Justin Oh Wedding Photography

Continuing on, here is the second half of Jasmin and Chiang’s epic 18 hour wedding! A wonderful mix of traditional Chinese customs (and costumes too) with a touch of contemporary flair. There was a nice mix of traditional Baju Kebaya representing Jasmin’s Malaysian background and Chinese Mandarin Shirts for Chiang’s  ‘brothers’.

It was a packed day as we were between several different locations starting with the Star City Apartment, their new home in Alexandria, a stroll through the Royal Botanical Gardens before boarding the Sydney Glass Island via Man O War Wharf. We also allocated some time to prepare a slideshow as Jasmin wanted to display some photos taken earlier in the day at the reception. I think it is also safe to say that the Hen’s Day Out vidshow was a hit If you missed it earlier here’s the link to watch it: http://www.vimeo.com/6941364

The weather forecasted for that day was an evening thunderstorm. It was threatening us the whole day but when we were at the Gardens, we had some very nice dramatic light – although we had some drizzle on and off which cut our outdoor portrait session short. Everyone was a little worried and on edge since the ceremony was on the top deck of the glass boat. We went on with the ceremony as the storm brew. Amazingly enough, it only started pouring when we were just about to make our way down!! The celebration went on as hard as ever as the thunder and lightning was seen and heard from every corner Checkout the wedding day video in the next post above.

Thank you Jasmin and Chiang for your trust in me to be your photographer on your wedding day, for asking me non-stop throughout the day if I had anything to eat or drink, for your warmth and kindness and of course, your friendship! I haven’t had so much fun shooting a wedding! Although it was 18 hours, it just went like a blink of an eye! Thank you!

Here are the highlights of the day. Hope you guys enjoy looking!

Chinese Tea Ceremony for the Bride’s side of the family

And the groom’s side

Jewelry as gifts for the bride

Got it!

Jasmin’s sisters. Sorry guys, they’re all taken

Love the lighting here!

One of my favourite shots – pure photojournalism

Another favourite one here

Oops!?

Speech reaction

Love this shot taken by my friend/2nd shooter/assistant Alex

Yaaaaaaaaaaaammmm Sennggg!!! The Malaysian/Singaporean equivalent to Cheers!

And a whole lot of partying too!

The fantastic glass boat with a 360 degree view

If you like the hair and makeup you see in the photos you need to contact these guys! Their work is amazing!

Hair Stylist: Vicki McFarlane vmcfarlane@aapt.net.au 0414 261 033

Makeup Artist: Rosetta Ripepi rosetta_ripepi@hotmail.com 0423 210 441

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

More bribes?

Pretty please!

Honnneeyyyyyyyy!!!

Yeayyyy!!

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

Jasmin’s Hen’s Day Out from Justin Oh on Vimeo.

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