"There is no greater heaven than the heart of a loving mother.
She takes care of you when you are still in her womb."⠀
How amazing it is to photograph a high school friend's long-awaited little one. The precious little one is already so very loved by his parents, and his big brother.⠀
Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.
Ernest Hemingway
Australia, Thailand, Singapore and various parts of Malaysia - the inquisitive and smiley little J is one of the most well travelled almost-two-year-olds I know. It was serendipitous when Lareina contacted me to have their family portraits taken. It turned out that their Melbourne trip coincided with mine!
Melbourne was heading into Summer, but unlike Perth (where it can get sweltering hot), the morning at the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens, gave the most ideal temperature for a family session.
It was such a joy to see little J humming, running, reading, chasing bubbles and getting chummy with the ducks in the park - all these without even breaking a sweat.
'I can conquer the world, with just one hand... as long as you are holding the other.'
I first met John and Chu at Kim and Jase's wedding at Abbotsford Convent in 2012. Chu is Kim's younger sister. The one thing that immediately attracted me to her was her beautiful ready smile. John and Chu are people that you naturally would want to be friends with. Within minutes of meeting them, they can put you completely at ease, and make you feel as if you've been friends for a very long time.
When I learned they got engaged early this year, I was so very elated as they are both such amazing people with big hearts. They also make a very gorgeous couple! These images captured in The Substation (where they are getting married), the University of Melbourne (where they both studied), and around the city tells their story.
They also have a very cute story on how they met.
Even though they had a lot of mutual friends, John and Chu have never met. That was until Chu's 18th birthday party.
John: Most of my friends were attending a birthday party and were talking about it. Someone asked me if I was going, I said no. I wasn’t invited and I didn’t know who’s party it was. My friend thought it would be fun if I attended, to hang out and he assured me the birthday girl would be more than happy to have me there. Chu and I ended up chatting on MSN and she was happy with me coming to her party, as long as I said hi to her on the night.
So I tried to find her that night, to say hi. But she wasn’t anywhere to be found. I sat down some time after, and noticed the cutest girl with the most beautiful smile. My friend turned to me and saw me looking at her and said, "Hey mate, what you looking at, that’s Chu, lets go." We both went over and I awkwardly said Hi. That’s my first memory of meeting Chu.
Thank you for being such good sports and for your warm hospitality. Brunch was so awesome! So much love for the both of you.
I will be in Melbourne again (Nov 21 to Nov 24). If you are interested in having portraits in Springtime Melbourne, I still have one more session available. Click for more information.
John
Seeing her happy gives me a feeling that I always want to have. She makes me feel special and loved. She is kind and generous.
Chu
We are on the same wavelength and have similar values. We complement each other with our strengths. He's motivated and this motivates/supports me. It's also a bonus that he can cook and clean. ;)
Family is a little world, created by love.
Loud infectious laughter and a huge heart for God - Winnie and I were part of the same all-girls life group, while I was in Perth. We also served in the Children's Church (Inside Out) for a number of years.
She now has an energizer-bunny little boy who makes cute grunts, indicating 'yes' and who stole my heart this visit back to Perth. It was so amazing that even after a decade, our conversation was easy as we picked up where we left off.
In true Winnie fashion (super sweet), she emailed me this after I shared her gallery with her:
Thank you so much for the photos , they are absolutely beautiful and looking at them brought tears to my eyes... We don't have many family photos as we don't get a chance to take them with all of us in them and these are the only family photos we have to date and they look amazing. Thanks for taking them, you are an amazing photographer and person.
Thank you for being an encourager and for sharing your family with me. Looking forward to our next catch up sesh over yummy cheese platter xx
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Bathers Beach at Fremantle holds a special place in my heart, as it was where BLee & I had our anniversary portraits taken, just last Spring. For Anthony and Jessica, it is even more special as it was where they went on their first date, as well as where Anthony popped the question, to ask Jess to spend her forever with him.
It was a beautiful sunny winter morning when we did their portraits. There was lots of laughing, jokes, cuddles and of course kissing!
During the session, Anthony & Jess clued me on a little secret... they just found out they were pregnant! #excitedsqueal. They wanted to do some pregnancy 'announcement' portraits, so we rounded up the session with some. Anthony & Jess, you guys are going to make a gorgeous bride and groom, as well as awesome parents!
It doesn't matter that you are not here in person
as long as you're here in my heart.
- The Little Prince
(Antoine de Saint Exupery)
Maintaining friendships are tough, especially when your life, like mine, has been a series of movements - from one country to another, one continent to the next. For someone who is really bad at keeping and staying in touch, I'm so much more grateful for friends who make the effort.
From her quirky-cool dressing and easy laugh to her level-headedness, Kim is that special friend. You know that friend who knows what you are thinking, without needing you to verbalise it. The one you know would have your back no matter what. She is also someone who isn't afraid to call me out when needed, provide encouragement and who genuinely listens.
