Vancouver Wedding Photographer's Blog:
I started my photography business ten years ago when a friend hired me to shoot their wedding. Before then, I had just finished photography school and travelled worldwide, capturing different cultures through my camera lens. The travel photos convinced my friend to give me my first wedding opportunity, as they liked how I thoughtfully composed and captured each image. When asked what is the secret to good photography. My honest answer is passion, dedication and hard work. During my travel, I would spend up to 10 to 12 hours a day just walking from one location to another, looking for culturally unique architects and events to photograph. Then, returning home with thousands of travel photos and several pounds lighter from all the walking, I would immediately turn on my computer and start editing the images. Like a child opening presents on Christmas morning, I would enthusiastically spend all day editing and retouching the travel photos. This particular passion for photography has helped me continue growing my wedding business for this many years. I have posted several of my favourite wedding photos below and described how each image was taken.
UBC | Nitobe Memorial Garden
Who said you couldn't take photos on a nice rainy day? With some creativity and problem-solving, I made this photo one of my most memorable. I used an off-camera flash to illuminate raindrops trickling down through the forest canopy and the wedding couple standing beneath it for this particular shot. I then use a wide aperture prime lens to create a three-dimensional water effect around the bride and groom.
Burnaby Mountain Restaurant
As a common saying goes, "There is a story behind every picture." This particular photo was taken a few days after the provincial-wide mask mandate was lifted, and it was time for celebration. To capture this joyous occasion, I coordinated with the wedding couple to dance with their friends and family outside the courtyard. A good photographer not only needs to capture images but find ways to create them as well.
Richmond | Chop Steakhouse & Bar
This photo of the wedding couple was quite challenging to capture as restaurant servers often used this circular corridor to access the kitchen, which meant I had only a few seconds to capture this particular shot to avoid disrupting the restaurant's operation. To make a specific photo shoot successful, I arrived early to scout the location beforehand and set up all the proper lighting.
Vancouver Downtown | Robson Square
To get this dramatic shot, I used a portable strobe light to overpower the harsh sunlight in the background. As a result, only the wedding couple and the glass dome are visible, while all the people are hidden in the dark background. As Summer wedding photos are often taken in harsh lighting conditions, I have invested thousands of dollars into proper light equipment to deliver professional images to my clients.
North Vancouver | Grouse Mountain
As a wedding photographer, I first put my passion for photography before my business. Case in point, I remember spending over two hours scouting for this particular location as this wedding couple wanted photos around Grouse mountain and of them sitting on a chairlift with the city of Vancouver in the background. Since I wanted to capture the image as much as my client, I did not mind spending a few extra hours scouting.
Yaletown | Brix & Mortar Restaurant
In truth, the candid photos bring back unforgettable memories to the client as it shows them how they felt and not how they looked. Throughout the wedding day, I ensure that I capture these images for my clients as I want them and those close to them to relive the moments as if they had just happened. I can only imagine how happy the couple felt after realising they were officially married from this particular photo.
North Vancouver | Park & Tilford Garden
When posing a wedding couple in a pre-scouted location like the one in this picture, it must look natural and not look out of place. In addition, it needs to tell a believable narrative to the audience viewing this particular image. Hence before starting the photo session, I would often take a few minutes to observe the environment in front of me and try to imagine the story behind it.
