the wonderful labels for the jam jars. I decided I wanted something a little extra for all the lovely ladies in my life and so I collected the silver jam/tea spoons from car boots, flea markets and charity shops and then wrapped a little paper rose around each one, hand selected them for all of my guests, and then propped them up against the jam – a little keep sake from me to them to remember our day long when the jam has been eaten!

For the men's favours, I gave Gareth the job of coming up with a cheap, quirky idea for the men’s favours. Originally we thought about old action figures from the 1990s, but the search to find a figure that had some resemblance to each of our male guests was just too much hard work! However, over a couple of beers with our lovely brother-in-law Darren, they came up with the idea of Jerk….and so the ‘Jam and Jerk’ combination was born! Darren is a big lover of Jerk chicken since we introduced him a few years ago, as both are Gareth and I and we knew the same was true for many of our guests.

Gareth’s mum, Jackie, kindly offered to make the jerk marinade and pop it all in jars for the 65 men. Gareth’s parents, Doug and Jackie, had fun going to Wolverhampton market and the local stores that stock the ingredients and then trying out all of the different marinades they made until the achieved the perfect one. The label had the Jamaican flag sticker on it with Gareth’s simple instructions for the Jerk on the back. Once again Lucy did the lovely labels to be stuck on the jars of jerk.

- Sweet Tooth -

Gareth’s Auntie Jackie made us the wedding cake as a gift, it was amazing. We were initially not going to have a wedding cake as we had our heart set on cupcakes, and a cake table, rather than one wedding cake. However when Auntie Jackie offered to make a cake we gladly took her up on the offer, but I was still determined to get the cupcakes in there. We were going to make them all the day before the wedding but we decided that was a silly idea when Marks & Spencer do amazing cupcakes that they sell in bulk for parties and weddings….so we ordered them from there.

However, Gareth, Lucy and I jazzed them up with our own toppings and placed them all in vintage cupcake holders. The cake stands Lucy had made from old vintage plates glued to glass candle holders or glass trifle bowls turned upside down, ever the creative sister! I wanted the cake table to be visual and the bunting around the cake table was made out of old handkerchiefs!

- Knicker Bunting -

The pants are a result of my wonderful hen do that my lovely sister Lucy organised. 24 hens and I went off to Devon and spent the most amazing weekend in a big old cottage. The weekend, to my complete surprise, involved pyjama ‘pamper’ parties, vintage tea party (cakes, tea and cava!), 1920s fancy dress, me dressed as an 1920s old maid…a boudoir room with photo booth, cocktail bar and sing star….not forgetting the notorious knicker decorating activity on Saturday morning. Much to my surprise, Lucy had organised all the hens to bring along a pair of knickers (new!) to decorate, and she had brought a pair along for me too. Lucy provided all the craft bits ‘n’ bobs that you can think of; ribbons, lace trim, diamantes, pom-poms, sequins, glitter, iron-on transfers, buttons, you name it we had it in the craft box.

I loved how the knickers looked visually, when placed altogether and loved all the individual designs and the effort that all the hens put in to it, so much so that I just knew that they had to feature somewhere in our wedding day. I stitched the knickers on to some lace to form the infamous ‘knicker bunting’ displayed across the bar at the wedding, another personal touch that everyone seemed to enjoy…a definite talking point on the day!

- Well Wishers Tree -

When thinking about a guest book, we came across the idea of a ‘wish tree’ that I had seen on an American blog. We had already decided that we would have hand-made luggage labels for our place names and so when thinking about the ‘wish tree’ we thought that we could double up with the place name and label to hang on the tree.

As each label already had the guests name on the front, it was easy for them to write a thought or wish and pop it on the tree and then we would know who wished what. When a guestbook is passed around at a wedding, it is usually only one member of the family or couple who writes in the guest book and so you are only getting the thoughts of, usually, one person. However, as each guest has a place name label, then this gives the opportunity, or encourages, each guest to write down their thoughts/wishes for the day or for us.

It was such a joy reading through everyone’s wishes and thoughts; this was one of the nicest parts of the days that followed the wedding and something that we really looked forward to. We have kept all the labels and I am in the process of attaching them all in our wedding scrap book to keep them safe. We decided it would be nice to plant the tree in our garden in London. Our address is ‘The Gardens’ and it is very leafy and as it is our first home as husband and wife, we thought it would be nice to plant it in the garden so we can watch it grow with us and if we move on then it will remain, hopefully, forever as our little legacy.

