Hello again! Here’s the first installment from Jasmin and Chiang’s wedding day. It was an 18 hour day for us all and because we took sooo many photos, I’ve decided to post them up in parts for you all to enjoy! Here are the highlights from what was such an amazing day and a truly memorable wedding. I hope you guys enjoy these getting ready and “door games” photos
Let the games begin!
The boys looking worried?
No idea what was in the can – it looked like giant cockles and smelled funky!
Blended with a mix of biscuits topped with wasabi, bitter gourd, aubergine and a whole lot of other stuff I don’t even know!
Which turned into a lethal concoction…
Luckily for Chiang, it was finished before it got to him
Smelly socks anyone?
The goal: to snatch a candy with your mouth
Q&A time
Clearly, Chiang got one wrong and the brothers had to pay!
Dancing and singing too! Here, Chiang is demonstrating the moves
Hey guys, I know some of you are eagerly awaiting to see the photos from Jasmin & Chiang’s wedding. We took heaps and heaps of photos and videos so it will be some time before it’s ready. I will post them up in stages too as I go so you won’t be left hanging without anything new to see
Meanwhile, here’s the slideshow that was displayed at the dinner reception. This time you get to watch it as many times as you want! Don’t forget to turn HD on for a better quality and sharper video
Just a couple of weeks ago, my buddy Ryan of Rong Image asked if I wanted to join him for a model shoot with a model from http://www.modelmayhem.com
Since I haven’t done anything like that before I thought this would be an interesting opportunity to try something a little different from shooting engagement/pre-wedding sessions. I gave him the ‘Go ahead’ and a week later he had everything sorted out and the shoot was on. Thanks Ryan, I’m already looking forward to the next one!
Now I present to you, Julia from Germany. Her name is actually pronounced with a Y instead of J so it’s actually Yulia
First, the color series. Don’t forget to CLICK for the larger version
And now, the Black and White series
Big thanks to Julia for coming out with us that afternoon and also to Ryan for making this happen. We have to do this again some time
Oddly enough I started shooting digitally many years ago but there’s just something about shooting in film that I really enjoy. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly it is. I know it has something to do with the feel and sound of the shutter and film advancing. Also, the different color characteristics different films produce is something I have always been very fond off, especially with slide film like Velvia, Provia and Kodak’s E100VS which I used for a recent wedding. Choosing the right film for the occasion is also something to consider before you load a roll.
For example, I shoot almost exclusively with Velvia 50 for landscapes in both standard 35mm and medium format. I particularly like Provia for random street stuff for the grungy feel/color it produces. B&W film and street photography have undoubtedly, always gone well together. Not long ago, I gave a go at shooting panoramic B&W for documentary and photojournalism stuff which I am now, liking very much. The most recent example is a wedding I shot with Kodak’s E100VS which I think just works so well together. The warm but somewhat clean tones it produces makes it perfectly useable for portraits where skin tone is important whilst still producing a highly saturated and contrasty shot.
I find that I also have more keepers when I shoot in film compared to shooting digital. I think this has to do with the cost of shooting film, specifically slide film which has risen significantly over the years. This makes nailing every shot with the right exposure and composition so much more important since there’s no preview after clicking the shutter button! Shooting in film has in some way, helped me learn to think more before I take the shot. I think more about the composition, the exposure values. Would it work? Check then recheck again to make sure I have everything dialed in perfectly.
My weapon of choice alongside the 5D Mark II for the recent wedding was my all time favourite camera (yes, more than the 5D!), the Hasselblad Xpan II, panoramic film camera. For a discontinued film camera, the XPan still commanded a very high asking price of about $3.5k and upwards for the kit with a 45mm prime lens. I was very lucky when I found one for sale which was in immaculate condition with only a 100-ish shutter count, for much less than the market price then. I of course jumped at the opportunity as this was one camera I have only dreamt of owning many years ago.
Shooting with the Xpan was a bit of a challenge since there is no auto focus and adjusting the aperture requires manual adjustment on the lens. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think I will be using it more at weddings in the future
Here are some pictures of the Xpan just after the postman dropped by
I have always been a fan of DIY stuff. It has nothing to do with doing things on the cheap or anything like that but simply because I enjoy every step of the photographic process, from clicking the shutter down to the mixing of chemicals and hanging it to dry. As a photographer, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a perfectly shot and developed strip of film after waiting anxiously for at least an hour for the film to dry. Perhaps it is the delayed gratification shooting in film which makes it so much more exciting.
Here is a photo of the setup I have when developing film at home in my bathroom. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a dark room with red lights to develop film. However, yes, that is my washing machine!
The use of film has dropped significantly over the years. One example is when Kodak decided to stop producing Kodachrome and some time next year, the only lab in the world still processing this wonderful film will seize to do so too. I just hope there won’t come a day when shooting with film is no longer a possibility
Last night, a whole bunch of us Sydney photographers got to meet with the legendary Chase Jarvis for a social meet at the Blue Hotel in Woolloomooloo. A few guys actually flew in from Queensland and Canberra to meet him! Australia being in a continent of our own, we hardly get any famous or world renowned photographers stopping by to give a talk, workshop, or in Chase’s case – an informal social meet. With just under 48 hours notice on Facebook and Twitter, he pulled a massive crowd of fans. When I saw his post, I thought this may be too good to be true until I reread it several times haha!
It was both truly inspiring and an eye opener to hear the man talk, his experiences on the creative and production side of things, his recent Sandisk campaign in Queenstown, the brutal reality of photography when it comes to clients and using passion for photography as our driving force.
Halfway through the meet we got kicked out of the bar as they were closing. I thought the meet was gonna end but then Chase said, “Let’s crash the lobby!”
We continued on and that’s when the conversation got down and dirty with the true reality of earning a living out of photography, the perceived value of one’s work from one person to another, the subjectiveness of ‘art’, and taking on jobs not because of the money but for our passion for photography . Hearing Chase, Scott and Chris share their experiences put a lot of things into perspective for me.
On becoming a successful photographer, Chase’s answer was STAMINA – to keep on shooting, continuously developing your style and perfecting your art which differentiates yourself from the rest.
Speaking of stamina, this guy is a marathon runner. Extremely sleep deprived working on the campaign, riding in a helicopter for more shots just several hours before, then flying into Sydney later – we still got to hang with him for 5 hours until 2am! I don’t know how he does it but I was getting tired just standing!
This goes out to Chase and his crew, thanks so much guys for taking the time to connect with us, for sharing your wealth of knowledge and experiences and for a really great time last night! I’m sure all of us would love to have you back again so give us a yell next time you’re down under!
If you like what I posted here, I highly suggest you visit his website at http://www.chasejarvis.com and his blog to checkout the recent behind the scenes video from his latest ad campaign – super interesting stuff! Go look him on Facebook and Twitter too!
If you’re not convinced, checkout this video of Chase and the crew working behind the scenes. Awesome stuff!
Also, I almost forgot to mention this – Chase said to me that he liked my barcode t-shirt! Not once but twice too! Good times!
Good times!