A vet student then, she and I would never have met, if it wasn't for Japanese class at Murdoch University. After being an animal doctor for the last couple of years, she has hung up her stethoscope, and is pursuing something she loves - illustration. She is also a Creative Director who is making clever happen.
As I enter into a crossroad in my working career, she draws from her own experience and has been giving me gentle prods and lots of things to mull over. However, whatsapp and facetime conversations can only go so far. On a spur of the moment, I decided to go on a solo trip to visit her in Melbourne.
There was lots of coffee (tea for her) and good food over even better conversations
Despite the distance, the time difference, our crazy schedules - thank you for always making time and being there.
Love is a journey, I choose to take with you!
It isn't every day your best friend gets married and it's even rarer, when she requests that you help with her engagement portraits.
Rebecca and I go way way way back, back to when we were just little kids in Temerloh Gospel Chapel. Our friendship is a little odd, she was actually a school mate of my younger sister, Cassey. And a little known fact, even though I was in Singapore for both primary and high school, the brief holidays back at home, was enough to make me dislike her (there was a very long letter involved).
To cut the very long story short, it's been more than 2 decades of friendship... now I cannot imagine what life would be like without our constant coffee dates, and hanging out until restaurants close. We've fought, made up, cried, laughed and talked till dawn.
Kah Kit complements her completely. Where she is drama, he is calm and cool; where she gets a little OCD, he reminds her to chill. They are so different, yet so alike in a number of ways.
Becca and KK, being allowed to be there from the beginning where the two of you were still figuring out your relationship; to rejoicing with you both as KK took a step to God; to proposal ideation, wedding planning, coordination; and also being entrusted to photograph your love, I consider it an honour. May your marriage be centred and anchored in His love.
Locations: Araluen Botanic Park, Perth Royal Show,Fremantle, Sandalford Winery, Blue Boat Shed and King's Park, Western Australia
Special thanks to John Lim, for braving the multitudes of people at the Royal Show, and producing gorgeous images.
You know, perhaps there’s something there that wasn’t there before
Beauty & the Beast
An IT professional and a lover of all things Disney - it looks like it would be an amazing wedding for both Bree & Glenn! I first met Glenn in my final year IT project unit, and through the many crazy late nights, we clicked and became pretty fast friends.
When I got married in 2011, Glenn was awesome enough to fly over to celebrate with us. When I found out he was getting married this December, I knew, to make up for my absence, I had to grab some portraits for he and his gorgeous fiancee.
Meeting Bree for the first time, I was immediately attracted to her warm personality and love for all things kooky! A girl who loves Disney is also all good in my books :) Her zaniness complemented his seriousness completely. We took a stroll behind their place, and I was awed by how pretty everything was.
So much love to the both of you, as you take on the crazy adventure of marriage and the beginning of A Fairy Tale Come True. May it be filled with many shining, shimmering, splendid adventures; tackling everything with a smile and a song together; as you strive to be part of each other's world. I wish I can be there for your Disney-themed wedding next weekend, and cannot wait to see loads of photos.
Here is my secret
it is very simple
It is only with the heart
that one can see rightly
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
I love weddings and everything about it. The palpable joy and peals of laughter and happy tears, celebrating the joining of two, are just some of the things which keep me inspired to capture the essence of the day through photos. It isn't every day that one of your best friends get married. So when she does, you pull out all the stops to ensure that you do the gorgeous bride, and the beautiful person that she is justice.
I first met Kim in second year Japanese class while at uni in Perth. She was a first year Vet Science student, while I was in my final year. During one of our very first coffee breaks, she introduced herself, called me prissy... and we've became fast friends since. A gorgeous Vietnamese-Australian, Kim is a beautiful old soul with a level head on her shoulders. She is such a joy to be around, and always radiates warmth, happiness and positivity. All traits that I've come to depend on.
When Kim first met Jase, she was every bit the gushing school girl.
“... i guess the highlight of my life at the moment is a boy named Jason, but as per usual it’s difficult to grasp all at once. he has beautiful red curly locks that bounce over his forehead, and unfortunately (but i don’t mind much) he has a goatee beard thing. otherwise i agree he would look like a little boy. i find him utterly gorgeous...”
I thought, it was highly probable, that this was someone with whom she would be spending a very long time together with. I first met Jase when the two lovebirds visited Kuala Lumpur almost 5 years ago. He is easily one of the most easy going person, who very obviously adores Kim. Fast forward to 2012, my heart almost burst with love for these two amazing people as I had the privilege of sharing in one of their biggest and most special day. Their Love Day was held on the very beautiful grounds of Abbotsford Gardens. The intimate ceremony reflected their individualistic personalities as they decided to keep it a private affair with family and people they loved.
As they made their personal vows to each other, there wasn't a dry eye in the audience. It was simply so special, unique and magical.