Finally, I brought Gareth a gold pocket watch (from 1917) and chain for a wedding present that his brother, Luke, his best man gave to him, as a gift from me, on the morning of the wedding. I had a plaque engraved with “To my husband, on this our wedding day, 21^st May 2011.…happy ever after” that was placed on top of the gift box.

- Sally Dawes -

Sally + Gaz

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Tue, 24 May 2011 11:13:00 +0000

Let me introduce you to Sally + Gaz, the couple who held the most amazing day a few weeks ago in Parley Manor, Bournemouth. Our connection goes a little something like this:

My very good friends Dave & Erica (owners of website company PramComparison) are friends with Lucy and Darren. Darren runs an architecture and graphic design company called Design On Toast, he's the little whizz kid who produced my company's logo.

Lucy's younger sister is Sally, the bride. We met just a little over year ago in their flat in Wolverhampton - a very cool pad with some great artwork hanging up on their wall :). They were actually on their way out of Wolves to move into London. Soooooo, check this - Sally and Gaz were living, studying and working in London - their family lives in the Midlands AND their wedding is held in the South West of England. Talk about hard work!

I met with the couple a month before their big day in a cafe just off Soho, London. Both looked absolutely knackered but excited about their wedding. For them it has been 100% commitment to make sure that their day will be exactly how it was drawn on their scrapbook.

Little did they know, the wedding was near enough described as a "Perfect Day" - the weather, the location, the food, the decorations and I have never laughed so much during the speeches.

There was a lot of hard work which went into decorating the marquee. I will be doing a special blog post about it later on next week as the bride has agreed to tell me all about it. How she came up with the idea, the story behind the underpants and the one where I was most impressed with was The Well Wishers Tree - where the guests write on the back of the name card and tie it round the tree.

Gareth's "I'm The Champion of The World" Entrance

The food in Parley Manor was superb. 2 weeks before this shoot, I was here attending my best friend's wedding and afterwards I couldn't stop talking about their 2 minutes steak. It's the only place where I can imagine myself doing a grab and run raid on meat!

Whilst all the guest were tucking into the food. I took Sal and Gaz for a photo shoot around the grounds of Parley Manor. Sometimes I am a reluctant about doing the session very close to the speeches because the groom tend to be nervous and stiff as his mind is elsewhere. However, Mr.Cool here was as Relaxed as Frankie says he should.

Red socks on behalf of Sally's grandfather. The groom, best man, ushers, father of the bride and groom were all wearing them. Nice touch. The father of the bride ALWAYS have a fry up for breakfast - now that is life!

One of S&G's friends gets a surprise Happy Birthday sing-a-long during the speech.

What happens when your new son-in-law tells the whole room about the time he walked in on his mother-in-law naked....twice?!

Or how embarrassed Sally was when Gaz read out love letters from 15 years ago. Mother and daughter's reaction were too similar...

After a quick break, we went straight into the cake cutting then PARTAYYYY! Please take extra note on the background lighting during the dancing, its one of the best I've ever had during a party shoot. Shaun at Brighter Productions did an excellent job bringing life around the grounds with his lights and he asked me a few weeks before whether I had any special request. I told him "give me colours reflecting onto the marquee around the dance floor" - the boy delivered!

That's the end of this Epic Blog Post. You can get updated with future wedding shoots, photography news etc on our Facebook page. Show us support and "Like It"

Many thanks to S&G and their Friends & Family.

Samantha + James

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Thu, 19 May 2011 11:56:00 +0000

On the morning of this wedding, I have never downed a can of Red Bull that fast before. And the reason?

Well I arrived pretty much on time at Sam's apartment, greeted by the make up artist and an empty room. Where is everyone? Well, they were still at the hairdressers - one hour behind schedule. "OK" I said, the bride is usually late coming back from from the hair appointment.

"Yes I know, but there are 8 bridesmaids who all still need to get their make up done and get change..."

Hold on! Did you say 8!? Straight away I was picturing the scene from the animation Chicken Run when all of the chicks started panicking and running around...Better get to work then.

