You must have seen countless photos of a bride and groom online as well as offline. Typing words like “bride and groom photo”, “Bride And Groom Photo Shoot Singapore” and “bride and groom photo shoot” among others, must have generated one too many images that appeal to you so much that you want to keep them forever. Of course, these pictures you got from browsing the web only add to your still growing collection which consists of photographs collected from magazines and brochures, to name a few.

These pictures are exceptionally beautiful that they effortlessly stand out in a sea of similarly themed photographs. You like them so much that you want to imitate them or at least, take inspiration from them. But have you ever figured out the common denominator of these stunning images? If you haven’t, then examine them closely and you’ll eventually notice that the people photographed in those lovely pictures are relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera.

This blog won’t argue to the contrary that not most people can behave naturally on command at the presence of a photographer. But let’s not dismiss the fact that not all the people in your favourite pictures are professional models themselves. If you find it hard not to be very conscious about your appearance that you’re only forcing a smile at best, then dismiss the thought of needing to smile altogether. Just be happy and without much effort, you’ll exude your positive emotions through the glow in your face and the spark in your eyes.

The Unconventional Bride And Groom Photo Shoot Singapore

Being natural isn’t always tantamount to a wide smile. In addition, it doesn’t necessarily mean doing away with the props. Don’t be afraid to try different poses as long as they don’t deviate from the theme. Inject some creativity so that you won’t end up collecting a bunch of pictures that looks the same with everyone simply standing and smiling directly at the camera.

The Unique Bride And Groom Photo Shoot Singapore

But if you want to play it safe since you’re the type of person who prefers the norm over the unconventional, then formal poses might suit you best. Keep in mind though that you and your partner don’t need to look stiff in your pictures. Make the shots interesting instead. Let your unique character shine through the images that both of you will cherish for a lifetime. Now, that is something that is not only interesting but unique as well.

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That aside, do you know that tuning in to Class 95FM everyday to Raymond Phang Photography is something like having the compulsive need of dumping chilli sauce in all our meals and wacking the Wasabi with all our Sashimis? Yes, we are faaaaaaans of Class 95FM! Hence Raymond Phang Photography is sponsoring casual outdoor photoshoot for the Class 95FM Car Decal Giveaway! Weeeee!! Be spotted with the Class 95FM decals on the road and stand to win a casual outdoor photoshoot with Raymond Phang Photography! Congratulations to the first winner! Let’s all groove our asses to the awesome music! Muwahahahahaha~ (:

Love,
Angeline

Although it varies considerably depending on the availability of the people concerned, a Bridal Photo Shoot is usually scheduled at least a month ahead of the big day. This gives everyone in the team—from the bride to the photographer and his assistant/s, to the hair and makeup artists, florist, stylist and designer—ample time to refine their contributions to further enhance the overall result which is the bride at her most beautiful self. In other words, this is the moment to gather the team together, under relatively less pressure from a variety of factors to focus on perfecting your look in preparation for your wedding day.

This moment affords you the luxury of time – something that your wedding day can’t give. You are more relaxed during this session than you’ll ever be on the big day. Make use of this time to practice your poses and work on your angles. You may experiment with different looks but it’s advisable to put on the makeup and fix your hair they way you want them done on the wedding day itself. Treat this session like a “dress rehearsal” of sorts. You may even want to ask for a duplicate of the bouquet from your florist. You can also wear the same jewelleries as you would when you walk down the aisle.

You should also regard this photo shoot as a good opportunity to bond with the photographer so that you are more comfortable being yourself when he is around. Share your ideas with the team but trust them enough to deliver their best as they do they do their thing. The idea should reflect your personality and not of anybody else’s. If there’s something you want to change, don’t hesitate to express your opinion in a polite manner. This session also serves as a way to find the approaches that works best for you and set those as the standards to observe in making tangible memories of your wedding day in pictures.

Choosing A Venue For Your Bridal Photo Shoot

It’s good to consider the sound suggestions of your photographer as he has already mastered shooting his subjects at his preferred locations. Then again, if those venues don’t appeal to your liking, don’t feel compelled to settle. A good photographer can rise up to the challenges of a venue that the clients chose for themselves.

