Gary and Gillian - Before the wedding

Pre-Weddings

Jun 16

Meeting Gary and Gillian was a chance encounter through a mutual friend who had banded together with a few other friends to sponsor them a pre-wedding shoot before their actual day wedding on Saturday. Chance encounter it seems, but to me, a wonderful time spent nonetheless!

With just a few days to spare before the big day, the pair agreed to take on this shoot because they loved my works (and I always appreciate the love!) and were assured of my guarantee that they’d get their images back within 24 hours of the shoot, a skill I confidently carry from my picture editing days on the news wire at Reuters.

As we traversed through Golden Mile Tower, the ever-reliable backup for rainy days, it struck me how quiet the place was as a result of heightened Covid-19 measures that silenced the theatres and food places altogether. Yet, vibrance is not made of the environment alone, it is the people. Ooh that was cheesy.

Between me and you, I am a firm believer of creating images that are uniquely yours. Weddings in Singapore start to look the same when people shoot in the same style, pose in a similar fashion or edit in the same way. While you can never run from ending up being similar to someone else, originality has its traits and can only come about when we’re intentional about it. And to that, intentionally shooting in different ways help me give meaningful images to my couples and adds a new dimension of breadth to their story.

Even though this was a short session with Gary and Gillian, I felt a sudden impulse to drive and take them out to the pier. The sun has been erratic at best with the torrential rain (maybe it’s just me. It always rains when I get out to shoot) and chasing the sunset was almost out of the question. But we just needed to get away from the urban vibe of the place and just enjoy the cityscape from the breakwaters of the pier.

As we reached the pier, whatever was left of the non-existent sun had already set and we had the cool glow of the evening sky as the backdrop. One plus point? Floodlights from the cruise centre lightly washed over us, giving us some warmth. It did take us a lot of guts and courage to try something adventurous though - tetering and balancing our way out onto a very narrow walkway on the breakwater to steal a few intimate shots.

It all seemed like a good idea when I suggested it, but when I climbed out myself after Gary and Gillian, I wondered what even possessed me to ask of it. I found myself oddly fearing the drop and quickly stooping to collect myself to direct for a shot or two. Thankfully, the pair were daring, sporting and adventurous to say the least, and we got what we needed!

As we traversed back, we took one final look at the cityscape and took some time to reflect on where we were, backdropped against the cityscape. Gary and Gillian later thanked me for the trip we made and how this moment was one to remember for sure before their actual day wedding at the end of the week. They counted themselves blessed. But those are the same words I feel inside too. I count myself blessed that I get to be here making images still even as the world threatens to fall apart.