Yes I know, you're thinking about the croissant? Well there's a little story behind that...

Maybe I went a little over the top with the chicken panicking, the place was actually very calming!

The ceremony was quick and simple. It's a nice change from the Asian wedding ones, where it can be over an hour long. The priest was cracking jokes all over the place, Sam did warn me, but I guess its a way of making the couple and the guests relax! Not a lot of tears but super amount of smiles.

The reception took place at Rivervale Barn - a converted corn mill in North Hampshire. It's always nice to shoot outside of London - the city mainly offers the typical block room, but Rivervale offers great natural lighting, an Italian feel courtyard, not forgetting the host Hayley, she was superb on the day.

A quick 15 minutes couple shoot was what I only had, the garden was a perfect setting. All the flowers were blooming and the colours really stood out.

Before the wedding breakfast Sam + James were treated by a special performance backed up by the CK Gospel Choir. They were amazing! During the register signing at the church they belted out a superb version of Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"

During the wedding breakfast I sneaked outside to get some exterior shots of the venue. I came across a lonely man strutting up and down the lawn, talking to himself? Surely not?! Nope, it was the best man practising his speech. He duly delivered....

Before we lost natural light, we had time to gather people out in the courtyard for some petals throwing, bouquet throwing and the Wedding Balcony Kiss...

Time to cut the cake and get to the dance floor....

A massive thank you to Sam + James, it was lovely documenting your big day. Also I cannot forget to thank their family and friends who were all very warm and welcoming, and I have say this because they made my "work" easier on the day.

London Street Photography

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:26:00 +0000

It was another day blessed with sunshine yesterday in London, which means an opportunity to take a brisk walk around London. This city is full of great architecture, and the people are very diverse, so I can guarantee that I will come across something worth photographing.

I started the day purchasing a new pair of headphones from Argos - a very crucial tool when I do street photography, it blocks me away from the traffic noise around London and the sound of the idiomaticness which the city is very known for.

There are two ways of approaching street photography:

1. Setting the scene :- You see the scenery in front of you, the composition is just right, but with many people walking by their positioning within the shot can ruin the photo entirely. This is where you set your composition, focus, and press the trigger once people are in place. It can take a few goes, so take your time. Another option is to bring a tripod, but I like to travel light.

Hays Galleria

2. The second approach is snap as you see. Sometimes you come across interesting subjects in front of you, either people or animals and you know if you are not quick you will lose that killer shot. The photo below caught my eye as I walked in between these great buildings. The shapes and lines already made the photo but the person texting on his phone made it a little bit more interesting. So I stopped, composed, snapped and walked on. Five seconds later he was gone.

You have to be quick because people can be sensitive about being photographed in public, if they catch you they might move out of the way or approach you (the latter can ruin your day). This doesn't mean you need to use a zoom lens to catch the candidness for the reason that you can't set the scene if you shoot tight.

More London

The Scope

St Katherine's Dock

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

After a quick munch on a Vietnamese, I spent the last part of the day walking through Shoreditch, Brick Lane and Spitalfields Market. This section of London is very well known for its street art and interesting people, a very "vintage" part of the city. Previously I did a session with United Vibrations on the East End of London and we managed to get that killer shot for their music artwork.

This giant art on this gateway along Curtain Road regularly changes and you might remember I did a session with Tarrbaby at the start of my photography journey. This area never fail to impress!

Curtain Road

Shoreditch High Street

Annie Mac Presents.... It took me a good 15 minutes to get this image. There were cars and buses going past however I managed to get this empty shot but waited nervously for the person to walk into my frame, hoping no more cars will go past!

Bethnal Green Road / Shoreditch Station

Brick Lane

The sun setting over Dray Walk in Brick Lane - a great place to hang out in this area, always packed with people. The BBQ on the left hand side are awesome. A guy approached me and started commenting about the shot I'm trying to get. It sounded like he knew exactly I was going for. He said he loved photography but never could afford a camera to take any pictures, which is amazingly sad to hear. He cheekily asked whether he could have my camera before he walked away with a smile. One day my friend, you will carry out your passion.

The empty space in Elly's Yard. It's weird not having the RouteMaster Bus there...

Spitalfields Market - where the session ended.