Choose a setting that doesn’t only look beautiful. Rather, opt for the one that means something to you. It’s ideal if you can establish a special connection with the place. A meaningful location can help translate remarkable photographs that reflect that positive emotions you feel inside.

Aside from those things, you should also factor in the weather especially if your team will be working outdoors. Moreover, similarly enquire about the permits you need to secure and don’t forget to include in your budget the extra costs that they would generate.

Preparing For Your Bridal Photo Shoot

In the days leading to your scheduled photo shoot, combine a balanced diet with regular exercise routines. Your physical preparation is as vital as every single thing you expect to turn out as planned. It’s certainly worth mentioning as this point that this photo shoot will be as physically as it is emotionally draining especially for you, the bride to be.

If you turn to the web while doing your research, you’re most likely to stumble upon the name of Raymond Phang as you try to find an exceptional lensman by typing in relevant keywords including “Award Winning Photographer Singapore“. A growing number of satisfied clients are vocal about their praises for this man who combines talent with professionalism in delivering beyond exacting expectations.

Working With An Award Winning Photographer Singapore

Choosing an award winning photographer already does half the job for you because when you think about it, this person’s notable abilities and capabilities are acknowledged by his peers and by organisations composed of people with relevant knowledge and experience in the craft he strives to perfect. To say that his works are above average is not an empty claim. Paying for his services is equivalent to a guarantee that you are going to keep stunning, tangible memories for a lifetime.

The Validation Of An Award Winning Photographer Singapore

Most recently, seven out of ten of his prints which were included in last year’s WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) Award of Excellence 16″ x 20″ Print Competition, were given the Accolade of Excellence. His works bested several creative renditions of talented photographers as they prove to be especially remarkable based on tough criteria that encompasses concept, technicality, print quality, details and colours accuracy.

The UK’s esteemed Master Photographers Association granted 16 merit prizes to Raymond Phang’s works during the Master Photography Awards of 2010. In 2009, Raymond received a Licentiate Master Photographer title from the same prestigious organisation of professional photographers. A year before that, he was honoured with the Singapore Young Photographer Award as a merit winner.

The year 2010 proved to be very rewarding for Raymond as not only did he earned international photography awards from the Master Photography Association but he similarly received recognition from the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association (AG|WPJA) as the first place winner of the AG|WPJA 2010 in the Dancing category. Such category is meant to capture images from the dance floor that depict the mood of a certain moment beginning from the first dance until the end of the wedding celebration. He also bagged the first place plum in the Ceremony category of the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association) contest and took home the ASEAN Young Photographers’ Award in the same year.

These are but a few of the many awards he received but they nonetheless serve as ample proofs of his notable talent that even the most respected photographers the world over can’t ignore.

Weddings could be stressful for both the upcoming newlyweds, but it is too for the people behind the ceremony. While the photography coverage may seem like the easiest part of it, the burden is shouldered by the head photographer, who, amidst all the hullaballoo should keep organized, know how to put or at least force the festive spirit out of people for the money shot, be at his best behavior, and be able to think on his feet.

Found below are just some of the tips on how wedding photographers can produce the best wedding photographs for the newlywed couple.

Tips For Amateur Photographers For Covering A Bride And Groom Photo Shoot

Many photographers would agree that the rule of thumb is to keep organized, ahead of time. Present a shot list (a shot of must-have poses for the bride and groom and their respective parties, before, during, and after the wedding proper) to the bride and groom and ask them which should be prioritized. Also be able to find the location prior to the wedding itself and be able to explore it before the day of the wedding. This will help you have an idea of great backgrounds and shots.

Another thing: make sure to request the bride or groom to nominate any relative who could help out in assembling people for photo shoots and stuff at the reception or church. Talk to these people and tell them to set their expectations at a certain level so that things won’t go awry at the venue. Finally, make sure to know how to work with the guests. You can be friendly by not crossing the line and being obtrusive.

Bride And Groom Photo Shoot: Finding A Wedding Photographer

Wedding video and photography studios and events coverage companies abound anywhere you are in the globe, so how do you determine which one stands out the most among the rest? For starters, check out their photography portfolio online to get an idea of what the photographer or multimedia company has to offer. Some research would help a lot.

