A while ago, I had the opportunity to work with Yinger at Yinger Fotokrafie as a secondary shooter and also a Behind The Scenes photographer. This photoshoot was entirely orchestrated by Yinger but I was able to capture and document some of the going-ons behind the scenes that made the photoshoot amazing for this couple. Huge thank to Yinger Forokrafiefor having me on! All of the photographs here (I believe) were shot on beautiful 35mm film, my favorite photographic medium…
How do you even begin to encapsulate a year? It’s 365 days of living and being and breathing and it all goes by so fast. As a photographer, the photos I take are not only momentos of the little moments that went by but also memory place holders that let me look back and recall a time in my life: the smells, the sights and even the sounds.
As a documentary wedding photographer, I approach a wedding with the mindset of a photojournalist and am on the lookout for amazing “candid” moments to build a story of an entire wedding day, giving brides and grooms and authentic retelling of their day. However, as I soon learned, we as wedding photographers usually have to wear many hats on a wedding day!
So I found out pretty quickly that my little Honda Fit car is able to fit a bride and two bridesmaids... and with room to spare. You see, the bride was about a 15-20 minute walk away from her venue but the day was hot and I didn't want the bride Dayna to sweat like crazy just before her ceremony at Brix! (We were at David Lam Park and it was warm that day). That's when it dawned on me: "Why don't *I* drive the bride up? I'm parking there anyway!" So there I was, with a client clad in her bridal gown and with her bridesmaids were in my car as we scooted up a few blocks in my little Honda Fit to Brix & Mortar. I've photographed in a lot of weddings and this was definitely an amazing first.
The final day of the wedding consisted of a reception at Swaniset Bay Resort and Country Club, located deep within Pitt Meadows. It was great being able to document all the people and friends and family interacting with one another. Also, there was a Lamborghini.
…A prior conversation with Elizabeth gave me the story of Tallie. While initially a dog person, Elizabeth fell in love with Tallie and soon became a cat person (cats tend to do that to us... hehe). I can't recall the reason why Tallie was in the shelter but that's where Elizabeth found her. Tallie was a mother of some kittens at the shelter but as the kittens were soon adopted off, Tallie was left all alone. Elizabeth wanted to adopt a cat that would have a tough time finding a home and found Tallie at the shelter, who approached Elizabeth and they instantly bonded. I found Tallie to be a shy cat but after a few moments of walking in and around the place, Tallie got used to the commotion in her home that was me and my various clattering cameras.
…Regardless of whether it’s a model, a family, a bride and groom and their friends, a little cat or the people of Chinatown, I shoot documentary photography. It’s my passion and forms a major part of my vision and how I see things. Even on a styled shoot such as this one with lots of posing and a professional model, there’s a lot of storytelling behind the scenes that I desired to convey…So my role was that of telling the story that was going on behind the entire project….
Whenever I get a chance to walk around Vancouver, I'm always amazed at all the little surprises we have. Continuing from my last post, here's a few more photographs from January 2014 of last year, when the sun was out but the heat was not (it was cold...). Ah well, that's Vancouver :)
I like to spend my time walking. Outside. Even when it's cold.
The January before last (that is, January 2014) proved to be an especially cold January. Brisk winter air was sharp on the skin but it was still strangely sunny. I took this opportunity to take some photos and, on this rainy February day in 2016, I thought I'd share a few.
As a documentary photographer who photographs many weddings, I’ve had the opportunity to observe people through the emotional tides that arises from a wedding day and it’s such a privilege to be able to be with brides and grooms in this amazing time of their lives. From anticipation to the sense of relief of having completed the ceremony (without tripping or losing the ring!) to the sense of celebration and exuberance at the celebration in the end, a wedding day is full of moments that are easy to miss in the hustle and bustle of things but are there. I’ve always focused on getting those genuine moment and telling stories through them.
March seemed like ages ago but I feel like we're feeling that cold Canadian weather now as we did then. I've taken a lot of images since that time but haven't really had a chance to share them with you all. My walks are usually around Downtown Vancouver but I like to explore other places too, including Chinatown and also areas by the Vancouver Public Library (which is where the sushi photo is from). Occasionally my wife and I get into our car and we make a bee-line for some unknown place... take an exit off the highway and see where it leads.