My Wedding - Part 2 - Mappacchi

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:05:00 +0000

“Ma’pacci” is a wedding ceremonial initiation, which takes place the night before the wedding in Bugis ethnic. The bride undergo an initiation which is meant as an admiration to groom and bride, as well as a prayer to God The All Mighty for better life and harmony for the couple.

Each of the ornaments used in Mappaci has its own significance or valuable meaning. It is employed as a charismatic in the ancient Bugis tradition. For instance the pillow is the place where our head rests when we go to sleep. Our head is the highest position or the most prestigious part of the body. The significant meaning is that hopefully the couple would respect each other in the future.

Photography by: Roy Kurniawan Setiono of ForEachLove Photography

The Sarong indicates diligence and patience which is associated with its weaver. Consequently, the significant meaning is that in married life we need to be diligence and patience in working for household expenses (money) as well as for clothing.

The banana leafs have the meaning as that the leafs itself has a lot of used for human being. The significant is that hopefully the couple will be useful to their society.

The jack fruit leafs is associated with its straight shape flower and in Bugis it is called “lempu” , which translate to honest. This is also wishing the couple integrity in their life.

The Lawsonia Inermis leafs illustrates that the couple should purify their body and soul, for the man is to strengthening his love to the woman. Such also for the woman will do the same for her man. Lastly the palm sugar and coconut meat imply that the couple would be sweet and pleasant within their family, living in harmonious on the earth.

Photography by: Roy Kurniawan Setiono of ForEachLove Photography

My Wedding - Part 1 - Pengajian

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:27:00 +0000

Being a wedding photographer, we get to see some of the drama and stress which goes on behind the scenes at a wedding, but we only get to see only 1 day's worth. During the run up to my own wedding I get to experience the highs and lows when it comes to planning the big day.

I won't bore you with the details, I will go straight to the week before the D-day. Running up the the wedding we had several traditional family events. One was the Pengajian, followed by Mappacchi, then the wedding day itself. I will be blogging to explain the meaning of each event separately.

The Pengajian is a day of blessing for each the bride and groom, where they all gather in their respected homes to read the Quran. It gives the opportunity for the parents and the family to offer their gratitude to God and pray for the future of the newly-weds-to-be.

I sent my friend Roy to cover the event at Feby's (the bride) house. The décor for the Mappacchi event was already half up so it gave the room extra ambience, or that's what Roy thought....

Photography by: Roy Kurniawan Setiono of ForEachLove Photography

Midway through the Pengajian a power-cut happened within the local area. Roy first used the off-camera flash but it ruined the extra dramatic look and created too much attention towards him. Thanks to the goodness of Canon 50mm 1.2 he managed to capture the lighting off the candles....superb!

Photography by: Roy Kurniawan Setiono of ForEachLove Photography

Balling in Bali

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:15:00 +0000

Eat, Love, Pray?

For me it was Love to Eat and Pray I won't get fat!

Touchdown in Bali was a signal that the stress and drama of my wedding is finally over. Now it's time to chill and look forward to the future.

This visit made me realise why people of Jakarta come to Bali over and over and over again.... Few simple answers is to get away from the mess and the traffic where most of the city's resident tend to spend half of their lives stuck behind a long line of cars. Then to have a drink with a different view, a change from the street or tall-storey building.

So I spent a few days on the island with the new wife and a few friends, like always I tend to take a few snaps along the way:

Ubud Market

Kopi Luwak Plantation

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan

We visited Bali a week before Nyepi (Day of Silence) - there were quite a few religious ceremonies that went on throughout the day and on a few occasions we had to stop and wait until the crowd locals went past us when they were making their way to a temple.

Almost Edible at Country Living Xmas Fair 2010

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:52:00 +0000

My friend Kate from high school runs her own company called Almost Edible, which produces home made bath products inspired by things you eat such as cake, candy and even eggs.

This week she has her own stand in the Country Living Christmas Fair held at the Business Design Centre in London. The fair gives consumers the opportunity to avoid the high street to purchase their Christmas gifts and even find products that are not available in common stores.

The event is running from Wednesday 10th until Sunday 14th November 2010 and I can personally say that there are some amazing products on sale throughout the building, I totally recommend anyone to visit if you want to look for a Christmas present with a difference.