One of the challenges of photography is being able to connect with your subject. Of course, it’s going be hard to squeeze a nice smile from your subject especially when you’ve started off on the wrong foot with them. Moreover, working with an adult for adult photography already presents itself as a challenge, with their inhibitions and pride—what more if you’re working with kids who may be hard to talk to?

While photographers could definitely cheat on the outcome of a child’s photograph by putting in effects or editing it, there still lies a problem: the camera is sure to pick up on the emotions of the child in the photograph. This is why doing child photography requires certain skills, if not the ability to charm children for the very least.

A Quick Background: Child Photography Singapore

Many photographers would agree that the trick to shooting a great photograph is understanding not just your audience but your subject. Kids are a stubborn and energy-filled bunch, and if you can’t keep up with them then you’re in no place to even become a photographer. So take advantage of kids’ qualities! Kids are notorious for being curious and tinkering with stuff, so how about getting their confidence by showing them your wares? Showing them how interesting your equipments are and how they work can pique their interest and eliminate their fear of the camera, and it gives you an upper hand since you, the photographer, owns the equipment. You’ll be able to earn their trust and attention.

Next, work with the natural environment of the child. Work with them while they are in their space or element—don’t force them into smiling. Let them relax at the studio for a while and start shooting when they’re busy with something. The best photographs are products of spontaneity.

Child Photography Singapore: Where To Find A Photographer

Finding a reputable child photographer would be quite a challenge for parents, although it shouldn’t be. Many photographers have set up their portfolios online. If you want to know which photographer is credible enough to take your child’s photo, then work through their websites and check out their sample works. Some research early in time would help.

Here’s a blog post with an example of how 2 photographers document a wedding. Its not that one photographer can’t do the job, its just that sometimes a photographer can’t split him/herself into two.

Imagine this scenario, the bride’s parents want a group shot with some friends and the groom is having a toast with a group of friends…WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?! Theres also so many ways to shoot a scene and with two photographers, you get 2 different perspectives. In addition,there are times when I like to take couples out for mini shoots here and there and normally if I happen to see nice spots, the guests would be left to dine and chat, WITH NO ONE AROUND TO CAPTURE THEIR UNGLAM MOMENTS for that period of time…… WHAT EVER ARE WE GOING TO DO?! ……again

Ok ok,I shall cut all the talking and start showing some examples.   And for Pam + Ruzaiman’s wedding, my partner in crime is Ms SURINE.

Oh and by the way, Im Ben and I’m gonna pass the keyboard over to Susu, who’s gonna bore you all to tears now with her long windedness.

P.s: while typing this little blog entry, Ms SURINE actually wailed while watching Tong Hua. here’s the youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLsNzzQ6vYI
*Ben shove keyboard to Surine*  

I wanted to delete the P.S sentence above me but unfortunately Sir Ben forbade me from doing so. D: *sniffles and dabs nose like the emo that she is* So yep! Its now Sulin here commandeering the keyboard before Ben decides to write more scandalous stuff about me. Pam & Ruzaiman’s wedding was simply a blast to document, it was a nice change of scene compared to the chinese weddings that we usually document. The customs, the ceremony and the traditional costumes; fascinating, sacred and above all, gorgeous. From the morning preparations to the solemnisation ceremony and the little itty bitty details in between, here’s a series of images taken by Ben and I; same location, but different perspectives. We hope that you’ll enjoy the series!

* Surine shove keyboard to Angeline*

Cough cough… Finally this blog is alive again.. and this time with three person contributing to one entry, not just one. Haha! Anyway, many couples have been asking me whether is it necessary to engage a second photographer for their wedding. I’d say it would be good for an all rounded coverage of the wedding and for the best of both worlds.