Kate asked me to photograph her stand at the exhibition because one of the reasons is to show off her new products, and with the help of Zoe-H, an experienced visual merchandiser, the stand looks absolutely stunning and filled with great gifts.

If you don't have the chance to visit the show, you can get in touch with Kate via her website or visit E.d. Warehouse in East Dulwich, where her products are also sold.

The True Colours of B&W

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 22:47:00 +0000

Is it wrong to take the colours away?

A few months back I was asked by Beena of Kumi Photography whether I was able to assist her on a wedding shoot and as I had the weekend mentioned free, I excitedly accepted. This was the first time that I worked alongside Beena and it's always something I look forward to when working with a new photographer as it's always great to bounce creative ideas off each other.

This blog post was to see whether changing a colourful event such as an Indian wedding into black and white (B&W) would kill the authenticity of the actual event. I've always loved B&W photography but I absolutely adore the colours of an Indian wedding, it's every photographer's dream to capture the ambience of the dress, decorations and lighting.

So check out the photos here and you can compare it with another Indian wedding I photographed and edited in colour. Let me know which one you prefer.

Countdown to Lake of Stars.

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:49:00 +0000

The vinspired Lake of Stars Festival is closely approaching, as Will Jameson, the festival founder and director are out in Malawi putting the finishing touches to this 4 day music event.

A set of local and international artists will be entertaining the crowd through their love and passion, whether it's music, dancing or art, this festival is bound to provide a quality experience. The whole project was set up to raise awareness for Malawi as a tourist destination, that would hopefully lead to an increase of employment, an improved infrastructure and improve the local way of life.

All this have been pulled together by a dedicated team of volunteers and have collaborated with the media, musicians and artists, who have given up their time to create a festival with a difference.

Over the last 10 months, the Lake of Stars team have organised a variety of events around the UK to raise awareness of the festival. Again, these events are run by a bunch of dedicated young volunteers, who as a result have gained experience in event co-ordination, which can be used as a career foundation for the future.

I have volunteered as a photographer at some of the events held in London - my aim was to get involved and offer my skills and in return I had the chance to listen to amazing talents and meet a crowd of people from different backgrounds who have come together for the same experience.

Here are some of the highlights featuring Seth Lakeman, Andreya Triana, The Good Natured, Tamanda Walker, Afrikan Boy including the massive gig we did at Union Chapel, featuring Tinashe and The Noisettes. There were also Behind The Scene stuff with the artists and the exhibitionists at the events.

Have fun out there guys, hopefully I'll get to join you in Malawi next year!

Countdown to Lake of Stars.

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:47:00 +0000

Here are some of the highlights featuring Seth Lakeman, Andreya Triana, The Good Natured, Tamanda Walker, Afrikan Boi including the massive gig we did at Union Chapel, featuring Tinashe and The Noisettes. There were also Behind The Scene interviews with the artists and the exhibitionists at the events.

Have fun out there guys, hopefully I'll get to join you in Malawi next year!

Behind The Scene - Unknown Title

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:07:00 +0000

Behind The Scene of an Untitled Project in London.

After barking out instructions our art director was obviously too tired to even check the scene

After a few hours in an alleyway, we get to enjoy some nice food...

The mustard and coffee incident...

Final Day in Kenya

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:41:00 +0000

Finally after 5 days of shooting, we get the opportunity of putting our cameras down and relaxing. Everyone was still in the mood to party so I dropped off my equipments back to the hotel and convinced the videographer Matt, to come back and mingle with the guests.

We turned up at the party at 2am and we promised ourselves that we'll stay for an hour and that's it because we have a car picking us up at 7am to take us round Mombasa. 3am....4am, Matt calls it a day. I however was still having a good time with the other guests so I thought of staying for a bit more. 5am.....6am...., sunrise! By this time some of the survivors were sitting in Danai Beach admiring the sunrise.

6:30 - Tick tock tick tock. Half an hour before the car arrives. I quickly ran to the hotel room and showered in time to catch the ride. Our six hour tour consisted of:

- Fort Jesus
- Old Town
- Haller Park

All of the photos in this blog post was taken on a Canon IXUS 950 IS, which I thought was suitable to quickly capture what I see without absorbing attention if I had taken it from my usual SLR camera.