It is highly advisable to engage a second photographer if you are expecting a lot of guests at your wedding, or if you and your parents have different level of understanding when it comes to “good photography”. Some of the elders’ idea of a good picture is one which shows the full frontal view of the subject looking straight into the camera. But nowadays people are so exposed to Photography (most own a DSLR and shoot occasionally), they start to appreciate abstract images which might only show the lips of the groom in black and white, without the eyes/nose…

To please the elders and do yourself, a second photographer can save you the headaches and prevent your folks from throwing ping pong balls at you for engaging such a “lousy” photographer who shoots dark dark images, cannot see face, don’t know why you shoot the backview, how come never take picture of me drinking the tea etc. Phew! Long sentence, but that’s about it. The second photographer can please your folks by capturing all the standard bright bright see face shots so that the main photographer you engage can roam around capturing all the raw candid emotional/natural shots which you like. Or even at the wedding banquet when you are mingling with your colleagues at one table while your other half is having group hugs at the other corner. The photographer cannot split himself/herself into two, so having two photographers here will help a lot.

Perfect!

As what Susu mentioned, same location but different perspectives. Here’s what they see at the same wedding with Ben Chan as the main photographer and Sulin Lee as the second photographer. Cheers!

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan
Here’s the family photo that any family will appreciate. It’s a parent’s proudest moment when their child finally gets married. So most family will have such a family picture framed up on a wall in their house.

Photographer: Ben Chan

Ben will capture some details shots of the gown, for example it’s the intricate collar design for Pam’s gown.

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Here’s what Susu sees – a portrait of the lovely bride.

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

While Susu captures the general view…

Photographer: Ben Chan

Ben goes a little bit more in depth.

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

The general view by Susu.

Photographer: Ben Chan

And the close up by Ben.

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Here’s Ben with the close up of the group hug. We can see some happiness going on around here. But what’s mummy doing at the back?

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Susu’s perspective of the same scene - instead of the happy faces of the group hug, what she saw was mummy taking a picture of the beautiful cake.

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Photographer: Ben Chan

Hope this short entry explains a little bit more on their respective roles. We’ll share more once we have the time. Right now we’re extremely busy clearing backlogs because we’re flying off to New Zealand for a month! As usual being the free spirit people, we don’t have any itinerary planned so we’ll be living like the nomads moving from place to place, staying longer at a spot we love or move on to the next once we have enough. Because of this we might have limited access to the Internet and hence there might be a delay in email reply. But for any important or urgent matter, feel free to call or text us at +65 8138 – 3397 ya?

Alternatively you can also visit our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/raymondphangphotography for updates on our Journey in New Zealand… Just to see we’re still rolling around… Haha~ We’ll be back in May!! See you!

Peace,

The fake 小胡子 (Ben Chan)  & Sulin the SUSU the Surine the Susulini the Sushimi the Shisamo the Shimano the Milk Pan & Engine V1024

Anyway, here’s one from Benedict (Ben) Chan.

Lots of Love,
Angeline

This is not photoshopped, everything happened as it is. Of course it took a few tries and minor adjustments to achieve this shot. Shot using the Canon 5D Mark 3, hope you guys like it.

Lots of Love,
Angeline

As most of you know, we got our hands on the new Canon 5D mk3 the minute it was available. (16 March) We got this toy to play with first while waiting patiently for our 1Dx to arrive, which sources say should be here once our team comes back from our yearly month long New Zealand pilgrimage. Haha.

Nonetheless, this is not a full fledge review of the Canon 5D mk3 and again we are not that technical enough to give a review but more for those that are interested, here are some thoughts after using the camera for an actual wedding day shoot.

This cam truly justify itself as an upgrade. What I love so far about the camera apart from all the new bell and whistles (plus some other new stuff which I have yet to try)
- Low noise at high ISO
- Silent shutter (nobody’s gonna stop me in church now!!!)
- Responsive af and what I used to miss focusing on 5dmk2 this cam can pick it up effortlessly. Low light AF on is a dream come true.
- Did I mention about the low noise yet?
- 1 x cf slot PLUS 1 x sd slot! Finally can have redundancy for my images!! (Will talk more about this below)
- Bloody unbelievable low noise.
- White balance more accurate under florescent lighting condition meaning to say less half green/yellow/magenta frames
- And yes! The noise (or lack of noise) is crazy. I can shoot at iso 6400 and the noise feels like only 1600 or less on the 5D mk2. Ridiculous.

I have also done a non scientific left and right comparison of the same subject, under same condition and camera setting using both the new and old 5d Mark 2. Somehow the color rendered from the new sensor is better, have slightly more dynamic range and overall produce better images. Kudos to Canon for upping the ante. The Black + Yellow brand watch out! Hahahaha!