A walk along Danai

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:06:00 +0000

Recently returned from Kenya where I was part of a photography team who documented an epic 5 day wedding event in Danai Beach, Mombasa. The shoot was intense for the whole of the 6 days I was there, however I managed to find some time to photograph the surroundings.

All of the photos in this blog post was taken on a Canon IXUS 950 IS, which I thought was suitable to quickly capture what I see without absorbing attention if I had taken it from my usual SLR camera. Mombasa is full of characters, colours and sights I would never see everyday in London.

The main wedding day didn't start until 6pm, therefore I had couple of hours in the afternoon to walk around along the streets of Danai Beach to see what it can provide for photography. The few photographs posted were taken in a space of 20 minutes of walking, using my point and shoot digital camera, and it shows what I love about travel photography. It gives me the opportunity to capture people, environment and colour that I could not get in London - plus I can take a photo of anything, anywhere, without being stopped by the police! The people of Mombasa were very friendly, welcoming, who absolutely love to have their picture taken.

My favourite image from the walk. Taken within a second of seeing the two gentlemen walking down this path. Focus, Compose, Shoot, Done!

Kenya

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:28:00 +0000

The first set of photos were taken during my journey from Mombasa International Airport to Danai Beach. Most was taken from inside the car, hence why you can see the reflection and the dirty glass. The greatest sight was seeing the hundreds of people rushing onto the ferry which takes the cars and pedestrian from the North to South side of Mombasa. You would think that building a bridge would resolve the traffic problems right? Well, looks like they prefer to do things the difficult way here.

As an Indonesian, I find it amusing when I see a policeman doing some work.

He wasn't pleased with me taking this sneaky shot.

We missed the first couple of ferry trips and what we saw was an endless amount of people queuing to catch the next ferry. What I saw was a mass stampede towards the ferry which I managed to quickly capture before getting back into the car.

After a 2 hour journey from the airport, we were greeted with a beautiful garden from the restaurant for lunch.

More photos will be posted later on this week.

Inspired by vinspired!

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:22:00 +0000

August is super busy!

Just found a small window of opportunity to post this behind the scene photos from the Lake of Stars event at Union Chapel, Islington, which featured a star in the making Tinashe and the brilliant Noisettes.

Before the gig, the vinspired Volunteers were doing some last minute preparation but also had the opportunity to watch the bands do their sound checks. Doing things for free can be tough but if you have the time you'll get the chance to experience and gain access to some things money can't pay for.

Go on, give it a go! Visit the vinspired website to find out about the amazing things you can get involved in this summer. Or even check out the website of the Lake of Stars festival, which is held in Malawi and powered by the guys of vinspired!

Rou + Greg

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:56:00 +0000

There are certain things which sticks in my mind about every client, a memory that stands out from the moment I crossed path with them to the time the wedding day arrives. On this occasion it was the time when I was exchanging text messages with Rou, who was in Cyprus at the time, to confirm that I can shoot her wedding - she said she was preventing herself from doing cartwheels around the apartment!

Fast forward 18 months later and I'm driving around a small town called Paralimni on the South Eastern side of Cyprus, within the Famagusta District. The St Demetrious Church couldn't have been a more perfect setting for the wedding ceremony, the interior is simply devine, I was completely speechless when I saw the art and colours of this place.

The weather was beyond perfect - in fact it was over the top. 42 degrees to be precise! We arrived in Cyprus as the island was hit with a heatwave - the word 'dehydration' was a big worry on the big day, only the occasional breeze saved me.

The thing about Cypriot wedding reception is, there's no official start time, on top of that we certainly didn't know when it was going to end, it's just the way everything flows here on the island. From 7pm to 10pm the wedding party were still welcoming guests who were flowing in from their mid afternoon 'siesta', whilst there was still no sign of the speeches, first dance or cutting of the cake. A massive credit to the whole family though, they certainly made the most of the day and totally enjoyed every moment - even with no food for nearly 12 hours. Although when the party kicked off, it certainly was worth the wait!

The bride certainly deserve a massive 'S' tattooed across her chest! This Superwoman used every single minute to squeeze in appointments, handle international guests arrivals - whilst the groom was having his Stag Do with the boys only days before the important day, but without similar drama scene from The Hangover movie.