Left is Canon 5D mk2 and Right is Canon 5D mk3. Both files are unedited from RAW viewer. Both settings in camera are identical and ISO is purposely set to 2000 to purposely push noise out. Dynamic range and color can clearly be seen. Not the best comparision but with mountains of backlogs, I dont have time to do a proper test

Close up 100% crop of the files shows that the thread of the 5Dmk3 can clearly be seen while 5Dmk2 details are a little lacking.

Softness, details and crispness plus less CA on the edges! Color noise from the old 5Dmk2 and the new 5Dmk3. ISO 2000 on the 5Dmk3 feels like only ISO 800 or less?

Color noise visible on 5Dmk2 while disappears on 5Dmk3. No more patchy markings all over.

Ok before I digress further, I shall bring you back to the reason why and what made me look forward to these 2 newly launched cameras and in particular the Canon 1Dx. Firstly, they both have better weather seal (meaning I can still shoot in the rain while I get drenched. Couples or corporate clients should know I still carry on the shoot irregardless of how heavy the rain goes. Shooting cars in motion in the rain? No problem! Corporate shoots with rain? Lets carry on!) I cannot remember how many times my old 5D mk2 failed me because of the rain got too heavy and into the supposedly sealed gaskets. The buttons would randomly lock up and shutter won’t fire. We are the types who won’t pamper our gear and only work on getting the shot rather than wait for rain to stop hence the weather seal is important to us. Reason why we didn’t go for the older 1 series because as mentioned, it’s older. We require full frame (which 1dmk4 doesn’t have) and we know a better camera is on the pipeline (verses the older 1Dsmk3). Who would spend SGD $11,000 on an older camera body with the files almost matching the 5Dmk2 only to have a replacement camera coming out later.

Secondly, which is more important to me is that they have redundancy slots for second CF card (1Dx) and SD card slot (5Dmk3). This redundancy option finally completes and secures our backup solution that we have in place since 2009. To have a clearer idea of how our (very kiasu) backup steps are, this is the rough gist.

Completed shoot, return home (albeit tired and hungry) download cards immediately to main workstation. This main workstation runs on Raid system with a hardware raid controller card meaning at any one point of time 2 hard disk can fail BUT the files will still be intact.

Once downloaded and renamed to correct specs and dated, images will be burnt on archival quality DVD or blueray disc which can span from 5 DVDs to 20 DVDs per shoot depending on scale of shoot. These DVDs will be stored in a cool and dry environment to prolong their shelve life and maximize their archival quality.

After which we will do an automated daily backup(we wrote a script to do this manually or daily at a fixed time) over to our archival 5 bay Raid system NAS (network access storage which can have a single Hdd failing but still retains all files intact). This NAS is kept within our own premises but in case of a fire breakdown or burglary (though i have no idea who will want to steal NAS), we have an offsite NAS which we already programmed it to synchronise and receive all files everyday automatically from our local NAS at a secret location so fire and burglary is out of the question. How kiasu are we? Last count of RAW files plus all edited files and psd files at different location and independent copies? : 4

Previously the bottleneck we have lies with the camera and what if during the shoot the card gets corrupted or damaged before we even get back home for backups. By buying the new 5Dmk3/1Dx, because of the added redundancy, we bring up the backup count to a whopping 5! Plus if one of the memory card in the camera fails or gets corrupted, we still have a backup card to download.

Why do we do that? Because your files are worth it. Seriously we couldn’t live or face any couple or corporate client if we didn’t have this system in place and one day a hdd decides to happily die on us. No doubt the running cost, electrical bills, 2 different location yearly Internet bills, hardware and software to build up the infrastructure, maintenance and all is tremendously high (rough figure to do up is about $20k) but we feel compelled to do it and to do it right because you entrusted us with your memories and the least we could do is to protect and prevent disasters from happening within our means. We have received questions and various snide remarks from fellow industry photographers on why we spend so much on buying and upgrading our equipment because seriously these additional cost really doesn’t justify itself. Let’s just say that we hope and pray everyday that we don’t have gears or equipment failure but because we are living in a world far from perfect, we rather be safe than sorry.

Peace,
Raymond