I've learnt one thing for sure - on ANY wedding day, the groom should not panic. All grooms should wake up at a reasonable time, relax, have a game of Wii, and enter the venue using a flash vehicle to state that "I am the groom, therefore I am allowed to look this good"

Congrats to both of you, what a fantastic day to remember in a beautiful location. Thank you for the experience.

Wedding Ceremony Venue: St Demetrious Church, Paralimni, Cyprus
Wedding Reception Venue: Zappeion Palace
Make Up Artist: Maritsa Make Up Studio, Paralimni 99656191
Hair Stylist: Lisa's Hair Studio, Paralimni
Decorators: George
Horse & Carriage: Cyprus Wedding Carriage Company
Car Service: Antonys Taxi 99605671

Precious

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:16:00 +0000

For some reason the wedding shoot last week in Hampton Court was probably the hottest (weather wise) ever!

Congrats to Sajeda & Neil, plus thank you to the family and crazy Canadian friends for the warm hospitality throughout the day.

Trash City

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 09:06:00 +0000

A representative from Block9Ltd contacted me after seeing the pictures I took from Underdrome at the Roundhouse. Block9Ltd were the people who put together the amazing set for that play and they returned once again to the same venue, this time for the massive production Trash City! Boy o boy, the stage set looked absolutely brilliant! I was given a task to cover the show whilst concentrating to capture the layout of the set.

I mixed around with the lenses to cope with the lighting situation as flash photography is forbidden during the show.

Cameras: Nikon D700 and Canon 5D Mark II
Lenses: Canon 50mm 1.2, Canon 20mm 2.8, Nikon 24-70mm

ALUR - Landscape of Diversity

noreply@blogger.com (DwikoArie) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:35:00 +0000

Congratulations to ALUR Design Group who was chosen to represent Indonesia in London Festival of Architecture 2010. On 29th June 2010 ALUR officially introduced their installation in The Music Room, Nr Bond Street, London and entertained the guests with Indonesian food, cultural music, dance and art. The event had the privilege of having the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Republic of Indonesia Yuri Octavian Thamrin.

Well I'm only a photographer, so I let the people from ALUR brief you on their project:

"The Festival in 2010 will be a city-wide celebration of architecture in the capital. As London gears up for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games we look at ways that planners, architects and local communities play their part in the development of 'The Welcoming City'. Everyone is invited to join the Festival community, to develop projects to take part in debates; to investigate ways that London can be made a better place to live, work and play; to explore the city through guided walks and bike rides and to examine change in the capital in a celebratory way.

A wide range of independent events will surround a number of core activities - some focused on high profile weekend events - others taking place throughout the Festival period.

We are already planning major projects for Olympic Year. The LFA2012 will take place from 23 June - 8 July 2012 and will highlight London's architecture to a global audience just weeks before the start of the Games.

This year, the Indonesian Embassy has chosen ALUR DESIGN GROUP to represent the country in the festival. Alur is an interdisciplinary design and creative studio envisioned by a group of Indonesian architects and designers who are practicing in London.

The team consists of Ardes Perdhana, Monique Suksmaningsih, Prama Milyardi, Rizki Nindito, Olivia Putihrai, and Kuncara Wicaksana. They met in London with the same ambition, to promote Indonesian art and architecture.

Indonesian installation at Welcoming City LFA shows how the landscape of diversity of the country is transformed into contemporary critical discourse. The installation entitled Landscape of Diversity derived from the country’s origin and rich traditional culture that Indonesian proud of. In October 2009, UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The installation, using a collective batik pattern from the country, is then processed, dissected, mutated and emerged as an experimental landscape of diversity.

The first element of the show, the reality, is an exploration of Indonesian landscape within the international world through both factual data and cognitive perception. These include processes that were emerging at the time as the result of changes in cultural, historical influence as well as politico-economic practices. The thickness of the urban layers will drive the second element of the exhibition.

The second element and main part of the exhibition is an introduction of an ongoing research investigating the new opportunities of implementation from the cultural heritage. By materializing one of the traditional batik patterns as an architectural prototype, the imaginative landscape tries to demonstrate it as a geometry system in a wooden landscape structure. It attempts to give new meanings and richens the current Indonesian culture."

Source: ALUR Design Group